The document discusses how most variation in work outcomes is due to factors outside an individual's control, such as constraints of the work environment and processes. It argues performance reviews, targets, and other practices that blame individuals are misguided, as individuals have little influence over most outcomes. Continuous improvement is better achieved through respectfully engaging with workers to understand constraints and get suggestions for improvements.

1. It’s not your fault
Francis Fish
FJF/DI/DM consultancy
http://fjfdidm.com
Engage!
FJF/DI/DMFJF/DI/DM
Engage! Love what you do & do it wellLove what you do & do it well
Wednesday, 2 October 13

2. Who?
• 30 years a coder, team leader, senior consultant
• Once had job titles of “Agile XP Coach” (whatever
that means) and “Development Manager” (hmm ...)
• Member of the humanist wing of the agile movement
• Qualified sports coach
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3. https://leanpub.com/unicorns
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4. ?
• The Normal distribution
• What it means for you
• How to stop the pain
• Discussion
• Conclusions
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5. Deming
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6. Deming
Statistician
Credited with the ideas
behind the post-war boom
in Japan
The Toyota Way is built on
his ideas. Particularly the
obsession with continuous
improvement and
respecting where the work
is done.
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7. Wednesday, 2 October 13

8. Wednesday, 2 October 13

9. Things: Calls, products, sales, software, blah blah
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10. Things: Calls, products, sales, software, blah blah
Measurements
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11. Things: Calls, products, sales, software, blah blah
Measurements
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12. Wednesday, 2 October 13

13. Random?
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14. Random?
• There is a pattern
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15. Random?
• There is a pattern
• Predicts what MAY happen, likely
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16. Random?
• There is a pattern
• Predicts what MAY happen, likely
• Not what WILL happen
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17. Random?
• There is a pattern
• Predicts what MAY happen, likely
• Not what WILL happen
• (Aside: The fallacy of models)
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18. Random?
• There is a pattern
• Predicts what MAY happen, likely
• Not what WILL happen
• (Aside: The fallacy of models)
• (Aside: Teenagers ‘random’)
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19. So ...
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20. So ...
It’s not your fault!
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21. Wednesday, 2 October 13

22. 95%
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23. So what?
• If the "system" ( business, call centre, sales team ...
etc) is performing correctly then 95% of variation in
results comes from the system itself
• Maybe (maybe) 5% is down to the individual
• The rest is the constraints of the training, tools,
processes and environment
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24. Wednesday, 2 October 13

25. It’s not your fault!
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26. It is all nonsense ..
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27. It is all nonsense ..
• Performance reviews
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28. It is all nonsense ..
• Performance reviews
• Targets
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29. It is all nonsense ..
• Performance reviews
• Targets
• Performance related pay
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30. It is all nonsense ..
• Performance reviews
• Targets
• Performance related pay
• Annual reviews
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31. It is all nonsense ..
• Performance reviews
• Targets
• Performance related pay
• Annual reviews
• Quarterly figures
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32. It is all nonsense ..
• Performance reviews
• Targets
• Performance related pay
• Annual reviews
• Quarterly figures
If you can’t change the
conditions of the system
you can affect maybe
5% of the outcome.
Most of the time what
you do will be swamped
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33. Wednesday, 2 October 13

