Exploring completion bias
For those of a TL;DR (‘too long; didn’t read’) mentality, skip this section. Completion bias is the tendency to favour tasks that are closer to finalisation or keep pursuing a path we set upon despite a changing risk profile. It can have unintended consequences and even lead to disaster. Some striking examples include:
- How doctors under capacity pressure in emergency rooms have been found to treat lower priority patients first. It is not malice, but simply because they are easier to handle and gets through waiting lists. The impacts included leaving more critical patients with insufficient attention and treatment. From the hospital perspective statistics may improve, but outcomes from the missed patients are vital.
- The Torrey Canyon disaster, which Tim Harford covers well in his Cautionary Tales podcast. A series of small, seemingly logical decisions to meet an objective led to a massive oil spill. It shows how completion bias can literally steer the best of us off course. In that case an environmental and financial catastrophe.
Does a good plan cover this risk?
To an extent. Well considered investments in tools and processes should not be thrown out. They are the cornerstone of a strategy for success, akin to the compass, clothing and equipment for a hike. However, their course may need adjusting to a changing environmental conditions. Whilst there is satisfaction in ticking off tasks and making waypoints, I would advocate pausing to revalidate your journey. Going back to the examples above:
- Triage priorities. Then use clinical check-ups help to confirm diagnoses, clarify patient recoveries and adjust treatment plans.
- Checking the map, currents, weather and options helps to evaluate if progress is possible and the risk appetite is appropriate.
SAM, ITAM and FinOps should keep checking the destination and route of the organisation. Evaluate if environmental conditions changed; perhaps there is an incoming storm to prepare for. Conversely the forecast may be for fair weather, allowing you to pick up speed.
Having a quarterly review helps you decide if you can or should increase velocity to your next milestone, course correct towards a favourable rendezvous, or even abandon the current trek.
Tips for a successful journey
Human nature has both completion and confirmation bias built in. It grows when a destination is in sight or rewards are highly anticipated. There are a several things to help avoid pitfalls:
Think why and repeat. Getting to the roots – the purpose of a function – helps validate or update priorities. For example:
- SAM may have started with compliance as the prerogative, before morphing into data analytics and decision making support. In future, your organisation may push it towards supply chain risk, ESG, change management processes etc.
- FinOps often starts with understanding costs and eliminating waste. As it matures, it can become an enabler for unit economics, financial planning and enhancing relationships between technical and commercial groups to allow greater innovation.
Understanding the reason for an activity helps to decide how to approach it. Should you look to do it more or less, or change how the outputs are used. Getting to the real why is a mix of inner contemplation and stakeholder dialogue.
Reassess objectives. Keep asking yourself if your functional goals remain aligned to the organisation’s. How do you reach that conclusion? Connect with colleagues and related teams regularly to understand what has changed in their sphere of influence. Keep abreast of internal news and public pronouncements.
Embrace other functions. Let’s consider SAM and FinOps – you can argue if they are essentially the same (more on that in another musing) – but they certainly can complement each other:
- If one exists, but the other doesn’t, be the catalyst to adopt that function.
- For SAM, embrace the momentum and attention that FinOps has. In a similar way that IT security is likely to have funding to drive visibility of data, so can FinOps.
- For FinOps, look for ways to align, share insights, processes and communication channels.
- Both areas can learn from each other. One may have a way through blockages the other faces, or has walked the road that the other is approaching.
- Both should be proactive in interacting. There needs to be dialogue with procurement, IT finance, technical teams, product owners, legal to name but a few areas. SAM and FinOps should seek to lead the way through servitude ahead of dogmatic righteousness.
Look at shifts in spending. Certain vendors may be a permanent fixture, but the publisher landscape is in constant flux. More so with the growth of automation and AI capabilities. SaaS models are taking an ever greater share of software spending, changing SAM’s angle of approach. Similarly with cloud services where containers and serverless computing have become more prevalent. Each has nuances around the cost model, terms and conditions that might require attention.
Admire the view. It will change over time. Think about what it is telling you. Up close the asymmetry of a treecan tell you where the sun shines from. Looking at a distance the types of trees tell you the climate – where do broadleaf trees get shorter because of exposure to weather? When does the altitude drive change towards conifers? Are there areas of ‘natural’ or even ancient woodland versus those that are for curated forests or pasture? These observations help you to plan your next steps.
Stay curious. There is always another data source, tool activity or way of working that you can leverage. On a longer adventure, you are bound to not have everything you need. A pile of sticks can help to bridge a crossing. Leaf litter can support insulation. Being resourceful can overcome many shortfalls and open up new opportunities.
In conclusion
Make plans for your ITAM and FinOps journeys, but be open to change. Rushing to complete things may cause you to trip, or blind you from greater achievements and experiences. Flexibility maintains relevance and leads to better long-term outcomes.
Accept that optimisation is a continuum. Perfect data, processes, compliance etc. is unlikely but being adaptable and collaborative will help these aspirations, whilst delivering incremental successes.
Stay curious and collaborative. Keep looking at the vista ahead whilst being mindful of the clues that lie in your immediate surroundings. Think about the kit (tools, data, connections) you and other groups have; keep looking for ways it may be useful.
Create a map that is adaptable to change. The past few years have seen seismic movements in technology and related commercials. Regularly reflect on how your route, plans and focus should evolve.
