Do You Know What You’re Arguing About?
TL;DR – Use the Problem-Solution-Implementation (PSI) Model to get and keep your teams in sync when they’re making decisions and implementing changes in your organization. Do you find yourself struggling to secure buy-in from your team, or from your boss, when you’re proposing a new project of initiative? Does it feel like the people on […]
The Open/Closed Principle – Good for Code, Better for Questions
A protocol for asking and answering questions, gathering information, and getting to the best decisions faster. The SOLID principles of object oriented design, includes a principle that’s often overlooked in application and library design, which is the “Open/Closed Principle“. The basic premise is that you should design systems and organize classes in such a way […]
Making Decisions Inside the Golden Triangle
Increasing Autonomy at the Edge Through Constraint-based solutions “Solving For The Golden Triangle” is a term I coined several years ago to serve as a counter to the classic “Iron Triangle” of Project Management (scope, cost, schedule). The Golden Triangle serves as a simple guideline for leaders in the organization to help make decisions and […]
Working at the Speed of Zeno’s Paradox
Executing well, now, is better than executing perfectly, later. If you’re old enough to have stayed up and watched Saturday Night Live in the ‘80’s and early 90’s, you remember Phil Hartman. He had a classic skit called “The Anal Retentive Chef” that spawned a whole series — “Anal Retentive Carpenter,” “Anal Retentive Fishing,” and […]
Getting All The Liars in One Room
When is it time to “Call the Meeting?” TL;DR If you have more than two people involved in making a decision, and it’s not happening on its own, don’t try to get it done by having a series of 1×1 conversations. Get everybody together in one place, looking at one common goal and one complete […]
Teach Like a Boy Scout (or waitress) — The WEDGE Method for Instructing
The Why Teaching others is the best way to confirm that you actually know something. It’s also a great way to re-cement a skill for yourself. Approaching a topic in a deliberate, thoughtful manner, with enough focus and detail to be able to equip someone else with that knowledge, can have a profound effect on […]