34. Wednesday, 2 October 13

35. Wednesday, 2 October 13

36. Wednesday, 2 October 13

37. It’s not your fault!
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38. Deming’s 14 points
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39. Deming’s 14 points
The 14 points have one aim,
make it possible for people
to do their work with joy
and pride.
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40. Deming’s 14 points
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41. Deming’s 14 points
1. Constancy of purpose
2. Adopt the new
philosophy ...
8. Drive out fear ...
10. Eliminate slogans
11. Eliminate management
by objectives
12. Remove barriers to
pride of workmanship
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42. By what method?
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43. Improvement
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44. Improvement
• Who is in control of the 95%?
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45. Improvement
• Who is in control of the 95%?
• Because we’ve made promises to our investors we
need 6% more sales in EMEA next year ...
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46. Improvement
• Who is in control of the 95%?
• Because we’ve made promises to our investors we
need 6% more sales in EMEA next year ...
• If we knew how to do that we’d have done it
already!
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47. By what method?
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48. Targets are wishes
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49. Targets are wishes
• They are wishing, just like forecasts
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50. Targets are wishes
• They are wishing, just like forecasts
• Forcing improvement instead of striving for it
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51. Targets are wishes
• They are wishing, just like forecasts
• Forcing improvement instead of striving for it
• Shirking of responsibility
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52. Targets are wishes
• They are wishing, just like forecasts
• Forcing improvement instead of striving for it
• Shirking of responsibility
• If numbers are used to manage objectives they
become objectives - disconnected with reality - and
they get gamed if they are unrealistic
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53. Targets are wishes
• They are wishing, just like forecasts
• Forcing improvement instead of striving for it
• Shirking of responsibility
• If numbers are used to manage objectives they
become objectives - disconnected with reality - and
they get gamed if they are unrealistic
• Your spreadsheet has no value if it doesn’t connect
with the work
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54. Targets are wishes
• They are wishing, just like forecasts
• Forcing improvement instead of striving for it
• Shirking of responsibility
• If numbers are used to manage objectives they
become objectives - disconnected with reality - and
they get gamed if they are unrealistic
• Your spreadsheet has no value if it doesn’t connect
with the work
• You ... ?
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55. Comfort?
All the institutions you were
brought up with were designed
to work with fear and conformity
School
College
University
...
If the only model you have is a
brutal hierarchy that uses blame
then that’s what you will use.
You don’t know any better
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56. Comfort?
All the institutions you were
brought up with were designed
to work with fear and conformity
School
College
University
...
If the only model you have is a
brutal hierarchy that uses blame
then that’s what you will use.
You don’t know any better
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57. Wednesday, 2 October 13

