As I close out the Painting Log on first half of 2015, time to assess productivity at the painting desk. Before tabulating the numbers, my sense was that 2015 started off with a bang and ended with a whimper. Travel for pleasure and work cut into quality painting time and other distractions kept my eye away from the painting desk. One of most enjoyable distractions has been the solo Battle of Raab game being fought out on my gaming table. This battle has been raging since the end of April with a conclusion not yet in sight.
At the beginning of 2015, projects targeted for work included the 15mm Risorgimento, 18mm 1799 Suvorov, 28mm Napoleonics, and a start on the fledgling 28mm Great Italian Wars project (see Project Plans 2015). Examining Chart 1 (Adjusted Counts by Era) shows the Big 3 eras worked were Napoleonics, Risorgimento, and Spanish-American War. As Meatloaf once sang, "two out of three ain't bad."
Even with the introduction of some Spanish-American War troops into the mix, Penninsular War and Italian Reunification dominated all others.
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| Chart 1 |
When painting totals are considered from size or scale, 28mm garnered over half of all production. All 28mm figures originated from the Peninsular War project.
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| Chart 2 |
Returning to my thesis that productivity began with a surge and then tapered off, let the evidence speak. The "surge" was primarily confined to FEB and MAR as a number of Peninsular War units were pushed off from the production line. The second quarter of 2015 witnessed a marked decline in output. Still much variety in both era and scale. With a bit of discipline and focus, I can reverse this declining output tendency in the second half of the year.
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| Chart 3 |
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| Chart 4 |
In the overall scheme of monitoring painting production, 2015 appears to be on track for meeting my goals set out at the beginning of the year. My projected goal was to paint 900 figures and accrue 3,800 Adjusted Painting Points. At the end of June, 516 figures have crossed the painting desk worth 1,644 painting points. Figure counts are ahead of schedule while Adjusted Painting Points lag projections. One remedy to boost Adjusted Painting Points is to paint more 28mm figures. Luckily, I have a bunch of 28s in The Lead Pile!
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| Chart 5 |
My 2015 goal to make some progress towards the 1799 project has not been met with much success. While the project did experience a unit mustering off from the painting desk, that success was confined to one, 12 figure cavalry unit. A couple of Austrian units are primed and in the painting queue but are still awaiting a painting slot. To uphold one of the 2015 goals of getting an inaugural 1799 project game onto the table, I better start planning for it. While I could substitute combatants in the later period uniforms, I prefer to field the game using the earlier uniforms and primarily AB and Eureka figures. More cavalry and artillery could be called-up, for sure. What battle should I consider? Something small, of course.
I was working on a six month update, and then you posted this. It always leaves me feeling so inadequate when it comes to applying proper analytical tools.
ReplyDeleteHey, sorry about that! I, perhaps, go a bit overboard but if you track it might as well report it. This semi-annual ritual helps keep me focused and motivated. You could send me your data and you too could have colorful pie and vbar charts!
DeleteNo need. I actually look forward to these updates. I agree with you that blogging is a great tool to maintain forward momentum with completing hobby projects.
DeleteThat's some heavy analysis, Jonathan. And the years only half over! Your graphs make me wonder if this is part of your line of work? Quite thorough and professionally done. Looking forward to what you have planned for the rest of the year.
ReplyDeleteDean! Not so heavy once you set it up the first time. After that, simply rinse and repeat!
DeleteAs for work, I have done much data analysis as it is an integral part of the job descriptions of the various companies to whom I have been employed. With degrees in applied mathematics and econometrics and a long analytical career, I guess you could expect nothing less!
That is a thorough analysis. I'm blown away by your productivity, but it does make me wonder if I should keep a tally of what I produce in a year. I could go back over the blog, but I don't always post everything that I paint.
ReplyDeleteNot to speak for Jonathan, but I have found that the running tally tends to help maintain focus. I also don't keep a painter's diary, so the blog helps to remind me what paints/styles I used on a particular project when I want to add to it.
DeleteFrom my own perspective, keeping a painting tally is very useful. Under the old adage that you cannot manage what you do not measure, painting counts are a necessary first step.
DeleteMy database of painting counts goes back to 1995 and offers a useful trigger for remembering what I have accomplished. The Painting log is a great motivator too.
I heartily recommend the activity!
Jake, go ahead and speak for me! We come from similar backgrounds and employ the Scientific Method in our hobby too.
DeleteAs a motivator, the Painting Log helps but having you maintain a Log is also a painting motivator for me. I some times feel the pressure of being a party in an arms race as you post unit after unit.
What fun!
Oh good, so I am not alone in that. Every time I see Reconquista or Renaissance era stuff go up, I feel the pressure start to mount as well.
DeleteWhat a thorough analysis of ones painting! Unfortunately my painting rate would not warrant such a graph.
ReplyDeleteChristopher
Perhaps not but it might prove enlightening.
DeleteTo invert Stalin, your QUALITY has a QUANTITY all its own!
Interesting as always! While I keep a record of all my painted figures, I neither track nor analyze productivity systematically. I suppose that in some ways reflects the differing nature of our occupations, where much of my time an effort is spent in the here and now, addressing problems as they arise, and trying to prevent future opnes.
ReplyDeleteThat is certainly started to change, although most of us feel that is not necessarily for the better. The converse concept is that just because it is what you can more easily track and measure, doesn't necessarily mean that it is what is actually important! :-)
Peter, glad you find this bit of analysis interesting. For me, it helps bring some order out of the chaos. If you are already tracking output, you are already capturing the data needed.
DeleteIn the medical field, there are many hoops to hop through. Many of those hoops are requirements that the Government deems important. Those goals may not necessarily align with one's physician training and expertise.
Not only do they not necessarily align with our training and expertise, they are often of questionable value and/or out of date by the time they are finalized. Many of these issues (and truly important ones as well) involve changing people's behavior. While certainly possible, it is not easy to do, and such change is not easy to sustain, either!
Delete