Get 'er done
My husband and I are reading Getting Real. He is reading it from the software development aspect, which it the primary focus of the book.
I am applying those same principles to the business side of our company. It really is amazing how the book can be used both ways. I recommend reading it.
We each write a summary of what we got out of each chapter and share it with each other.
I wrote this short piece after reading Chapter 4, which talks about spending too much time anticipating problems that either may not occur, or will not become an issue until much later.
An example they use is designing your system to scale for 100,000 customers when it is unlikely you will reach that number for several years after you launch.
Here's what I took from it.
"It's a Problem When It's a Problem"
Anticipating a problem before it exists is an excellent way to avoid unnecessary expense and business interruption. Truly, "a stitch in time saves nine," but you need balance.
There is an undeniable advantage to being first to market, and that advantage can be lost if you are buried in 'analysis paralysis'.
"If you see ten troubles coming down the road, you can be sure that nine will run into the ditch before they reach you." Calvin Coolidge.
Larry the Cable Guy understands business: "Get 'er done."
"Don't overbuild"
If you think of the marketplace as a battlefield, you send the Marines in first to seize control. They sleep on the ground and eat out of cans.
Support staff like engineers, architects, cooks and accountants all show up later to build the buildings and create the permanent infrastructure once the immediate objectives have been reached.
Both types of staff are equally important. Do we have them both in our organization?
I am applying those same principles to the business side of our company. It really is amazing how the book can be used both ways. I recommend reading it.
We each write a summary of what we got out of each chapter and share it with each other.
I wrote this short piece after reading Chapter 4, which talks about spending too much time anticipating problems that either may not occur, or will not become an issue until much later.
An example they use is designing your system to scale for 100,000 customers when it is unlikely you will reach that number for several years after you launch.
Here's what I took from it.
"It's a Problem When It's a Problem"
Anticipating a problem before it exists is an excellent way to avoid unnecessary expense and business interruption. Truly, "a stitch in time saves nine," but you need balance.
There is an undeniable advantage to being first to market, and that advantage can be lost if you are buried in 'analysis paralysis'.
"If you see ten troubles coming down the road, you can be sure that nine will run into the ditch before they reach you." Calvin Coolidge.
Larry the Cable Guy understands business: "Get 'er done."
"Don't overbuild"
If you think of the marketplace as a battlefield, you send the Marines in first to seize control. They sleep on the ground and eat out of cans.
Support staff like engineers, architects, cooks and accountants all show up later to build the buildings and create the permanent infrastructure once the immediate objectives have been reached.
Both types of staff are equally important. Do we have them both in our organization?