Here Comes The Plumber

I can imagine how experienced plumbers must feel when they arrive at a house to find the owners have been doing DIY.

I get much the same feeling when I arrive at an organisation to find the software and product folks – and managers, too – have been doing DIY improvements. Long on bodging, short on theory, there may not be the pools of water and damp spots visible to the long-suffering plumber, but there’s often the same sense of ill-informed kludging and make-do-and-mend patches.

Obviously, as a plumber of some standing, it’s in my interest that folks take a second look at their decisions to go it alone rather than call in a plumber. I’m minded of this observation by Red Adair:

“If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur.”

~ Red Adair

Most people refrain from working on their cars – things that are infinitely less complex than organisations. Why then the eagerness to dive in to work on fixing software and product development issues?

As Deming said:

“There is a penalty for ignorance. We are paying through the nose.”

Yes, the people doing the work are best placed to say how that work should work – except when they’re not. A little bit of guidance and friendly support can go a long way. Can you tell when that might be of value?

– Bob