I have recently returned from a nine-night holiday (vacation) in an ‘all-inclusive’ resort. If you’re not familiar with all-inclusive resorts, they’re places where food, drinks, and entertainment are included in the price of your stay. The food was excellent, the entertainment was great, and a good time was had by all.
Now, I’m back to the cold, wintry reality of the UK, one thing I haven’t yet done is step on the scales. I know the ‘all-inclusive’ lifestyle I was temporarily living will have gained me some weight. After all, three courses every night alongside ‘one or two’ glasses of wine will have an impact…
But like most people, a holiday for me is temporary. I have no desire to eat and drink like that permanently. And I know I need to get back into my gym and (reasonably) healthy eating routine. It’s always a bit of a shock to the system to start with, but over a few weeks things normalise and I’m pretty sure my weight will stabilise and my tan will fade…
Some Organisations Are Stuck in Holiday-Eating Mode
I had the inspiration for writing this blog at the dessert counter, while weighing up the pros and cons of two cakes and deciding to just have a slice of both. This is definitely not to be recommended as a long-term strategy, but occasionally, it’s probably fine.
I was reflecting on how organisations make decisions, particularly those that seem ‘urgent’, often knowingly implementing something that just about works but has lots of side effects as a ‘temporary’ fix.
We’ve all seen it: perhaps it’s an Excel spreadsheet manually manipulating data (but increasing workload and latent risk). Or perhaps it’s a poorly designed, rushed-out process that just about works (but really needs documenting and tidying up).
There’s often genuine desire and intent to fix any deficiencies at some point in the future. It’s really easy to loosely commit to a future action, isn’t it… ‘I’ll join a gym in the future, when I get round to it’ has likely been said by many people, many times.
But often, these loose commitments don’t materialise into action. Organisational priorities change, the next crisis hits and everyone forgets. Those involved with managing the workarounds might not be in a position to mandate change, or might even fear that if work is simplified their role is at risk… So the workarounds stay.
Some days it feels like organisations are built on layers and layers of this type of organisational debt. But instead of taking remedial action, priorities simply shift to the next thing. Change then becomes harder and more complicated… and undoing the years of (probably poorly documented) workarounds becomes tricky itself.
Who wants to face the ‘cold hard facts’ and do the best thing, when you can just buy and implement something new (good luck migrating the mess of data!) or jump on a passing bandwagon? At least that shows action, and organisations (and their stakeholders) seem to love loud noises and bold action! In some cases, the illusion of progress seems to matter more than actual outcomes.
It’s like they’re stuck in ‘holiday eating’ mode, but the consequences are just waiting to hit them…
You’ll Pay the Piper Eventually
Back when I was young(er), some people used to pay for groceries with cheques (I know, I know, I only look about 27 but I’m secretly a little bit older than that). Cheques used to take a few days to clear, and were sometimes a way of paying for groceries at the end of the month when money was short. It gave a few days ‘credit’ while the cheque went through the clearing process.
Except, it didn’t always work. If the supermarket banked with the same institution as you, then the cheque cleared the same day of deposit. Bam, overdrawn, fees! The ‘tactical fix’ didn’t work…
I suspect some organisations are playing a similar game, with latent risk affecting their processes and IT systems through workaround and half-finished solutions that, at best, are a risk to service availability, and more likely a risk to data integrity and customer security.
You can’t carry on at the all-inclusive buffet forever without impacting personal health. Organisations can’t binge on solutions and workarounds without affecting their ability to deliver services and, crucially, adapt and change.
Good Business Analysis Matters More than Ever
This is one of many areas where good business analysis helps a great deal. Often, as BAs, we see the workaround and can highlight the risks. Sometimes decision-makers may be completely unaware. Continuing to ask ‘why’, understand the outcomes that are desired, and work with others to co-create those outcomes is key.
But crucially, I’m writing this as a reminder to my future self to lay off the cakes and Cava!
What are your views? Please add a comment below, and let’s keep the conversation flowing!
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About the author:
Adrian Reed is Principal Consultant at Blackmetric Business Solutions, an organisation that offers Business Analysis consulting and training solutions. Adrian is a keen advocate of the analysis profession, and is constantly looking for ways of promoting the value that good analysis can bring.
To find out more about the training and consulting services offered at Blackmetric, please visit www.blackmetric.com
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