Subjectivity in Productivity

You can find out where things stand. But the answer is a human one, not a digital one. It’s fuzzy, it’s a bit abstract, and it’s more a feeling than a figure. It’s taking stock of all the things that can’t be measured, and speaking or writing the actual answer, not pointing to an abstract number. “63” means nothing. “We think next Tuesday” means something.

Ledgers want numbers. Leaders want truth.

Numbers provide facts. Facts are true, but they’re not the truth.

That imprecise wiggle room is also known as the truth.

Truth is subjective when creating something new and putting it into the world. This is a feature, not a bug.

Subjectivity is a good thing. A human thing. It’s with the grain. Subjectivity and productivity are partners, not adversaries.

If I believe I’ve been productive, I’ve been productive. I can be wrong, which is why I check that belief with my peers. Shared belief and shared believability is the next step.

Over time we’ll be adding more imprecision like this to Basecamp. The more we can reflect reality, not a false premise, the better off teams will be.

Reality is the believable interpretation of facts. Facts alone aren’t enough. Facts, in context, with value judgements are desired.

I probably could have just highlighted the entire piece. It’s worth a read, and the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.