A Book I Have Not Read in Over Ten Years Still Shapes How I Work

The other day, I was organizing my bookshelf when I found a book I had not seen in years.

It was Dandori-ryoku—roughly, “The Power of Preparation”—by Takashi Saito.

I cannot remember the last time I read it. I do not think I have opened it in at least ten years.

Even so, if someone asked me today, “Which book has helped you most at work?” this would probably be one of my answers.

I have forgotten most of the details. But its most important idea still remains in the way I work:

Much of a job is decided by how well you prepare before you begin.

Later, I studied project management formally. I learned about WBS, risk management, stakeholder management, and many other theories and methods.

Looking back, however, their basic ideas overlap considerably with what I read in that book many years ago.

Capable People May Look as Though They Have Not Started

Even in software development, the fastest workers do not necessarily begin writing code immediately.

First, they think.

What needs to change? What else will be affected? Who needs to review it? How will we roll it back if something goes wrong?

To an observer, it may look as though they have not done anything yet.

But by this point, a large part of the work is already done.

The people who worry me are those who say:

“Understood. I will give it a try.”

Then they start working immediately.

Because they act quickly, they appear to work quickly too.

Thirty minutes later, they say:

“Sorry, we have a bit of a problem.”

Working fast and starting fast are not the same thing.

How Far Ahead Can You Think?

One idea from Dandori-ryoku that particularly stayed with me was the importance of thinking two steps ahead.

The book used many examples, including railway timetables and presentations by the architect Tadao Ando.

The point is not merely to think about everything going according to plan.

What will you do if a problem occurs? How will you answer if the other person asks this question? What will you do if they make an additional request?

In other words, preparation is not simply about making a plan.

It is about simulating the future.

When I later studied project management, I learned the formal names for these activities.

Break down the tasks. Identify the risks. Identify the people involved. Prepare a response in case something goes wrong.

Each of these has its own systematic methods, of course.

But the idea at the root of them all is quite simple:

“Before you begin, think as far ahead as you can.”

Perhaps Experience Means Being Able to See What Comes Next

When I compare the way I worked when I was young with the way I work now, this may be a larger difference than any improvement in my technical skills.

“If we continue like this, it will cause conflict at this point.”

“Someone will definitely ask about this requirement later.”

“We should decide how to undo this work before we begin.”

I notice these things earlier than I used to.

It is not a special ability.

It is because I have learned painful lessons many times in the past.

After one failure, you learn to look for that problem next time.

After another failure, you learn to look one step before it.

That is how you gradually learn to see two steps ahead.

Pulling Dandori-ryoku from my bookshelf after more than ten years reminded me of this.

I have forgotten the details of the book.

But its way of thinking still remains in the way I work.

Perhaps a truly useful book is not one whose every word you remember.

It is one that changes how you work, even after you have forgotten what it said.

That is probably the kind of book that gives you the most for your money.