Before you build new, check what already works

Hello fellow clarity builder

This week is about the Simple Rule: Look for Tried and Tested Options.

I don’t talk much about this example openly.

Some years ago, I was delivering an IT project for a public sector organisation.

We had been asked to build a new system.

• After months of work, I was able to determine that the system was going to cost a lot more than originally thought.
• It transpired that we could achieve the same aims by reusing what had been created by another team.
• That saved a lot of public sector money and reduced risk.

It was an important learning moment for me.

I learned that, as humans, we have a tendency to commit to options, particularly when they are new, instead of reusing existing options.

This behaviour is caused by many of the biases that affect human behaviour, with commitment bias strongly at play here.

For projects, my learning was this simple rule for success:

Use what has been done before when looking at your options.

I think it is important that we share real-world stories, as best we can.

Many projects fail by believing they are unique or jumping into solutions too early.

Don’t reinvent the wheel. Explore multiple options before you commit and ask yourself: is there a way to deliver this using something that already works?