Adding Value and Importance of 2%

Tanmay Vora
Posted on

102percent

Most professionals comply to given set of instructions to deliver the expected outcomes. Plain and consistent compliance to specs only takes you so far. For real progress, one has to “add value” by going beyond the specs. It is only when you see the larger picture, do things better, differently, more efficiently that you can add value.

Recently, I was talking to one of my colleagues who is a veteran in the industry.

He told me, “One should never start any work till the time one has 102% clarity on the task/project.”

I asked, “Can you explain why 102%?”

He elaborated, “One needs to be 100% clear about specs (what needs to be done) and then have at least 2% clarity on how one can add value on top of 100%”.

I instantly agreed.

The additional 2% does not necessarily have to be stellar things. They can be small things done with a lot of care. Lot of love.

2% is what makes all the difference in our performances. It makes them all special. It helps us deliver excellence. On a long run, It helps us in ‘standing out’.

Have a Great Weekend!

11 Comments

Utpal Vaishnav March 20, 2010

Concise and straight to the point.

However the real problem is to thrive even when we do not have such clarity… so I think one should work hard (or smart or whatever…) to add value and to bring clarity to 100% and then put the additional 2%.
.-= Utpal Vaishnav´s last blog ..Wonderful Checklists 11 =-.

Tanmay Vora March 20, 2010

Utpal, Thanks for adding that important point. The real thing is to strive for 2% even when 100% may not be clear. Amen!

Best,
Tanmay
.-= Tanmay Vora´s last blog ..Adding Value and Importance of 2% =-.

Niraj Shah March 21, 2010

Understanding audience is equally important for your 2% work !!

Keep Sharing.

Tanmay Vora March 21, 2010

Hi Niraj – I totally agree. That is the part of seeing the bigger picture as mentioned in the post. Understanding context, audience and actual need can go a long way in adding value.

Keep commenting!

Best,
Tanmay
.-= Tanmay Vora´s last blog ..Adding Value and Importance of 2% =-.

Dhanashree March 22, 2010

Great Post, Short and Sweet. I always believed, When heart work with task or project, project.product always be best. 2% heart and 100% mind add lot values to project. Less iterations.

Great post Sir.

Regards,

Manish

Tanmay Vora March 22, 2010

@Dhanashree – I liked the co-relation of 2% with heart and 100% with mind. Glad you liked the post!

Best,
Tanmay
.-= Tanmay Vora´s last blog ..Adding Value and Importance of 2% =-.

I agree to the 2% stuff. But 100% is something contradictory to Agil. which is never 100% but near to 100%

Tanmay Vora March 22, 2010

Vikas – Thanks for commenting. Even in Agile, at a task level, clarity exists even when product roadmap/scope may change. The whole concept of Agile is built around the fundamental of adding more value to customer’s business, rather than getting hard bound by contractual stuff which only limits a software developer’s ability to add value.

So I agree with what you and Utpal mention – even when 100% clarity does not exist, 2% is still very relevant.

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