Author Archives: Michael C. McGreevy

Little “c”

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We met with my oncologist this afternoon. He reinforced that if I had to get cancer in my pancreas this is, indeed, the best possible scenario. His exact way of wording it is that I have little “c” cancer instead of big “C” cancer.

Here are the specifics as I recall them (I am writing this on my phone while sitting in my car and killing time before a performance of Vulva Va-Voom: Hollywood Psychic. A show I am in as part of the Tampa Fringe Festival. Come see it).

I have what is known as a Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor. It as an extremely rare form of pancreatic cancer, so yay me for finally being something other than average for a change. The important thing here is that it is not Adenocarcinoma, which accounts for 90% of all pancreatic cancers and is the big “C” one my doctor was referring to. The tumor I have is fairly large for a tumor and has likely been developing for years. It is possible that it was actually the cause of my Type II Diabetes and may have contributed to several other conditions I have been treated for over the last decade or so. What I have been diagnosed with is, by all accounts, very treatable and survivable.

The treatment is not going to be “easy” on me and I will be recovering for a while, but it is invasive surgery and that is pretty much par for the course for that kind of thing.

And yes, for those of you who are wondering, this is the exact same diagnosis Steve Jobs initially had, but I have one thing going for me he did not…I actually intend to let my doctors do something about it.

I have more tests to undergo to make absolutely sure this has not spread to or damaged other organs, and I am meeting with a surgeon at the Moffett Cancer Center as soon as I can get in to see one.

I am, I think understandably, unsettled by all of this and occasionally go deep into my feels and get all “why me?” I am not looking forward to the things that are now looming in my immediate future, but I am feeling very good about my chances of seeing the other side of it. I mean, Marvel just announced Secret Wars at the end of Phase 6 and I have to see how the Multiverse Saga plays out, so there really is not much choice in the matter.

Well. OK then.

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I will get directly to the point if this post. Here is the cut and paste summary of what I have sent a few folks directly…

I have a cancerous tumor in my pancreas. It is, by all indications, highly treatable and was caught very early. In some cases the actual treatment for this kind is to do nothing and see what happens. I already have a relationship with an oncologist I really like and will be following up with him.

At this point I really do not have much additional data. I meet with my oncologist on Friday to figure out what kind of treatment, if any, I will need to undergo.

I am, as I am sure you can understand, a little tweaked out by the news, but I am very optimistic. I have excellent insurance, and a fantastic support network. I also have a partner who has been, and will be, by my side to help me get through this. I would have preferred to not deal with this, but I am grateful for all the positive things that are in place around it.

More as I learn it and as I have the mental fortitude to share, but I figured it made sense to share what I know for now.

As President Bartlett likes to say…”What’s next?”

A very brief health update…

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My first biopsy was negative (thyroid).

Next biopsy is Monday (liver/pancreas).

I am still asymptomatic for anything related to cancers in that area, but they saw a cyst big enough to warrant further investigation.

I feel like the iron supplements are starting to work and my energy levels are beginning to rise again. Still confident the ultimate issue is just going to be that I give blood too often, but will not be 100% sure if that until September after my Upper and Lower GI tests and my next set of labs.

Mentally I am drained but still feeling positive about the whole thing. Lisa combines her medical experience and research skills to be able to provide contextual answers for me when I rabbit hole too deep into bad “what if” scenarios. She also has a whole laundry list of questions she wants me to pose to our primary care doctor when this is all said and done about our lifestyle choices and what we might have done differently to prevent some of this. I strongly suspect my coffee intake is going to be an issue but for now I am refusing to acknowledge that possibility. I will cross that bridge when I officially cross into my 50’s this November. Damnit. In any case, she has been by my side through all of this and her support, as always, is a major contributor to my mental health.

This was not as brief as I intended it to be, but there it is.

I am NOT Iron Man

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TL;DR Opener to this post – I was recently diagnosed with Iron Deficiency Anemia. I am working with several doctors to determine the cause and to resolve the situation. At the current time we have no reason to believe that there is any major underlying cause for this situation, but I’ve been getting a lot of lab work and tests done to make sure of that. Fatigue and low energy are two of the symptoms Iron Deficiency Anemia, and the emotional weight/uncertainty adds to the mix, so if we’ve seemed flaky, distant, canceled plans, or otherwise seemed preoccupied lately it’s probably got more to do with this than anything else and I’m sorry.

