Design by committee

Design by committee is a term referring to a style of design and its resultant output when a group of entities comes together to produce something (often the design of technological systems or standards), particularly in the presence of poor and incompetent leadership. The defining characteristics of "design by committee" are needless complexity, internal inconsistency, logical flaws, banality, and the lack of a unifying vision.

The term is especially common in technical parlance, and it legitimizes the need and general acceptance of a unique systems architect

Systems architect

In systems engineering, the systems architect is the high-level designer of a system to be implemented.The systems architect establishes the basic structure of the system, defining the essential core design features and elements that provide the framework for all that follows, and are the hardest...

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Design by committee is a term referring to a style of design and its resultant output when a group of entities comes together to produce something (often the design of technological systems or standards), particularly in the presence of poor and incompetent leadership. The defining characteristics of "design by committee" are needless complexity, internal inconsistency, logical flaws, banality, and the lack of a unifying vision.

The term is especially common in technical parlance, and it legitimizes the need and general acceptance of a unique systems architect

Systems architect

In systems engineering, the systems architect is the high-level designer of a system to be implemented.The systems architect establishes the basic structure of the system, defining the essential core design features and elements that provide the framework for all that follows, and are the hardest...

. Often, when software is designed by a committee, the original motivation, specifications and technical criteria take a backseat and poor choices may be made merely to appease the egos of several individual committee members. Such products and standards end up doing too many things or having parts that fit together poorly (because the entities who produced those parts were unaware of each other's requirements for a good fit).

The term is also common in automotive parlance for poorly designed or unpopular cars.

One maxim is that a camel is a horse designed by committee; this has been attributed to Vogue magazine

Vogue (magazine)

Vogue is a fashion and lifestyle magazine published in 16 countries + Latin America by Condé Nast Publications. Each month, Vogue publishes a magazine addressing topics of fashion, life and design.-Style and influence:...

, July 1958, to Sir Alec Issigonis

Alec Issigonis

Sir Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis, CBE, FRS was a Greek-British designer of cars, now remembered chiefly for the groundbreaking and influential development of the Mini, launched by the British Motor Corporation in 1959.- Biography :Alexander Arnold Constantine Issigonis was born into the...

and also to University of Wisconsin philosophy professor Lester Hunt.