Jim Panttaja

Several of the techniques I am describing involve making sure you don’t get stuck on a single track. This technique provides a good way to make sure you aren’t stuck. You should work down multiple tracks at once. In a ‘production down’ scenario this is particularly important. If you have one approach - that might work - but will take an hour - you really want to work some other path in parallel - since that first path may not work out.

This can be applied by your self as you make sure you are thinking of other solutions - or you can send other people down other tracks. At Sapias the engineering team would set up IM chat sessions when there were production issues - and during deployments. The team had worked together for a long time, so individuals would automatically start down alternate paths - and would IM their colleagues of their direction and progress.

As a leader or manager, you can explicitly suggest alternate paths. Sometimes it is better to solicit ideas, and then pick some to send people off in. The collective thoughts as well as collective hands to move the thoughts forward will get you a more timely - and better - solution.

[The cartoons were done for us several years ago by Marc Schmid. His website is www.cartooncity.net ]