OK, so…Disclaimer out of the way to (hopefully) avoid seeming overly dramatic…

I give blood as often as I can. So much so that people who I’ve made friends recently have commented on the number of blood donor shirts I have (which is especially amusing to me because I don’t keep most of the shirts I get and I generally only wear them when I’m working out. The latest campaign at OneBlood has been super hero themed, though, and some of the shirts have been really cool). A few years ago, I started having issues with my Iron Levels being too low when I went in to give blood. Nothing startling, and they are usually able to get me into the acceptable range by warming up my hands, but I’ve had a few occasions when they have had to turn me away. My Primary Care physician was aware of it, and we’ve been monitoring the situation along with my regular lab work (I was already seeing her three times a year with lab work because of my Type II Diabetes). I was also taking Iron supplements, mainly so that I could keep giving blood.

In June of last years my Iron levels were high. In March of this year, they were incredibly high. I also have had very low blood pressure for a while and some circulatory issues, so my doctor suggested I stop taking the Iron supplements follow up with a heart specialist and a hematologist to have some routine tests done and see if anything else was going on.

The heart stuff was fine. More than fine, really. The doctor said that most people would envy the blood pressure levels I have and suggested that I should eat more salty snacks. No problems there. My tests there revealed two small cysts/lesions that he wanted me to have looked at via ultrasound (one on my thyroid, and one on my liver), but both he and my PCP have assured me that those are very common and not generally a cause for concern. The tests are a “you have insurance and it’s better to be safe than sorry” situation.

Now, the hematologist? See, the first thing I found out when I made the appointment was that hematologists seem to almost exclusive practice out of cancer centers. So that was fun. Nothing quite like sitting in a waiting room with a bunch of folks who are being treated for cancer to get the blood flowing. My PCP had ordered an upper GI for me last year because I, like my father before me, have GERD and it’s been several decades since I’d had a scan to see if I’d developed any complications from it (I have not). She also had me take a mail-order colon cancer test (the second one I’ve had since the low iron issues started), which again came back fine, so I wasn’t overly concerned with the cancer thing. Still, it was unnerving.

In any case, lab work and subsequent appointments with that doctor determined that Iron Overload was not my issue, and that my Ferritin levels indicated I had what he characterized as a “severe” Iron Deficiency. He asked me not to give blood for six months, told me to start taking Iron supplements again with the goal of seeing if I could tolerate two pills a day, and suggested that I get another Upper GI and a Lower GI just to be absolutely sure there wasn’t some kind of severe underlying medical condition.

This is the point where, in Eugene Morris Jerome’s family, they would whisper “cancer” at the dinner table.

Now what he thinks is happening is that this is all a result of my regular blood donations. Other than the tests and getting back on Iron, there’s nothing else to really be done at the moment. If I go back and see him at the end of summer and my Ferritin levels are still too low he’s going to administer a series of IV’s to resolve the situation. If not, and nothing came of the other tests, he’ll work with me to figure out how often I can donate blood and what my Iron supplementation routine should be.

In the meantime, I’m tired. Really tired. I’ve got some other situations I’ve been dealing with as well, including severe leg cramps, chest pains, numbness and tingling, and other circulatory issues that I had just assumed were the result of my Blood Glucose levels being too high. Which, fun thing to find out, can be the result of…IRON DEFICIENCY ANEMIA. My BG numbers have been steadily increasing over the last few years despite the fact that my diet, for the most part, hasn’t really changed…so naturally I chalked all my symptoms up to that. Oh, and the fatigue thing? So a symptom of high BG levels is frequent urination, so on top of being constantly tired I also wake up regularly (pretty much every two hours to the minute) to use the restroom…which adds to my fatigue.

I haven’t spoken “publicly” about all this for a variety of reasons, one of the main ones being that despite the fact that I am absolutely one of those people who gets a comfort out of sharing details about my life online, I’m also a person who finds thinks a lot of people exaggerate or dramatize health/mental issues to garner likes/popularity/sympathy and I think that’s really gross. Social media is rife with people being performative and I’m just not interested in being part of that. But I also recognize that I’ve made vague references to my health concerns on a few occasions lately and that some of this has bled over into our social interactions, so I wanted to at least put this out there to explain why maybe we’ve just not been as accessible or otherwise socially apt lately.

