One rule out

Almost every day you will notice that the existing set of rules, procedures, process, etc. you normally use in your work is not enough. What do you do then? Will you add a new rule or will you delete one?

Way too often we take the existing set of rules for granted, a sort of crystalised frame we don’t dare to discuss and, therefore, just supplement with small elements on top.

What if, instead, the problem lives exactly in one or more of these legacy rules? Could you reach the same results without these rules? The answer I propose here is “usually yes, provided we try”!

One of the lessons learned from the Agile world is to use the minimum possible setup that will work, no more than what’s needed and no less than it’s essential: what is the minimum set of corporate rules that makes your organisation work? You’ll soon find out it’s way less than you thought!

Bonus point: the same is valid for all sort of documentation using shelf and hard disk space in your office. If you search you’ll find a lot of legacy information that needn’t be there any longer: be brave and get rid of them!