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(1). To annoyingly raise hypothetical arguments whose only purpose is to prolong already endless conference calls.
“Before I let you go, let me just play devil’s advocate here…what if we didn’t change the filter in the coffee machine…? What would happen then?”
Definition
(1). A word consultants and IT guys use to identify systems or processes that decrease worker productivity, in an attempt to develop better methods (also known as efficiencies).
“So, tell me Andy, would you consider the company’s onboarding process one of your pain points? You mentioned in your questionnaire that it takes two weeks and involves seven different levels of approval….hmm…let’s just mark that down as a ‘yes’.”
Real Life Lingo
It’s always tough to hear when someone has a pain point about something, because you know it’s never just about that one thing. I was once in a meeting with a local nursery where everything we said and everything we recommended was one of this guy’s pain points. “We really need to update your meta descriptions, they are currently all blank except for the homepage that simply reads, “HOME OF THE BUSH KING”, and we really don’t think you are sending the right message here.” What does this guy say to me? “Nope, can’t do it, updating code is one of our pain points here.”
Godspeed Bush King, Godspeed.
(1). To think about; a clever way for attorneys who do not know the answer to a question to buy time to have a junior associate research the issue, while still appearing thoughtful and knowledgeable to their client.
“I’m going to have to noodle on this a bit more before giving you an opinion, John. Now, at $750 an hour…carry the 4…I should be able to get back to you next Tuesday.”