This is all against the backdrop of major personal issues that, while not directly impacting us are going to have long-lasting impacts on my extended family. These issues have been taking up a considerable amount of what little mental stamina I have, and they really came to a head back in late November/early December of last year.

Generally speaking, though? I’m “fine.” I’m tired. I’m dealing with some health issues that have the potential to be Very Serious but are much more likely to be easily solvable through supplements, diet, and exercise. I’ve had to focus very much on keeping my head on straight for a while now, so my interest in or ability to deal with static in our lives that isn’t related to these situations is virtually non-existent. I recently read about “fork theory”, which is like “spoon theory” but different in a way that resonates very strongly with me. On any given day I can deal with a certain number of forks being stuck into me before I’m “done.” The number of forks I can tolerate these days is minimal at best.

No Pride In Being Straight

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Straight Ahead

I’m a cis-gendered, heterosexual, white male. I’m completely ok with all of these things, and I do not feel like any of them make me lesser or better than anyone else. They are just facts about me, no different than the fact that I have blue eyes and shave my head on a daily basis, and they are not things I am proud or ashamed of. They just are.

I’ve recently realized, however, that I have a major problem with being referred to as “straight.”

I grew up in the 80’s during the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis. When I was in my early teens I was very much impacted by the culture of fear that was aimed towards the LGBTQ+ community at that time. My peers and I called things that we did not like “gay.” If a male did something even remotely effeminate, they were ridiculed for being a “homo.” I could quickly elevate my voice to a “girlish” pitch, loosen my wrist, and evoke peals and peals of laughter from my companions by pretending to be a “fag.” Along with the laundry list of N-word jokes I knew, I had an equal number of “gay” jokes in my arsenal that I could whip out at a moments notice to any unwitting audience that was willing to listen.

I started to change in high school. I attribute most of that to the fact that I was in an arts magnet program and was actually exposed to, and became friends with, LGBTG+ people as a result. One of the most influential teachers I had at the time, Jay Marley, died after developing AIDS during my sophomore year in the program, and his loss absolutely devastated me. Like many people of my generation, I also attribute becoming part of the Rocky Horror Picture Show crowd to have opened my eyes in many ways about lifestyles and people that were different from those I had been exposed to growing up. My Mother also got a job in a restaurant that was owned, operated by, and largely catered to an LGBTQ+ crowd, so I had additional exposure as a result of that. As all of this was happening, I did a lot of self-evaluation and did not like what I saw so I attempted to do something about it. One of the things I had to work the hardest on was not referring to things that I disliked as “gay.”

At that time, where I grew up, “gay” was a slur. Something that was “gay” was never, ever, good. Moreover, any time the word “straight” was used it was generally in terms meant to express superiority over being “gay.” You never heard someone describe themselves as being “straight” unless it was to directly disabuse someone else of the notion that you were “gay.” Even the “straight edge” movement that went through the punk scene was flavored with homophobia, with the proponents typically being racists and homophobes on top of being against the use of drugs and alcohol (a trend that continues in groups like the Proud Boys today).

The more my social circle expanded, the more I came to realize that the term “straight” had been co-opted by people whom, as a general rule, were not the kind of people I wanted to associate with. So much so that even using the term to give directions became something I jokingly asked people to do (“We go forward in this car. Never go straight. It will kill you.”)

Obviously, times have changed. Being labeled as “straight” is, more often than not, seen as the “bad” thing these days. “Straight” has become synonymous with boring, inflexible, close-minded, uptight, and/or some other word that basically describes lame. Whenever someone in my social circles use the term now, it’s not because they are describing something they consider to be a positive trait of the individual in question. I cannot recall a single time in recent memory when I have heard someone describe another person as “straight” without it being done so in a manner that implies the person is “less than”. At it’s most charitable, it comes across as being almost pitying. Like the poor souls can’t help the way they are because they are just so “straight.”

