2 sure-fire ways to fail any project
There are Design patterns and Anti-design patterns
A design pattern is a template for creating solutions in different situations
For example — an IKEA cabinet
For example — solving a customer problem
An anti-design-pattern, when used, guarantees failure
For example — not reading the IKEA papers
For example — losing it with a customer
1. Design pattern - RECYCLE
If you don’t recycle, you will reinvent the wheel. You will make the some mistakes some bozo (see #2) made 10 years ago. You will spend more time and money wandering around the wilderness of problem solving.
Someone probably already had this issue/product question in your system. What do you / should you do? RECYCLE prescribes what to do. If you want to be really anal about this — you can make it a checklist.
- Search & Share
- Support system
- Talk to Colleagues
- Grill the Customer
- Search Inside yourself
- Ask ChatGPT
2. Don’t flip the bozo bit anti-design pattern — DFTBB
DFTBB is basically human nature to be negative about other people who are fools. Or at least look like fools to you.
Hmm.
What does this anti-design pattern have?
- Don’t believe everything the customer says
- Be curious
- Do not fall into the trap of believing appearances
Once the bozo bit is flipped it’s usually permanent. How not to flip the bozo-bit?
- Separate the person from the problem. Every person has their own personal drama. It has nothing to do with you.
- Disconnect and go up to 20,000' and look at the problem dispassionately
- Do not be empathetic. A customer has a serious issue in his own drama context, not yours. It’s like a drowning person — he’ll drag you down if you are empathetic and then sue you for drowning him.
