Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

Policy statements can be the most useful things that managers can produce. They help persons make decisions daily.

Yes, managers can, and sometimes do, contribute to work. One of the more useful contributions they make is policy.

Let’s define terms:

Policy statements articulate broad direction for an organization.

For example,

1. Write code that is portable.
2. Write code that is reusable.
3. Reuse designs from other projects.
4. Document your work.

(We can debate the wisdom in these examples, but that is for another day. These examples are excellent in some circumstances and disastrous in others.)

The scientists and engineers working in an organization can use these policy statements to guide their daily decisions. “Should we try this new algorithm from this journal or adapt what we did last year?” Policy statement number 3. makes that a much easier decision. “Should I code for speed or reuse?” Policy statement number 2. makes that a much easier decision.

I could continue with examples without end. My advice to managers,

Decide issues at a high level.

Post those decisions for everyone to see everyday.

This is will actually help the persons performing the work.