Many years ago while waiting in line at Corinne Offset at 737 Broadway to pick up a small printing job, my eye caught a sign which expressed a concept unique to me at the time. It said: "Pick two out of three: Fast Good Cheap."As I pondered the possible combinations of two, I saw the cleverness of this trinity of attributes. Make something Fast and Good, but then it will not be cheap.
Fast and cheap, but it will not be good. Good and cheap but it will take a long time. In design and engineering, the concept of a triangle built on these three constraints is known as the Project Triangle (the Project Management Triangle uses Scope, Time and Cost.) In these triangles, the constraints are interrelated and it is not possible to optimize all three.
With businesses, I do believe it is possible to find all three at a high level and when you do, these are the places that are exalted. B&H Photo is an example where you can get Good, Fast and Cheap - that's why so many love shopping there.
In the world of restaurants, the Zagat Survey of restaurants grades restaurants with four criteria: Food, Decor, Service, Cost. However, you could grade restaurants using a Project Triangle, by ignoring decor. Many rate restaurants this way, especially where a customer is not looking for a true dining experience.
L'Annam at 121 University place has been in business for 7 years. The owner manager, Michael Zhao, is from China, the host John is from Malaysia and the cook, Vietnamese. It gets some very mixed reviews. Many of the complaints are due to lack of authenticity. Your eating experience there will be much more enjoyable if you do not expect something like authentic Pho - for that, perhaps head elsewhere.
Most agree that this place is Fast and Cheap. How Good the food is, is where the disagreements lie. For a place in this price range, I find the atmosphere very roomy and pleasant. I are always treated cordially by host John with a perpetual smile and who I have now nicknamed the Happy Man. If you visit, see how it stacks up in the Project Triangle ...
Some Fun: Variations have been applied to many human endeavors.
College: Work, Sleep, or Play – Pick two
Men: Handsome, High-Earner, Faithful – Pick two
Bicycles: Strong, Light, Cheap - Pick any two
3 comments:
haha! good one Brian! Does that mean that Handsome and High-earners males can never be faithful?
College is always hard work and (short) sleep to me. And I hardly get any sleep - I guess the triangle works. Thanks for learning me something new and brining this nice article!
ha, typical asian being all-smiles to whites all the time. wht a clown
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