Dan Grabauskas is not alone

By adamg on Tue, 07/29/2008 - 9:11am

Seems other MBTA managers also enjoy the convenience of commuting to work in SUVs funded by the T.

Topics:

The T

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Comments

Eating One's Own Dog Food

By Marc
Tue, 07/29/2008 - 9:43am

I wonder if the beginning to fixing the MBTA might be a strong, enforced mandate that all employees commute using the system, with exceptions only for those who cannot do so due to lacking coverage in their locations or schedules.

In engineering it's called Eating Your Own Dog Food, and is widely thought to holistically improve the quality of products by involving all of the creators of the product directly into the experience of using it.

Who would one talk to about making that happen? The Governor's office?

One of the more distasteful metaphors

By adamg
Tue, 07/29/2008 - 9:56am

Good point, but, dear engineers and enterprise-networking marketing execs, please shut your kimonos and stop using that particular phrase. While I think T officials should ride their own system, I have to tell you I wouldn't think any less of executives at Ralston-Purina if I learned that they do not actually eat their own dog food.

Riding the T in an improperly....

By Michael Kerpan
Tue, 07/29/2008 - 10:03am

...wrapped and tied kimono would be a rather bad idea.

I guess executives at R-P could settle for having their own dogs eat the dog food...

According to the wiki entry

By ShadyMilkMan
Tue, 07/29/2008 - 10:26am

According to the wiki entry in that link about dogfoord Sibel systems uses the term "sipping your own champagne" instead. I like that a little more.

perfectly valid phrase

By Brett
Tue, 07/29/2008 - 11:45am

, I have to tell you I wouldn't think any less of executives at Ralston-Purina if I learned that they do not actually eat their own dog food.

That's because they don't make human food. I would think less of them if they didn't feed their pets Ralston-Purina food.

but whatever happened...

By Spatch
Tue, 07/29/2008 - 1:14pm

...to "don't get high on your own supply"?

That also applies...

By Marc
Wed, 07/30/2008 - 4:44pm

...to "don't get high on your own supply"?

That's funny.

The high-supply one applies to distributors: each item they user, they are not selling and are eating the cost of. In addition, if it is a vice product, they are suffering any effects of over usage themselves instead of providing that opportunity to customers.

The dog food one applies to people creating systems: if they are NOT using the system, they are missing out on their own perceptions of what needs improvement, etc.

How about this contract change

By SwirlyGrrl
Tue, 07/29/2008 - 11:56am

Each executive would be required to use the transit system on a long-range commute at least once a month. They would be assigned a route and an arrival time at random on one day each month. They would be fined if they arrived late regardless of the reason, and would not be allowed to use their special passes, but would have to buy tickets.

One month a year, only in January through March, would be "accomplish the commute in a wheelchair month".

I think things would change.