SoCAL Lean Meetup Talk

How storytelling can help us tackle (and solve) complex problemsSoCal Kanban/Lean Software meetupJuly 12, 2011VenkateshRao

Complex Problems are Mysteries7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao2“Eh bien. …je me pose des questions,…You too, doubtless?”Lord Edgeware Dies, Agatha Christie

Hastings7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao3“Certainly…Who killed Lord Edgeware?”

Poirot7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao4“No no. Not at all. Is it a question, that?”…Why did Lord Edgeware change his mind about the divorce?What happened to the letter?

Hastings vs. PoirotFormulaic questionsObvious logical closureProblem and formulaSolution seekingMeans-ends reasoningPlanningCalculative rationalityJominiSituation-specific questionsNon-obvious narrative closureMystery and clueResolution seekingInsight-seekingStorytellingNarrative rationalityClausewitz and Sun Tzu7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao5

On Planning and Plans“The process of planning is very valuable, for forcing you to think hard about what you are doing, but the actual plan that results from it is probably useless.” – Marc Andreessen“Plans are nothing, planning is everything” – Dwight Eisenhower7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao6

Who Read Napoleon Right?7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao7Carl von Clausewitz(1780-1831)More like Andreessen, Eisenhower

Better known todayAntoine-Henri Jomini(1779-1869)More like mainstream MBA thinking

Less-known, more actual influenceThe Journey Metaphor“Jominitells you to first establish your base of operations, then determine an “objective point,” and then choose lines of operations from the base to that point to move your army along. That makes three basic steps: first you figure out where are (Point A), then you decide where you want to be (Point B), and then you make a plan to get from Point A to Point B.”-- William Duggan, Strategic Intuition7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao8

Or…7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao9

Works sometimes7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao10Known map, pre-defined objective: compute the fastest or cheapest path

…but groping creates…7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao11“Simultaneous Localization and Mapping” (SLAM) – sketch of typical situation

...exploration-exploitation tradeoffs7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao12Unknown/partially known map, unclear objective:exploration-exploitation tradeoff

Three Trade-off StrategiesGrand Vision: Build the whole map just for one journeyTunnel Vision: Never backtrack, hope to get luckyCheap Trick: Build enough of a map to find some high-leverage opportunityAside: Central idea in lean startup “pivot” concept7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao13

Grand vision: ambitious, brute forceCheap trick: high-leverage insight1+2+3+4+…+17=?7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao14Hey, notice something? 1+2+3+…+16+17=17+16+15…+2+1

Cheap Trick = coup d'oeilClausewitz, “strike of the eye,”Mathematical Aha!Significant clue in mysteryEnlightenment event at a Zen retreatElegant design insight, military attack insightWhat does it feel like?Resolves a building tension Complexity and chaos dissolvesDeep emotional relief when you get the insightUnleashes creative energySound familiar?7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao15

Joseph Campbell (1949)7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao16“Tchh, tchh…Joseph my friend, everything should be made as simple as possible but no simpler!”

Gustav Freytag (1863)7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao17ClimaxFreytag TriangleRising ActionFalling ActionResolutionExposition“Tchh, tchh…Gustav my friend, everything should be made as simple as possible but no simpler!”

Double Freytag! (Rao, 2011)7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao18Separation EventCheap TrickIncreasing EntropyHeavy LiftRetrospectiveSense-MakingExplorationValleyLiminal PassageEvolved doctrine“Moral of the story”Liminal Passage

The Matrix7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao19Neo ResurrectionRed-Pill/Blue-PillIncreasing DissonanceNeo Win, EMP BurstNeo vs. Smith BattleTraining MontageNeo in Real WorldNeo Flies into SkyInside the MatrixNeo-and-boss scene“Neo isThe ONE!”Boss to Neo: “You think that you are somehow special and that the rules do not apply to you.”

Typical Software Product7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao20LAUNCH!Design Aha!Increasing DissonancePay off tech debtLaunch Heavy-LiftWaterfall BacklogThrowaway prototypeBugs level offFeature freezeClassic Scrum PhaseLearned hacks to lean/agile, like marginnotes in Half-Blood PrinceProject Kick-Off“We really have to get in on this gamified social commerce mobile check-in trend!”

Marketing Narrative7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao21Product/Market FitPositioning Aha!Increasing DissonanceClarify, focus positionPR Double DownDevelop Brand NarrativeMessaging TrialsMaintenanceAdvertisingEstablish category voiceBrand doctrineProject Kick-OffAside: NOT the same as the Blank/Ries model; that is more sales-driven

Tempo in the Double Freytag7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao22CrescendoCrescendoIncreasing AnxietyDecrescendo,Joy+sorrowAll-nightersReliefVolatile, dissipativeStillnessSteady, slowing momentumStillness

Tempo Shift Example: PMF“You can always feel when product/market fit isn't happening. The customers aren't quite getting value out of the product, word of mouth isn't spreading, usage isn't growing that fast, press reviews are kind of "blah", the sales cycle takes too long, and lots of deals never close.And you can always feel product/market fit when it's happening. The customers are buying the product just as fast as you can make it -- or usage is growing just as fast as you can add more servers. Money from customers is piling up in your company checking account.” Marc Andreessen in The Only Thing That Matters7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao23

Let’s Try ItPick a finished project in your past…A phase with a consistent TEMPO is an epochTempo: rhythms, emotions, energyA SHIFT in tempo: an epoch boundaryLet’s map them!7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao24

What about character?So much for plot7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao25

Hastings vs. PoirotEnergeticReactiveImpulsiveBuys others’ storiesSocial “old boy” moralityJumps to conclusions but……is also indecisiveReflectiveDeliberativeSense of timingMakes up own storiesAbsolute moralityDefers judgment but……moves decisively7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao26

Hastings is a ToadDOCTRINE: Next Shiny New Thing (NSNT)Motto: I have to have that!Momentum axiom: what are we waiting for?Characteristic emotion: excitement alternating with boredomCharacteristic energy pattern: impulsive spikesCharacteristic rhythm: excited alternating with lethargicCharacteristic belief: variety is the spice of lifeArchetype: Toad in The Wind in the Willows, who gets all the other characters into one adventure after another7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao27

Archetypes and DoctrinesAn archetype is the “imprint of a pattern of human behavior” (Jennifer von Bergen, Archetypes for Authors)A doctrine is a set of beliefs about TEMPO managementArchetype+doctrine+narrative context=enactment style7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao28

Hastings as Hero7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao29Heroic struggle and failureJump to conclusionIncreasing entropyRationalizationBrute force effortGrand VisionRun around like crazyDenialWild Goose ChaseRestlessReinforced deluded beliefs

Poirot as Hero7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao30Final testRight QuestionsIncreasing entropyMurderer validatesPush for resolutionHypotheses“Arranging facts”CalmTests, Red herrings, Loose endsCalmImproved detection doctrine

Let’s Try It!List the dramatis personae in some completed collaborative projectFor EACH character, pick a favorite FICTIONAL character that he/she reminds you of the mostFor EACH, write down a motto that you think describes their doctrine7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao31

ChallengesFrom use cases to archetype-driven designFrom gamified products to storified productsLearn from screenwriters and script doctorsFrom Waterfall/Agile dichotomy to synthesisusing narrative arcs7/12/2011Venkatesh G. Rao32

SoCAL Lean Meetup Talk

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SoCAL Lean Meetup Talk