Never make a thousand decisions when one will do

Why do we make a thousand decisions when one will do? Sometimes because we don’t recognize a pattern that could simplify or semi-automate out decisions. Other times we see it but are afraid to sacrifice agency for efficiency.

I discussed this with two engineers this week. In the past it‘s never been clear if their team should create an official Incident Report for production issues.

We realized that for Severity 1 incidents, 99% of the time it would be correct to create a report. For severity 2 it depends. If either the client or we need a detailed analysis, 90% of the it’s right to create one. For severity 3 incidents, 90% of the time its best not to create a report.

We distilled the above pattern into an algorithm:

• Sev1 - Always create a report.
• Sev2 - Create report if someone needs it.
• Sev3 - Never create a report.

This gives them about 95% of what is optimal and makes everything simpler. Interestingly, it’s entirely possible that the 1000 individual decisions could yield less optimal results. 95% might not even be a sacrifice, it could be an improvement!

Reminds me of my early career working at Standard Bank. Our company slogan at the time was “Simpler. Better. Faster.” I still love that saying today.