Consistent and Predictable

A 19th Century cookie recipe penciled in an old book lists quantities of sugar, butter, egg, baking soda, and "sweet milk." No mention of flour, or baking time and temperature. Why not?

Well, flour varied from batch to batch depending on the skill of the local miller and the quality of the grain then available for milling. The temperature of the oven varied with the available fuel, peculiarities of the stove and oven, etc.

We in the 21st Century have a hard time imagining such circumstances. By the late 19th Century, sugar was made by a few large manufacturers, and thus was a relatively consistent product. So was baking soda.

Milk varied depending on the time of year and breed of cattle at local dairies. Eggs varied depending on the breed of poultry and what the hens were eating. Those milk and egg variations would be compensated for by varying the amount of flour added to form the dough.

Now we take standardization and uniformity for granted. So much so that we may even forget the delights and surprises that wide variation and a modicum of unpredictability can add to life experience.

Services are much less likely to be standardized. Services depend on service providers. The uncertainties of human interactions come into play, along with myriad other variables. But a shared focus and spirit of collaboration usually supersedes those uncertainties when services are offered and received.