Comparing

This post is dedicated to my fellow raggers in the management team.

Do not compare us with past years RAG!
Do not always talks about how good are the past RAGs.
This is different batch, we have our own SOP (standard operation procedure)
...

Does those phrases sound familiar to you?

To me, yes! In fact, hear them every year from the fresh-raggers.

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Everyone join RAG for different goals and purposes. Some wanted to win, some because of friends, some wanted to enhance resume, some wanted to secure a place in campus, some just simply want to past their time. It is hard to bring everyone together towards a common direction.

You might say, “So, what? Just set a common goal for everyone!”

Goal for designers - win all the awards;
Goal for engineers – enjoy the process…

So how do you actually achieve that?

Win all the awards? EASY, just design a super zai float!
Enjoy the process? Just organize suppers, more outings…

As simple as it might seem, but… how does a super zai float look like?

Maybe as senior, you already know the standard and expectation for RAG. You already know how a GOOD (and super zai) float SHOULD look like. But that doesn’t apply to the rest of the team who are new to RAG.

To you, you know the fact as much as you wanted the design of the float to be super complex and high-tech, at the end of the day, you will still need to pull yourself back to the constrains of the capability of the engineering team. But to the new designers, the might not know this CRUEL fact. They might just want their ideas to run wild. When they idea cannot be materialized, then everyone starts to blame one another.

To you, you know how important it is to give simple and idiot proof designs/drawings to the engineers. But to the new department heads, the might think that it is fine to just pass down the “un-simplified” drawings to the members. They might not know the fact that different people has different ability. When end-product does not match the designs, then everyone starts to blame one another.

To you, you know how important it is to get every straight line straight, how hard is it to get a straight line! But to the new float engineers, they might think that it is perfectly fine to be “roughly straight”. When the structures become unstable, then everyone starts to blame one another.

To you, you know how important it is for all the claddings to be as accurate as possible to every mm. But to the new materials engineer, they might not know how important it is to get every mm right. They might just think that it does not matter to off just a cm of two; it will not make any difference; Can always trim along the way… When the claddings become incoherent, then everyone starts to blame one another.

To you, you know how important to do correction (or more precisely – REDO) when there is error. But to the engineers who have been working days and nights, they might not know how precise and professional their measurement must be in order not the let the errors accumulate. When the errors avalanched to the situation that can never be saved, then everyone starts to blame one another.

To you, you know how important to get enough sleep so that can concentrate on work the next day. But to the new members, the might not know. They might think they can spend the night follow up with movies, chatting, etc.; It is they welfare. When productivity goes down, and targets getting delayed, then everyone starts to blame one another.

To you, you know how important it is for everyone to put in their 100% effort so that the float can be finished in time. But to the new members, they might not think the same way. To them, they have no reason to work so hard. In the mist of hardship, they are still entitled to enjoy their life during weekend: clubbing, shopping, hang out with friends, birthday parties... There is simply no reason to work more than 16 hours a day. When RAG day comes, the float cannot finish in time, now everyone start to panic!

Different people have different view on the standard of RAG. It is rather abstract to just say “to win” when everyone have different impression of the standard of the winning float. It is rather abstract to just say “to enjoy the process” when everyone have different imprint of the term “enjoy”.

Just remember, no one is COMPARING you to the past batches. The story of the past is just MERELY a reference for everyone in the team; A reference so that everyone in the team has a clearer picture of the goals; The goals which are not meant to REACH, but to breakthrough.

Be open-minded.

If you are the leader, won’t you want the BEST for your team?


Just two cents from me.