The result of all this is that when the term is used to describe me, I bristle. In a way that even I find surprising. It’s a visceral reaction I physically feel, and it immediately puts me on the defensive. Even as I write this, I realize my reaction isn’t logical and this is one more thing I should add to the list of issues to talk about with my therapist, but for now it is what it is. Part of it is also because of the fact that while I’ve become very accepting of the fact that I am, in almost every way, utterly and completely average (and I’m happy with myself in that state), I still haven’t quite gotten over the hurdle of being OK with other people denigrating me personally for being so. I have found great comfort in the fact that many aspects of my life are routine, predictable, and unexciting. I’m not so good with people looking down on me as a result of it.

Before I wrap this up, I want to make something perfectly clear. I ascribe no ill intent to anyone who has ever referred to me as straight or to people who use that term to describe others or themselves. The whole reason I wrote this post is because I knew that my reaction to the term was not something that was necessarily rational, but one I needed to figure out for myself so that I could clearly express it. I’m also not going to hold it against anyone who designates me as straight in the future, whether they have read this post or not (although I will reserve the right to ask that they not if it happens). This is really just a data point I needed to sus out for myself and one I thought might be interesting to share.  

Media Bias

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I get very annoyed when people blame the state of the world on The Media. Not because I think that The Media is some kind of infallible institution that is operating solely to make the world a better place. Far, far from it. I think The Media, on the whole, is driven exclusively by the desire to make money, with little to no regard for anything beyond doing so (including, unfortunately, actually reporting the truth).

And it’s not at all their fault.

It’s ours.

We get what we pay for, and we pay for sensationalism. We pay for sound bites. We pay for shoddy reporting that focuses on being first instead of being right. We pay for 24 hour news cycles that are filled with opinionated, blustering pundits. We pay for style over substance. We pay for a news cycle that looks more like The Real Housewives than Sixty Minutes.

We lap it up. Every. Single. Day.

So of course they give it to us. They have to if they want to survive. Look at the number of institutions who were once heralded as being stalwarts of integrity that are constantly diving deeper and deeper into the muck in an effort just to keep operating on a day-to-day basis. Why? Because we can’t be bothered to spend a little money to get the content that would have twenty years ago because we think that online should equate to “free.”

This, for the record, is also why we get the politicians we have. It’s not because of the media, and it’s not because of lobbyists, and it’s not because the Illuminati is pulling the puppet strings. It’s because we vote using the same criteria we use to choose what we consume for news and entertainment.

This is why manufacturing in the United States is a complete joke and why so much of our goods are produced in other countries. We want cheap TV’s, cheap phones, and cheap cars. We don’t care about the number of jobs that get lost or communities that are devastated because the companies in question cannot possibly produce the goods we want and the price we’re willing to pay. This is why we shop at Wal-Mart instead of the locally owned general store.

This is why so many restaurants struggle to provide quality food to their customers. We want a delicious, hand-made cheeseburger on a freshly baked bun with hand cut fries and a craft beer but we are only willing to pay $5 for it (oh, and let’s not forget how our gratuities decrease as the price of that burger goes up). This is why so many of the places we eat at that aren’t flat-out chain restaurants might as well be because their entire menu consists of food that can be purchased in bulk from Sysco.

It’s us. We have done this to ourselves. It’s our fault.

It is my fervent hope that we’ll come to our senses at some point and the market will respond accordingly, but as of right now all I can do is look around at the world and nod along with our old friend Pogo.

Image of the cartoon character Pogo, created and drawn by Walt Kelly.
“We have met the enemy, and he is us.” – Walt Kelly

Write about what makes you feel strong.

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It’s kind of amusing to me that I got this question today, because I was just thinking about this concept during my morning walk. I’m currently listening to The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker because I figured it was about time I went back to the beginning to learn more from the guy who pretty much kicked off most of the modern management/leadership philosophies that I practice and teach on a daily basis. One of the things that Drucker puts forward in the book is the notion that you should take time to figure out what you’re actually good at and do your best to structure your life around it (if I recall exactly the allusion he uses along that lines that an athlete who is really good at running track is probably not going to make the best defensive lineman on a football team). Unless I miss my guess, this notion is what gave birth to the Gallup “strengths” based movement.

So what are my strengths? What are the things that make me feel strong? Let’s make a bulleted list and find out!