58. It’s not your fault!
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59. But ...
• Everyone is doing their best
• Blame is no use
• Violence is how we get things done
• What can I do?
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60. Hierarchy
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61. Hierarchy
Control
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62. Hierarchy
Control
Responsibility
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63. Brains
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64. Brains
• One brain expecting
obedience
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65. Brains
• One brain expecting
obedience
• Lots of brains working on the
work
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66. Brains
• One brain expecting
obedience
• Lots of brains working on the
work
• Who’s going to succeed?
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67. Brains
• One brain expecting
obedience
• Lots of brains working on the
work
• Who’s going to succeed?
• Helpless children or adults?
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68. Lean thinking
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69. Lean thinking
• Go see
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70. Lean thinking
• Go see
• Ask why
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71. Lean thinking
• Go see
• Ask why
• Show respect
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72. 6σ Number fetish
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73. 6σ Number fetish
• Look up 3M drop six sigma
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74. 6σ Number fetish
• Look up 3M drop six sigma
• Top down - kills innovation and ruins morale
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75. 6σ Number fetish
• Look up 3M drop six sigma
• Top down - kills innovation and ruins morale
• Continuous improvement - Go see/Ask/Respect
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76. 6σ Number fetish
• Look up 3M drop six sigma
• Top down - kills innovation and ruins morale
• Continuous improvement - Go see/Ask/Respect
• Not worshiping numbers
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77. 6σ Number fetish
• Look up 3M drop six sigma
• Top down - kills innovation and ruins morale
• Continuous improvement - Go see/Ask/Respect
• Not worshiping numbers
• Can we do it differently with less waste
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78. 6σ Number fetish
• Look up 3M drop six sigma
• Top down - kills innovation and ruins morale
• Continuous improvement - Go see/Ask/Respect
• Not worshiping numbers
• Can we do it differently with less waste
• Efficient is short term, no slack
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79. 6σ Number fetish
• Look up 3M drop six sigma
• Top down - kills innovation and ruins morale
• Continuous improvement - Go see/Ask/Respect
• Not worshiping numbers
• Can we do it differently with less waste
• Efficient is short term, no slack
• Effective is long term
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80. 6% better next year?
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81. 6% better next year?
• Engage with the people doing the work
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82. 6% better next year?
• Engage with the people doing the work
• What are we doing that holds you up?
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83. 6% better next year?
• Engage with the people doing the work
• What are we doing that holds you up?
• What are we not doing that could help?
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84. 6% better next year?
• Engage with the people doing the work
• What are we doing that holds you up?
• What are we not doing that could help?
• Do you have any suggestions we can try?
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85. 6% better next year?
• Engage with the people doing the work
• What are we doing that holds you up?
• What are we not doing that could help?
• Do you have any suggestions we can try?
• How do we agree a measure for improvement?
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86. 6% better next year?
• Engage with the people doing the work
• What are we doing that holds you up?
• What are we not doing that could help?
• Do you have any suggestions we can try?
• How do we agree a measure for improvement?
• Respect - transparency and honesty - no excuses
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87. 6% better next year?
• Engage with the people doing the work
• What are we doing that holds you up?
• What are we not doing that could help?
• Do you have any suggestions we can try?
• How do we agree a measure for improvement?
• Respect - transparency and honesty - no excuses
• Lots of constant, small, tangible improvements to
celebrate
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88. Numbers
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89. Numbers
• Are we improving?
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90. Numbers
• Are we improving?
• When it’s stable again, do the figures show an
improvement?
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91. Numbers
• Are we improving?
• When it’s stable again, do the figures show an
improvement?
• Before the fact - no wishing, no wishing for a
particular number
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92. Numbers
• Are we improving?
• When it’s stable again, do the figures show an
improvement?
• Before the fact - no wishing, no wishing for a
particular number
• What does success look like?
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93. Numbers
• Are we improving?
• When it’s stable again, do the figures show an
improvement?
• Before the fact - no wishing, no wishing for a
particular number
• What does success look like?
• You will need to make value judgements, and own
them - scary
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94. Numbers
• Are we improving?
• When it’s stable again, do the figures show an
improvement?
• Before the fact - no wishing, no wishing for a
particular number
• What does success look like?
• You will need to make value judgements, and own
them - scary
• Numbers are servants, not masters
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95. Tech management
The main reason we tend
to focus on the technical
rather than the human side
of the work is not because
it’s more crucial, but
because it’s easier to do.
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96. Tech management
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97. Tech management
• Numbers are just easy technology - don’t hide
behind them - get out from behind that desk
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98. Tech management
• Numbers are just easy technology - don’t hide
behind them - get out from behind that desk
• No heart!
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99. Tech management
• Numbers are just easy technology - don’t hide
behind them - get out from behind that desk
• No heart!
• Work that’s fit for humans
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100. Tech management
• Numbers are just easy technology - don’t hide
behind them - get out from behind that desk
• No heart!
• Work that’s fit for humans
• People are not algorithms or automata - nothing that
easy
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101. I’m sure it’s not 95%
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102. I’m sure it’s not 95%
Really?
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103. Hands up if ...
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104. Hands up if ...
• You’ve ever been cooked or frozen because the air
conditioning was maintained by the cheapest
contractor
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105. Hands up if ...
• You’ve ever been cooked or frozen because the air
conditioning was maintained by the cheapest
contractor
• You work or have worked in open-plan rabbit
hutches
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106. Hands up if ...
• You’ve ever been cooked or frozen because the air
conditioning was maintained by the cheapest
contractor
• You work or have worked in open-plan rabbit
hutches
• You were situated next to the sales team who are on
the phone all day
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107. Hands up if ...
• You’ve ever been cooked or frozen because the air
conditioning was maintained by the cheapest
contractor
• You work or have worked in open-plan rabbit
hutches
• You were situated next to the sales team who are on
the phone all day
• Your time is treated as an infinite resource
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108. Hands up if ...
• You’ve ever been cooked or frozen because the air
conditioning was maintained by the cheapest
contractor
• You work or have worked in open-plan rabbit
hutches
• You were situated next to the sales team who are on
the phone all day
• Your time is treated as an infinite resource
• You cannot settle down and concentrate unless you
come in really early or stay late
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109. or ...
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110. or ...
• Your dev team are still running on 5 year old
machines with XP on and you deploy to linux
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111. or ...
• Your dev team are still running on 5 year old
machines with XP on and you deploy to linux
• You have no idea who to contact when you want to
deploy a release, and the ops team are managed
separately so you have different definitions of urgent
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112. or ...
• Your dev team are still running on 5 year old
machines with XP on and you deploy to linux
• You have no idea who to contact when you want to
deploy a release, and the ops team are managed
separately so you have different definitions of urgent
• Your organisation uses spreadsheets to manage faults
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113. or ...
• Your dev team are still running on 5 year old
machines with XP on and you deploy to linux
• You have no idea who to contact when you want to
deploy a release, and the ops team are managed
separately so you have different definitions of urgent
• Your organisation uses spreadsheets to manage faults
• You have a lot of fire fighting heroes in your
company
Wednesday, 2 October 13

