There is a good article from Todoist on Complexity Bias. This is an assertion that we favor more complex solutions. The article advocates for three courses of action. First, keep research to a minimum to not overcomplicate your decision. This avoids research-paralysis, which Todoist describes by suggesting it is better to open a Vanguard retirement account than hire a financial planner. Second, pick a system and stick with it. This keeps you from always chasing the next solution; deeper roots. Third, apply Occam's Razor by opting for the answer that requires the least explanation.
Gall's Law asserts that successful complex systems started as successful simple systems that developed over time to meet changing needs. Gall's Law combats Complexity Bias by encouraging you to start with the simplest working system, then mature it overtime. Todoist harmonizes with Gall's Law by helping you find the simple system.
There's a need to continually re-assess a system to ensure it still meets your needs. Bureaucracies are organizational immune systems. They will develop around a system and defend it, even if it has lost its utility. They are highly skilled in organizational warfare. Either determined leadership or insurgency is needed to fracture the bureaucratic hold. Toyota avoids this through its cultural norm of perpetually challenging its systems.
This seems to contradict Todoist's assertion that you should stick to one system. We must remember, however, that Todoist is a productivity company that seeks to maintain its user base. We may reconcile this by adopting a system that allows for flexibility and composability. Organizationally, this requires a culture of composability.
The book Longitude (also a 2-episode miniseries) demonstrates the contrast between complexity and simplicity, and between a useful solution and a bureaucratic one.
Gall's Law asserts that successful complex systems started as successful simple systems that developed over time to meet changing needs. Gall's Law combats Complexity Bias by encouraging you to start with the simplest working system, then mature it overtime. Todoist harmonizes with Gall's Law by helping you find the simple system.
There's a need to continually re-assess a system to ensure it still meets your needs. Bureaucracies are organizational immune systems. They will develop around a system and defend it, even if it has lost its utility. They are highly skilled in organizational warfare. Either determined leadership or insurgency is needed to fracture the bureaucratic hold. Toyota avoids this through its cultural norm of perpetually challenging its systems.
This seems to contradict Todoist's assertion that you should stick to one system. We must remember, however, that Todoist is a productivity company that seeks to maintain its user base. We may reconcile this by adopting a system that allows for flexibility and composability. Organizationally, this requires a culture of composability.
The book Longitude (also a 2-episode miniseries) demonstrates the contrast between complexity and simplicity, and between a useful solution and a bureaucratic one.
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Ben
In tenebris solus sto