When I started out (80s), we would work closely with the real users and they got what the wanted. Back then development was text screens. Around 10 years late

When I started out (80s), we would work closely with the real users and they got what the wanted. Back then development was text screens. Around 10 years later, some methodology came along and working with the users ended. This methodology was suppose to give the programmers more time to work. We ended up with frustrated users who started moving to Lotus 123 or Excel. Back then I developed (on the side) many processes where my users could get the data from the mainframe for use on their PCs. Agile came along later with prepackaged software, AMAPs(?), SAP, Oracle and many others that I have forgotten. Now we have many many users spending at least 50% of their time (some much more) testing upgrades instead of analyzing their data. End result, users are just doing what they can to get by whatever GUI screen is presented to them, not caring at all what data they are entering in. And most real work occurs in excel to the point where users are downloading gigs of data to their PC to get away from the canned, hard to use Enterprise Systems.