Rework

Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson
2010

Highlights

• It's the stuff you leave out that matters. So constantly look for things to remove, simplify, and streamline. Be a curator. Stick to what's truly essential. Pare things down until you're left with only the most important stuff. Then do it again. You can always add stuff back in later if you need to.
  —Rework by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson


• Think about it this way: If you had to launch your business in two weeks, what would you cut out? Funny how a question like that forces you to focus. You suddenly realize there's a lot of stuff you don't need. And what you do need seems obvious. When you impose a deadline, you gain clarity. It's the best way to get to that gut instinct that tells you, "We don't need this."
  —Rework by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson


• Why are you doing this? Ever find yourself working on something without knowing exactly why? Someone just told you to do it. It's pretty common, actually. That's why it's important to ask why you'reworking on______. What is this for? Who benefits? What's the motivation behind it? Knowing the answers to these questions will help you better understand the work itself.
  —Rework by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson


• What problem are you solving? What's the problem? Are customers confused? Are you confused? Is something not clear enough? Was something not possible before that should be possible now? Sometimes when you ask these questions, you'll find you're solving an imaginary problem. That's when it's time to stop and reevaluate what the hell you're doing.
  —Rework by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson


• Is this actually useful? Are you making something useful or just making something? It's easy to confuse enthusiasm with usefulness. Sometimes it's fine to play a bit and build something cool. But eventually you've got to stop and ask yourself if it's useful, too. Cool wears off. Useful never does.
  —Rework by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson


• Are you adding value? Adding something is easy; adding value is hard. Is this thing you're working on actually making your product more valuable for customers? Can they get more out of it than they did before? Sometimes things you think are adding value actually subtract from it. Too much ketchup can ruin the fries. Value is about balance.
  —Rework by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson


• Will this change behavior? Is what you're working on really going to change anything? Don't add something unless it has a real impact on how people use your product.
  —Rework by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson


• Is there an easier way? Whenever you're working on something, ask, "Is there an easier way?" You'll often find this easy way is more than good enough for now. Problems are usually pretty simple. We just imagine that they require hard solutions.
  —Rework by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson


• What could you be doing instead? What can't you do because you're doing this? This is especially important for small teams with constrained resources. That's when prioritization is even more important. If you work on A, can you still do B and C before April? If not, would you rather have B and C instead of A? If you're stuck on something for a long period of time, that means there are other things you're not getting done.
  —Rework by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson


• Is it really worth it? Is what you're doing really worth it? Is this meeting worth pulling six people off their work for an hour? Is it worth pulling an all-nighter tonight, or could you just finish it up tomorrow? Is it worth getting all stressed out over a press release from a competitor? Is it worth spending your money on advertising? Determine the real value of what you're about to do before taking the plunge.
  —Rework by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson


• Start getting into the habit of saying no--even to many of your best ideas. Use the power of no to get your priorities straight. You rarely regret saying no. But you often wind up regretting saying yes.
  —Rework by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson


• Don't hire for pleasure; hire to kill pain. Always ask yourself: What if we don't hire anyone? Is that extra work that's burdening us really necessary? Can we solve the problem with a slice of software or a change of practice instead? What if we just don't do it?
  —Rework by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson


• Similarly, if you lose someone, don't replace him immediately. See how long you can get by without that person and that position. You'll often discover you don't need as many people as you think.
  —Rework by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson