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Compromising excellence for efficiency

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
So I was just reading an article in bed this morning about Walmart, about how they're pretty crap and all that, and their staff are overworked and have to cut corners just to get the job done. We've all done jobs like that right?

Then I was reading the comments that the staff don't want to be below performance standards so they all cut corners, which is what compromises standards. But surely if they didn't cut corners, it would be obvious to management that the performance was struggling due to the lack of manpower.

I open with that really because it made me think about how I work. At school I was always bright and always followed the shortest path from A to B to get the grades I needed, at Uni too to a large extent. In my hobbies it was the opposite - the end goal was almost coincidental, I was building computers as a craft and a fun way to spend my time, I would spend idle moments sketching ideas out on paper and looking at other people's ideas. E.g. http://hacknmod.com/hack/see-through-desktop-pc-and-gaming-desk/

So there is this discrepancy of a craft based approach where standards are unassailably high but perhaps productivity is compromised, and there is your min-max approach where if the immediate value of extra time spent on a task could be better spent elsewhere, you do that instead of doing a 'proper' job. In work cultures where most of us probably have more work than we can finish, min-max doesn't just become the norm it becomes the culture.

I was just thinking then as an experiment what would happen this week if instead if going into every meeting and throwing everything together with the same JIT system I got through Uni on, I instead take an 'excellence first' approach would this affect my work? It would probably slow me down... but it might pay off too.

You know it's quite funny because one thing that brought this thought on was watching Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares. Time and time again a poor kitchen is being shouted at by Gordon because the food is not perfect, but customers have been waiting for 45 minutes. If I've been waiting for 45 minutes I want my food, I don't care if there is a smudge on the plate! But he has a point - if everyone settles for compromising standards when we are overloaded (which is going to happen a lot, its real life!) then we will get comfortable with compromised standards and be happy with being average.

I'd love to have other people's thoughts on this as well. :)
  • Do you cut corners to get everything done in time?
  • Do you ever think 'if I'd have had more time.. I could have done a better job of that'?
  • Do you think making the best use of your available time to 'Do what you can with what you've got' is a better way to be than trying to get every thing perfect all the time?

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    In my job it seems to be all about trying to get the balance right.

    For some things, the bare minimum will do the trick. There's pretty much always a time pressure and a lack of resources and so if the cut corners approach will do the trick then that's what will get done.

    In other cases, the devil really is in the detail and you need to go down the perfection route.

    The bit I struggle with is where to draw the line.

    For me, calculations are a good example. I can do one set in a rough and ready manner, generally by hand, and in a way that is of almost no use if you ever need to do a similar thing again. If I'm really tight for time, that's what I'll do. On the other hand. I could set up a spreadsheet to do it for me. For the one off, this is definitely slower, but for the long term - when odds are I will need to do something similar again, then having the adaptable spreadsheet is a definite win.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    the trick is remembering sometimes good enough is good enough
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Its better in my eyes to have a 99% complete solution completed on time, than a 100% solution constantly late.

    Though in some cases I wonder if in the case of walmart, that there is not a difference between cutting corners and doing a slack job. What if the staff whilst overworked, are still in some cases doing a shoddy job, and if done better or more efficiently (not the same as cutting corners) then there would be less pressure on them? Of course a lot of what I say is playing devils advocate, but it might not necessarily be down to bad management. There could be some amongst the workforce that make it bad for others.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    This reminded me of when I was a carer working at sheltered living accommodation. The clients paid the care provider according to the time the carer was needed, usually in 30 minute slots. In 30 minutes sometimes we'd be expected to help the client shower, prepare breakfast, clean and tidy after, sort out meds as well as what I considered the most important aspect.. chatting and finding out if they are actually okay. There's just no way..

    I got reprimanded time and time again for going over and being late for my next client (a few doors away fortunately for me). But it's either that or give in to the pressure and cut corners like another carer did. Recording in the carer plan that she had assisted giving the client a shower when she actually hadn't even offered one. Then it gets to the end of the week and it's obvious the client hasn't bathed.

    Never working in the care system again. It's fucked to put it politely.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    G-Raffe wrote: »
    Its better in my eyes to have a 99% complete solution completed on time, than a 100% solution constantly late.

    Though in some cases I wonder if in the case of walmart, that there is not a difference between cutting corners and doing a slack job. What if the staff whilst overworked, are still in some cases doing a shoddy job, and if done better or more efficiently (not the same as cutting corners) then there would be less pressure on them? Of course a lot of what I say is playing devils advocate, but it might not necessarily be down to bad management. There could be some amongst the workforce that make it bad for others.

    Indeed.

    At my place of work we have 'stretch' targets. These are the targets we should reach if we are doing something other than turning up 9-5. They require innovation or breakthroughs or something proactive going on, to actually achieve them.

    What if all the shop floor worker targets are 'stretch' targets as well? Supposed to perfectly clean and get everything out in 4 hours?

    Clem's example is a great one actually. The two ways of thinking about it:
    - what a shitty industry that doesn't give the staff enough time to complete all their work to the right standard
    - what laid back staff that are happy to coast and not push hard for performance and standards

    Inspired by: https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CEEQtwIwAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DzCf46yHIzSo&ei=aZKsUae5LcPP0AWV6YHYDg&usg=AFQjCNGi3A0w0hm1cDHtoLD1whzYZEFUbg&sig2=sveyPqQq3uTORnGUnpSfmA&bvm=bv.47244034,d.d2k

    Honestly I do think 99% correct is fine. I work in ecommerce anyway so right time is usually more important than right solution.

    But I wonder what I could achieve if I was completely uncompromising. If I sat down and said I'm not going to let a little piece of work leave my desk unless I am completely bloody satisfied it's fantastic?

    At Uni taking the uncompromising approach in my final year certainly brought up my grade average from 55% in year 2 to 76% in year 3. But the compromise then was everything just took longer. That's not an easy compromise to swallow at work.
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