Failure Is Not An Option

A useful slogan for people who don't fear failure (cf SalesGeek?). Has highly detrimental effects on those who are already afraid of failure. Often exacerbates the GreatDivide, said by someone who doesn't fear failure to someone who does.

A useful slogan for those not responsible for the project at all.

It is also said of those tasks, responsibilities and accomplishments that are so important and so central to the focus of a person, group or organization as to be the kernel upon which that which follows depends. It is mandatory that success be achieved to insure further progress and continued accomplishment.

FailureIsNotAnOption too often is interpreted as "Failure once or twice or three times is not an option." What you really want is "Ultimately, success is required." There may be many failures required to get to success.

Yet the many failures are not considered options, they are considered to be intermediate occurrences. It does not change the central focus "FailureIsNotAnOption".

The unacceptable failure rate of software development is traceable to the seeming predominance of the acceptance of failure as inevitable. Don't offer excuses; accept and meet challenges with professionalism, optimism and competence. This also means you do not accept "unreasonable expectations" or "impossible requirements", but insist on appropriate and complete supply of resources and time to complete.

Not always so easy if you have responsibilities that require continuous employment.

In my experience, the people saying "Failure is not an option" are the very people who are denying complete supply of resources and additional time to complete. It is only when somebody points out the improbability of success that somebody will spout this stupid gung-ho slogan. If you are not involved in saving people's lives or in some other activity where success-at-any-cost is justifiable, then this phrase is just motivational hyperbole and should be treated as such.

This is an example of what happens when a project is in trouble in the intermediate phase. The insistence on adequate resources and time must be stated "up front". But since the point man on a project is usually a "yes man", no such insistence is offered. It is to late to make such demands when 80 percent of the time has been consumed with only 20 percent of the job has been completed. If the project is to be completed given that FailureIsNotAnOption, extraordinary resources and extra time will be required. The "yes men" are supplemented with "CanDo" professionals will set out to complete the work in the best way they can. This is only if FailureIsNotAnOption is more than an empty phrase. Professionals do not need motivational hyperbole, they just need to be let alone to finish what is left to be done, in the time they require. Those who haven't been able to do the job are either transferred to other projects, or made into reporters or monitors who will continue to give the "yes" or other suitable answers in place of the honest realistic answers that professional will offer (but they will not be asked). It is at this time in a project when MicroManagement and HighVisibility? call for the appointment of a ScapeGoat who will rescue the project (there always seems to be one ready to take the job).

Translation

In practice, when a manager says FailureIsNotAnOption to motivate the troops, what he means is, "Failure is nearly a certainty, I'm not going to help you out, and I am going to do everything in my power to be sure that when failure comes, all the blame will be on you."

The implication of the slogan is, "If you fail, it's because you didn't step up, show courage, possess the RightStuff." It's an attempt to set things up so that when the failure comes, it traces back to a lack of character on your part.

What to do when a manager tells you FailureIsNotAnOption? Quit. There is a 90% chance that you will fail, and your heroic efforts going down with the ship will not be rewarded. In fact, they'll be punished. If somehow you do succeed, you will only be put into a worse position next time. You'll be given less resources and asked to do more, again with the insinuation that if your character is good, you'll find a way.

This is also the name of a book (ISBN 0743200799 ) by Gene Kranz, who served on NASA's mission control team through the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo programs. As he says, "Since there were no books written on the actual methodology of space flight, we had to write them as we went along."

If failure is not an option, we are in an all out war!

I suppose there must be some way to issue a deeply passionate call to arms, combined with the wherewithal to take systematic, continuous, and effective action. I note, in reference to the Gene Kranz book mentioned above, that NASA proudly claims that "failure is not an option." In which case, apparantly, it is standard? It's a requirement? One thing that 'failure is not an option' might be taken to mean, is that we're going to continue to move straight ahead instead of worry about past mistakes and wallow in our misery. No matter the cost.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2904320

Contrast with AnAcceptableWayOfFailing

See NoGutsNoGlory, QualityIsNotAnOption, ForFailuresProvideFixItOptions