Snippets about: Planning
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Simple, Complicated And Complex Problems Require Different Approaches
Gawande explains a helpful framework developed by professors Brenda Zimmerman and Sholom Glouberman that defines three types of problems:
- Simple problems like baking a cake from a box mix. These can be solved by following a straightforward, standard recipe. Success is almost guaranteed if you precisely follow the instructions. No special expertise is required and results are easily replicated.
- Complicated problems like sending a rocket to the moon. These consist of many simple problems that must be coordinated correctly. They require teams of experts in different domains and precise timing. Unanticipated difficulties commonly arise. But with enough planning, a complicated problem can usually be solved reliably.
- Complex problems like raising a child. A complex problem involves many factors that interact with each other in unpredictable, ever-changing ways. What works in one case often doesn't apply to the next. Deep expertise helps but only to a limited extent, because each situation is unique and outcomes are uncertain.
Section: 1, Chapter: 3
Book: The Checklist Manifesto
Author: Atul Gawande
Evolution's Lesson on Short Lived Advantages
Evolution, despite its power to shape and adapt species over millions of years, does not create perfect organisms. Every adaptation comes with trade-offs, and a species' strength in one area can become its vulnerability in another. This principle, known as Cope's Rule, explains why species tend to evolve towards larger sizes but are then more susceptible to extinction due to increased fragility and resource requirements. The lesson here is that no advantage is permanent, and we should expect even the most dominant players to eventually face challenges and adapt or decline.
Section: 1, Chapter: 17
Book: Same as Ever
Author: Morgan Housel
Backcasting - Imagining Success, Then Tracing The Path
The flipside of a premortem is "backcasting" - envisioning a successful outcome, then reverse-engineering how you got there. If your company wants to double its market share, imagine it's five years from now and that's been accomplished. What key decisions and milestones led to that rosy future?
Telling the story of success makes it feel more tangible. It also helps identify must-have elements that might otherwise be overlooked. Backcasting is a great technique for setting and pressure-testing goals. Use it for anything from launching products to planning vacations.
Section: 1, Chapter: 6
Book: Thinking in Bets
Author: Annie Duke
Take Longer Developing Important Projects
One way to work at a more natural pace is to take more time shepherding your most important projects from conception to completion. Newport suggests several strategies for embracing this "slow hunch" approach:
- Maintain a 5-year vision for the big things you want to accomplish
- Double your estimated project timelines to give yourself adequate breathing room
- Simplify your daily schedule so you have time to make steady, incremental progress
- Return to projects repeatedly over time as you develop new ideas and insights
Section: 2, Chapter: 4
Book: Slow Productivity
Author: Cal Newport
Quantify The Depth Of Every Activity
Consider the activities you tend to perform at work. For each, ask: How long would it take (in months) to train a smart recent college graduate with no specialized training in my field to complete this task?
- If the answer is not many months, that activity is likely shallow. A new grad can be quickly trained to do it. It doesn't leverage expertise.
- If the answer is many months or even years, the activity is deep. It requires specialized training to replicate, and therefore leverages expertise.
- Use this exercise to help triage and limit shallow obligations while prioritizing and protecting deep efforts.
Section: 2, Chapter: 4
Book: Deep Work
Author: Cal Newport
The Alternative To Roadmaps Focuses Teams On Outcomes
Instead of a prescriptive roadmap, empower product teams by giving them clear business objectives (e.g. improve onboarding conversion from 30 days to 3 hours). Let them figure out the best way to solve the problems. Leadership's role is to:
- Set the right business objectives for each team
- Provide business context through a clear product vision and strategy
- Ensure teams aren't just delivering features but solving underlying problems
- Hold teams accountable to results
When specific commitments are truly needed, rather than false certainty from a roadmap, have product teams make high-integrity commitments based on validated solutions. This gives you both the predictability to run the business, and the right products for your customers.
Section: 3, Chapter: 23
Book: Inspired
Author: Marty Cagan
Using Premortems To Stress-Test Plans
One way to harness the power of dissent is to conduct a "premortem" on important decisions. A premortem involves imagining a future where your plan failed, then working backwards to figure out why.
