Horstman Curve

Summary

If you want something to get easier then increased effort gets you there. It could be putting in extra time to improve the process, adding structure, working on automation or putting people in place to make things easier.

The regions

The McGuire Hump is on the X-axis 1 through 5. It’s when you’re putting in more effort to get things better. It’s painful but you have to push through to realize those benefits.

The increased effort in the McGuire Hump (going from 7 to 9 above) falls in the important and not urgent category on an Eisenhower Matrix. If it were urgent you’d already be doing it and it’s important because it gets you to a better state.

The Land of Milk and Honey is on the X-axis 9 through 10. Your persistence has paid off and things are easier.

Examples

• You have a team that’s overwhelmed. To get to a better spot you need to staff up. Hiring is hard, takes a lot of time but it eventually gets you where you need to be.
• You have a process that’s time consuming like manual tests or deploying your software. You can keep treading water at but if you invest in automation things will get easier.
• Your responsibilities are expanding. You need to prioritize coaching someone to lead a team. When the coaching is done you’ll have more time for your increased role.

Why I posted this

I wanted to share the Horstman Curve with a co-worker and I thought there’d be an image available online. There was none so here we are. I recommend listening to the Manager Tools episode on the Horstman Curve where they introduce the idea. I also recommend paying for a license to their content. Their material has helped me immeasurably.