ASSUME makes an ASS of U and ME

ASSUME makes an ASS of U and ME

I discovered this gem of management-training speak only yesterday. It is a dangerous over-simplification, whose dismissive tone diminishes the importance the reader may place on a relatively significant topic.

Real life is infested with assumptions, within and throughout all aspects of real life. Managers, and humans too, need more than this simplistic advice not to make assumptions.

The most dangerous assumptions are the ones we don't know about. They can be hidden in the detail, or hidden in plain view, but if we don't realise they're there, we could get caught out. So the first and most important guideline in dealing with assumptions is to discover them if you can.

Having discovered an assumption, consider it: if the assumption is wrong, will it have a significant effect on what you're doing? If not, then ignore it, and move on. If so, then your next question should be 'can I avoid this assumption?' If not, document it, and the reason why it can't be avoided, before you move on. [You are NOT making an ass of yourself or your reader; you're taking corrective action to minimise a threat.] If you can avoid this assumption, of course you should do so.

There's not much more to dealing with assumptions than this. So much more useful than a 'smart-ass one-liner', and not all that much longer.