Recently I sat down with Peter Morville to have a fascinating conversation about planning for his new book. Peter is a very accomplished information architect and author of Information Architecture for the World Wide Web, Intertwingled, Search Patterns, and Ambient Findability.
I’m not a born planner, I’m not the kid who color coded their schedule in elementary school. I was diagnosed with ADD when I was seven years old and had a hard time in school. It wasn’t because I didn’t understand but because I had trouble getting my work done and turned in.
Luckily my school system had a robust learning disabilities program and my parents were effective in getting me the help I needed. I was able to learn how to structure tasks and my thinking so I could complete my work. Structuring tasks and activities makes it possible for me to get things done and I love getting things done.
Planning is about how I prepare my mind, understand the levers i have to pull, understand the dependencies and the people and the plan is just and output that I can throw away and replace with a new one like a sketch.
Peter and I talked about when to plan, how to avoid wasteful planning, how to break things down and resolve conflict by considering different options.
Check out all of Peter’s podcasts on his site.
Image: An abstract view of the Centre Pompidou in Paris