XM Efficiency Principles

Introduction

It is commonly said that in the production of any given product - one can achieve any 2 of these 3: good, fast, cheap:

1. You can obtain a great product at low cost, but it will take a lot of time
2. You can obtain a great product fast - but it won't be cheap
3. You can obtain a cheap product really fast - but it won't be good.

This document is intended to explore the blocks to maintaining efficiency of an Extreme Build.

Roles

Roles:

• 2 Instructors
• 6 Group Leads selected from the participant pool 2 months prior to the build for training. Commitment required is participation in 4 build training webinars. All documentation is produced 2 months prior to the event.
• Documenter
• Video person - runs 4 time lapse cameras and a main camera.
• Hospitality - cooking, accommodations
• Social media person - posts to Facebook, Minds, and reshares participants' posts.

Principles

• Focus is on immersion training of participants so they pick up skills while doing meaningful work
• Any change propagates downstream. A change typically has downstream consequences that participants and even instructors can miss. On-the-spot changes require changes in all downstream documentation. Any change that is not in the plan - especially "better ideas" - should be avoided at all costs.
• Do not feel bad about missing "better ideas." The build is already excellent and it works well enough - no changes are needed to make it "excellent." The quest for "excellent" continues for the lifetime of the project, and improvements are implemented in successive builds after adequate cost-benefit analysis.

• There is a space for "better ideas". Documenters are allocated specifically to this task. They are responsible for documenting better ideas - on video with an explanation, no matter how small.

• Follow the printed instructions. If you have any questions, ask - do not make on-the-fly changes.
• Any changes to materials purchases or procedures must be approved by the instructors. The instructors make sure that these are documented.
• Build follows a "Window of Opportunity" approach. The workshop is designed for continuity such that all critical parts are completed for a complete build. Critical parts will be finished, but some may be left for finishing after the workshop. The instructions delineate which steps must be finished for any given build window.
• Build is most successful with up to 100 active builders. Above that, current procedures and learning experience for a 1500 sf home are not accelerated by having more people. Optimal build crew is 50 people. It gets easier with more than 50, and above 100, many people will be socializing much more than building.

Links

• Church in a Day