Nelson didn't know what more he could say. "I understand that there's still a lot that needs to be done, but I'd like to know what would happen if we declared victory and moved on to the next version."
Kathy spoke for the designers. "Hard to predict," she said. "Our original concept is seriously flawed. Many customers will be very unhappy with what we have."
Nelson was now exasperated. "How unhappy? In what way unhappy? What would be the effect of delay on market share?"
"I wouldn't know," replied Kathy, "but it's probably not good."
If you've ever put two or three years of your life into a project — a new product, a new law, a roadway, a book or a film — you've probably asked, "Is it good enough?" And maybe you've answered, "Not yet."
Some of our need for delay is real, and some could be the attachment we form to the product of our creativity. How can we learn to distinguish attachment from a real need for more work?
American Indians of the Southwestern U.S. are renowned for their arts, and especially for their textiles — blankets and rugs of incomparable design and multiple symmetries.
How do we know
when our work
is good enough?When Navajo designs have borders, they typically include a "Weaver's Pathway," sometimes called the "Spirit Line." It's a small line of contrasting color that passes from the inner field, penetrating the borders, until it reaches one edge. When non-Navajos notice it, they often see it as a flaw, because it violates all the symmetries of the pattern.
Noël Bennett, a longtime student of Navajo arts, explains the Weaver's Pathway as a means of escape. The artists fear that as they focus their energies on the work, the borders of the rugs (or blankets or pots or baskets) could entrap the artists' spirits, and they might lose their ability to create any more beautiful works.
According to Bennett, Navajo weavers describe this trapped state as "too much weaving," or "closing yourself in." The Weaver's Pathway reminds them that entrapment in the work is a threat to future creativity.
We face a similar risk in the project work that we do. We put much of ourselves into our projects, but we must remember to leave ourselves a way out, lest we become entangled in the work. That way out must violate the pattern of the work. An inelegance, asymmetry, or incompleteness, rather than being a sign of our incompetence, actually gives us a way to move to the next project.
When you next feel the need to make your work perfect, and people around you are asking you to let go, remember the Weaver's Pathway — look at the imperfections, and see them as a way to move on. Top Next Issue
Love the work but not the job? Bad boss, long commute, troubling ethical questions, hateful colleague? This ebook looks at what we can do to get more out of life at work. It helps you get moving again! Read Go For It! Sometimes It's Easier If You Run, filled with tips and techniques for putting zing into your work life. Order Now!
For more about the Navajo view, see Noël Bennett. The Weaver's Pathway: A clarification of the "Spirit Trail" in Navajo weaving. Flagstaff, AZ: Northland Press, 1974. Order from Amazon.com.
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Related articles
More articles on Project Management:
- The Risky Role of Hands-On Project Manager
- The hands-on project manager manages the project and performs some of the work, too. There are lots
of excellent hands-on project managers, but the job is inherently risky, and it's loaded with potential
conflicts of interest.
- Scope Creep and Confirmation Bias
- As we've seen, some cognitive biases can contribute to the incidence of scope creep in projects and
other efforts. Confirmation bias, which causes us to prefer evidence that bolsters our preconceptions,
is one of these.
- Design Errors and Groupthink
- Design errors cause losses, lost opportunities, accidents, and injuries. Not all design errors are one-offs,
because their causes can be fundamental. Here's a first installment of an exploration of some fundamental
causes of design errors.
- Some Risks of Short-Term Fixes
- When we encounter a problem at work, we must choose between short-term fixes (also known as workarounds)
and long-term solutions. Often we choose workarounds without appreciating the risks we're accepting
— until too late.
- The Planning Fallacy and Self-Interest
- A well-known cognitive bias, the planning fallacy, accounts for many unrealistic estimates of project
cost and schedule. Overruns are common. But another cognitive bias, and organizational politics, combine
with the planning fallacy to make a bad situation even worse.
See also Project Management for more related articles.
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