The Old Play Castle, Healthcare and Simplicity

“KISS/EAF + Simple/Elegant “ - This past weekend, I torn down my son’s old childhood play castle.   It had not weathered well over the years and its roof and floor had rotted in – it sadly needed to be taken down.  When you take something apart, you learn much about how it was built.  As I began pulling at nails and plywood siding, I realized that whoever built this thing was not an experienced carpenter!  Geez! I was the one who built it and I am certainly not a craftsman carpenter.  The old castle originally looked good, had a secret trap door, a cabinet , closet and a ladder to a small tower. But in its construction, too many nails were used, too many materials and bringing it down took a lot of extra time and effort.  As I write this, I am still sore from the effort. What is the lesson to be learned?

While sweating and pulling nails, I remembered an article I helped coauthor years ago.   We were reviewing methods to improve a safety program and came up with the concept of “KISS your EAF”.   The KISS stood for “Keep it Simple and Stream Lined”.   The “EAF” stood for “Expectation, Accountability and Feedback”, a format developed in “How to Grow People into Self Starters” by Dr Thomas Connellan (great book).  Combining the two, gave the format for any project or action.  By keeping things simple with programs, protocols, job designs, etc., being clear and concise allows a better chance of being understood.  Levels of accountability can be established that can be more readily communicated, and feedback loops (very critical) can be established with quicker response times.   Complexity slows understanding, creates greater potential for misunderstandings and develops gaps and time delays in getting feedback guidance back to those involved. Compare a bureaucracy versus a lean entrepreneurial mindset. 

As I hammered away boards, another useful concept came to mind.  When you look at or analyze something, is it simple and does it look elegant?  If it meets that criteria, you have a much better chance of its being used or a successful endeavor.   Elegant and not simple or simple and not elegant don’t count.   This implies economy of effort.  Watch a real good crafts person work – there is an economy of effort, force and use of materials – little is wasted and quality magically appears. I was once lectured by a construction laborer on this – I was working summer construction, tasked with digging out a trench for ductwork.  He watched me work a while and let me know I was using too much effort and not letting the shovel do the work.  He seemed to just flow with the shovel.   True professionals are found everywhere if you are open to seeing them.

I broached the topic of health care – whether you are for or against the current law, is the end result a simple or elegant solution to a long term issue?  Perhaps if those involved reflected on the results and tried to use KISS/EAF + Simple/Elegant in mind, the effort would not be as controversial.   Take a look around at various campaigns, marketing efforts, training, regulations, protocols, job designs – which meet the criteria?   Keeping a focus on KISS/EAF + Simple/Elegant may reduce the potential for failure and the expenditure of energy better used elsewhere.

Look at your programs, daily actions, To Do lists, multi-tasking efforts (total violation there!) -  What much effort must go into managing them? Is it an ongoing battle to maintain even a basic level of activity or involvement?   Do your programs, procedures, etc., have a look of simplicity and elegance?   Can you easily convey what are your intentions?  Can feedback be provided that doesn’t become convoluted?   Does it look like something put together by a true professional or someone with a depth of expertise?

This not a new concept – a wide array of books, websites and articles are available for research as many people are searching for ways to uncomplicated their lives.  Check out http://zenhabits.net/ or http://www.farbeyondthestars.com/, http://fourhourworkweek.com/;  review article like The Health Care Blog: Gawande's "Checklist Manifesto";  Meander through a good bookstore looking for ideas.   A great book is “Mastery” by George Leonard.  Look around –  what do you see that needs use of KISS/EAF + Simple/Elegant?   As I look around my office, I realize I need to make a number of adjustments – books, clutter, files, changes in mental models...

“KISS/EAF + Simple/Elegant “ is a discipline that must be routinely relearned.  Complexity and complications develop when we lose focus on what we originally intended to do or design,  keep tweaking and “improving”, reaching compromises that lose sight of the vision. While we must adapt to change or we atrophy, constant pruning is needed to keep complexity under control.

To keep this article simple, I’ll end it here. As the old saw goes, “I’d have written you a shorter letter, but I didn’t have time.”

Nathan Crutchfield

Crutchfield Consulting, LLC

www.ncsafetyandlife.com