Analysis Paralysis

Inasmuch as I just defended 'process' in my earlier post, at the urging of a reader email (use the 'comment' button, folks, email is so 2002!) I thought I ought to also clarify that the bane of my existence is 'analysis paralysis'.

Analysis paralysis differs from effective process in that my concept of the latter adds value by directing and supporting common efforts in an organization. Analysis paralysis is the polar opposite of this; it represents unnecessary expense as real and opportunity costs are incurred for repetitive, redundant analysis continually applied to a problem (or its proposed solution) without adding any additional relevant data. This can be intentional (as is found in politics as committees are formed for 'further study' in order to shelve controversial issues) or unintentional (lack of confidence in one's ability to reach a decision).

Here's excellent reading on a related subject: Blink by Malcolm Gladwell

Process is not a four letter word.

In the popular cult favorite, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy by the late Douglas Adams, Vogons are creatures described as "extremely ugly, extremely officious, and generally not much fun to be around... only their stubbornness allowed them to survive. They generally become bureaucrats in the galactic government and their unpleasant demeanour makes them ideally suited to such employment".

Now there's an unappealing profile that you won't find in any Myers-Briggs personality profile, however this caricature rings true due to our generally accepted opposition to useless red tape.

I'll admit that as much as I oppose useless red tape, I am a fan of process. But only those processes that are designed to expedite, measure, and improve actions, not slow and needlessly monitor and approve actions. Too often extremes are found in corporate America - either too many controls, or in order to avoid such lumbering processes, too few. The former processes result in disengaged employees and an organization unable to change quickly; the latter, an organization lacking common understanding and duplicating or negating efforts of others.

Processes are not poison. They simply need to be developed and followed in a way that keeps the end goal in mind, be it customer satisfaction, margin support, or new product development. Processes are meant to free people to do their jobs make decisions and act quickly, not constrain their ability to contribute.

Of plaster and planning

So my bride and I finally decided to start a major remodel last week; the master bath is being turned upside down, with virtually everything new except the ceiling, and even that was repainted.

But it was going to be quick and easy, this remodel, because we researched, we shopped, we planned. We knew precisely what we were going to do.

Of course, we thought there may be a delay in getting the tile, an unexpected foundation problem around the tub, or a mismatched color between the countertops and cabinets. Or something.

We foresaw the unforseeable, and that's not an oxymoron.

Just because you can't see trouble ahead doesn't mean it won't come. Its not enough to have a Plan B or Plan C. Alternate plans only allow for a complete re-boot, and today's competitive environment doesn't allow the time or cost in starting over. It requires that you be able to plan well enough that the best plan is a flexible one. One plan, not alternative ones.

So now we have different tile than we first spec'd, we are painting the existing cabinets, and the closet doors are different than we first envisioned. It's over-budget and a week delayed according to the promises initially offered by the contractor. But its under-budget and currently ahead of schedule from what we had expected, and its still going to be exactly what we wanted.

Now that's a plan.

The check is in the mail...

Here's an oldie but a goodie from the Fast Company archives. The Five Most Common Lies In Business reveals nothing that we didn't already suspect, and for those who have told them, nothing they didn't already know. I'll add another:

Lie #6: "We are investing more into marketing."

Truth: "We hope to have more left over for marketing when we finish our other planning."

B.S. Detector: Until marketing is involved at the outset of planning, consulting on promotional spending and market messages, product launches and the like, sales cannot plan their quotas with any certainty.

I know of a firm where the Sales VP, frustrated at the CFO's apparently arbitrary reverse budgeting and quota-setting (working from a target EPS backward) simply threw up his hands and said, "Make the quota whatever you want it to be. There's no way we can make it with the current product mix, and I have no idea what you are going to give to marketing to support us, but go ahead." This exasperated outburst was mistaken for agreement, and the unrealistic quotas were set, and no doubt marketing blamed when they were not met.