  • I’m a great student. I can pick up new concepts quickly and use those concepts in a practical manner in fairly short order.
  • Along the same lines, I’m very adept and understanding abstract concepts, particularly around math. I’m not a mathematician, but I have a fundamental understanding of how numbers work.
  • I genuinely believe in the concept of constantly working to be a better person and devote a considerable amount of my time and energy doing so.
  • I am, for the most part, consistent and reliable. I’m also 100% ok with being Average in just about every way, and I’m also pretty content with the fact that being so means that I’m never going to be the first kid picked in gym class.
  • I’ve managed to have a decent career as a professional actor within the scope of my ability to do so while balancing those activities with my day job.
  • I’m a good father, and a good partner. Again, I’m not the best. I know I have shortcomings in both of those areas, but I try to fulfill my role in both instances to the best of my ability every day.
  • My Mom is proud of me. I’d like to think that if my Dad was still around he would be, too.

What is your favorite quote and why?

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I got an email a few days ago from the folks over at WordPress.com inviting me to take part in something they are calling “Bloganuary,” which is a daily writing prompt gimmick with a horrible name that they are currently using to promote the platform. My Mother and Uncle are just winding up a years’ worth of weekly story prompts that I purchased for them from Storyworth.com, though, and getting those little weekly emails with their stories was really enjoyable for me so I figured I’d go ahead and join the “challenge” to see what kind of prompts I would get (amusingly, the notice came about ¾ of the way through the month so I’ve missed most of the prompts at this point, but maybe they’ll keep them going).

I got my first prompt on Saturday. “What is your favorite quote and why?”

Considering the day we had on Saturday, it was a bit on the nose in terms or appropriateness, but I suppose the universe really wanted me to focus on a message. I honestly cannot say that this is my favorite quote, but on the day I got this prompt it was the only one I could think of.

Hugh McLeod Quote
http://www.hydle.com/blog/2012/08/totd-your-sliver/

You cannot have it all. You can only have a sliver of it all. So pick your sliver well, my friend. – Hugh McLeod, gapingvoid.com

My wife Lisa introduced me to this quote not too long after we started seeing each other back in 2012. At that time, I didn’t know how or why it was so important to her. I just thought it was a really neat inspirational post that I could relate to as well. I think I’ve only just fully realized why it resonated so strongly with her, and why that last line in particularly was so poignant that she had it inscribed on an iPad she purchased that year.

Pick your sliver well, my friend.

I’ve known for many, many years that you cannot have everything you wanted in life and that for the overwhelming majority of us a life “well lived” is one in which you realize that fact and focus your efforts accordingly. What is becoming more and more clear to me as I continue learning the lessons that life often feels the need to beat into my head is that this is not an invitation to throw all caution to the wind and seize the day to follow whatever whim is bound to make you happy in the moment.

Pick your sliver well, my friend.

Pick your sliver well.

The time we have on this planet is minimal. Infinitesimal in the grand scheme of the universe, especially if you’re like me and you do not hold the belief that you get some kind of “do over” if you muck it all up this time around. This is it. From the day you are born until the day you die, everything you do in between that time is all you get. When it’s over, it’s over.

And it could be over in the blink of an eye.

Pick your sliver well, but more importantly recognize that there are always trade offs when you do so. The choices you make today could cost you far more than they are worth in the long-term if you do not pick them wisely, especially if those choices harm those around you.

Pick. Your. Sliver. Well.

I recognize now, more than ever, that this part of the quote isn’t intended to be inspirational. It’s a warning.

A Con of Dragons

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After I returned home from DragonCon in 2019 I decided that I needed to re-evaluate my relationship with the convention and whether I would ever go back. I had cut the trip short due to an impending hurricane and a general sense of misery and unease being there.

This was about a month before I quit drinking, when everything I did from a leisure standpoint basically revolved around alcohol. I started drinking when I got on the plane for Atlanta, and really did not stop (except for the morning hours and the times I was on duty…mostly). I was already at a point when even leaving our house was annoying because it just got in the way of being able to drink as much as I wanted, and when you factor in the cost of travel AND the expense of drinking hotel priced booze? Well, it just was not worth it.

This was, honestly, how many of my vacations looked before I stopped drinking. Just an excuse to drink even more than I did at home. I had a similar experience at Gen Con earlier that year. Skipped out on the final event in the tournament that Alexander and I pretty much went there for so we could stay at the AirBNB and drink.

