One-banana problem

One-banana problem is jargon sometimes used by persons involved in the operation of large computer systems. It indicates a low level of difficulty.

The phrase is most likely to be heard at larger technical worksites, where, in addition to System Administrators, routine computer system administrative tasks such as daily backup are handled by dedicated operators. Programmers and hardware people at these sites may not hold such operators in high regard and may claim that a trained monkey could do their job.

It is frequently observed that the incentives that would be offered to said monkeys can be used as a scale to describe the difficulty of a task. A one-banana problem is simple; hence, "It's only a one-banana job at the most; what's taking them so long?" At IBM, folklore divides the world into one-, two-, and three-banana problems.

Other corporate cultures have different hierarchies and may divide them more finely; at International Computers Limited, for example, five grapes (a bunch) equals a banana. Their upper limit for the in-house "sysapes" is said to be two bananas and three grapes (another source claims it's three bananas and one grape, but observes "However, this is subject to local variations, cosmic rays and ISO"). At a complication level any higher than that, one asks the manufacturers to send someone around to check things.

It is a reference to Sherlock Holmes. When contemplating a problem he would often smoke his pipe. In one story he told Watson that the current problem was, "quite a three pipe problem" - meaning that he would have it solved after smoking three pipes.