[Pil-pc-oceania] Emergent Design: Statistics from the Field

[RussGrayson]

Nice analogy, Nicholas. It suggests a few points to do with the way
permaculture projects are planned and implemented.


On 4/4/08 3:17 PM, "nicholas at themediasociety.org"
<nicholas at themediasociety.org> wrote:

> following on from the idea that permaculture is akin to software development,
> here is very interesting snippet regarding "success" of design and
> implementation ...its pretty easy to swap 'software' with 'permaculture' and
still get the resonance of truth ...the headline: 16% of projects 'succeed'.
You've got to have a pretty thick skin to be a software/permaculture designer me
thinks

> Definitions of Success
> 
> What defines success in software(permaculture) development? In summary, a
> software(permaculture) development project is successful if it delivers the
value expected for no more than the cost expected. This means:
> 
> . The software is ready on time.

When community associations plan a project they should allow plenty...
plenty of time to get things done as life gets in the way of voluntary work.
You cannot achieve the schedules found when you employ people.
 
> . Creating the software(permaculture) cost what it was supposed to cost.
> 
> . The software(permaculture) does what it needs to do.

This suggests not only that design is critical, but so too is the needs
analysis that forms the first phase of the design process (part of site
analysis, if you like).

I think the current National P-Day conversation on this listserv is
instructive in this. There is pressure to implement the idea by assigning a
date but too little (in my opinion) consideration of what it is exactly that
we would implement. We need clarity so that we all address the same thing
and keep the main things the main things.

During the conversation, to define our purposes and aims in scheduling a
National P-Day, I proposed taking a leaf from the Slow Food movement and
adopting a process akin to 'Slow Decisions'. I mentioned Stephen Covey's
notion of our society's affliction with 'urgency addiction' and asked
whether that was a feature we wish to replicate in permaculture. I also
mentioned in support of a slower, considered approach the idea of 'small and
slow solutions' (taking into account comments that we sometimes need to move
fast and big). Then there was the directive that went something like 'use
protracted and thoughtful observation rather than protracted and thoughtless
labor'. 

What I was getting at is similar to what you state above by permaculture
design doing what it is that it needs to do. Rushing about leads us onto
many paths, none of them necessarily the actual path we need to walk. What
we're talking about is about being effective rather than efficient (though
that, too, is important, however efficiency is not effectiveness). As Covey
writes, you can be efficient as climbing a ladder, but if the ladder leans
against the wrong wall, you can't be effective.

 
> . The software(permaculture) is not crippled by bugs.

In the permaculture analogy, that is to do with design. It hints at the need
for trialing the design ideas first, something like prototyping and the
consequent proof-of-technology phases of development.

Had we more publicly accessible permaculture demonstration sites we could
construct, monitor and evaluate the systems we propose and debug them while
in their prototype phase (which is a good role for demonstration sites). I
imagine that this has already happened on private sites but the results are
not available for our common learning.

 
> . The software(permaculture) gets used, and does make a positive impact. It is
> valuable.

Much of the above hints at the need to educate PDC students in basic project
management. I'm unsure whether this happens with the Permaculture
Institute's model of education. My proposal that it appear in PDCs is
because, now, permaculture is possibly set for a period of greater
acceptance and potential growth and that this brings certain requirements
with it, such as appearing credible, achievable and desirable. Adopting
appropriate structures for project development, such as basic project
management, surely would bring a coherent and achievable approach that would
reflect well on the design system.

Thanks.

...Russ Grayson