Speed vs. Accuracy

Do you want it done FAST, or do you want it done RIGHT?

So which is it?  Because in the real world you can’t have both, especially depending on the line of work you’re in.  The closest example I can think of getting both is in the fast food industry.  Fast food generally means “feed me now” and it can work because of the simplicity of it.  Customer looks at a menu, makes a choice, gives the order, and usually the items are already cooked just being kept warm under a heating lamp.  The odds of getting a customer’s order wrong are pretty low on a typical day even during peak hours, because of the employees being proactive, which is one of the keys to being accurate.  On the flip side, certain professions especially the ones that require immense precision, such as a neurosurgeon for example, if rushed could cause catastrophic repercussions.  In the medical industry, major surgery takes hours to perform and depending on the type of surgery double digit hours.  This indicates that it is much better to make sure the job is done accurately.

My line of work falls in between these two extremes.  In information technology coping with speed and accuracy depends on the constraints of the project.  However, there are some companies and some managers that just don’t understand what being a programmer while maintaining their level of professionalism entails.  Like myself, there are dedicated hard working people out there who believe in common courtesy and take pride in their work while at the same time try to be as efficient as possible.

"For some, it seems that basic kindness is thrown out the window at work.  In some respects, this might be a predictable reaction to the competitive environment of American business.  But just because it’s a fierce fight out there to win customers and deliver great products, that doesn’t mean we should be rude to each other.  Rather, it means that it’s even more important to treat others with dignity."

I have put together a few analytic items to illustrate my point, which is in my area of expertise it is much more beneficial to be thorough as opposed to mindlessly working quickly just to meet a deadline.

This is what I call an efficiency scale.  Red represents time while blue represents quality.  The yellow zone is the starting point indicating normal working conditions.  On this scale, each side has a minimum and a maximum on opposite corners.   From the upper left corner is maximum speed directly across from it is minimum accuracy.   On the bottom left corner is minimum speed across from maximum accuracy.   The thick white diagonal line is the maximum from both ends indicating the “give and take” aspect on the two elements.

Looking more closely you see extra zones representing situations where an employee has either directly or indirectly chosen.   Across the near top a person can be in a state where they are doing a short project or just making it short by choosing to be careless.  Toward the bottom a project could be time consuming or just ended up being long because the employee wanted to be thorough.

When working on an assignment certain factors can affect employee performance:

• The amount of work
• The amount of time (from start to deadline)
• The level of difficulty
• Potential mishaps (i.e. power outage, system shutdown, miscommunication, etc.)

In my experience, systems analysis and design encompasses a significant amount of precision to a point where it is better to be thorough and check every intricate detail to ensure quality work before moving it to production.   Not to mention that depending on company IT standards, that level of quality is expected when communicating and documenting ones work.  I have worked in shops where meetings are held to discuss not just the overview of a project, but any special situations and circumstances should they occur.  The problem I see is given the company one works for and the type of manager or team leader one works with can adversely affect how an employee performs.   I have been in situations where once given an assignment people keep asking me on a daily basis when the assignment will be finished, this is while I was juggling multiple projects where the same questions were asked in their regards as well.

The thing with computer programming is that it takes time to go through 3,000 lines of code just to locate one missing comma, yet these so called “professionals” assume that it takes minutes to develop an application.  I have even been told to skip certain procedures that my training recommends otherwise just to get the assignment done when they want it.  I believe micromanagement should start with the individual.  I have my own systematic methods of getting things done, such as I only work with facts.   I never guess or speculate, I collect raw data pertinent to the project at hand. I don’t assume something is I verify that it is.

In physics, the formula for power is power equals work divided by time (p=w/t).   If you can get a lot done in as little time as possible then you are powerful, on the downside if it takes you a long time to process a little amount of data, then you are fired.  I used this formula to produce this little analysis.

900	88%	44%	29%	22%	18%	15%	13%	11%	10%	9%
840	82%	41%	27%	21%	16%	14%	12%	10%	9%	8%
780	76%	38%	25%	19%	15%	13%	11%	10%	8%	8%
720	70%	35%	23%	18%	14%	12%	10%	9%	8%	7%
660	64%	32%	21%	16%	13%	11%	9%	8%	7%	6%
600	59%	29%	20%	15%	12%	10%	8%	7%	7%	6%
540	53%	26%	18%	13%	11%	9%	8%	7%	6%	5%
480	47%	23%	16%	12%	9%	8%	7%	6%	5%	5%
420	41%	21%	14%	10%	8%	7%	6%	5%	5%	4%
360	35%	18%	12%	9%	7%	6%	5%	4%	4%	4%
300	29%	15%	10%	7%	6%	5%	4%	4%	3%	3%
240	23%	12%	8%	6%	5%	4%	3%	3%	3%	2%
180	18%	9%	6%	4%	4%	3%	3%	2%	2%	2%
	1,024	2,048	3,072	4,096	5,120	6,144	7,168	8,192	9,216	10,240

Across the bottom is megabytes of data going against several minutes of time.  The bolded line represents a typical eight hour work day (480/60=8 hours).  There are situations where people have to work late or even put in some “all night” effort when working on an assignment.  What these percentages are saying is that if you choose to be thorough the chances of accuracy will go up into the green.  If you choose to rush, the chances of accuracy plummets into the red.  The more work you have to do, the lower your chances.  These numbers would probably go down further if you factor in any problems and lunch breaks.

I took the numbers from the eight hour day row and made this graph, which shows a very slippery slope of choosing to be careless given the amount of work.  Also given the amount of work, you can only be so thorough, especially if you don’t have any help.

I know this is not a perfect world, this isn’t heaven this is earth.   Yet I do believe in compromise, it would be good for a manager and or team leader to include the people actually doing the dirty work when negotiating a project timetable with a customer.   If I were a customer, I would ask who would be doing all the nuts and bolts instead of just planning.  I would very much like to hear their input. Maybe there are some shops that do just that, I worked in companies that came pretty close, yet I’ve also worked for companies that just lower the boom on you and not care whether you have questions. If you are fortunate to be working with the good ones, count your blessings.  If you are working with the ones that are neither courteous nor professional I leave you with this: Do not let yourself get caught with your pants down just because the department or company decides to go against your own principles.  Protect yourself because any mistakes they make can come back and bite them, just make sure you don’t get bitten.

"Because we let others dictate how our day will go instead of taking control. We let other people’s urgent issues, a result of their poor time management, poor planning, their drama, and their procrastination, take priority and control over ours. Remember, poor planning on THEIR part does NOT constitute an emergency on your part."

Professional Courtesy, Poor Planning