@Dominic: good post!
Yes, we all make mistakes. But it is my sense that the "kit" gets blamed more often than not just to ease the embarrassment that other options would involve!
In the kind of examples you cite (and in the Real World), people often work in chaos. Sometimes they are under tremendous pressure, but sometimes (based on my own observations, at least) that crazy situation appears to be "self inflicted".
"Do one thing at a time (and do it properly)" wouldn't be a bad idea, in my view.
Easy to say sitting here, perhaps. But there needs to be a
discipline (oh yes, there's that word again) about the workplace (
any workplace), especially when working as part of a team effort, and/or in critical, stressful
etc. situations.
So, what's the answer:- staffing levels! Back to the Numbers Game, then.
@George: thanks for that. Yes, I know a bit about "codes" (job codes, and the like). Believe me, when it comes to listing, numbering, classifying, categorising and coding ... then I'm your man! Sometimes to the
n'th degree. How sad is that?
But take my tip:- sometimes analysing stuff to death can end up as mere procrastination. And, again, I write from great (chronic) experience of that, believe me.
If you can provide links to anything like those papers you mention, I would be very interested, Mate. Although I suspect that what those
august academically inclined blokes are saying amounts to the same old stuff.
That's the trouble with research papers and the like:- when are we going to see some practical benefit from it all at the Sharp End?
1) What's the point of
measuring maintenance if you're not doing it in the first place?
2) What's the point of
measuring maintenance if you already know you're unlikely to ever have enough resources to do it properly?
3) What's the point of
measuring maintenance when the Bean Counters (suits) can't understand what you're talking about anyway?
4)
Etc. etc. ...There's some interesting stuff at that link you gave, George. I'll take a look later on (when we're into the "quiet phase" of the day). But ... surgeons feeling infallible? Well, they need to be
confident in their approach, do they not? After all, it's no good
them dithering about all day, is it?
Surely competence and confidence go hand in hand. But when does confidence become
over-confidence? And at what point does over-confidence become arrogance? And ... how often should they be let get away with it by the rest of the team? Now, there's a whole new topic for debate!
