Projects as Recipes

A Small Amount Adds A Lot

When baking, its easy to notice that the recipe dictates that a different amount of each ingredient is needed. Flour in cookies or cake is usually the largest quantity, while vanilla or salt can be the smallest. Does the number next to the ingredient signify the importance of it? Would the cookies be the same if we skip some of the smaller quantities?

I hope you read that and thought "no way!". Salt and vanilla are examples of ingredients that contribute to the flavor of the cookie. If we would add the same amount of salt as we did flour, the cookie wouldn't be palatable at all. Salt needs to be the minority because it is so powerful.

In projects, consider salt to be a subject matter expert (SME). For most website projects, we need the basic ingredients - such as: the project manager, the designer, the developer and the QA person. Then we also need a bit of help from the SME, such as the product owner or system architect. It can also be someone who has been in the company long enough to add historical knowledge, without it being part of their official role.

One Big Dough

Once the project is kicked off, it isn't always clear from the outside who is making the difference. In reality, that might be an indication of success. It means that each person is contributing the right amount to create the progress. This stage is similar to when all the ingredients are mixed into a dough.

There is a downside to this though. Some contributors might feel that the blending of the work is taking away from the recognition that might be due to them. They might feel that if it isn't clear how much they contributed, how can they be recognized for it?

Now back to our parable, would the flour feel slighted that it was mixed and camouflaged into the batter? Would any see the batter and think that the flour hadn't done its job properly?Not at all. This is because each ingredient is of equal importance in the recipe.

Chocolate Chips Shine

Ok, so there are exceptions. In the case of chocolate chip cookies, the chocolate chips are clearly visible and they get the honor of being part of the name of the final product. So how do they fit into the project workflow?

I think that chocolate chips can be the managers. They do contribute, but aren't exactly part of the dough. A good manager will say that his/her value is based on the quality of the team. This definitely jives well with our cookie idea. If the cookie is gross, no amount of chocolate chips can save it. Trust me.

And by the way, this goes the same for icing on the cake or other adjustments that are made to any baked good after it is baked. You can try to save it for presentation purposes, by adding more management, but if you want it to truly be quality, it would have been better to have been careful to follow the recipe and respect each ingredient's contribution.

Have your Cake and Eat it too

Once the project is complete and it checks all the boxes, you can appreciate each person who took part. Taking part might not be enough to describe the involvement though. Because its not enough to just do your job and dump your work into the pan, there are those mixing and baking stages that ensure that the cake reaches perfection.

This means that handing off the work properly is part of the job too. Also, reviewing your work and accepting feedback. These are part of what turns ingredients to a batter and from a batter to a baked good. When we communicate and work together, that is what gets us our quality, final product.

So follow the recipe and recognize that each ingredient counts the same, even though some have heavier loads than others. Make sure to mix the right amount, at the right times and let it cook and cool as recommended. Take care of your team and you'll produce the best tasting success!