Have the team brainstorm as many paths to failure as possible - imagine competitors' responses, think through operational snafus, consider external risks. Then update your plan to mitigate the identified issues. This "creative dissent" makes the final plan much more robust. Premortems give permission to express doubts in a productive way.
Section: 1, Chapter: 6
Book: Thinking in Bets
Author: Annie Duke
A Good Plan Violently Executed Now is Better Than a Perfect Plan Tomorrow
"A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan tomorrow."
This quote, cited by Facebook's Alex Schultz, underscores a key growth team principle - moving quickly to ramp up the tempo of experimentation is more important than having a flawless, thoroughly debated plan. Analysis paralysis and over-planning are the enemies of growth. Growth teams must act decisively and with urgency.
Section: 1, Chapter: 1
Book: Hacking Growth
Author: Sean Ellis
Essentialists Build In Buffers To Prepare For The Unexpected
Just as we need to create a buffer or margin financially to deal with unexpected expenses, we need to create a buffer with our time and energy as well. Essentialists build in extra time and space around their essential tasks and priorities. This could mean:
- Estimating a task will take 50% longer than you initially think
- Leaving early enough that a 20-minute traffic delay won't make you late
- Blocking off time in your calendar for thinking and planning, not just doing
- Saving some energy for the unexpected rather than pushing yourself to the limit
Buffers create the space to handle the unforeseen, to rest, and to think - all of which are essential for peak performance over the long run
Section: 4, Chapter: 15
Book: Essentialism
Author: Greg McKeown
The Premortem
The premortem is a technique used to identify potential problems and risks before implementing a plan. Here's how it works:
Gather a group: Assemble a team of individuals familiar with the decision or plan.
Imagine a disaster: Ask the group to imagine that the plan has failed and to write a brief history of the reasons for the failure.
Identify threats: Discuss the potential problems and risks that were identified and develop strategies to mitigate them.
This exercise helps overcome groupthink and encourages a more critical evaluation of plans, increasing the chances of success.
Section: 3, Chapter: 24
Book: Thinking, Fast and Slow
Author: Daniel Kahneman
Organized Planning: The Crystallization of Desire into Action
Hill emphasizes the importance of organized planning in transforming desire into reality. He outlines the need for a Master Mind alliance - a coordination of knowledge and effort between two or more people for the attainment of a definite purpose. Hill provides detailed instructions on how to build plans, including the need for persistence in the face of temporary defeat and the importance of leadership qualities.
Section: 1, Chapter: 7
Book: Think and Grow Rich
Author: Napoleon Hill
The World War 2 B-17 Bomber's Checklist Demonstrated The Power Of Simplicity
Gawande traces the origin of checklists in aviation to the iconic B-17 bomber of World War 2. The B-17 was the most complex and sophisticated plane ever built at the time, but this complexity proved overwhelming.
Instead of scrapping the design, pilots implemented a simple approach - a short checklist of step-by-step critical tasks for takeoff, flight, landing and taxiing. With checklists in hand, pilots went on to fly 1.8 million miles without a serious mishap, a stunning turnaround for such a complex machine.
The checklists ensured pilots didn't miss any crucial steps amid the B-17's complexity. This story demonstrates the power of using disciplined, systematic tools to enhance individual ability and achieve consistent success in complex situations.
Section: 1, Chapter: 2
Book: The Checklist Manifesto
Author: Atul Gawande
Plans Let The Past Drive The Future
"Plans let the past drive the future. They put blinders on you. 'This is where we're going because, well, that's where we said we were going.' And that's the problem: Plans are inconsistent with improvisation."
Section: 1, Chapter: 3
Book: Rework
Author: Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson
Execute Like A Business
Adopt the "4 Disciplines of Execution" methodology from the business world to keep your deep work habit on track:
- Focus on the Wildly Important: Narrow your focus to a small number of ambitious outcomes.
- Act on the Lead Measures: Track the behaviors that will drive success on these goals.
- Keep a Compelling Scoreboard: Make your tracking visible for added motivation.
- Create a Cadence of Accountability: Review your progress regularly and commit to specific actions.
Section: 2, Chapter: 1
Book: Deep Work
Author: Cal Newport
