A slice of Pi

Pi is famously calculated to trillions of digits—but how many of them do we really, really need?  Apparently, just 39 will do.

According to a recent article, taking pi to 39 digits allows you to measure the circumference of the observable universe to within the width of a single hydrogen atom. Sure, you could use more digits , but it's not really worth the effort.  And that means that on a day-to-day basis, you can ignore far more of those pesky digits.  (although, I still have to wonder how they really know.  There's not a measuring tape you can buy at Home Depot to confirm some pretty hairy math).  

And going 1 step further, 3.1 digits gets you to a 95% confidence interval.

Wow, John.  Fascinating.  What exactly does that have to do with your social service leave experience? 

Great question.

I was talking to a colleague back in the big house the other day and sharing my reflection that what we think is a streamlined approach There, still needs to be trimmed way back Here.  A smaller organization can’t tolerate waste when trying to remove waste.  There’s no spare capacity.  The phones still ring.  Someone has to answer them.  When coming to a (much) smaller organization, it is obvious there still needs to be a lighter weight approach.  Often 20% of the approach seems to be capable of getting 80% of the value.  More lean.  Less precision.  Same great taste.  Less filling. 

And once you realize that, the obvious next question is, “Why isn’t that approach good enough most of the time?”  Sometimes ‘close’ is good enough.   Sometimes, of course, it isn’t.  The trick is to be aware of the opportunity and decide what you need.

I just keep wondering how often I’ve fallen into the trap of “that’s just the way it’s done”, and don’t stop to ask myself first “How much do I really need?”   Sometimes I do.  At least for a while, I know I’ll think about that almost every time.

unsustainable

Time to switch themes.  I'm finding time is just getting away from me, so counting down the weeks isn't going to be the sustainable theme.  Time will continue to march on, of course.  No need for me to stress out over the number of days passed (besides, I'm not keeping up with that pace).  Not everything that counts can be counted. (as reportedly, Mr. Einstein noted.)

But I digress.

I have lots of time.  In my hotel home away from home I have little else to do right now than to work, sleep, workout, and work more.  While that's not a sustainable plan, it seems kind of necessary at the moment.   Because  the desire to make a difference is the reason I came here.  The need to make a sustainable difference, however, is critical.  There's so much to do.

After a little more than a month (see, a kind of soft count works ok), the plan to create a culture of sustainable continuous improvement is coming together.  At least the framework is getting clearer.  The steps to get there are shaping into an actual plan.  Some basic problem solving skills are gaining ground.  The enthusiasm of those early workshops didn't fade away.  It is starting to take hold and be put into practice. The bigger projects are getting defined, as are the mechanisms to prioritize and manage them.  All good.

But as we've started shaping this program into something that will live beyond my short year, I've also been reminded that everyone has their blind spots to the way they work.   I was pretty proud of myself that I didn't start out by thinking I had all the answers.  I've developed a lot of scars and I know what caused them, so perhaps I can spare us making similar mistakes.  However, as I keep trying to transfer that learning, I  realized I was making assumptions too.  I've gone from a fortune 500 company to a non-profit.  While big in non-profit terms, it's small  relatively speaking.  Everything needs to be scaled. Usually means scale up, making it bigger, doing more with more.  That's not to say we intend to make things more complex than they need to be.  Who plans to do that?  It happens and we don't always see it.

It isn't a one size fits all world.  I was reminded sometimes things have to be be scaled down.   Do more with less. You might not think that is an amazing revelation.  Yeah, not so much.  The point is, it can be challenging to see things differently.     Taking something down to the bare basics is harder than it seems.  It can be done, though, and once you have scaled it back, it just begs the question of how much is really needed when you scale up again?  I'm not sure, but I'm wondering if it all has to go back in.  Maybe.  But maybe not.  My money is on 'not'.

Once you know you've fallen into the trap of making assumptions, you have to wonder what other assumptions are hidden in plain sight.  I guess that is the basics of continuous improvement.  There's always something to learn.  That is why it's called continuous improvement after all.

Oh, and best of all, this is still one of the best professional experiences I've had.  Social service leave is wicked awesome. :)