Mike Russell

Outsourcing product development brings opportunities AND new challenges to success …

This challenge can create life-threatening risks from medical devices:

Fraudulent Data

An old (as in half a century or more!) simple prioritization approach is “Dump, Delay, Delegate, Do” … “4D” priorization.

How will AI help?

First, a brief explanation of the 4D prioritization steps in order … the order is important:

1. Dump – decide what NOT to do. As important, dumping means NO ONE in your organization should be doing it. An often overlooked step in some leadership guidance, yet key to implementing 80/20 thinking and reducing waste. If others need to know it’s dumped, communicate.
2. Delay (variously placed before or after Delegate) – Is it safe (enough) to wait a bit and find out more before anyone works on it? Do you need to find someone to delegate this to but they’re unavailable or need to be added to the team? Or maybe the situation might resolve itself? Note: you should set a trigger to review so not forgotten.
3. Delegate – if it needs to be done but you are not the best person to do it (skills, responsibilities, effectiveness, low return for your time, etc.). Who can do it better or more appropriately? Then follow good delegation processes …
4. Do – if it needs to be done and you’re the best person to do it. Prioritize against your existing “do” stuff.

How does AI enter into this?

Two steps depending on your AI use: Delegate and/or Do.

Which step depends on how much:

• You can “hand off” to AI
• You will be doing it in concert with AI. This is where a lot of personal productivity examples have been published.

Delegating to AI can also save your team’s time in addition to yours.

Either way, AI can multiply your effectiveness and that of your team.

As AI progresses, prioritization after the “dump” stage will center around “what should we be doing as humans” … what’s the most value a human can bring and focus on that. Let the AI take care of the rest – an evolution of what automation can handle for us.

AI output usually cannot be left “as is” …

There needs to be some form of checking before letting it loose, unless incorrect information has virtually no impact. “Trust but verify” applies.

The degree of checking will vary with the risk/impact of errors.

For example, LinkedIn is apparently using AI to generate article ideas and then send invitations for people to contribute to the articles. Sometimes I get multiple invitations a day.

The results range from the rational to the irrational.

Here’s one of the latter that is more subtle:

Software Project Management • 326,911 followers
How can you improve communication with team members using problem-solving skills?

If the team members are using problem-solving skills, couldn’t they solve the communication problem themselves? 😉

Of course, it’s also unclear if the team members are using problem-solving skills, or the invitation meant using problem-solving skills to address communication … and also why checking is needed!

Software continues to be a leading cause of medical device recalls.

It’s usually one of the top 3 recall reasons and all too often, the number 1 reason.

Businesses – startups and established – struggle with using more productive software development methods like agile or lean, while maintaining safety and regulatory compliance.

We can provide an overview, more detailed training, or consulting about how to do that … whatever level assistance you need for regulatory approval and market success.

Contact us to discuss your situation.

Sometimes starting with a better question can arrive at a better answer.

Here are a couple of questions I’ve seen for change management that need improvement or rethinking:

“Your change management team is struggling to stay organized. What can you do to improve collaboration?”

First, the question is a compound question … organization and collaboration aren’t necessarily the same issues.

More fundamentally, if a change management team has problems staying organized, then the problem is not about organizing steps or other tactics.

Namely, it’s the wrong team.

A change management team that can’t stay organized itself is useless to the organization. A change management team should be able to help everyone ELSE stay organized and reduce the chaos of change.

If it’s a capable team, then the disorganization cause is likely different individual purposes and priorities driven by forces external to the team. No internal organizing tactics can really fix that root cause.

Here’s another example:

“How can change management professionals build resilience in the face of adversity?”

One would hope someone in change management would neither go into the field without some degree of resilience or resilience skills to begin with … nor anticipate smooth sailing and no adversity with change. 🙂

If change management professionals cannot face change, how will they model facing change for others?

Don’t give in to the negative meme that “holidays are stressful” …

Instead, be e.a.g.e.r. for them:

👉🏻 Expectations: help others approach the holidays realistically and keep the big picture in mind … not even “It’s a Wonderful Life” was wonderful all the way through!

👉🏻 Appreciation – appreciate others and encourage them to do the same with others, even for something minor. The holidays are more about people than presents. Act if all the bad things that happened with others is in the past and deserves to stay there, rather than becoming a visiting ghost of Christmas past.

👉🏻 Generosity – give, especially in helping others reduce/avoid stress so they can be generous as well. Be generous in grace when others do annoying or stressful things … they may need extra attention to get past their own situations.

👉🏻 Enthusiasm – is contagious (at least with most people), so spread it. It’s hard not be be more enthusiastic/positive yourself if you do so.

👉🏻 Reframes – think in terms of “get to” vs. “have to” and help others do the same.

The more you focus on helping others get rid of stress, the stronger your ability to do the same.

Find something to enjoy, and enjoy it!