The Verfahrensanweisung. A controlled document with a number, an author, an approval and a revision history, describing how a defined activity is carried out. It is part of the system, and changing it means going through the system.
business
The proportional inspection
German case law requires more intensive inspection the greater the potential damage. For large deliveries a sample suffices. Where there is any suspicion of a defect, further examination is required.
The standard is what could reasonably be expected of a proper merchant in that particular case — which means the buyer is expected to think about what is at stake before deciding how carefully to look.
Disagree and commit
In Amazon’s 2016 letter to shareholders, Bezos described the practice directly: if you have conviction on a direction even though there is no consensus, say I know we disagree on this but will you gamble with me on it? Disagree and commit?
He added that he does it himself, all the time.
The phrase names the sequence exactly. The disagreement is voiced, and then the decision is executed as though it had not been.
Beta
American software ships in beta and says so. Gmail carried the label for years while being used by millions. The product is released unfinished, on purpose, with the unfinishedness advertised.
Public by default
American software companies commonly configure their internal messaging so that channels are open unless someone actively makes them private, and a private channel is something a colleague may ask about. The default is a policy. Whoever writes it has decided which way information should flow when nobody is thinking about it.
The Nordstrom handbook
The American retailer’s employee handbook became famous for its brevity: use good judgment in all situations, and there will be no additional rules. Whether the card was quite that short is argued about. That it became an American business legend tells you what the audience wanted to believe.
The social plan
Der Sozialplan. Where a German employer restructures in a way that disadvantages employees, the works council can require a negotiated agreement compensating those affected. If the two sides cannot agree, a conciliation board decides and its decision binds. The employer cannot simply proceed.
The quality management system
German firms across manufacturing and services hold ISO 9001 certification, audited externally at intervals, covering documented processes for every activity that affects quality. Certification is frequently a condition of being a supplier at all.
The Mediation Act
Germany passed a dedicated Mediation Act in 2012, defining the process, the mediator’s confidentiality and independence, and providing for judges to refer cases to it. Mediation is defined by the parties reaching their own solution. The mediator has no power to decide.
Ready, fire, aim
The joke inverts the correct order of the three words, and it is used approvingly. The point is that aiming after firing is possible, and that firing supplies information aiming cannot.