Learnings.org

BAU = Business As Usual
'Business as usual’ activities are recognisable because:

* there are known policies, processes, procedures or precedents which may be followed
* there is virtually no risk (as opposed to the problems which often occur in meeting deadlines etc)
* the activities are not new, but repeated (albeit not necessarily very frequently), therefore:
* they do not offer change

Projects are different from ‘business as usual’ activities because they have a number of distinguishing features:

* they bring about change
* projects may offer investment opportunities
* they have unknown elements, therefore they create risk

As in...
The new project work must not affect the BAU work.

The idea that the minute you start a new job, or a new task, you can immediately make an intelligent and significant contribution, despite not having a clue what the hell is going on.

As in...
Most often encountered in references to new hires, recruiters and managers often like to use phrases like this: "We're excited for you to join the team Sammy. You're going to have to dive right in, and hit the ground running on that big Balls in the Air project. We're counting on you to pull through on this!"

It often translates, loosely, if you were chatting with friends outside of work, to something like this: "Sammy, we don't have a damn clue what the hell we're doing with big Balls in the Air, and neither do you, so, since we don't have budget or processes in place to bring you up to speed, you get this beast which lets us veterans watch you sink or swim and gives us a scapegoat while also freeing up our schedules to leave work early. Thanks!"

A term created by marketers/researchers/morons to describe the collective insights gained from a particular campaign or experiment. It's not recognized as a real word but seems to be making some serious rounds throughout the business world.

As in...
James: So in conclusion, after 90 days we have managed to acquire enough learnings to drive the cost to land one customer down almost 34%, sir.

Richard (Dick): Amazing work, Jimbo. How else can we leverage said learnings to create a value-add for the R&D group in El Paso?

a term given to the situation where a team enters into a phase of analysis that only ends when the project is cancelled.

As in...
The program could have gone in many directions, but with everyone's input, it's only led to analysis paralysis.

A frantic state usually brought on by a series of fire drills to which the individual is unable to respond.

As in...
Marcy was running around all afternoon with her hair on fire trying to get that deck done for tomorrow's board meeting.

The integration of two or more ideas, work streams, work efforts.

As in...
Let's dovetail the results from our quarterly numbers and client numbers to get the true overview of where we stand.

Differentiators, ideas, and strategies that are going to set your company apart from the competition

As in...
Team, we need to regroup today to finalize the win themes on the Buddy Whack-it pitch. So far we've come up with helmets for slow kids and built in 911 for accidental spring back. In short, OPP Worldwide + Pre-Prevention = Success, as 1 + 1 = 3. Make it tangible, holistic, turn key, easy. Does 2pm work for everyone?

see previous - more needs to be said about this important term

As in...
If you are wondering - Is "learnings" a word - No. It is not. IF you find yourself asking yourself, or others - "How do I use learnings in a sentence?" - You don't. Stop. Now. You are about to look really dumb. IF you find yourself trying to apply learnings - Stop. You will get hurt. They don't exist. IF you want to share learnings, don't be fooled - they are only in your head... don't share that insanity with anyone else. IF you try to teach others that learnings really is a real word - You will be Chuck Norris Beard-Fist Punched in the face. When you least expect it. IF you know the name of the person that tried to lie to you and teach you a word, learnings, that is not a word - Stop using it immediately, and un-friend them. Now. You're wasting valuable time. Really.

Used at the end of the sentence in a business setting to make sure everyone is on board with no further discussion. More effective in using "So" in the beginning.

As in...
So, all parties should be on board as well as the client, right?

Often used to mark the point of the conversation or document where the speaker or writer is going to attempt to summarize the learnings into a concise, easily understood statement.

As in...
Well John, my experience with Jacoby and Hobins has been extremely valuable to me. I've been able to work along side some brilliant minds and bounce ideas off of very respected people in the field of trading. And although it pains me to have to send you this news by text message, I must get it off my chest. In a nutshell, I think you're a jackass and I quit.