Data management is improvisation
I was listening to a podcast recently featuring TV writer Rob Long. During the podcast he said (I'm paraphrasing) that, in order to be successful, one needs to learn to improvise, because nothing in life ever goes as planned. One of my favorite sayings is, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him what you're doing tomorrow."
And so it is with managing data. No matter how much we plan, whether it's a new system implementation, a new process, or just collecting a new set of data, what we plan and expect and what actually happens are rarely the same. And sometimes they are radically different!
And so we have to learn to improvise. We have to be flexible enough to react to what actually happened, adapt to it, and continue moving forward. After all, we're seeking success, not perfection.
Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives
“It’s more than I have, but less than I want.”
“It’s more than I have, but less than I want.” “It’s more than I have, […]
Don’t forget Parkinson’s Law
Don’t forget Parkinson’s Law “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its […]
Just Respond
Just Respond Growing up my father used to tell my many siblings and me that […]
People fear uncertainty, not change
People fear uncertainty, not change If you’ve ever worked on any big project that was […]
“Working with you is like going to therapy.”
“Working with you is like going to therapy.” I was working with a client last […]
The best ideas are stolen
The best ideas are stolen I don’t remember where I first heard it, but someone said […]
It’s all about expectations
It’s all about expectations One of the most critical contributors to the success of a […]
Either you test, or your members will
Either you test, or your members will If I was forced to choose the single […]
But are you really willing to change?
But are you really willing to change? When any organization is making a change in data management […]
Two tips for data conversion
Two Tips for Data Conversion I’ve written a lot about data conversion over the years […]