Challenging Assumptions

Recently I wrote about calculated obsolescence, referring to the need all of us have to carefully evaluate our programs on an ongoing basis.  As we're evaluating, we need to prepared to eliminate those programs and events that no longer match up with our strategy.  Failure to eliminate leads to sideways energy.  All of us know what it is to have programs that may be successful in some ways but that make no contribution to the success of the organization itself.  Instead they actually pull people, energy, and resources (facilities, budget, time) into a kind of backwater that just swirls but doesn't move with the rest of the stream.  I based the concept on a great Peter Drucker quote about what he called calculated obsolescence.

Kathy Sierra over at Creating Passionate Users has a post today about a similar concept, maybe a cousin to it, writing about the need to challenge assumptions.  As usual, she's got some great content.  I love the imagery behind her question: "Do you have a plan in place for regularly sniffing the milk?"  That's vivid, isn't it?  Or maybe I should say pungent!  But it does make the point well that with assumptions, just like programs, we need to have a plan in place to routinely be making sure that what we're using as a basis for our decision-making is actually still true.  HELLO.  How many of us need a routine that helps us do that?  I'd say...most of us.  You can take a look at her whole post right here.  It's well worth the read.