Are You Spinning Your Wheels?

 

"The only purpose of starting is to finish, and while the projects we do are never really finished, they must ship," writes Seth Godin in his book Linchpin: Are You Indispensable?

"Shipping something out the door, doing it regularly, without hassle, emergency, or fear—this is a rare skill," writes Godin, "something that makes you indispensable."

Of course Godin is talking about projects in the broader context of what we do, but it still applies. It's easy for some organizations to get all wrapped up in the process of work or projects and forget that there needs to be some kind of deliverable at the end—something of value. And, sometimes it's not just an organizational problem either. I have known several very talented and capable people who work very hard but never seem get anything done (they always seem to be spinning their wheels).

What is it about actually finishing something that is so difficult for individuals and organizations? If you can answer that question in your own organization, you'll be indispensable. Godin identifies two challenges that make finishing (shipping) successfully so difficult:

1. Thrashing
2. Coordination

Thrashing, according to Godin, "...is the apparently productive brainstorming and tweaking we do for a project as it develops. Thrashing might mean changing the user interface or rewriting an introductory paragraph. Sometimes thrashing is merely a tweak; other times it involves major surgery."

I think we can all agree that no mater how well a project is planned, there is a certain amount of "thrashing" that takes place—I have yet to meet a project that is planned perfectly from start to finish. The problem with "thrashing" isn't that it happens, but is all about when it happens. The earlier the brainstorming takes place, the better it is for the project. The later in the process, the greater the opportunity to introduce problems, bugs and glitches.

Coming from the software industry, Godin asserts that "Every software project that has missed its target date (every single one) is a victim of late thrashing." I think it's safe to say this could very well be true of any project that struggles, whether or not it is a software-related project.

I also think it's pretty safe to say that the more people involved in the decision-making process, the more difficult it becomes to actually make a decision. Not just a little bit more difficult, but exponentially more difficult. "The reason that start-ups almost always defeat large companies in the rush to market is simple: start-ups have fewer people to coordinate, less thrashing, and more linchpins per square foot. They can't afford anything else and they have less to lose."

Projects run by a committee are seldom successful. Coordinating everyone's opinions and agendas can be a real project killer. Someone needs to have the ultimate authority to make project decisions. "That means you need formal procedures for excluding people, even well-meaning people with authority," says Godin.

Sometimes the decision to exclude people boils down to whether or not the project ships on time or gets bogged down in a morass of lengthy approval requirements. In my opinion, this is the death knell for any project.

I wasn't expecting to find so much great information in Godin's book, but I did. I finished the book this morning and it will take a prominent place on my bookshelf. I can highly recommend it to anyone who is trying to get work done, lead a team or an organization or simply wants to advance their career.

Shipping makes you indispensable. What are you doing to spin your wheels less and deliver more?