I was cleaning out my basement last week and in a box of random stuff, I found one of those plastic foldable rain (…garbage bags(?)…no wait, it’s “ponchos”… ) that you can throw on over your clothes in an emergency.
I noticed that it said, “one size fits all” and it got me thinking.
While it may be true that anyone could physically put the thing over their head, is it true that one size could actually FIT all? What about a 4-year old? Wouldn’t they trip on the trailing plastic? What about the 6’5” weightlifter? Would it even cover their arms?
This then got me thinking about how often consultants bring pre-packaged solutions they call their “best practice framework” that are really just PowerPoint versions of the rain poncho.
That’s not to say that I don’t believe in frameworks. Quite the contrary, actually.
Frameworks can be great to use as guidance and a foundation from which to move forward. I just don’t believe that frameworks, as written, should be applied to all organizations equally.
I believe that the solution has to fit the problem and not the other way around.
I’ve been a buyer of professional services and have had consultants come to me with their “Dr. Waldorf’s Amazing 7-Step Framework to Fix Anything That Ails You!”
But once I opened the bottle, I found that it was just mineral oil and turpentine (aka a junior person with a checklist).
The most effective and sustainable solutions are those that are built around the organization’s needs, goals, people, processes, culture, risks, and constraints. They should be created and tailored specifically for the organization.
And this is how I work with my clients. I create solutions that fix their specific concerns.
I don’t try to stuff their problems into my pre-designed solution (I mean, have you ever tried re-folding that poncho and putting it back? It’s impossible!).
The next time someone presents a "best practice framework" solution, ask yourself: "Best practice for whom? Will this really work for us, or will we end up with expensively wet arms?"
If you find yourself answering “wet arms,” then keep looking.
The goal isn’t to find a framework that sort of fits as-built. It’s to work with someone who will build a solution that was designed for you in the first place.
In case you’re curious, the poncho is still in my basement. I couldn’t bring myself to throw out someone else’s best practice framework.
