That endless stream of meetings, ticking boxes, and following rigid processes, all while the real work that actually matters and creates value gets pushed aside?
I’ve been silent for the last two months, deep in a complex project. I'm back to share the one critical lesson I re-learned.
It’s the key to separating the activity you’re paid for from the value you're hired for.
So, where was I?
I was on the proving ground (PG) for 3 weeks with a new Tier IV bus. I was on training in Japan for another 2 weeks before that.
I was living in a bus for 8+ hours a day for the last couple of months. EVERYDAY!
My job was to prepare this complex system-of-systems for testing. And evaluating its readiness of deployment of European roads.
I'm only sharing this for YOU to see that you can DO DEEP WORK too! Easily.
When you know and understand WHY you are doing it.
Read on ...
When you picture that, you probably imagine the "cool" part: me at the track, running the vehicle through its paces, gathering data.
Here’s the truth: That "cool" part was maybe 10% of the work.
The other 90%? It was the "boring" part.
It was the mountain of preparation. It was spending days digging through the PG map the system uses, the use cases and scenarios we wanted to check.
The grind of defining the most representative and value added cases. And agree it all with the Customer. The pain of working with someone else's system that you don't know intimately, yet still need to get it ready for the main event:
PG trials ...
... and Simulation testing, and running "what if" scenarios.
Most people would see this 90% as just "following the process." They’d be wrong.
This 90% is the job. This is where the real Systems Engineering happens.
This is the THINKING.
Stop "Doing Work." Start THINKING.
This is the difference between doing a job and creating value.
- Following the process gets you a "Test Complete" stamp. It’s reactive.
- THINKING about the process, challenging it, and using your SE toolkit during the prep... that's what finds the critical flaw before the bus is even on the track.
This "boring" 90% is where you make deliberate choices. It's where you apply field-tested SE practices. It’s where you have the space to not just follow the script, but to analyse the entire system.
It’s what allows you to go back to the customer and say:
"Yes, the test passed. But while preparing, we found a deficiency in a different area that wasn't in the scope. Here's why our analysis shows it will cause a failure in six months."
That is the real value.
Don't just be the person who "does the work" because "this is how we've always done it."
Be the person who does the THINKING that maximises value.
Point out the deficiencies. Do the right work, not just the prescribed work.
The "boring" prep isn't boring at all. It's the most valuable, deliberate, and high-impact work you can do.
Your Turn
So, look at your own work this week. Are you just "driving the bus" (the 10%), or are you doing the real work in the 90% prep?
I'm curious: What's one "process" you have to follow that you feel is just "busy work" without adding real value?
Hit reply and let me know. I read every email.
And if you're not already, come join the conversation and follow me on LinkedIn.
Cheers,
Alex
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Alex Toth, CSEP MIfSE, IREB RE
Systems Magician
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