Entropy and the Effort to Maintain
Maintaining equipment, service quality, or a working process takes resources. A plan should account for upkeep as well as the effort of building or changing something.
THE IDEA
Entropy and the Effort to Maintain
'If your project doesn't work, look for the part that you didn't think was important.' – Arthur Bloch
You don't have to look very far to see projects and programmes identified as a cause of problems. But on the other hand, it's important to remember problems can arise because you can't maintain the status quo (e.g. maintain a consistent level of service or maintain product quality). In other words, in a world with entropy, it takes effort to build things, to cope with change and to keep things the same.
Entropy serves here as an analogy for the effort of maintenance. The thermodynamic law concerns entropy in physical systems; it does not by itself establish how an organization will change. The practical point is to budget for the work needed to preserve a desired level of service or quality.
When to use it
When managing a long-term project, schedule periodic reviews and maintenance tasks to counteract entropy.
In customer service, continuously invest in training and process improvements to prevent service degradation.
For personal productivity, recognize that maintaining good habits requires ongoing effort—don't expect them to persist automatically.
When leading organizational change, plan for the follow-up work needed to sustain new practices.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Equipment Maintenance in Manufacturing
A factory neglects routine maintenance on its machinery. Over time, small issues compound, leading to breakdowns, decreased productivity, and costly repairs. The effort to maintain regular upkeep is essential to avoid decline.
Software Technical Debt
A development team adds features while leaving known maintenance issues unresolved. Later changes become harder as those issues interact. The team weighs cleanup and dependency updates against the work it needs to deliver.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
Where in your organization are you currently neglecting maintenance due to the constant effort required?
What hidden factors might be causing decline in performance or quality that you haven't prioritized?
How can you allocate regular energy to preserve the status quo without sacrificing innovation?
References
- The Blunders of Our Governments — Anthony King and Ivor Crewe (2013)
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Beyond the Five Whys Root Cause Analysis and Systems Thinking (James C. Paterson)