Stacking firewood this weekend, brought out a
bit of
the craftsmen in me. Stability was somewhat
important, of course, finishing was most
important,
and perfection was not on the list.
Nonetheless, I
faced ample temptation to build a fabulous
wood pile.
It must be human nature - pride in
workmanship, a
little aesthetic compulsion, the intrinsic
reward of
insights, finding the challenge to combat
tedium. Who
hasn't found themselves doing a job better than
necessary? And who hasn't been proud of
delivering a
better than expected result? Don't we
applaud such
excellence at every turn?
Well, yes, until we decide it is eroding
profits!
Companies everywhere struggle with
gold-plating -
quality and features beyond the requirements.
Whether your employees are polishing lenses,
engineering complex systems, writing
something, or
developing software, most of your employees are
naturally inclined to do more than is
necessary in
some aspect of their job. And there is a fine
line
between encouraging excellence and discouraging
gold-plating.
I wasn't stacking wood alone. I had the
opportunity to
compare the height of my section to another
any time I
chose. A bit of competitiveness and a simple
desire to
do my fair share, also common elements of human
nature, kept my craftsmanship in check.
The greatest minds in process management extol
the virtues of constant visual feedback such
as was
offered by our side-by-side woodpiles. You
can't beat
it. People need to know and want to know how
well
they are doing. Immediate visual feedback is
the best
and provides an excellent antidote for
perfectionism.
Thus, to minimize gold-plating, find frequent
opportunities to:
- Discuss priorities and the
temptations to do
more than is necessary
- Provide feedback,
preferably immediate, visual feedback
