I lost my wife before Christmas after a couple of years of illness. It got me thinking about planning.
Without anything to plan for motivation is hard to muster and things are just not going to get done.
Sometimes though planning can be a hindrance to success, and I am I am thinking about HS2 as an example. Too much planning, preparation and forward material purchase stifled innovation and delayed reaction to changing circumstances. The sheer long-term duration of the project and inevitable changes in personnel must have fractured teams and created inertia in itself.
It is said that if you fail to plan, then you plan to fail. so, let’s all make our plans and resolutions for 2025. But never forget we are living in a time of change and common sense is needed in adherence to following historical design specifications.
The statement “Specifications can kill innovation” highlights a significant concern in various fields, particularly in construction. While specifications are critical for ensuring consistency, quality, and functionality, they can sometimes inadvertently stifle creativity and limit the exploration of new ideas. Here are several points to consider regarding this balance between specifications and innovation.
Rigid Frameworks vs. Flexibility:
- Pros of Specifications: They provide clear guidelines, based on proven standards and ensure compliance with regulatory and safety standards.
- Cons of Rigidity: Overly strict specifications can constrain teams, discouraging them from exploring novel approaches or thinking outside the box.
Fear of Failure:
- Compliance Mindset: Adhering too closely to specifications may create a culture that prioritises risk-aversion over innovation, leading to a reluctance to try new ideas.
- Encouraging Exploration: Innovations can fail but can also lead to breakthroughs; flexibility in specifications can facilitate a more exploratory mindset.
Balancing Compliance with Creativity:
- Dynamic Specifications: Creating specifications that are adaptable and can evolve with the project can permit a balance between necessary guidelines and creative freedom.
- Sandbox Environments: Providing teams with “sandbox” environments where they can experiment without stringent specifications can lead to unexpected innovation.
Conclusion:
While specifications serve a vital role in ensuring that products and practises meet certain standards and function as intended, it’s crucial to strike a balance between necessary guidelines and the freedom to innovate. Organizations that promote a culture of adaptability, encourage experimentation, and incorporate user feedback into the specification process are more likely to foster an environment where innovation can thrive. Ultimately, the goal should be to create specifications that enable, rather than inhibit, innovative thinking and development.
My wife Jeni always encouraged me to keep pushing for environmentally friendly construction processes and a group of her old friends paid to have trees planted instead of buying cut flowers for her funeral. I was too distraught to make this choice myself, but I am determined to rebel against convention and plant a giant Redwood tree in our garden (sorry my garden). Future occupiers will hate me for this, but Jeni was always a tree hugger and who cares about specifications.