The fact of the matter is, though, that when I first went to DragonCon I hardly drank at all. I could not afford it, for one thing, but more importantly drinking was not a big deal in my life. What thrilled me was the convention itself, and the things I loved doing there had nothing to do with getting my drink on.

I had already decided to take 2020 off so I could really sort out my feelings on the subject, but then the pandemic happened and I had another level of emotion to sort out. One of the reasons I loved going to conventions is because they made me feel connected to people who shared the same passions I did, or who were equally as passionate about things I was not but could at least relate to. Being cut off from that while also being cut off from pretty much the rest of the world made me miss attending the show even more than I would have had the pandemic not happened, so I went ahead and made a reservation for the 2021 show and committed to going.

Now it is just a few short months until DragonCon returns, and I am following through with what I told myself I was going to do and sorting out my relationship with DragonCon. A relationship that will not, for the first time in a very long time, revolve around (or even include) drinking. Why do I want to be there? What do I want to do?

Seems like the perfect occasion for a bulleted list…

  • I want to see and spend time with the friends I have made, and only see, during the convention.
  • I want to dance. Preferably while looking spooky.
  • I want to see and take pictures of cool cosplayers.
  • I want to have dinner at the restaurant owned by Kandi Burruss (Old Lady Gang Southern Eatery)
  • I want to play some games. This could possibly include running the 5th Edition D&D module “The Lost Tomb of the Bitchin’ Chimera”
  • I want to stare forlornly at the vacant spot where the GLC café used to be and dream of the falafel I will not be having. Ok, I do not WANT to do this, but I will.
  • I want to buy a new kilt that fits properly, get my kilt belt sized down, and purchase some new t-shirts.
  • I want to express my gratitude to as many artists whose work I have enjoyed in my life as I can fit in my schedule.
  • I want to sit in a room full of loud, exhausted volunteers eating food made from questionable ingredients while trying to hear whether I have won a raffle prize I will never be able to use.
  • I want to resist the urge to break my streak of walking four miles a day.
  • I want to play and possibly purchase at least one new game.
  • I want a cool new coffee mug.
  • I want to go to karaoke.
  • I want to discover new and interesting beverages to consume that are not alcoholic. Craft Sodas!

I could probably think of more, but if I were to accomplish everything on that list it would be a hell of a holiday weekend. Which is exactly what it used to be like back before having a drink in my hand the whole time was not my priority.

See you in Atlanta, Geeks.

Estimates are dead. Long live estimates.

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The act of estimating work brings no value to your customers.

This is not to say that there is no value in estimating work. There certainly can be. But in terms of benefiting the customer the amount of time and effort spent in coming up with estimates is worthless. A customer does not care whether you hit your deadlines, unless missing a deadline adversely impacts them. Conversely, a customer does not care whether you made a deadline or finished a project early, and for the same reasons. This is also not to say that there is no value in delivering a project within a certain time frame. There can be tremendous value in that, from being the first to market on a new offering or just putting something into production that begins generating revenue or cost savings.

But the act of estimating in and of itself, and the act of basing project milestones on those estimations, has little to no value. Human beings are notoriously bad at estimating, and no matter how much effort is put into attempting to define processes that can help in that effort the fact remains that the larger and more complex the work is the less accurate your estimates about how long it will take to complete will be, so time spent trying to come up with estimates is wasteful.

So why do we estimate at all? Why do I, as an Agile Coach, teach teams about things like story points or relative sizing? What that’s the point?

Being able to predict when you’ll deliver value to your customers.

That’s it. That’s the only reason to estimate work. The methods of estimation that I teach are tools that a team can use to predict what value they will generate during their next iteration, and the more mature a team is the less time they will spend coming up with those estimates. The goal is to eliminate the need to use estimating tools entirely. A high performing, mature team should be able to accurately plan the value they will generate in the next iteration (sprint) without needing to put a numeric value on that work.

There is a lot that must happen for that goal to be met. A key component of that is for external forces (i.e. managers, supervisors, executives) to trust that the team wants to, and will be, as productive as possible without constant scrutiny. That’s a big ask, but without it the whole house of cards collapses.

