Software Procrastination

Procrastination is something we all fall into, at least from time to time. Why do we procrastinate? Does it matter?

A recent experience with a client provided me with answers to these questions.

The client was a small organization that had acquired software from a related organization many years ago. They didn't have a lot of sophisticated needs, so they stayed with it. Over time the related organization replaced the software, but still had one person on staff with the experience to support it.

Problems developed on a regular basis. Some of them were described as quirks that required a person who had experienced all of the quirks to prevent them. Support was expensive. They had to fly someone in from the US to fix problems.

They knew that they needed to replace the software, but had no one on staff with experience and didn't know what they needed to do. They researched alternatives, but that only served to confuse them. They continued to defer.

Finally, a few months ago, they had a major problem. While one of their staff was on vacation, they encountered one of the quirks. It caused a major problem that required 3 months worth of cleanup at year end to recover.

That created the incentive to take action. In one planning session, we were able to develop a high level plan, provide a basis for justifying replacement, and give them some level of comfort about moving forward.

That raised a few questions for me:

• Why do we procrastinate? Is it because we don't know what to do next?
• How much time are we wasting when we procrastinate? We think about it often, but unless we are taking action, the thinking is wasted and stressful.
• Why does reseach not help? If we know nothing about a specific area, do we actually waste time by doing research?
• Why are we afraid to ask for help from a specialist? Is it because we need to feel in control and are afraid of it costing too much money? Perhaps spending a little with a specialist who helps us plan, without requiring a long term commitment from us would provide value.
• Are the specialists the problem? Do they expect a long term commitment and are they not willing to help put us in control?

All I know is that a lot of time (and time is money) is wasted in procrastination. I, for one, will have to look at my own procrastination differently in future.

Is Planning necessary?

I had a discussion with a client recently who said that her approach to doing things had changed significantly since we started working together.

She is a very action oriented person and typically starts off in a rush in order to accomplish her objective. She now starts by planning what she wants to do before starting any action. She has recognized how it saves time in the long run.

I recently found a statement describing how 1 hour of planning saves 3 hours of execution.

In starting any project, everybody is looking for action, and planning does not look like action. Managers want immediate results. Unfortunately, this focus on immediate results often causes more problems. Unnecessary work gets done, the wrong function is delivered.

I always look to the business goal that we are trying to achieve and what we need to do to achieve it. In looking at a project this way, questions get asked and the answers change the definition of the problems. People are separated by a common language. What you say and mean may be different from what I understand. If I don't attempt to outline a plan for what you are asking for, I really don't understand what is involved. If I start acting on it, it may look like I'm on the right track, but I could be way off base. By developing a plan, I get a better understanding of what you are asking for and when I communicate this to you, you can tell if I'm delivering what you want.

If business people are separated by a common language, what do you think will happen with technology people? They have a language all their own and their focus is very different. What they hear you say is very seldom what you mean. Without the outline of a plan, you will not get what you think you are asking for.

Planning to fail

Planning is a word that brings thick binders to mind in most people. Somebody creates this magnifient document that nobody looks at until the next time we are due to update it or create a new one.

Planning needs to live…. Live in your mind, so that when you have to make a decision, you have a picture of how your decision will impact your business. As a business owner or manager, you make decisions every day. You don’t have time to look up this big planning document to see what impact your decision will have. You must see the picture, clearly and know why you are making the decision.

I see many small businesses and not-for-profits who suffer from this.

They start with a need, but place restrictions on it. They can’t afford to spend a lot of money, so they look for a solution that fits their budget. The problem is, they have not fully defined the problem and what potential solutions might be. So they limp along with short-term solutions that restrict their ability to grow or improve the service that they could provide.

I recently helped a not-for-profit to escape this dilemma. They were suffering from a lack of tools for their organization. Day-to-day problems were common and took up a lot of the Executive Director’s time. They were also at risk of losing their data because of the reliability of the equipment.

We started with an assessment of the situation: What were they trying to accomplish? How was technology helping or hindering their organization? We recommended a renewal of the technology to provide stability, but also identified opportunities for improving business operations by upgrading the software. They couldn’t afford the expenditure that would improve business operations. They couldn’t afford the base hardware upgrades to provide stability either. They went looking for ways that they could fund the upgrades. They found a funding opportunity that provided not only the minimum hardware upgrades, but the business improvement software as well. They submitted and got approval, and are well on their way.

This “opportunity” never would have been found if they had started with what they could afford. They couldn’t afford anything.

While you may say that they were lucky to find this “opportunity”, I disagree. While they had the problem and solution clearly in their minds (the plan), they looked at the “opportunity” from a very different perspective. They were open for it. Planning is just that. Know where you want to go. Know how you can get there. Then let your day-to-day decisions help you get there.

Sometimes you may not know how to create a plan. Let somebody help you. But DON’T let them do it for you. You won’t remember it!

You might say that you don't have time to plan. You are too busy running your business. But you are planning. You are planning to fail!