"If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly."

This quote from G.K. Chesterton is often repeated (cautiously) by me. Cautiously, because it is often misunderstood.

I don’t want to endorse slackness, and indeed the latter part of this article will address the importance of doing things properly wherever you can. But there is a real danger in putting things off just because it can’t be done perfectly. I have to say, I have encountered quite a few procrastinating perfectionists.

There is also a real risk of not doing something. This can be the issue around releasing information or establishing policies. There can be unpleasant consequences to having a lack of structure or information available as people may see the need to fill the void with their own ideas. I have seen many practices or ideas take root in organizations because no alternative had been offered in the first place. The workload of implementing a policy is then doubled as the delicate process of shifting a culture is undertaken as well. Risk management should always consider ‘what happens if I do nothing’.

Good business management practices seek best fit for purpose rather than best practise. Best practise has often been reduced to finding a ‘gold plated’ standard from elsewhere and forcing it to fit your circumstance rather than an acknowledgement of your specific needs. Operations are always a trade off, and as a result can seem anomalous or even contradictory. We rarely get a clean slate where we can design our perfect scenario. More often, compromise is needed where we have to work within specific parameters. It is why it is important to know your situation, your business, your clientele, your resources, your suppliers, stakeholders and anything else that is likely to have an impact on your operations. The trade off starts with what you are able to manage, where you may have to cut corners and where you cannot afford to compromise (My article - https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-we-shape-culture-leeanne-zamagias/may also be helpful).

Most importantly, embrace the value of project management - plan your milestones, stepping stones and iterations so you can get things up and running. Take the time to make sure that which has to be right from the start is right, but be realistic about how much really needs to be exact. As mentioned, the considerations can almost be contradictory, as you work through what compromises might be needed in any given scenario.

Emotional intelligence and judgement is needed to determine what principles you are trying to promote at any one time, and what you may have to allow to ‘go to the keeper’ in the short term.

There is an analogy to this with the soundtrack of the musical Hamilton, which I have seen live and a recorded version of a performance. To date I have been unable to buy the soundtrack and I suspect the reason is that the creator doesn’t want to close the canon on this yet. In an interview when asked what happens if while performing, he ever forgets the words of one of the songs he wrote, Lin Manuel Miranda quickly replied,” it’s a rewrite”. Once a version is recorded and played on radio it becomes permanent. There is less room for improvement. This is one aspect to consider when thinking through the implications of iterations. But what’s not to say the next iteration or version won’t be so much better. To stay with the music analogy, a quote from Bono is ‘ the best song is the one I haven’t written yet’.

Where possible, Best Fit for Purpose should be sought, putting effort into what must be right from the start, but allow for improvements through the iterations. Polish where you can, commensurate with the resources you have available to you at the time. It is why every iteration should make some allowance for analysis, where you stop and think about how your system is working.

One example of polishing that I would recommend when you can is getting your published material proofread. Nothing is more irksome for the pedants out there than poorly published material, so try to instigate a process where material is checked before hitting print. You may feel it is an unnecessary delay but it is not as hard to organize as you think and it is a good way to lift the standard where you can, especially if you still have to make compromises in other areas.

Creating a rhythm where something needs to be finalized in good time before going to print, and having some friends on side who can read through your work with a red pen, can improve the quality of output substantially. It is a relatively easy way of raising the standard, and making your material easier to appropriate. If you can’t get others in to proofread for you, take yourself off to a coffee shop or some other different setting, with a red pen and the work to be proofread.

Best fit for purpose means not compromising on that which has to be done right in your situation, but being realistic about it not having to be everything. You may need to kick something off that is less than ideal to start, but it doesn’t mean it has to stay there. The ‘Formulation > Implementation > Analysis’ process should be cyclical as the entity grows and changes, always leaving room for improvement.

Know what is needed to get started, know your resources and build capacity to keep improving.