114. or ...
• Your dev team are still running on 5 year old
machines with XP on and you deploy to linux
• You have no idea who to contact when you want to
deploy a release, and the ops team are managed
separately so you have different definitions of urgent
• Your organisation uses spreadsheets to manage faults
• You have a lot of fire fighting heroes in your
company
• Someone insists you all listen to Radio 2 all day
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115. even ...
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116. even ...
• Project oversight insist on meetings less than a day
after you’ve started because the book says so
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117. even ...
• Project oversight insist on meetings less than a day
after you’ve started because the book says so
• You have to account for your time in 15 minute
increments
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118. even ...
• Project oversight insist on meetings less than a day
after you’ve started because the book says so
• You have to account for your time in 15 minute
increments
• You can’t move people around your teams without
permission from HR
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119. even ...
• Project oversight insist on meetings less than a day
after you’ve started because the book says so
• You have to account for your time in 15 minute
increments
• You can’t move people around your teams without
permission from HR
• You need purchase orders for everything over £20
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120. even ...
• Project oversight insist on meetings less than a day
after you’ve started because the book says so
• You have to account for your time in 15 minute
increments
• You can’t move people around your teams without
permission from HR
• You need purchase orders for everything over £20
• You are measured on some arbitrary number that you
can’t do much about ;-)
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121. The system always
wins
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122. The system always
wins
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123. True empowerment
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124. True empowerment
• Accountability flows up - keep the blockers out of
the way
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125. True empowerment
• Accountability flows up - keep the blockers out of
the way
• There are no forbidden questions or topics
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126. True empowerment
• Accountability flows up - keep the blockers out of
the way
• There are no forbidden questions or topics
• Join the dots - an environment that’s quiet,
comfortable, with plenty of room for thinking and
collaborating will pay for itself many times over
Wednesday, 2 October 13

127. True empowerment
• Accountability flows up - keep the blockers out of
the way
• There are no forbidden questions or topics
• Join the dots - an environment that’s quiet,
comfortable, with plenty of room for thinking and
collaborating will pay for itself many times over
• One brain or many brains?
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128. Ask yourself:
Are we victims of our
work or response able for
its improvement?
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129. Wednesday, 2 October 13

130. francis@fjfdidm.com
@fjfish
Images from openclipart & wikipedia
Engage!
FJF/DI/DMFJF/DI/DM
Engage! Love what you do & do it wellLove what you do & do it well
Wednesday, 2 October 13