Quality Counts

I had a great conversation with a client this week about Quality.

A team was given a task - to provide new technology to the field organization - by the company's CEO, and she wanted it done fast. The CEO had a clear vision of what she wanted and described it in detail to her team. She made clear what resources would be available to the team. And she gave them the deadline by which she wanted it in place and operating.

The team sprang to work. It knew it had a tremendous challenge on its hands. The time frame was extremely tight - call it too tight. The resources were extremely limited - call them too limited. And the CEO's vision of what she wanted was clear and ambitious - call it too ambitious. Something had to give. And in this case - it was Quality.

The team delivered on time - the technology got out into the field. The cost was within budget - there was no tolerance (nor availability) for anything more. And the scope - well, the technology was designed to do everything the CEO wanted.

You know the punch line: It didn't work.

You've probably seen the Scope-Resources-Time triangle. Many organizations have adopted it, with the mantra: Pick any two. The concept is simple. Management can fix any two of the three components, so long as the third can flex. Try it:

• Scope and Resources are fixed - The project may take longer than planned
• Time and Resources are fixed - The project may have less scope (functionality) than desired
• Time and Scope are fixed - You may need more resources to get the full functionality complete on time.

The triangle is very valuable - but as you can tell from the story (oh, and the title of this blog), it's not complete. The missing ingredient is Quality.

The fact is, you can fix three components: Scope, time, and resources. But what gives then is the quality. It's not tested, it's not right, it doesn't work.

Here's a simple example you can try on for size: Cooking a gourmet meal. (Have you ever watched one of the reality cooking shows?) Requirements (scope) are fixed - 3 courses, including certain key ingredients. Check. Time is fixed - one hour. Check. Resources are fixed - one chef plus kitchen equipment. Check. So, are the "True Goals" of a great meal always met? Of course not. The missing variable is Quality.

There are plenty of examples of failed execution because of failed Quality. Quality is hard to protect, frequently because it is "expected" and therefore not made explicit nor monitored and measured. We know what happens when something isn't measured, don't we? Right. "You want it respected? Then inspect it."

What happened with this CEO and her challenge? Well, it's in clean-up mode. More dollars (lots) and resources (ditto) have been thown at the problem, trying to fix it. Even worse, putting bad quality out in the field has major, long-term ramifications. You lose trust and credibility. The next solution will be looked at with skepticism and suspicion ("Hah, you think that's going to work? Don't you remember...?"). Fortunately, this was an internally focused initiative. Could you imagine the problems created if this had been client-facing?

It's not pick any two - it's pick any three. Quality is not a given - it is a choice. The commitment to Quality needs to be explicit. It needs to be monitored and measured. Otherwise, Quality can fail, like any other unmeasured metric. And if quality fails, you (and your initiative) will never Reach its True Goals.

Celebrating Freedom

Happy Independence Day, my friends. What a unique opportunity we have in this country, and how lucky we are in so many ways.

I'm going to resist the (very strong!) temptation to talk about the Declaration of Independence as a statement of Vision Clarity and the Revolutionary War as an excellent example of Strategy Execution. No, today's just a day to say thanks. Here's just a partial list. Thanks to....

• My father, a member of the Greatest Generation, who served in WWII and never talks about it. Same with his twin brother Alan and friends Bobby and Dominic, still together 60 years after the war ended.
• My friend David Gilkeson and all those who served and are still serving our country in the armed forces. David did two stints in Iraq. He left the comfort of his home, his wife, his children, to put his life at risk so we could be a little bit safer. I don't care what your opinion of the war or its politics - we still need to thank those who protect us and ask very little in return.
• My friends and leaders at Bet Haverim and Decatur Prebyterian Church. We have freedom of religion. I get to experience two and appreciate others.
• Again, to Rabbi Josh and those at Bet Haverim. Some of the strongest and most inspiring people you'll ever meet, fighting every day so that the gay and lesbian community have the freedoms that the rest of us take for granted.
• Every law abiding citizen (and especially the whistleblowers) who recognizes that the only way our country will survive is by choosing to work together and live within rules and constraints. Sometimes it is frustrating - but it's a heck of a lot better than anarchy and a 'zero-sum' society. (And if that's 'socialism,' then guilty as charged.)
• Everyone I argue with, disagree with, challenge, prod, and aggravate. Isn't it great that we live in a country where we can?

Is this a perfect country? Of course not. We're human - and individual humans aren't perfect, much less a collection of us trying to get along.

Okay, I give in. Over 200 years ago, our ancestors established this country. Our Declaration of Independence is the vision. Our Consitution provides our Guiding Principles. The Supreme Court, Congress, the Executive Branch - and the people - continuously revalidate and review our Vision, to make sure the goals are still intact and we're still going in the right direction.

July 4, 2009. So far, so good.