You could hear a pin drop as we inched forward in our seats. Our executive was on a panel discussion at an all-employee meeting, and he was being challenged on the delivery date of the company’s biggest project. The company president asked, “We need it done this year. What do you say?” My teammates and I were all sitting together in the large auditorium, and suddenly the hair on our arms stood straight up. If you could read minds, you’d have seen us collectively saying, “No, don’t do it! Please say no!” The outcome was predictable.
He did it. With obvious trepidation in his voice, and a smile on his face, he replied into the microphone, “Yes, sir. We will.” At that moment, he made a commitment we would neither meet nor beat. This project was estimated to be two years, and there was no amount of overtime, scope reduction, quality shortcuts, or additional labor that was going to bring this down to ten months. In retrospect, that may have been the highlight of the project, as it sped off the tracks, into the ditch, and exploded in a big ball of fire. Millions of dollars lost and incomprehensible amounts of effort up in smoke.
I’m No Better
While it’s easy to criticize our executive for his poor judgment and inability to defend his position with data, courage, and conviction, I’m no better. When my wife asked, “Can you finish painting the bathroom this weekend?” I confidently replied, “No problem.” When my leader asked if I would have the report ready by Friday afternoon, I responded with equal confidence, “Of course!” Come to think of it, most of us operate similarly. We’re responding out of desire, not from a position of data, courage, and conviction.
Culture of Commitment
A Culture of Commitment is one in which commitments are not taken lightly. A standard I’ve often set with teams is that “a commitment means that you’re willing to forego your child’s birthday party the night before a deliverable is due in order to deliver on time.” Ouch. The letter of the law is harsh, but the spirit of this statement is paramount. It is about driving a rigorous commitment process more than it is about the avoidance of punishment. Prior to making a commitment, consider that standard, and ask yourself a few fundamental questions:
- How much time do I really have available to work on this activity? Think about what interruptions and surprises you may encounter that will impact your time available.
- Do I fully understand the end-to-end scope of this work in a way that will fully meet expectations? For example, if I’m painting the bathroom, does it include the trim or just the walls, what about the vents, what about the doors, am I done when I finish the last brushstroke, when I finish cleaning up, or when the paint is dry and the room becomes usable?
- How much effort will this require? Don’t just think about the happy path – consider a most likely scenario in which you will encounter some hiccups along the way.
- What assumptions are you making, and what risks are likely to occur and impact the process? Think about things like running out of paint or spilling paint and having to clean up a mess. Perhaps there are other competing priorities that need to be considered, such as the possibility of having to drop off your teenager at the movies halfway through the job.
- How much historical data do you have that supports your estimates? If this is your first time painting a room, you may be in for a rude awakening.
Once you have sufficient historical data to understand the time available, time required, risks, and assumptions, you are in a better position to ask yourself, “Is my confidence high enough that I’m willing to risk missing my child’s birthday party the night before the deliverable is due?” When you can confidently answer that question with data, you can make the commitment with courage and conviction. When that happens, you’re on your way to creating a Culture of Commitment.
For the record, I’m unaware of anyone who has ever missed their child’s birthday party because of this standard.
Next Steps
At Exceptional Difference, making commitments you can meet or beat is one of our five fundamental Obligations of Engineering. Our comprehensive consulting and experiential learning offerings help you focus on value, eliminate rework, and make commitments you can meet or beat. Contact us at info@exceptionaldifference.com or visit www.exceptionaldifference.com to learn more about how we can help you create a Culture of Commitment.
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