Standardization vs Variability in a Program – Choose Variability

From the time we are born, we are taught to conform, from language to religion to traditions.

One of the first intentions I see in fellow program managers is a desire to enforce a standard across teams within a program. A standard is desired in the interest of predictability but also in the interest of uniformity. How important is it to be uniform?

While it is key to align on values and fundamentals (or even working agreements), it is also important to encourage deviations. Unless a rule is broken, it cannot be improved upon.

For example: to be an agilist, your values must agree with the Agile Manifesto, that says we value => individuals/interactions over process and tools, working software over documentation, customer collaboration over contracts, responding to change over following a plan (in my life all plans have tragically failed me, no wonder I am an agilist!)

Once the core values align, a standard enforced on a program consisting of disparate teams can be indicative of command and control.

Burden of a program manager is to visualize the flow of information across boundaries and do so in a believable, transparent manner that brings all those disparate teams together as one whole.

Enforcing a standard can feel like adding value to the story a program manager must tell of one program no matter the differences within.

Encourage good behavior via inspiration instead of a stick to make teams conform to your way. Trust me, it is your way even if it is right. We are all different. When we do the same task, we differ from one another. That is what makes a person unique.

If all the people in the world dressed alike, life would be boring. If all the people in the world responded to success and grief in exactly the same way, sure life would be predictable, but it may also be stagnant and monotonous.

In our differences lie our fascination and deference for each other. Encourage the teams under you to break from the norms and experience autonomy.

Ask yourself one question, do you want your teams to follow and do things when asked to do? Or do you wish them to self-organize, self-manage and propose new ideas to improve the program?

And finally, I will refer to Simon Sinek’s “Together is Better.” Would you like to be the king of a playground others fear to play in and try to conform to the rules? Or would you rather your teams play fearless to use their imagination to come up with better games, better ideas than before?  If the answer is second, it is important to go easy with trying to enforce one behavior from all and encourage differences. Because we are different.

Originally posted on my website: https://bookofdreams.us

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