Below is Part 2 of a 3-Part article designed to help IT and database professionals stay on top of their game in an ever-changing\u00a0 trade.\u00a0 Part 1 highlighted some IT scenarios.\u00a0 In this part 2, we will take a closer look.<\/p>\n
Part 3 offers several steps toward creating \u2018No Excuse Zones\u201d in our home, office and thinking. For more examples that fit your specific work environment, please feel free to contact LauraRose@RoseCoaching.info<\/a><\/p>\n We all have \u2018excuses\u2019 as part of our normal, default speaking and thinking patterns.\u00a0 It\u2019s normal.\u00a0 It\u2019s human.\u00a0 We often entertain ourselves with stories of how we got to where we \u2018don\u2019t want to be\u2019.\u00a0 We do not readily acknowledge these stories as \u2018excuses\u2019 or blaming something or someone external to ourselves for our predicament; we\u2019re simply \u2018explaining\u2019 ourselves.\u00a0 But the longer we stay in the \u2018explaining\u2019 stage of the current situation; the longer we are stalled and not making forward progress.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/em>Let\u2019s look closer:<\/strong><\/p>\n My task was to contact 3 hospitals to collect meaningful metrics on these five database features.\u00a0 Only one hospital has responded on only one database features.\u00a0 I am late with this project and don\u2019t know how to proceed.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Our developer had not been keeping his team and stakeholders involved in his progress.\u00a0 He had been struggling with the 3 hospitals without conveying the obstacles he was encountering.\u00a0 He allowed the deadline to pass without a word of status.\u00a0 He was nervous and ashamed about his lack of progress on this task.<\/p>\n Note:<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0 Your project can not be late if you are constantly informing the stakeholders of your status and progress.\u00a0 This allows your teammates to assist and develop alternative solutions to the problem.\u00a0 This also allows an extension of the schedule based on the current state of things.\u00a0 You are only late if you fail to include others in your progress and allow the deadline to quietly pass.<\/p>\n Our developer understood the reason for the task.\u00a0 The team wanted to verify that the new database design would cover all the significant features that the 3 hospitals would use.\u00a0 But the developer lost sight of the real purpose of the task.\u00a0 By creating a presentation and model of the new database design to the hospitals\u2019\u2019 representatives, our developer could gather the same type of feedback.<\/p>\n When that suggestion was mentioned, our developer quickly dismissed it because he said that it wasn\u2019t the task that was given to him.\u00a0 By not bringing his roadblocks and alternative solutions to his stakeholders, he arrogantly made the decision for them.<\/p>\n As you can see, our developers had many more options at his disposal then he was willing to explore.<\/p>\n I have to review these database reference books and install these new applications, but I don\u2019t have any time.\u00a0 My other two projects are late; therefore, I can\u2019t take the time to catch up on my other to-do lists and application training. It’s just that I have had to put this off because there were other things happening in my life<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n As many of us, our developer is blaming \u2018lack of time\u2019 as a reason for not achieving his training goals and accomplishing his other to-do items.\u00a0 \u201cLack of time\u2019 is an imaginary excuse.\u00a0 We all have enough time for the things we feel are important.\u00a0 Therefore, it\u2019s not the lack of time; but rather the lack of importance.<\/p>\n If our developer feels that self-development is important, he\/she can block time every week (for example:\u00a0 Friday from 3:00-4:30pm) for that type of training.\u00a0 He\/she can block some time every week to chip-away at that to-do list (for example: knock one item off before we leave work every Wednesday).<\/p>\n If something is important to you, deliberately schedule\/block the time on your calendar.<\/p>\n I don’t think I can get it done by Wednesday<\/em> because I\u2019m waiting on a routine from the California department.\u00a0 They have been unresponsive to my request for status.\u00a0 So, I\u2019m stuck on my project.<\/em><\/p>\n Our developer could create a stub routine to simulate the various results that the California feature would return.\u00a0 This allows the developer to complete the program on time, and simply plug the California feature in at the last moment.<\/p>\n I continually get interrupted at work and am constantly called into useless meeting.\u00a0 I never have time for real work.<\/em><\/p>\n Our developer can schedule his day with these interruptions in mind.\u00a0 I call this technique \u201cSprints and Buffers\u201d.\u00a0 We divide our tasks into small, self-contained tasks with buffer time between.\u00a0 This allows us to move from one mini-task to another.\u00a0 When someone interrupts us, we can tell them when we will be at a good stopping point (since the mini-tasks are small enough to complete in a reasonable timeframe), and accommodate at that time.\u00a0 Incorporating interruption time in our individual (and therefore project schedules), we can handle the interruptions and stay on schedule.<\/p>\n As for meetings, if you are agreeing to attend useless meetings, that is totally on you.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t understand the goal and purpose of the meeting, you don\u2019t belong in that meeting.\u00a0 If the goal and purpose of the meeting isn\u2019t in line with your role and professional responsibilities\/goals, you don\u2019t belong in that meeting.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t belong in that meeting, just decline the invitation with a diplomatic explanation of your current schedule and project schedules.<\/p>\n As you can see, there are endless ways to take control over your own calendar and time.\u00a0 Using external people and event as excuses for your lack of progress is very natural but not very beneficial.\u00a0 We won\u2019t be able to totally avoid our very natural and human reactions to things.\u00a0 But we can continually improve upon are recognition of what is more beneficial in moving us forward faster.\u00a0 Here are some steps.<\/p>\n At first glance, these may look like \u2018explanations\u2019 and not excuses. In Part 3, we will detail each example to show how we could have better managed the situation.\u00a0 To read Part 3,\u00a0 go to my website at this link: No Excuse Zone Part 3<\/a><\/p>\n