Elaborating on The Prime Directive

I walk through a variation on this statement (originally from Norm Kerth) at the beginning of a retrospective:

The Retrospective Prime Directive

Regardless of what we discover, we understand and truly believe that everyone did the best job he/she could, given what he/she knew at the time, his or her skills and abilities, the resources available, and the situation at hand.

Once in a while, I run into someone (almost always a manager) who rejects this notion and says, “I don’t believe everyone does the best job they can.”

So here’s Esther’s Elaboration

I personally make a rather broad interpretation of “the situation at hand” which (in my mind at least) may include:

personal problems

low self-esteem

family distractions

not liking the job

not having the necessary skills

systemic problems that lead to less than desirable results

being bored with the work

having a character disorder

having significant difficulties in the area of self-management.

Now, some of these aspects of the “situation” may require management action. The fact that some one is doing the best job he/she could doesn’t always mean it’s acceptable within an employment arrangement.

But that’s not part of the retrospective… that’s management work.

Management work means:

hiring appropriately

setting clear expectations for results

creating an environment for success

removing obstacles

providing feedback about the work

providing appropriate training and coaching

working with people to make sure they are in a job that’s a good fit

developing capabilities in the group

and making difficult decisions when necessary.