Chunking makes our brains more efficient. The more you can chunk something, the faster and easier you can process it. Wayne Gretzky had chunked hockey like no one before or since. Talented people have supremely chunked whatever they become talented at doing.
Keven Maney – Columnist & Designer
Project work is popular because it can be taskified, specifically chunked, managed, and controlled into small units. Why? Project management is great for mitigating schedule (time) risk, cost (money) risk, and quality (satisfied customers) risk. This happened in software development, engineering, construction, automotive design, and manufacturing. For example, an automobile can be chunked into assembly, sub-assembly, and component projects. Then, software can be chunked and integrated into levels much like an automobile. Each level of a project hierarchy can be chunked and project managed.
A project is defined, authorized, and resourced. Project is broken down to specific tasks each of which are linked. Work order is broken down into specific tasks or fragments around a project. Sometimes, this is taskifying or crowd sourcing work. Think of this as creative or knowledge piece work. This is the basic project work model.
This is also the basis of lean startup work. Agile project management is based on the idea that startup work can be broken down into smaller chunks and even these chunks can be broken down into sub-chunks, smaller, and mcro tasks:
“A micro-task is best described as a task which is simple, repetitive or highly algorithmic in nature. Each executed task lasts between a few minutes to a few hours, and this short life-cycle ensures that a task can be contracted, completed and paid for expeditiously, often within the transaction window itself.”155
Story: What does this projectized work future hold for VUCANs? VUCAN workers completing the work order are self-managing professionals and among the best in their fields. They do the work economically, effectively, and efficiently. Their output in performance may even be better than the specialized core worker. The challenge is in a global and virtual work world, knowledge work can be sourced and done almost anywhere in the world.
Work Lesson Earned: Chunky work is risky work. Globalization resulted in massive design and manufacturing work being outsourced to Chinese companies. With COVID forcing remote work, bite-sized or chunked knowledge work can be parceled to low-paid workers throughout the world much like manufacturing was sourced to the lowest priced bidder.
Knowledge work was traditionally kept inside the company Now remote knowledge work can be outsourced to the lowest bidder worldwide. And if knowledge workers are not careful, it can be a race to the bottom since work goes to the lowest bidder.