We Have Always Done It That Way

What would happen if you took the first draft of something you were writing and actually published and distributed it? We know this feels counterintuitive””why not wait until it has been reviewed, edited, proofed, etc.? Why risk tarnishing your image by putting something out there that is still rough around the edges?

Of course, rhetorical questions like these are precisely why we are writing this book. Those questions assume that the way we used to do it is the way we should do it today””an assumption that mistakenly discounts the speed of change in today’s environment. While “products” have traditionally been tested, refined, and developed within the walls of an organization and then released as finished goods, the influence of the software development community is changing the way things are done. The software industry has been able to grow and be more effective by actually releasing “beta” versions of programs. Users recognize that these products are not finished (thus not perfect), but in exchange for the rough edges, they get to provide feedback to the designers and actually have an impact on the final product. This concept has now been extended to the book publishing field as well, particularly by Pragmatic Programmers Press.

And if you are reading this in hard copy form, then you are experiencing this trend first hand. The five authors of this book decided months ago to write a book, titled “We’ve Always Done It That Way: 101 Things the Association Community Must Change.” Not content to release only a final version, we have been posting sections of the book to the Always Done it That Way blog for some time. With approximately one third of the text written, we decided to publish a small amount of hard copies in beta format. With this limited distribution we intend to get feedback from readers””we want your help in creating a final product that people will find useful, inspiring, and thought-provoking (you can actually provide feedback on the book’s blog at http://www.alwaysdoneitthatway.com).

We are not “concerned” about publishing this draft, because we are open to seeing the value in new ways of doing things. We know that beta publishing demonstrates our trust and faith in our customers. We know that customers that are involved in the creation of the product are more likely to evangelize it. We know that the meaning and relevance of the word “polished” are changing, and we are willing to change the way we have always done things in order to be more successful. Are you?

Tags: The Way We Execute, We've Always Done It That Way //