Everyone has holiday traditions, and recently we were amused to learn that one of our clients invites employees to compose variations on show tunes, telling a tale of a project that transpired at the company during the past year. One late evening, as I listened to Miles Davis and Led Zeppelin while reviewing a CMS and portal RFP, inspiration struck. And so with apologies to Jimmy Page, I present "The RFP Process," sung to bluesy tune of Led Zeppelin's Dazed & Confused. Happy New Year from all of us at CMS Watch!

Been dazed and confused
For so long it's not true
Wanted some software
Ended up with SNAFU
Requirements talkin'
Few of us know
These damn RFP checklists
Should be buried in snow...

Sales guys hurt and abuse
Tellin' all of their lies
But oh those flashy demos
How they hypnotize
Sweet little software
Don't know what you really do
I've just clicked so many times
My mouse hand's turning blue

Every day I work so hard
Bringing home my hard-earned pay
Try to love you, system
But your java errors push me away
Don't know where my content's goin'
Don't know where my content's been
Overworked help-desk,
Here I come again

Been dazed and confused
For so long it's not true
Wanted some software
Ended up without a clue
So much content, but what do I know?
The soul of a vendor was created below...