If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

There is a children’s book entitled “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”. It’s a circular story authored by Laura Numeroff.

It goes like this....

“If you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to ask for a glass of milk. When you give him the milk, he'll probably ask you for a straw. When he's finished, he'll ask you for a napkin.”

This is a great analogy for setting boundaries, demonstrating cause and effect, and thinking before you commit. It also translates nicely in the workplace setting.

For example:

• If a Product Owner puts an adhoc, low value stakeholder request into the active sprint, the stakeholder might expect these types of favors in the future.
• If the adhoc work is rushed and risky, it may result in the erosion of product quality. 
• If there are quality issues, that will create a critical issue that requires the product team to put in long hours.
• Frequent occurrences of long work hours puts the team at risk for attrition.
• Frequent critical issues will inspire your customers to start questioning your competence and choose to send their business elsewhere.
• And, the list goes on and on and on...

So, remember to take a moment to pause and be completely deliberate about your actions. You should fully own the potential downstream effects on you and others. Because unnecessary work is the definition of hell.

And, if you decide that the risky action is needed, you must truly believe the mouse deserves that damn cookie.

Oatmeal raisin for life,

Jess