dealing with rube goldberg systems · the harder you push, the harder the system pushes back. 3....

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Dealing with Rube Goldberg Systems

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Conversation

Participation

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What’s So Hard?

Find out what the user would like to

experience

Build itDelay

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What is a system?

A system’s parts must all be present for the system to carry out its purpose optimally. If you can take components away from something without affecting its functioning and its relationships, then you have a collection, not a system.

1. A system’s parts must be arranged in a specific way for the system to carry out its purpose. If the components of a collection can be combined in any random order, then they do not make up a system.

2. Systems have specific purposes within larger systems.

3. Systems maintain their stability through fluctuations and adjustments. Systems achieve this stability through the interactions, feedback and adjustments that continually circulate among the system parts, and between the system and its environment.

4. Systems have feedback. Feedback is the transmission and return of information.

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Equipment

Systems Build

Design/Code/Test Kick tires/Slam DoorsLanguages

IDEsTeams

TestDistribution

Design and

redesign

IdeaGeneration

Consumers

ConsumerResearch

Upstream work

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Why Bother?

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A bad syste

m will

defeat a good

person every tim

e.

W. Edward Dem

ing

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Feedback Model

Process-

+

DELAY

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Cascade Feedback

DailyStandup

ReleaseBacklog

SprintBacklog

DevEfforts

ProductBacklog

DELAY

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Clarify Target

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Problem Statement

The problem of

affects

the impact of which

a successful solution would be

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Product Position Statement

For

Who

The (product name)

That

Unlike

Our Product

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Decrease Delays

nouna period of time by which something is late or postponed : a two-hour delay | long delays in obtaining passports.• the action of delaying or being delayed : I set off without delay.• Electronics the time interval between the propagation of an electrical signal and its reception.• an electronic device that introduces such an interval, esp. in an audio signal.

Action-

+

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Increase Requisite Variety

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No Tampering

Tampering

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Have Single Responsibility

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Optimize Overall System

Development

QAT

IT

ExternalDependencies

If you give a m

anager a

numerical ta

rget, he'll

make

it even if

he has to destr

oy

the company in

the process.

W. Edward Dem

ing

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Increase Bandwidth

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Match Impedance

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Create Coherence

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Reduce Friction

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Systems Principles• Clarify Target

• Decrease Delays

• Increase Requisite Variety

• No Tampering

• Optimize Overall System

• Increase Bandwidth

• Match Impedance

• Create Coherence

• Reduce Friction

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Systems Laws1. Today’s problems come from yesterday’s “solutions”.2. The harder you push, the harder the system pushes back.3. Behavior grows better before it grows worse.4. The easy way out usually leads back in.5. The cure can be worse than the disease.6. Faster is slower.7. Cause and effect are not closely related in time and space.8. Small changes can produce big results but the areas of highest

leverage are often least obvious.9. You can have your cake and eat it too but not at once.10. Dividing an elephant in half does produce two small

elephants.11. There is no blame.

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Credits

1. Rube Goldberg http://www.flickr.com/photos/freshwater2006/693945631/sizes/z/2. Target http://www.flickr.com/photos/akire_yrko/3573644189/sizes/z/3. Dollars http://www.flickr.com/photos/bsuter/1254095605/sizes/z/4. Teamwork http://www.flickr.com/photos/wwworks/1384952210/sizes/z/5. Mandelbrot Fractal http://www.flickr.com/photos/10912969@N03/2046782675/sizes/z/6. Coherence / laser http://www.flickr.com/photos/nayukim/3826871881/sizes/z/7. Communication http://www.flickr.com/photos/dailypic/1459055735/sizes/z/in/photostream/8. Tacoma Narrows Bridge (aka “Galloping Gertie”) http://www.flickr.com/photos/uw_digital_images/4861196144/in/

pool-972605@N21/9. Production viewed as a system: The New Economics - W. Edward Deming page 5810.Software Essential and Accidental Difficulties from No Silver Bullet by Frederick P. Books, Jr