Joe's Jottings
Jottings Number 55, Reply H, by Bob Mead:
Date: Tue, 21 May 96 15:27:10 -0700
David's comments reminded that we often have projects get into difficulty
because the skills/creativity required to launch major new projects,
applications, or activities are very different from those needed to
complete the project, etc. and to maintain "course and speed" upon
completion. During my many years in product R&D I watched a number of
projects stumble, sometimes almost fatally, because the creator of the
product or project either insisted on being in control until product
shipment, or was asked to lead the effort to completion.
Completing large projects (and subsequently maintaining them) requires
attention to a great many details, and thus a high degree of discipline.
It is a rare individual who excels at both the creative/visionary aspect as
well as the detail oriented execution aspect of projects. In fact, I
suspect that this attention to detail is viewed as boring and uninteresting
to the person with a bias towards creativity. Being successful at large
efforts requires a team with the appropriate mix of skill sets and
interests (i.e. some people who can create the idea, concept, etc., and
some people who know how to finish things), as well as the courage to shift
ownership from the "starters" to the "finishers" at the right time.
Falling back to your comparision to the TV/movie industry, there are
obvious comparisions. If you think about a creation such as the movie "The
Nightmare Before Christmas", it was certainly a very innovative concept
with a unique look and feel. To create the finished product however, years
of very painstaking (and probably boring) work was required. The same is
true with software. Even a truly innovative product or application
requires a great deal of attention to detail in testing, handling all error
conditions, etc. If you don't have people who "enjoy" the detailed work,
you'll probably never end up with a satisfying finished piece of art.
Bob Mead
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