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The Six R's
The relationships dynamics model used by Nexbridge assumes that
relationships are already set up and functioning. Relationships, in our models
are typically between producers (developers) and consumers (users). Most often,
teams will, in general, exhibit reluctance attributes. Our goal is to improve
the relationship to and maintain it in a responsiveness state rather than
letting it sink down to revolt. Time is usually not on the side of either the
producer or consumer. As time goes by, inaction or inappropriate action causes
the relationship to decay. This section introduces each of the R's.
Responsiveness
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Responsive behavior is characterized by being able to meet
or have met real needs, and to communicate or understand needs in a timely
fashion. |
Reluctance
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Hesitation or reluctance sets in when users are rebuffed or
are told that changes cannot be made because the specifications have been
locked down. Developers also become reluctant to have an open dialog with
users for fear of new issues being raised. |
Resentment
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With repeated rebuff, and repeated issues coming up, both
developers and users will inevitably develop resentment. Signs of this are
users saying, "IT just isn't listening to us" and developers
saying "Those users cannot make up their minds." |
Resistance
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Both users and developers become resistant to change after
many change failures. Without adequate preparation, including training,
even the best of systems will be met with resistance for fear that the
mistakes of the past will be made again. Developers become resistant to
making changes because of continual rewrites from wildly divergent
specifications. |
Rigidity
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Rigidity sets in, as an extension to resistance, when users
simply refuse to take new systems. Developers start using phrases like
"The specification is frozen. We're not accepting any new
changes." Another form of this comes across as apathy. Users will say
"Yeah, whatever" when new systems are planned for deployment. |
Revolt
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At the end of the road is revolt. At this point, users will
go to outside or different sources for their products. They will change
vendors, throw out products, including hardware. It is very easy to get to
this point, very quickly, if the relationship decay is unchecked. |
The Result?
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When projects fail, developers and users are mired in
blood. Users are the ones who often end up offline. The next time an
attempt is made to deliver anything, the expectation is that blood will be
spilled. |
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