SARBANES-OXLEY Problems

Sarbanes Oxley is a set of regulations in the US that many companies are struggling with trying to implement. Originally passed in the wake of the Enron and Worldcom scandals, it centers on building in some transparency into publicly traded companies, with things like actually holding the CEO and CFO responsible for results they report.

Another component is tracking and escalating "operational" problems, something that is kind of vague, and ripples through the company. The intent (I think) is to track the number of these significant exceptions for reporting purposes. As one would guess, given the lack of clarity and different interpretations, problems can arise, and one is revealed in all it's glory at Delloitte & Touche:

Database Administrator: The DBA will insure the integrity and performance of the database environment. The DBA will not have access to security functions. The DBA will not have access to the physical servers. The DBA will not be able to view production data.

Good write up on how absurd this is at the link. Plain stupid, and unworkable.