Thread by @mrhick01

As we continue to engage in #ADOS justice work, we've been catching criticisms from cynics, some of them vehement, who mock us for always talking about data. "Data, data, blah, blah..."

There's a critical context argument that gets missed here. (1/)

It's critical that an ADOS Agile Activist have knowledge of what the numbers translate to (in understanding #ADOSLife), BUT YOU ALSO NEED THE NUMBERS.

Why do I bring this up? It falls back to some of the arguments going on in our world. (2/)

Many a business has failed due to very savvy & otherwise smart people making poor decisions & reactions to changes & data because they believed in feel & relationships over measurables. #ADOS (3/)

Mistakes can be made by becoming so much of a numbers wonk that we might try to reduce every strategic decision to a metric, and that doesn't work.

HOWEVER, having those numbers combined with know-how & political education is POWER. #ADOS (4/)

What we are battling are folks who are stuck on old school conceptions of Black liberation and they are fiercely fighting it—because it is invariably telling them things that they do not want to hear.

Or don't understand. Or are wrong about.

Stay steadfast. #ADOSAgile (5/x)

Ah yes! I have more!

THE POWER OF FEEDBACK: WHY DATA MATTERS

Even our smartest of the smart are not always right or infallible.

That's why measurement & metrics matter. From business to politics, down the small-p level with mobilizing and organizing. (6/)

Even these talented people are that—just people—& they (& we) can fall into all types of biases & cognitive mistakes).

Getting feedback on that MAKES YOU BETTER, not weaker. (7/)

This is why we must remain #ADOSAgile. Feedback from the people in our community whether working locally, feedback via international social media while we engage the world in our justice claim.

Knowing where we can gain better efficiency & extract wins for our work matters. (8/)

Remember the elements of #ADOSAgile:

1. Individuals & engagement over process & tools;
2. Working results over comprehensive documentation;
3. People collaboration over contract negotiation;
4. Responding to change over following a plan.

(9/)

Individuals & Engagement: we continue to interact and dialogue with our people: locally as we knock doors and in our meeting spaces. We gather feedback about their concerns & priorities, we share our #ADOSLife stories.

Feedback gives us data to prioritize. (10/)

Working results: At its heart, #ADOSAgile understands that working solutions that ADOS can use right here & right now matters. Our charge is to develop an ongoing "living document" of practices & patterns, no matter how small or basic the ask. (11/)

People collaboration: ADOS chapters with #ADOSAgile people developing localized tools that provide training & educational support to our neighborhoods & communities. We learn from the people, & develop the media on how they can do it. (12/)

Responding to change: In a 21st century global economy that is increasingly automated world, we cannot be beholden to some fixed, linear plan. (13/)

...

It limits us to a zero-sum, binary outcome of success/fail with a people who CANNOT AFFORD TO FAIL (a completely wealthless people by 2053)

#ADOSAgile workers must learn to anticipate & react to change & be dynamic w/our solutions. (14/)

Then what do we do? We gather more & new feedback, accomplish our next steps, gather more feedback & move on to the next challenges.

THIS IS CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT. Through placing a new focus on smaller tasks, it builds victories that build confidence. (15/stop, for now) #ADOS

THE ORIGINAL ARTICLE, for those who haven't read it and/or are new to this thread:

medium.com/@michaelrhicks…

#ADOS #ADOSAgile (16/)