Tag Archives: variation

How soon is now?

Posted on October 1, 2017 by ThinkPurpose

Is it just me? How many of you have been hired for your expertise and then more or less totally ignored? And in how many of your gigs? — Bob Marshall (@flowchainsensei) September 23, 2017 Once upon a time I … Continue reading →

Posted in change, command and control, measures, statistics, systems thinking, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

3 reasons why I hate pretty graphs

Posted on September 12, 2017 by ThinkPurpose

People prefer the pretty guy over the uglier guy cos they like pretty things more than they like things that are right. For over a decade I’ve been working in an area where the obsession has been about finding just … Continue reading →

Posted in data, measures, statistics, systems thinking, thinking, vanguard method | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

How to make the world seem REEAAALLLY BOORRRIIIING

Posted on September 4, 2017 by ThinkPurpose

How to be bored Take a performance report. Get the data out of those damn tables and silly bar graphs. Stick it in a run chart, or a control chart, s’up to you. Look for any actual change over the … Continue reading →

Posted in data, knowledge, statistics, systems thinking, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The man who mistook his wife for an actual change in performance

Posted on March 30, 2017 by ThinkPurpose

There was once a man who mistook his wife for a hat. This is his wife. This is a hat. He thought Why did he think that? He had a brain injury. The injury affected the way his brain processed … Continue reading →

Posted in data, experiment, measures, systems thinking | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

There really is only one test!

Posted on December 5, 2016 by ThinkPurpose

Attention performance people! Attention people who use numbers for performance! That’s you! You have one job! One job only! The purpose of your job, listen up, here it is, I’m about to tell you….it is to find out… “Is the … Continue reading →

Posted in statistics, systems thinking, very short posts | Tagged , | 2 Comments

The Curious Case Of The Chart That Didn’t Bark In The Night

Posted on December 1, 2016 by ThinkPurpose

“Why has this performance indicator gone down three months in a row?” Regular readers of this blog will know the answer to this question already, without any knowledge of the indicator in question, or the work being measured. “It’s probably … Continue reading →

Posted in data, statistics, systems thinking | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

How to be hopelessly untrendy

Posted on October 20, 2016 by ThinkPurpose

I got me some data! Done gone put it in a graph! Added meself a TRENDLINE! And me answer is THE TREND IS DOWNWARDS! This is what happens when people get data and have excel. They stick it in and press … Continue reading →

Posted in command and control, data, statistics, systems thinking | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

How to be fooled by randomness

Posted on April 10, 2016 by ThinkPurpose

This is a roulette wheel. It is a machine for producing numbers between 0 and 36. Sometimes it produces a 7… Then sometimes it produces a 13… If a 7 is produced on one spin and a 13 on the … Continue reading →

Posted in data, leadership, systems thinking | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

I don’t know much about control charts (but I know what I like)

Posted on February 19, 2016 by ThinkPurpose

I’ve never been trained in using control charts, never passed a test or worked with anyone who’s knowledgeable in them. Everything I’ve learned has been off of the Internet Or books, books as well, they’re famously good for learning. Cunninghams Law … Continue reading →

Posted in data, deming, information, learning, measures, statistics, systems thinking | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Only bullies, cowards or fools set targets

Posted on August 29, 2015 by ThinkPurpose

This is the story of a teacher in a UK school who was set a target of 75% exam pass rate. This summer the pass rate was 65%. If we ignore all the things we know about measures and targets … Continue reading →

Posted in systems thinking, targets | Tagged , , , | 12 Comments

Weather and climate

Posted on November 5, 2012 by ThinkPurpose

Freaking out because your KPIs aren’t working like they should? Here’s a tip: Allow the passage of time to occur. Just as it’s always darkest before dawn, data is always worse before it gets better. All you have to do … Continue reading →

Posted in data, statistics | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Weather and climate

Posted on September 24, 2012 by ThinkPurpose

Freaking out because your KPIs aren’t working like they should? Here’s a tip: Allow the passage of time to occur. Just as it’s always darkest before dawn, data is always worse before it gets better. All you have to do … Continue reading →

Posted in data, statistics | Tagged , , | Leave a comment