Be paranoid, make checklists, don’t assume

Editor's note: Stephen Hellebusch is president of Hellebusch Research and Consulting. 

As a marketing researcher, one has a variety of business experiences. In fact, a nice feature of the profession is that one is exposed to many different industries and many different business issues over time. Having been both client-side and vendor/supplier-side in the course of a career, I’ve seen clear patterns emerge. Marketing researchers are trained to seek patterns. 

Then there is Leroy Jethro Gibbs. As fans of the TV show NCIS know, he has a set of rules that casually apply in different situations. It occurred to me that MR folks might like to have a rule set, too. Feel free to add others that occur to you! The ones in this article are not necessarily original but resonate in a variety of MR and business situations.

1. The only stupid question is the one not asked. Actually, of course, there are stupid questions, and some are asked, some aren’t. I still believe it is better to ask the question you have. This is the opposite of “Be quiet and people may think you are an idiot but speak up and you will remove all doubt.” I have seen entire conversations turn completely when someone made a point that no one had considered. Better to contribute and, if your question is stupid, people will tell you. If you don’t have enough stock with the others on the team to survive that, you may have other problems.

2. You cannot overcommunicate. With more ways to easily communicate available to us than ever before, people still assume that others know what they are thinking. It’s probably human nature. It is simple to send an e-mail and copy all who might even remotely need the information you are providing. But people are still surprised. I enjoy speaking to people directly but e-mail is certainly useful when people are not available or the topic is not time-sensitive beyond a day. Better to err by giving someone information they do not need than by NOT giving them information they do need!

On the other hand, one person reviewing this article told me of people who actually do overcommunicate, copying everybody on most e-mails, even when the topic is completely irrelevant to the recipient. Likely, if an e-mail tsunami hits it can be handled in various ways. One colleague went on a two-week vacation, completely isolated from e-communications. When she returned, she had hundreds of e-mails waiting. How could she possibly deal with that number? She told me she read all the ones from people above her in the organization and all the ones from her direct reports and deleted all the rest. She figured if she deleted anything important, it would pop up again. Apparently, it worked. So, maybe you can overcommunicate. But even my reviewer agreed that the lack of communication is definitely the larger problem, so I’ll stick by my rule.

3. Pay more attention to those things that can go wrong and cannot be fixed. With many projects, there are hundreds of little steps. Some will inevitably go wrong. What is important is to make sure that any that cannot be fixed are not the ones that go wrong. Often, these relate to time. If something is in the wrong place, it can be moved and get to the right place. If something is in the wrong place at the wrong time, a crucial element may be messed up.

4. If you can delay a decision until more information is available, do it. But don’t delay forever. Sometimes, when there is an important decision to be made, there is anxiousness to make it and be done rather than agonize over it. If there is a need to have the issue decided with that timing, then so be it. Often, the pressure is internal. In that case, it may be possible to delay for a short time with no ill effect and may even provide a benefit. Sometimes additional information becomes available to help the decision maker. Sometimes, though less often, the situation resolves itself.

5. If a client wants to do something stupid, try to talk them out of it. If you can’t, do it. This rule is not only for vendors/suppliers. Many internal service people have internal clients. There are times when clients want something specific, period. Sometimes the need is based on a misunderstanding of the data or situation and the possible decision options. Sometimes it is for other reasons that have nothing to do with any project – based in the politics of the situation. The service provider owes it to the client to try and recommend an approach that will succeed (if there is one) or explain why what is contemplated won’t. That being done, the decision is with the client. (Of course, if the client’s effort is to mislead or is unethical, that is a different kettle of fish!)

6. Be paranoid – expect that things will go wrong and plan accordingly. This rule has a corollary: Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean that they aren’t out to get you. Basically, expect the worst – wear a belt and suspenders. If product needs to be at a facility for research on the tenth, overnight it, trackable, to arrive on the eighth, not the ninth. If you have made significant progress on a report, save it in two places. And, whatever else, don’t forget Rule #2.

7. Everything takes longer than it does. In estimating project timing, most importantly when things can get to those who need them, we marketing researchers are often very good. Especially if we follow Rules #2 and #6. But, when it comes to actually writing a report, a questionnaire, a memo, etc., it seems I invariably underestimate the time it will take. That’s where Rule #7 comes from – for me, everything takes longer than it does. This rule seems to apply in other situations, too, but which ones, exactly, are not clear – information searches are a leading candidate, though.

8. Read what you write. Reading what you, yourself, have written is really hard to do. One would not think so but after training many analysts in marketing research, it seems clear to me that hardly anyone reads what they write before sending documents (or e-mails). People I know who are very bright at times send written documents with the most galring erers. They would not do that if they red it. ;)

9. Always have a written game plan. Often, we are in a hurry and rush to “get it done.” I have found that, when there is no written game plan, what gets done may or may not be what was intended. If I have to rush and get a project started NOW, I do. But then I write the game plan and share it with all to make sure we are on the same page. (Sometimes they even read it!) Better to stop after a minimal start than to blow the budget and then learn you had something wrong from the beginning!

10. Checklists can save your butt. In my first job as a trainee marketing research project director, I thought I had completed all that was needed to send a report out early. When I patted myself on the back for this feat, one of my colleagues asked if I had the four supplemental pieces needed as well. In a panic, I completed those and sent the report on time. Learning from my mistake, I made a checklist that I still use to make sure everything is included in each report. Since a checklist worked well in that situation, checklists became part of my “normal.” Interestingly, they have been adopted as a quality method in hospital operating rooms, so checking things off can be a matter of life or death!

11. Ask the data questions. In my first job, we always “desk checked” data tables. Still not a bad idea as a quality control but with the disappearance of paper, I’m not sure how it would be done in large organizations. Once, completing a desk check, I knew everything added and the data were consistent from table to table. All was well, so I took it to my supervisor for approval to send to the client. She took one look and said, “It’s wrong.” I assured her it was not, since I had carefully checked everything. Then she pointed out that B plus C could not logically be higher than X but that was the case in my tables. Sure enough, I checked with the data tabulation specialists and learned something had been miscoded. Since then, after doing the normal desk-check tasks (do numbers really add; are subgroup bases consistent, etc.), I always stop and examine the data to make sure things are also logical.

12. Don’t assume. Assume = make an ass, u, me. This one might also be described as “check your assumptions” or “question the assumptions.” Doesn’t hurt, might help. (Even thinking “what are we assuming” can be a help!)

Those are my 12; there are likely more – what are yours?