- One more little plug for agile thinking
in conjunction with digital transformation.
I advocate for allowing space during
your transition for experimentation.
The fact of the matter is you that don't know everything
when you start, you're going to be learning
throughout the process, and things will change.
Maybe you'll get feedback
that indicates a different direction.
Maybe new technology will become available
that changes what's possible.
And maybe something you try, just doesn't work as expected.
Have you heard the term, fail fast?
The idea is not to fail necessarily,
it's to try things, and if they don't work out,
to know when to cut your losses and move on.
Now I don't know about you,
but I've seen projects that everyone knew were doomed
drag on for literally years, because too much money
and energy had already been put into them to stop.
Like not stopping didn't waste more time and energy, right?
But people were emotionally invested
and there were reputations on the line.
Would you believe me if I told you I actually
heard a project leader say, we're not having
a go no-go discussion, we're having a go go discussion?
Would you be surprised if I said that,
that project turned out to be a disaster?
So, don't shun the people who question things.
Don't pretend everything's okay when it's not.
Give things your best shot for sure,
but honestly face up to facts
if the best shots still not good enough
to make a project succeed.
And in the meanwhile, keep experimenting.
If you're using online development spaces and tools,
you've got a place where you can try new things quickly,
create prototypes, and try them out.
If they don't work, fine, move on.
But the experiments that do work,
who knows, they may wind up being the most valuable
part of the whole process.
You will never know until you try.