So when I see leadership teams fret about an organization needing to get better at setting realistic timelines for project completion I worry, because when I see that I see delivery teams spending extra time trying to come up with “accurate” deadlines that are, ultimately, going to be wrong. What’s more, that the time spent coming up with those bad estimates could have been spent doing things that generate value for the customers. The only true value generated by asking a team to estimate is that it gives someone removed from the work the ability to absolve themselves from blame when the work is not completed on time (which is, of course, one of the many factors that lead to teams inflating their estimates).

This is always the point when someone looks at me and asks if I’m advocating some sort of system in which there are no deadlines or expectations and teams just churn out whatever they want in their own time without any kind of external influence.

No, of course not.

What I’m advocating is that dates and deadlines should be focused around value.

I’m going to turn to Star Trek to explain my point because that is, as the saying goes, how I roll.

In the original Star Trek series, Chief Engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott is often referred to as being a “miracle worker” because he always seems to provide his Captain, James T. Kirk, with what is needed to save the day despite Captain Kirk giving him unrealistic deadlines. In a typical exchange, Captain Kirk will explain to Scotty what the problem is and ask how long it will take to solve it. Scotty will quickly give him an answer (say, for example, “three hours”) and Kirk will respond that he has 10 minutes. Somehow, Scotty always manages to deliver in those 10 minutes. Scotty eventually revealed that he always inflated his estimates to Captain Kirk because “Starfleet captains are like children. They want everything right now and they want it their way. But the secret is to give them only what they need, not what they want.”

I realize that I run the risk of offending by saying that this applies to business leaders as well as starship captains but, frankly, it does. Estimates and project deadlines are ways that we try to force a scenario in which we get everything we want, not what we need. Without that focus we cannot even begin to have the conversation around delivering with a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) mindset.

So how could this work in the real world?

By setting deadlines tied to customer/business value and cost of delay, we flip the conversation from “when will this be done” to “what can be done in this time frame?” This encourages everyone involved to focus on delivering instead of “moving cards to Done” to meet expectations. In a healthy and trusting environment, it also can provide opportunities for external stakeholders to remove impediments that are preventing value from being delivered in a timely fashion. If, for example, the reason that a team cannot deliver value by a set deadline is because they are still working on other projects those projects could be delayed or, even better, stopped altogether (which also requires the existing projects to be organized in an MVP factor AND for the organization as a whole to resist the trap of the sunken cost fallacy).

Some questions inevitably arise when contemplating this kind of scenario. The answer to most of them ultimately boils down to “you have to trust your teams” but I will address a few in particular.

Doesn’t Parkinson’s Law state that work will expand to fill the time allotted?

It does, but that is a result of the kind of behavior that I’ve talked about here. When someone knows that they are being held to a deadline, and that often the deadlines they are being held to are arbitrary and meaningless, they understandably tend to take advantage of scenarios that develop that allow them to take some breathing room. In a high trust environment if a team becomes idle and literally cannot find things to do that are valuable uses of their time they will let you know.

But we’re not doing the work! How can we possibly tell a team when it should be done by?

By focusing on the value instead of focusing on finishing a “project.” Tell the team what you need. Tell them when you need it by. Let them tell you if they can do it, and if not let them tell you what they can do in that time frame. If that’s not satisfactory, ask them what they need to meet that time frame. If you can give that to them, do it. If not, modify your expectations. Don’t change your dates, change the scope of your request. If you’re being unrealistic your teams will tell you. Listen to them. Trust them.

Does this mean I won’t ever get everything I want out of a project?

Maybe it does. That’s ok. To paraphrase yet another frequently cited business world axiom, “80% of the value comes from 20% of the effort.” If your teams can focus on delivering value often and regularly instead of meeting deadlines, you will likely find that it’s ok to not get everything you want. More importantly, you’ll find that getting everything you want can be incredibly wasteful.

What if we’re wrong?

What if you are? Will the world end? Will you go out of business completely? Chances are the answer to both those questions is “no.” If the work your teams deliver does not generate the value that you expected, focus on getting better at predicting value, not deadlines. Ask your teams to do the same. Learn from each other. Run short experiments. Take risks. Spend less time planning and more time doing.

Be, I don’t know, Agile?