Link: http://www.etc-architect.com/?p=297
From ETC-Architect
Regardless of our background we all have the tendency to divide our work into units. This tendency is usually called the unit bias. A simple example that we all have experienced occurs in cleaning where we first divide the area in subareas. Once we achieve a unit we feel a level of achievement so we will continue to always finish a given unit of a task or an item at a time before moving forward. This way to structure our work is no problem in all repetitive jobs, however architecture as such often requires multitasking, getting involved with many different views at the same time or thinking holistically.
Additionally we often get forced into even more unit thinking by lazy project management. Project managers traditionally will use unit measurements while not understanding that the lack of successful managing projects on time and on budget in a non-repetitive environment is related to sticking with units. Here I need to point out that using units for repetitive tasks in IT such as service management is absolute valid. So the important part is only to use units in an environment where you have enough data measurements from the past in similar tasks.
