complexity
Purposeful Simplicity, Unthoughtful Complexity
Most people or organizations do not, by design, create a product or service with the goal of “making the most complex product that nobody can use”. In other words, rarely do we see purposeful complexity but instead we see much unthoughtful complexity.
i am going to create the most complex product or service and nobody will be able to use it! i’ll make sure that after my customers experience my product or service, that they feel deflated & completely unsuccessful.
Most people or organizations do not, by design, create a product or service with the goal of “making the most complex product that nobody can use”. In other words, rarely do we see purposeful complexity but instead we see much unthoughtful complexity.
i am going to create the most complex product or service and nobody will be able to use it! i’ll make sure that after my customers experience my product or service, that they feel deflated & completely unsuccessful.
Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen
eam size can make a big difference in the success of your service or product. What is counter-intuitive for most people is that the larger the team size, the lower the likelihood of success for your service or product. Why? Communication Entropy can set in and large teams are inherently bad vehicles for communication.
Team size can make a big difference in the success of your service or product. What is counter-intuitive for most people is that the larger the team size, the lower the likelihood of success for your service or product. Why? Communication Entropy can set in and large teams are inherently bad vehicles for communication.
More sinister, however, is that the larger the team, there is a higher likelihood of accountability and responsibility being diffused across the team and when everyone is in charge, then nobody is in charge. A good friend of mine calls this situation a state of affairs where “there are too many cooks in the kitchen” — but the big difference is that the Kitchen acts as an Obeya since all the actors are in the same location.
Not Accountable, Not Responsible
Team size can make a big difference in the success of your service or product. What is counterintuitive for most people is that the larger the team size, the lower the likelihood of success for your service or product. Why? Entropy can set in and large teams are inherently bad vehicles for communication. More insipid, however, is that the larger the team, there is a higher likelihood of accountability and responsibility being diffused across the team.
Team size can make a big difference in the success of your service or product. What is counterintuitive for most people is that the larger the team size, the lower the likelihood of success for your service or product. Why? Entropy can set in and large teams are inherently bad vehicles for communication. More insipid, however, is that the larger the team, there is a higher likelihood of accountability and responsibility being diffused across the team.
Maintain Forward Tension
One principle in Wing Chun is the maintaining of forward tension. To explain, I’ll draw the distinction between Tension and Energy and show how this principle in Wing Chun can be applied to Change Management.
Tension is a type of Energy
A Wing Chun maxim goes as follows:
soft and relaxed strength will put your opponent in jeopardy
One principle in Wing Chun is the maintaining of forward tension. To explain, I’ll draw the distinction between Tension and Energy and show how this principle in Wing Chun can be applied to Change Management.
Tension is a type of Energy
A Wing Chun maxim goes as follows:
soft and relaxed strength will put your opponent in jeopardy
Fast Food Congestion
Every system has constraints — sometimes several — minor bottlenecks and major bottlenecks. What makes managing constraints even more challenging is that bottlenecks move: up-and-down the process paths.
I saw this phenomenon recently during a visit to a fast food restaurant, which I discuss in this post — but, my application of the Theory of Constraints, Lean Manufacturing, and Six Sigma as applied to a Restaurant can be applied to any Dynamic System.
Every system has constraints — sometimes several — minor bottlenecks and major bottlenecks. What makes managing constraints even more challenging is that bottlenecks move: up-and-down the process paths.
I saw this phenomenon recently during a visit to a fast food restaurant, which I discuss in this post — but, my application of the Theory of Constraints, Lean Manufacturing, and Six Sigma as applied to a Restaurant can be applied to any Dynamic System.
Student Loan Debt, Pizza, and The Supply Chain
Several months ago my wife mentioned, in a subtle way, that she misses Giordano’s Pizza. Giordano’s is our favorite pizza joint and we used to eat there daily while I was a graduate student at The University of Chicago. I’d say most of my graduate student loan debt went to Giordano’s in exchange for their delicious and famous stuffed pizza.
Several months ago my wife mentioned, in a subtle way, that she misses Giordano’s Pizza. Giordano’s is our favorite pizza joint and we used to eat there daily while I was a graduate student at The University of Chicago. I’d say most of my graduate student loan debt went to Giordano’s in exchange for their delicious and famous stuffed pizza.
Attitude and the Pyschology of Queueing
I took the kids to see a movie at a nearby dollar theater many weeks ago. We saw Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium and some parts of that movie has stayed with me. I thought that the movie was actually very good: it was an overall very good feel-good movie, with a very good message. One key take-away for me was the role of a good attitude and how that can make a big, big difference in life.
I took the kids to see a movie at a nearby dollar theater many weeks ago. We saw Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium and some parts of that movie has stayed with me. I thought that the movie was actually very good: it was an overall very good feel-good movie, with a very good message. One key take-away for me was the role of a good attitude and how that can make a big, big difference in life.
Representing an Idea with Visual Identity
My daughter recently turned 10 years old. So, because her friends have email and communicate via email, I recently helped her obtain an account. In the process, we both learned something very important about abstract ideas and the icons we use to visually represent them.
My daughter recently turned 10 years old. So, because her friends have email and communicate via email, I recently helped her obtain an account. In the process, we both learned something very important about abstract ideas and the icons we use to visually represent them.
Featuritis and the Customer Experience
The more I learn and practice ethnography and design-thinking, the more I notice subtle but incredibly frustrating experiences. For example, I had a frustrating experience with a faucet that was in the hospital room where our adopted baby girl, Mylie, was born. This faucet is an automated one — with a sensor. So, whenever an object passes the sensor, the faucet would turn on even if the intention of the human was not to use the faucet.
The more I learn and practice ethnography and design-thinking, the more I notice subtle but incredibly frustrating experiences. For example, I had a frustrating experience with a faucet that was in the hospital room where our adopted baby girl, Mylie, was born. This faucet is an automated one — with a sensor. So, whenever an object passes the sensor, the faucet would turn on even if the intention of the human was not to use the faucet.
Bottlenecks and Fast Food
One of the key lessons in The Theory of Constraints is that the contraint or the bottleneck determines the throughput for the entire system. This means, then, that if we optimize and improve a non-bottleneck, then those efforts have almost zero impact on the overall throughput of the system. It is only when we improve and optimize the contraint that we will see improvement in the throughput of the entire system. Every system has a constraint — that is neither good nor bad — but just a fact of dynamic systems. Once you’ve identified the constraints in your system, then the next step is to manage it.
One of the key lessons in The Theory of Constraints is that the contraint or the bottleneck determines the throughput for the entire system. This means, then, that if we optimize and improve a non-bottleneck, then those efforts have almost zero impact on the overall throughput of the system. It is only when we improve and optimize the contraint that we will see improvement in the throughput of the entire system. Every system has a constraint — that is neither good nor bad — but just a fact of dynamic systems. Once you’ve identified the constraints in your system, then the next step is to manage it.
