http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkinson%27s_law_of_triviality
[Parkinson] dramatizes this "law of triviality" with the example of a committee's
deliberations on an atomic reactor, contrasting it to deliberations on a
bicycle shed. As he put it: "The time spent on any item of the agenda
will be in inverse proportion to the sum [of money] involved." A reactor
is used because it is so vastly expensive and complicated that an
average person cannot understand it, so one assumes that those that work
on it understand it. On the other hand, everyone can visualize a cheap,
simple bicycle shed, so planning one can result in endless discussions
because everyone involved wants to add a touch and show personal
contribution.
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