So here's what I wanted to think on today: Continuous Improvement.
It has two features to consider:
* It's about making improvements
* It's continouous
It has two features to consider:
* It's about making improvements
* It's continouous
Let's take the 'continuous' bit first:
* You're not in it for a burst or for a while, you're in for good.
* Nobody has completed their continuous improvement program. Ever.
* It's not "hopping from rock to rock" - improvements sustain and accumulate.
* You're not in it for a burst or for a while, you're in for good.
* Nobody has completed their continuous improvement program. Ever.
* It's not "hopping from rock to rock" - improvements sustain and accumulate.
If you "improve" by expending greater physical effort and endurance, you can't do continuous improvement. Working harder isn't an improvement at all.
You have to sustain if you're to be continuous. Lower the level of effort necessary to succeed, don't brute force it.
You have to sustain if you're to be continuous. Lower the level of effort necessary to succeed, don't brute force it.
Your budget for the next improvement will come from the time and energy saved by implementing the last improvement. How else could this possibly work?
Working harder is the reverse - it borrows energy from tomorrow in order to power through today.
Working harder is the reverse - it borrows energy from tomorrow in order to power through today.
Sometimes our experimental improvements don't pay off. That's part of the game. We may fail 1/5 or 4/5 times to find an improvement.
So the long view is important, but if we're not experimenting now, we will never find the improvements.
Continuous = Now AND later.
So the long view is important, but if we're not experimenting now, we will never find the improvements.
Continuous = Now AND later.
The other part is "improvement" and this is pretty key.
What defines an improvement? For whom?
Maybe one of my bosses is happier when they see I'm working overtime - is that an improvement? No. It doesn't sustain or scale or improve the bottom line.
What defines an improvement? For whom?
Maybe one of my bosses is happier when they see I'm working overtime - is that an improvement? No. It doesn't sustain or scale or improve the bottom line.
The Pareto improvement makes one person's situation better without making other people's situation worse.
That's the right idea.
How can we have better outcomes as individuals, teams, organizations, and as a product community?
How can we have them more easily & often?
That's the right idea.
How can we have better outcomes as individuals, teams, organizations, and as a product community?
How can we have them more easily & often?
In a perfect world, we can make tomorrow better than yesterday - more safe, more fun, more competent, more human, more knowledgeable, easier, simpler, clearer.
Maybe that's too short a time frame (too advanced).
How about the same, but weeks?
Months?
Maybe that's too short a time frame (too advanced).
How about the same, but weeks?
Months?
What did we do this year that will make for more and easier accomplishments next year than last year?
What are we doing now to make next week better than last week?
What are we doing now to make next week better than last week?
It's continuous (eternal, now and later, always) so the improvements don't have to be big changes. Big changes are expensive and take a long time. What things can we "just do" without approval or funding?
Where is your accumulation of marginal gains, your two-second lean?
Where do you want to start today?
Where do you want to start today?
Consider these: industriallogic.com/blog/small-thi…
paulakers.net/books/2-second…
Find some inspiration to start. The savings from each improvement fuels & funds the next so maybe start small and soon.
paulakers.net/books/2-second…
Find some inspiration to start. The savings from each improvement fuels & funds the next so maybe start small and soon.
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
