Of course they did!

The company where this pilot fish works is going through a major change in how IT is done. "A new organizational map will be put in place," reports fish. "Work will be outsourced. Service levels for the rest of the company will be more carefully documented.

"The management types who are assigned to create the new direction want to avoid making mistakes, so they hire a number of consultants to help them with a study-recommend project."

Time passes, and there's a tight lid on exactly what the plan is. Everyone in IT grows increasingly nervous.

Then things shift to the implementation phase. Another swarm of consultants will be hired to help put the plan into action.

But in IT, nervousness has turned to irritation. Everyone there knows that one of the consultants from the study-recommend project has recommended himself into a job with the company.

"How did you hear about that?" demands a member of the planning group when fish's boss asks about the erstwhile consultant.

"Well," says fish's boss, "someone had to set up his account on our network. Someone had to install his phone, build him a laptop and set him up in the mail system. You didn't really think we wouldn't know, did you?"