Data over opinion

There are lots of times on projects when the people around you will know what the right thing to do is. But they may not be right.

Anywhere there are options, there are often people who profess to have an inside knowledge. Maybe they've worked here for 20 years and they built the thing in the first place. Maybe they've spent the last 10 years working in the system and they are well known as the system expert. Or maybe they're just the highest paid person in the room. Wherever their expertise comes from, they will have “the answer”. Sometimes multiple people “know” the answer. And sometimes their answers are different.

One thing is certain, you know that you don't have the answer. This makes it tempting to listen to someone who does. After all, you have to find a way forward. You have to make the next step.

What is the foundation for their answer?

The next time someone tells you they have the answer, pause and check the foundation for their answer. What do they know, that others don't, that gives their knowledge the most validity?

Myth busters

Did you ever watch the TV show the Myth Busters? They would take something that we all “know” and show that our knowledge was in fact false. Myths like you can't fold paper more than 7 times (you can) and elephants are afraid of mice (they're not). These are great because we are all so sure these are true. Until someone proves to us that they're not.

Ask yourself the same question of your expert with “the answer”. How do they know this is the answer? How do you know that their information is correct. Taking a mis step on an important project decision can be a big set back. It can pay to check.

Get the data

The best check you can do is to get the data to support “the answer”. Until you can see the data, all you have is an opinion. It may be a strongly held opinion and it may be from someone with real expertise, but it's still an opinion.

The opinion that you can't fold paper more than 7 times is strongly held and widely shared. Yet the Myth Busters managed to fold it 8 times by hand, and 11 times with mechanical aids.

The Myth Busters got their data. Data proved that the opinion was wrong. If data collection is non destructive, cheap and reasonably easy, I'd recommend getting the data. I have had many of the “right” answers changed on my projects when I took the time to get the data.