Date: Sat, 23 Feb 2002 21:12:20 -0800
Mr. Rod Welch
rowelch@attglobal.net
The Welch Company
440 Davis Court #1602
San Francisco, CA 94111 2496
| Subject: | SDS implementation and promotion |
Rod,
I glanced at your letter [asking about SDS support for DOD program management requirements] and will give it more attention later.
I have been having problems on my home machine but I think I am about operational again.
When attempting to sell the benefits of SDS, consider Gerald M. Weinberg's comments in "Secrets of Consulting" and elsewhere - (paraphrased) "Never promise more than 10% improvement. If you find that you have generated more than 10% improvement, insure that someone else gets the credit immediately!"
His point is that according to the people who hire a consultant (or buy a tool, or approve a process) there is never really a problem. All that is really needed is a few more people like themselves and things would be fine. If there were a problem they would have had to have something to do with it as they were responsible, therefore there can be no problem.
If more than 10% improvement is possible, there must be a problem, but there is no problem, therefore it is not possible to realize more than 10% improvement. If more than 10% improvement was achieved, there must have been a problem, but there was no problem, so the greater then 10% improvement couldn't have happened (unless their brilliance, ingenuity, and performance were the cause).
This is all very cynical, of course, but I think it is substantially correct.
Necessity is a perception, not an objective reality to most people. Necessity is not a recognized phenomenon unless it is social necessity. If the boss will be unhappy, promotions will not occur, or other personal misfortune will likely ensue, then there is a necessity. The requirements of the job alone do not create necessity at the individual level, and seldom at the organizational level.
The key then seems to be to get someone in power at some level to agree that there is a problem (somewhere else in the organization, of course) and that the problem is sufficiently sever that something must be done (over there) to correct it. The use of tools, techniques, and procedures can then be mandated to a lower level of authority. In this sense, the Scope of Services for Comm Metrics can be mandated downward (possibly).
Sincerely,
Dynamic Alternatives
Garold L. Johnson
dynalt@dynalt.com