Consistency
I have been thinking about consistency quite a bit lately and have been learning some lessons lately.
It seems that, when working alone, consistency is really a matter of how well you understand the subject. For example, when it comes to laundry, I don't know very much. Sure, I can load the laundry into the machines, add the detergent, put the coins in, etc. However, I have to be VERY consistent because I don't understand laundry at all. I separate the colors, whites, and underwear/bras (I am doing Dana's laundry at the same time). I always pull the jeans out to hang dry. The bras/underwear always get hung around the apartment. I have to do this because I don't understand laundry.
When I do the laundry with Dana, she sometimes takes whites and puts them with colors. She sometimes dries some of the underwear. Sometimes she will dry jeans.
What? I don't f'n understand!!!
She understands laundry well enough to break the "rules" to get the desired effect.
When I am working with data by myself, I am not consistent. There are fundamentals that I have learned over the years, but I become inconsistent because I understand it so well. I can see from the get go when I should denormalize or normalize. I look at indexes and joins and will do things differently over time.
However, in a group project, that method begins to break down when each member of the group is to work with the method (i.e. code) and enhance it or understand it. Consistency may add extra layers to my work in the immediate, but adds to the speed of the team for collaboration. If I code joins a single way, it is easy for other team members to edit/update/create future iterations using my knowledge without completely understanding it. They are able us forward as a team without my having to be directly involved.
I have a feeling I will be thinking about consistency quite a bit and applying these thoughts to additional areas of my life and work. I will share my thoughts here.
It seems that, when working alone, consistency is really a matter of how well you understand the subject. For example, when it comes to laundry, I don't know very much. Sure, I can load the laundry into the machines, add the detergent, put the coins in, etc. However, I have to be VERY consistent because I don't understand laundry at all. I separate the colors, whites, and underwear/bras (I am doing Dana's laundry at the same time). I always pull the jeans out to hang dry. The bras/underwear always get hung around the apartment. I have to do this because I don't understand laundry.
When I do the laundry with Dana, she sometimes takes whites and puts them with colors. She sometimes dries some of the underwear. Sometimes she will dry jeans.
What? I don't f'n understand!!!
She understands laundry well enough to break the "rules" to get the desired effect.
When I am working with data by myself, I am not consistent. There are fundamentals that I have learned over the years, but I become inconsistent because I understand it so well. I can see from the get go when I should denormalize or normalize. I look at indexes and joins and will do things differently over time.
However, in a group project, that method begins to break down when each member of the group is to work with the method (i.e. code) and enhance it or understand it. Consistency may add extra layers to my work in the immediate, but adds to the speed of the team for collaboration. If I code joins a single way, it is easy for other team members to edit/update/create future iterations using my knowledge without completely understanding it. They are able us forward as a team without my having to be directly involved.
I have a feeling I will be thinking about consistency quite a bit and applying these thoughts to additional areas of my life and work. I will share my thoughts here.
