On Mon, May 19, 2014 at 1:49 AM, Ken Schaefer <[email protected]> wrote: > I would say that most of us are guilty of not following or reading docs > after we feel comfortable doing something, had success with it or > have plenty of experience in other areas and with other tools.
While I certainly am guilty of making that mistake sometimes (along with many others, to be sure), I do regard it as *a mistake* each time I catch myself doing it. I hammer people I've got oversight over about the importance of following the checklist each and every time. I include myself in that. I've found it can help when the underlings see the boss does the paperwork too. I'll even make a show of pointing to each item and reading it to myself -- which, wouldn't you know, I've found cuts down on my error rate. One can't make a a process full-proof, to be sure, and no amount of documentation will ever substitute for competence. But good docs and some self-discipline will go a heck of a long way. If the org has fallen into the trap of devaluing docs or discipline, then yes, it falls apart. But generally speaking, it always will in that scenario. "You can't fix stupid." Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get back to fixing the mistakes resulting from management telling contractors what to do without checking with IT first... -- Ben
