Roger Morier and Jonathan Schmidt argue that road safety cannot be treated like a candidate in a popularity contest.
Politicians and government bureaucrats love process. Let’s not rush to blame them, though, because there’s a lot to love.
Carrying out a series of planning meetings, collecting relevant data, conducting background analyses, and engaging with stakeholders gives the appearance of good project outcomes. It’s also a good way for a nervous leader or bureaucrat to deflect criticism: “We studied everything we could and asked everybody who might be affected and came up with a reasonable compromise”.
Often, though, process gets bogged down in its own elements, like a well-intentioned spider getting trapped in the intricacies of its own web. The management gurus call this “analysis paralysis” when too much thinking and too much searching for the perfect solution results in, well … just delay and more process.
When process is the enemy of progress – Spacing, March 21, 2024
