IT (yes, really) built a cheap copy of a SaaS app

“We didn't have time for architecture.”— Sarah, IT (yes, really)

Reason:

Mainly because the workflow has 93 steps and nobody wants to open it. With 112 users and 13 feature requests.

Built by:

Sarah, a controller

Build time:

7 evenings

Built with:

Google Apps Script

Database:

the new database plus the old database "for comparison"

Authentication:

anonymous users are mapped to "default admin"

Deployment:

using a self-signed certificate everybody has accepted

Responsible:

the person sitting closest to the printer

Documentation:

a Notion page titled "New docs"

Security situation:

the JWT secret is "changeme"

Future disaster:

It will be mentioned in an audit finding using the words "material weakness".

Age: 1.0 years · originally expected to last 4 weeks · 2 owners so far · last meaningful change 381 days ago

Rated mythic mostly because: €3.9m per year, 602 users, 3 accidental connections.