Inaccuracy Is Your Friend - Squadron Weekly Email

Originally posted 16 May 2022

You don’t need more accurate data; aim for multiple sources of truth.

I’m sure you’ve watched footage of Apollo 11 landing on the Moon. But you may not have noticed that:

• Alarms were going off all the way down. A design error meant that the computer got overloaded and spit out errors at random moments, which were actually harmless.

• Armstrong had to land manually because he discovered the intended landing site was full of boulders.

• The landing radar lost its lock on the ground a few seconds before touchdown.

They had lots of noisy, incorrect, conflicting data—and yet they still landed on the Moon! For a terrestrial example, ask yourself whether Jeff Bezos or Mark Zuckerberg have “single sources of truth” about every aspect of their businesses. Amazon is opening hair salons now, do you think they have consistent customer info on me when I go in for a shave? So why do I still have clients who refuse to take a single step without “first getting the data right?” For pity’s sake, live with inconsistent information—like Armstrong, look out the window.

This first appeared in my weekly Squirrel Squadron email, which goes out every Monday, and was originally posted on 16 May 2022. To get my provocative thoughts and tips direct to your inbox first, sign up here: https://squirrelsquadron.com/