The Anecdote of Success - a Simple Tool

When beginning an initiative, project, or releasing an RFP how can you convey the vision of success to the audience? In some instances, a request-for-proposal has a sterile feel and fails to clearly convey the nuances of what, precisely, is desired from the provided system or service. The same can be said when an organizational leader presents a new initiative, or charters a project. The author, or presenter, of these desires are already intimately familiar with what they seek but those around them, whether vendor or peer, may not be visualizing the same solutions. How can they create a common vision?

I like to overcome this unnecessary problem of perception with a short narrative describing a successful utilization of the system. And, it can also be applied to expectations for security posts and proposed procedures. Writing an “Anecdote of Success” helps to solidify what you, the creator, customer, solution seeker, truly want and expect.

A long time ago, I put forward the written narrative below in search of a systems solution to a problem. I discuss this in a previous post (here) relating to predatory dumping. This narrative was included with the RFP and provided a common vision for our solution discussions. Don’t laugh! The narrative may be a bit inelegant, but it worked wonders. I did not get precisely what was described, but more importantly I did not need what was described to be successful. Having a clear common starting vision resulted in a “best value” solution.

Anecdote of Successful Utilization

“The time is 10:30pm and a SUV stops outside the donation doors of a ------- store. The driver exits the vehicle and prepares to open the back of the vehicle. Suddenly, a voice is broadcast, “Stop. This donation site is closed and under surveillance. Leaving items while this site is unattended is illegal and punishable by law. Please support ‘our’ job training programs by donating during the hours posted.” The driver of the vehicle looks around and shakes his head. Unaffected he reaches into the back of the vehicle and the voice states, “Your license plates have been logged and the police notified. Depart the premise immediately [and remove the items you have placed by the door]. The driver shakes his head again and chuckles. As he begins to pull his junk from the vehicle he is greeted with asynchronous sirens and strobe lights. He departs the property without illegally dumping.”

What ultimately came from this narrative was a plan for a phased design. This facilitated my desire for research and measurement, and ensured the solution was not over-engineered. The other posts goes into more detail on the actual solution (here again).

The real value of this anecdote is the lack of discussion of specific equipment, but on the experience of the adversary (or user). What stimuli will they experience or endure? What procedures will be guided or enforced? What sort of escalating features are necessary? And it must describe success. The discussion around avoiding failure comes later, after everyone has the same vision of success.

Anytime there is a project or proposal, creating such a short narrative can help overcome early dissention arising from misunderstanding and confusion. Give it a try..

Keep it short

         Be as concise as possible

         It’s an anecdote, not a short story

Include the full process

         From initiation/activation through success

         What escalations, notifications, responses expected

Humanize it

         What does the user/adversary experience

         How does the user/adversary react

Good luck!