1. l: www.linkedin.com/in/awardsounds/ t: @alanward
What do you focus on?
1

2. l: www.linkedin.com/in/awardsounds/ t: @alanward
Let’s try a
question
What’s 10
divided by
3?
2

3. You can choose from these answers
7.83214
l: www.linkedin.com/in/awardsounds/ t: @alanward 3

4. l: www.linkedin.com/in/awardsounds/ t: @alanward
Which one did you pick?
Ask yourself why you
picked that one.
4

5. This is accuracy vs precision
7.8321
This is
precise
4
This is
accurate*
l: www.linkedin.com/in/awardsounds/ t: @alanward 5

6. Most people are uncomfortable choosing 4
Depending on your
rounding rules,
3
Could have been a more
comfortable answer
l: www.linkedin.com/in/awardsounds/ t: @alanward 6

7. l: www.linkedin.com/in/awardsounds/ t: @alanward
But no-one…
…picks 7.8321
We all know this is
wrong.
7

8. But it has more decimal points…
Wrong.
7.8321 is
precise but
inaccurate.
Therefore it has
more detail,
so it must be the
right answer.
l: www.linkedin.com/in/awardsounds/ t: @alanward 8

9. l: www.linkedin.com/in/awardsounds/ t: @alanward
This can be
used against
us.
A person can provide information
with a level of precision, to
imply that they have done the
work necessary to be that
accurate.
9

10. l: www.linkedin.com/in/awardsounds/ t: @alanward
Always value accuracy over
precision
10

11. l: www.linkedin.com/in/awardsounds/ t: @alanward
Why is it
important?
Too much precision early
on is an indication of
underlying problems
11

12. In the early days of any project
7.8321
Not here
4
This is where
you want to be
l: www.linkedin.com/in/awardsounds/ t: @alanward 12

13. 4 3.3 3.33 3.333
l: www.linkedin.com/in/awardsounds/ t: @alanward
Start broad, but as
accurate as you
can be
Add more detail as
you progress.
13

14. l: www.linkedin.com/in/awardsounds/ t: @alanward
If you’re
starting at
7.8321
Then there’s too much detail
without knowing how what
you’re doing will integrate
into the rest of the solution.
14

15. l: www.linkedin.com/in/awardsounds/ t: @alanward
Risk
The risk is that one part of the
change* is operating at too low a
level of detail.
Conversations become confused.
Timelines become complicated & non-
deliverable.
People become frustrated.
* Could be organisation, portfolio, programme, project, sprint, etc
15

16. l: www.linkedin.com/in/awardsounds/ t: @alanward
Proceed to the next level of
detail together
3 3.3 3.33 3.333
16

17. That cylinder fits into
part of a larger design
that needs to
accommodate its size.
“But I’ve been asked to….
produce a cylinder
78.321mm diameter with a
tolerance of 0.1%”
l: www.linkedin.com/in/awardsounds/ t: @alanward 17

18. Too much detail required
too quickly.
“But I’ve been asked to….
produce a 12-month project
plan, complete with
resources & dependencies.
Yet the overall design
hasn’t been signed off.”
l: www.linkedin.com/in/awardsounds/ t: @alanward
That’s a problem.
18
It could be used for rough
estimates, e.g. how much could this
programme cost us?

19. l: www.linkedin.com/in/awardsounds/ t: @alanward
Back to the original
question:
What do you focus on?
19

20. l: www.linkedin.com/in/awardsounds/ t: @alanward
Always prioritise accuracy.
Do as much as needed to be
consistently accurate across
everything you’re doing.
20

21. Increase
precision
together.
Don’t go into
detail in silos.
Remain accurate
throughout.
At every level of
detail.
l: www.linkedin.com/in/awardsounds/ t: @alanward 21