Simplification Can Be Complicated

Simplification of complexity requires a system equivalent in complexity.

I couldn't agree more. In a newsletter (remember those?), David Allen, author of Ready For Anything and Getting Things Done, writes about a subject I'm a bit obsessed about recently.

"Controlling something with lots of variables, details, and horizons requires a matching number of parts and processes to control the whole. If you try to manage something complex with too simple a system, you will do nothing but add to the complexity. An elegant dinner requires multiple tools (pots, pans, plates, utensils) and procedures (recipes, cooking, serving) for its preparation and enjoyment. Trying to cook a six-course dinner with nothing but one pot and a spoon would get quickly out of control. Having all the tools, content, and processes that map to all the moving parts of an event, and having them at the ready, as needed, is critical for elegant simplicity with an experience."

Over the past few days, we've been dealing with some problems with a couple of our information systems. And on four separate occasions, I've had to give the "you can solve this problem with a bandaid, or you can overhaul the system" speech. I've been struggling with how to put into words what David Allen did so succinctly.

I'll leave you with a few quotes from the newsletter. I'm inspired...

I would not give a fig for the simplicity on this side of complexity, but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity. - Oliver Wendell Holmes

Organizational progress parallels that in science and technology, permitting ultimate simplicity through intermediate complexity.
- Thomas Sowell

Only great minds can afford a simple style.
- Stendahl