The Right Number of Moving Parts

Does your work have the right number of moving parts?

Does every business need lots and lots of products or services? While it’s tempting if there’s lots you’re capable of, focus and simplicity may be exactly what your customers need from you, especially in an expanding marketplace with increasing options.

Jobs famously axed most of Apple’s product lineup upon his return to Apple, reducing the lineup to just four core machines.

Does every website need a database? While over 31% of the Internet uses WordPress, most sites don’t need the compute or overhead of a dynamic site, particularly when many sites struggle to update their content even weekly.

For instance, this website recently moved back to Jekyll from WordPress to reduce the number of moving parts for longevity.

Does every project need a separate project manager? While it sounds tidy and organized, oftentimes leadership and management training for top producers can outperform and outmaneuver larger head-counts on smaller, nimbler projects.

For instance, in our Creative team’s work, many routine projects only require 2-3 people, none of which are just a manager (they are all producers).

Smaller isn’t always better. Neither is bigger. The status quo doesn’t represent what’s best, only what’s most common.

How could you change your team, products and process to outperform and outmaneuver your competitors thanks to having more thoughtfully considered using the right number of moving parts?