The old story tells of a newlywed couple hosting their first family dinner. As the couple works in the kitchen, he asks her, “Why did you cut the end off the ham before you put it in the roasting pan?” She answers that her mother always did it that way, so she does the same. It happens that her mother walks in the kitchen and they both ask her the same question. The answer is the same. An hour later, the young bride’s grandmother arrives and all of them pose the question to her. Her answer, predictably, is the very same. Three generations have been performing this action without any idea why other than, “That’s how my Mom did it.”
A week later, the couple is visiting her great-grandmother in a care facility. At over ninety, the grand lady is still sharp even if she isn’t as mobile as she was. They pose this nagging family question one more time and the answer is surprising. Great-grandmother simply says, “I ever had a pan long enough to hold the entire ham, so I had to cut the end off to make it fit.”
There is a lesson here, and one that fits with my current theme on “Tribal Knowledge”. Too many times we, in our projects and organizations, we carry over old processes and tools without examining why we do it that way in the first place. We here phrases like, “That’s how Jack always did it. Now Jack – there was an expert if ever I’ve seen one!” And things that should have evolved remain stagnant out of a misplaced reverence for some icon or shadow of the past.
Tools and processes need diligent review just like anything else. While improvement just for the sake of improvement is a waste, taking the time to review and improve will always prove beneficial – even if the changes are minor or the review confirms the current state is good enough. The review itself is one of the key actions for companies attempting to move up the maturity scale in their various industries.
Today’s focus on rapid development and continuous improvement demands we step back and ask the simple question “WHY?” on a regular basis. Why are we doing it this way? Why won’t another approach work as well or better? Why do we seem stuck in this same rut? Why does our competition always seem to be one step ahead of us? The goal, which has been consistent across any of the modern lean methods, is to improve until it doesn’t make sense to improve any more … and then move on to another area of improvement and begin again.
Tribal knowledge cycles that hold us back have to be broken so we are free to explore. Left in place and revered as some “deep magic” they can only hinder. After all, if we have bigger pans now, cutting off the end is just an unnecessary step no matter how much we revere our great-grandmother. The challenge is up to you. What are you going to do so that you move beyond the tribal knowledge that holds you back for no reason other than, “That’s the way we’ve always done it!”?
Bio:
Mark Moore has held multiple professional positions in IT and business for nearly three decades serving organizations both small and large, public and private. With over half that time as a project manager, he has successfully managed major initiatives spanning multiple years with a cost of over $3 Million and teams of over 250 people. He has been a Project Management Professional since 2002, served as President of the PMI Western Michigan Chapter, and presented at multiple NCPMI Annual Events. Mark holds a Masters of Education degree from Colorado State University with a concentration in Adult Education and Training. He is an experienced writer, speaker and presenter on project management and team building topics. Mark is the Principal Consultant for Broken Arrow Associates, LTD. He and his family live in a rural area outside of Raleigh, North Carolina.
To contact Mark for opportunities or questions, send an e-mail to info@baa-ltd.com.