Trilemma by Jennifer Mortimer Read Free Book Online Page A

them on anything special they’ve achieved as an individual, all you need do is tell them what a great country it is.”
    Dirk laughs. “Yeah, they love being told New Zealand is beautiful. It’s easier than complimenting people on how they look. The women wear too much black—black tops, black trousers, flat black shoes. All Blacks, eh? Nothing too distinctive. And the men make no effort at all. Gray, gray, gray.”
    â€œIt’s a good lifestyle, though,” says Jiro. “Good wine and food, not corrupt, safe.”
    â€œBut expensive,” adds Dirk. “Everything is expensive to buy.” He looks at me with a slight smile. “Are you thinking of settling here, Lin? Do you think you can hack it?”
    â€œMaybe. As you say, they are very friendly people. They make you feel at home.”
    â€œAt home? Yes, but only if you keep telling us we’re wonderful,” Sally returns to the table with a platter of cheeses.
    â€œYou’re wonderful, Sally!” I reply, and smile up at my wonderful Kiwi friend.
    Upstairs I put the leftover piece of Pavlova in the refrigerator to eat for breakfast and sit gazing out on Wellington. Okay, so I’ve found my sisters, but I can’t see any way to meet them that will work out well. I think I’ll just have to park that possibility for now.
    Instead, I open up my laptop and start an e-mail. I write that I’ve got a job in Wellington, a good one, for six months anyway, and that I’ve applied for a New Zealand passport.
    I write how I am enjoying the city and my friend Sally, a pathologist who drinks a little too much. I write that I have found my sisters but I haven’t met them yet.
    I’m making myself a home here, I say.
    I read the email, make a couple of corrections, push the cursor up to the SEND icon, and pause.
    The wine sings through my brain, telling me to reach out and take the risk. I read the draft again but it isn’t quite right, or maybe I’m just not ready.
    Instead of pressing SEND, I save the draft, close my laptop down, and head to bed.
    .

Chapter 10
    Projects have three parameters—money, time, and functionality. If you’re good, you manage to hit one of these. If you’re very good as well as lucky, you might hit two of them. But never all three. So, as in life, something has to give, and you have to compromise.
    Sometimes you have to spend more; sometimes you have to take more time. Sometimes you reduce the scope of what you’re trying to deliver, or defer parts of the functionality until a later date. Sometimes the best solution is to accept lesser quality in areas where quality is not so critical.
    The hard part is knowing which compromises to make and what risks you can afford to take. That is where my skill comes in.
    In the boardroom, chief consultant Scott Peake is presenting his summary of the support systems options to Hera’s executive team. He smiles widely as he turns from the screen to face us. He is a great smiler, is Scott.
    â€œThe first option, from VNL, is what we call the ‘Best of Breed’ solution, based on the leading packages in each of the areas and integrated using an enterprise service bus.”
    His eyes move from Ian to Fred before finally resting on Tom’s face. He doesn’t look at me or at Deepak. I don’t take it personally. He hasn’t liked me ever since I asked him to explain the figures in the summary and then asked for the source documents so I could check what he said. I haven’t liked him since he refused to give me the documents, telling me it was importantto interpret the information correctly, and he didn’t want any misunderstandings. I looked into Peake’s eyes then and saw what lay behind. Dollar signs, mainly, for himself and his consulting firm.
    â€œThese are the costs.”
    All told, the costs total $20 million, which made me want to do a bit of interpreting myself.
    â€œThat