Practical, Pragmatic, Productive

We kind of like to think of these three as synonymous. Don't they all require a frame of reference, a context, a perspective? Certainly they do if we want to think of them as synonyms. Further, in order to be synonyms, wouldn't they all need the same frame of reference, context, perspective?

I've noticed that people have a hard time with those (like me) who split semantic hairs. And yet, the long-term success of anything relating to data depends on grasping the nuances of differing frames of reference, context and perspective and integrating them into something that will be useful to all.

Beware the architect who listens to your 30 second description of what the strategic information system must do, then asks "when do you need it?" and disappears.

My son at 6 years asked me for help in building a submarine. I asked him a few questions and learned that he intended to actually travel under water--not just a play submarine. He had corresponded with his teacher's son who was an officer aboard an actual nuclear submarine. He had diagrams and photos. I asked him what he proposed to build it out of. He took me to the garage and showed me some 2x2 and 2x4 lumber and some chicken wire left over from building a rabbit cage. I asked how he proposed to keep the water out and learned that this was to be my contribution.

In my career, I have seen the equivalent of this scenario reenacted many times. It's absolutely amazing how much effort is expended on these projects. Yes, it is hard to tell your 6 year old son (or your boss) that the project can't be done and it is possible that your credibility will be diminished. I wonder whether the cost of information technology couldn't be cut by 90% if we simply learned some better ways of saying "no."

Oh, and, by the way, was it practical, pragmatic, and productive to gather diagrams, photos and written material, identify materials and find an "expert" to assist with the hard parts? Was I practical, pragmatic and productive in my approach? What was the result?

Sometimes the impossible must be done but far more often it's better to simply move on to something more in line with our actual capabilities. And, in the cases where we do have do accomplish something "impossible" the very first thing we have to do is discard practical, pragmatic and even productive because those are what brought us to impossible in the first place.

Pragmatism and Sacred Cows

Something happened to me today that has happened before. I thought I had filed the barb off the hook and that I wouldn't be snagged by this any more, but I was wrong.

I made the statement that my work would be done when people no longer talked about data governance having realized that all varieties of governance are "governance." The response was to remark that statements like that are blue sky and that people will turn me off and look for someone more pragmatic.

Knowing, as I do, that the statement represents the ultimate in pragmatism--the application of what is known to make sense of what is unknown--I proceed (very quickly) through several emotions. I guess I have blunted the hook to the extent that I recognize the emotions as they appear--which is good. Where I wound up, after passing through the "I don't need this" phase, was appreciating Galileo, Darwin and Einstein.

I'm not comparing my contribution to theirs. I am comparing my emotions to what they almost certainly experienced as they struggled to break through the thickest of all possible walls--common knowledge.

Sometimes we have other names for common knowledge. We say "everyone knows that..." or "best practice states..." or any of a host of other codewords for what amounts to a sacred cow.

I have learned that the words "practical" or "pragmatic" or even "heresy" are silver bullets most often applied to protect the sacred cows from attacks by, well, me. I just want you to know that if you want practical solutions, you should get as far from best practice proponents as possible. You might even want to venture out to the boundaries of your organization to see what pragmatic really looks like.