2.2 Determine a Workable Approach

An intuitive understanding, a framework for facts, count everything, observe the limits, implications and impacts, and then refine the approach

“Human felicity is produced not so much by great pieces of good fortune that seldom happen, as by little advantages that occur ever day.”—Benjamin Franklin

“When you first do a thing it is hard and messy. Others
following can make it look easy.”—Pablo Picasso

An intuitive understanding—then count and measure

Determining a workable approach builds the project in your head and on paper, before touching a shovel. A workable purpose must precede a workable approach, or you will have no way of knowing if your approach will achieve this purpose. If you do not know where you are going, you cannot know how to get there, or that you have arrived. Although this is obvious common sense, it is frequently omitted, and the project partially or completely fails.

Determining a workable approach consists of understanding the project, counting all the building blocks, then organizing the building blocks into relationships and sequences to achieve your purpose. Knowledge gives power, and knowledge requires both intuition and experience—and facts.

Obtaining, organizing, and analyzing facts takes the most time and effort. The process is 5% inspira­tion (fun, intuitive understanding of what the project might be) and 95% perspiration (work, counting, checking availability). Without intuitive understanding, you won’t know what to count. Without count­ing the facts, problems and opportunities for improvement and innovation cannot be known, and the results cannot be checked.

First a framework for facts—use racks for storage and organization of information

An organizational structure for information gathered must be set at the very start of the project. It will have these characteristics:

1.         It identifies all required work items.

2.         It organizes a place for all facts.