Sunday, December 7, 2014

95 excuses

1. A software developer wasn't happy about the work he was doing. To be precise he wasn't happy about the system he was working in. He knew the concept of a system since he had read books from great minds like William Edwards Deming. Especially the developer remembered how it's 95% about the system and 5% about himself. For that reason he felt that he is forced to continue working in this dummy system where his company as a vendor makes stupid promises for customers in order to get deals. So reluctantly he continued doing his work as before.

2. At the same time the sales person of the same company was feeling miserable. She was going to contract negotiations with a new customer. And she was miserable because she felt that the both companies were doing it really wrong, in a way that doesn't benefit either of them. But the sales person had also read Deming and thus remembered how there's probably not much to do since it's 95% about the system.

3. The person responsible for ICT sourcing from the customer's company was also thinking about the upcoming contract negotiations. He didn't like the idea that he should aim for the lowest possible price instead of focusing on more important things in the vendor selection. But of course he wanted to think about the possible bonus he might get if the deal was well-negotiated. And besides, why to bother trying anything else since it's 95% of the system anyway. That's what Deming was saying in his famous quote.

4. The CIO of the company was worried how the big software project that was about to start would go. He didn't have very good experiences about the previous ones and felt that the company needed a radical change in how software projects were to be managed. But at the same time he kind of knew that he couldn't make much a difference because the company culture was supporting the old way. He was thinking what Deming had said and felt being just a small man in this big system. So while walking to the next meeting he thought that maybe it's just better to continue doing job as before.

5. The company's CTO was sitting in her room and felt disappointed. She wanted to change the company into better but it was so difficult. And when she remembered what Deming had said about 95/5, the change felt even more difficult. She saw so many problems in the system her company was part of, starting from the university education. According to her experience the education system wasn't producing such graduates that the real business world needs.

6. At the same time a professor in the university was angry. She was angry because she had to spend too much time on bureaucracy instead of sharing her precious knowledge for the students. While watching the Deming's quote that she had printed to the wall of her room, she knew that it's just better to keep filling the papers because she couldn't change the system anyway.

7. ...

...

95. ... and because of the 95/5 rule the junior football team coach felt that there's not much he can do.


"No, no, no! This is not what I meant!" Deming couldn't believe his eyes while he was watching this miserable play. "How did this happen?" he was wondering. "Please, let me go back there. There's still so much work for me to do!"