On Dec 21, 2011, at 10:12 PM, Tim Mansour wrote:

> I'm trying to explain to co-workers that there's no logical reason to
> store cups upside-down in the cupboard. But all I can get as
> explanation is "that's how we always do it". Habits take on a
> different shape, too, when they're group habits...

Well, it depends on how frequently they're used, how dusty your environment, whether the cupboards have doors or not... but there is a logical reason not to store them upside-down: if they're placed in the cupboard damp they'll be considerably slower to dry.

But as habits go, if there's no reason to store them upside down, and there's no better reason not too, then it really doesn't matter and you'd do just as well to adopt the current process. The key lies in remembering the reasoning behind a decision such that you can effectively revisit it when the situation on the ground changes.

When companies have poor institutional memory about things like this (the transport document numbers that is, not the cups) it's incumbent upon the developer to examine every way the number is used to divine the requirements. Perhaps there was a valid reason in the past (the building was under construction, so storing the cups upside-down meant you only needed to wipe the rim) that is no longer applicable. If that is the case, the question becomes one of whether continuing the practice or adopting a new one represents the path of least resistance.

Cheers,
-corn


Cornelius Walker
The Proof Group
http://proofgroup.com/