Why do it the hard way?
Too often when we create something it becomes too complex. Those who have tinkered with projects in their workshop can relate to this.
Planning goes a long way to prevent running up the down escalator. The plan does not have to be elaborate. It can be sketched on a napkin or any writing surface. Carpenters will draw it on a piece of scrap wood.
Without a plan we tend to jump on the first solution that comes to mind. Then, we spend an inordinate amount of time and resources on numerous fixes and adjustments that result in a mess that may never be implemented.
A plan allows us to see the big picture and to foresee the interaction of the input with the output.
The next time you sense an activity is becoming more complicated than it should be, check your plan. Can't find it? That could be your problem.
People will refer to the KISS formula, Keep It Simple Stupid. I always have difficulty knowing who is stupid, the creator or the user. Perhaps it's both. Seldom do they recommend how to apply the formula.
Whenever you write something have you noticed how simpler it becomes each time you do a re-write. We can apply this experience to many projects. Industrial engineers call this Work Simplification.
Today, we see the results of simplification quite clearly in the design of electronic devices.
Some business students with a few sessions on how to write simple computer code were given an assignment to evaluate a set of facts and conditions.
Most students, including myself, completed the task with about 20 lines of coding.
One student submitted his solution with three lines including the mandatory open and end statements. The single middle line performed all the functions instead of a set of separate lines to do each function.
The professor had no greater knowledge or experience with coding per se. He flattered me by asking my advice. He asked, "I know it works but should I accept it?" He grew impatient with my marvelling the simplicity and demanded I tell him it was an acceptable solution. I read about such complex lines so I was able to explain why it worked.
© 2004-2006 UncleMaxSays.com
UncleMaxSays.com is a division of Kamloops International College Inc.
Privacy Policy Terms of ServiceSmall Business - Time Management - Business Plans - Business Plan Coaching
