Decisive Action

There are far too many people out there, at all levels, from top management to entry level, that are allergic to taking decisive action. Now a decisive action does not mean a stupid action. It does not mean an improperly thought out, unplanned, immature action. I mean the type of action where a stand of some sort is made and held to instead of the typical wishy-washy let’s stay forever safe and not get anywhere type of fence sitting that has resulted in the IT industry being so chaotic and unstructured.

Not every minute of every day is going to require decisive action. But when the need for such action is required, it is imperative that it be taken. Perhaps the greatest general ever, Napoleon Bonaparte, was famous for taking decisive actions that would alter the course of history, sometimes in the thick of battle. What he is less famous for is the huge amount of planning and preparation he went through prior to his decision making. The result? A legend, who almost took over all of Europe.

Now, we in our cubicles and offices need not worry about being a Napoleon, making life or death decisions, but the principle remains the same as does the benefit. So how does all this apply to IT Process Improvement? To cite just one example, when a decision to implement a methodology is made, it should be implemented with a decisive, do or die energy. Now this does not mean that it should not be carefully monitored and course corrections taken. This does not mean that risk analysis and mitigation be not performed. It does mean that we don’t give up at the first obstacle that comes by or worse even not take the decision to implement an improvement in the first place. Even an entry level person in his cubicle can apply decisive action taking in small and measured ways. Of course, if the organizational culture is one of non-decisiveness then it may be best to be discrete in this aspect as I can testify by my own experiences. This is an ideology that is most effective when applied by the senior management and it naturally trickles down to the lower levels as the organizational culture becomes imbued with a certain fearlessness.

Plan carefully and then take decisive action. This has always been the way of the truly successful.

Balance Balance Balance

At a recent chapter meeting with IT and Quality professionals, the topic of documentation came up. To my surprise a lot of folks were against documentation: not in principle but in the extreme application of it. But why did they assume that documentation equates to extremely detailed and intensive documentation? A somewhat “light” version of documentation could be implemented which would cover important issues without involving too much expense and effort. A medium level documentation effort might very well be the right one for a specific situation. Why assume a super detailed documentation effort right from the onset and crucify it immediately? This tendency to be either at one extreme (little to no documentation) or the other extreme (super detailed documentation) is a damaging and ultimately self-debilitating style of thinking. This same extreme to extreme thinking occurs when process implementation (or improvement) or any other beneficial initiative is brought up and then creates a significant roadblock in the implementation of the effort.

In reality, any level of documentation or process implementation or Six Sigma effort can be performed. It does not have to be an ultra grand trillion dollar effort. A proper analysis of what best serves the organizational needs must first be performed. With the result of this analysis, a proper, well thought out approach should be planned and implemented. It is usually best to start with a pilot version of the effort as opposed to implementing it all across the organization in one go. A phased approach is also beneficial in that any issues with the effort can be corrected and reworked smoothly and incremental low risk implementations are made. I do not wish to go into the details of an implementation but rather emphasize the benefits of a balanced approach and the needless harm and problems induced by an unbalanced (extreme to extreme) thinking approach.

To be perfectly honest, each moment of each day calls for analysis and a balanced response. I can’t slam on the accelerator of my car too hard or I’ll hit the car ahead of me. If I don’t hit the accelerator hard enough, the car behind me will be frustrated. I must analyze the traffic conditions at each moment and make the correct response. Whether it is driving my car, shopping for groceries of implementing six sigma improvements, each unique situation calls for a unique response. As IT professionals, it is especially necessary for us to keep this balanced approach in mind due to the enormous mix of variables in the workings of IT. Even the effort at achieving balance will bring about major positive results and harmony. And the IT work environment could use all the harmony it can get.