Yea I really don't know I guess. I think the subtractive / additive distinction is kind of leading people off on a tangent away from what the author was trying to say, or at least what I was took from what the author said.
Really I think what the author was getting at is there are some things that if you don't do them, it's easy for someone else to do them. And there are other things that if you don't do them, no one else is realistically going to come back and take care of them for you. And the whole "shape" analogy is just pointing out that some shapes are easier to fill around than others.
Regarding the whole subtractive vs additive thing, you could build a statue either way. You could carve away at a block of stone, or you could build it up with clay. Both get you a statue at the end. I think some of it just depends on how your mind works.
The thing the article talks about is more of a strategic vs procedural type of distinction I think. Part of being more effective is knowing where to put your effort, and it's a difficult thing to point out to people that their view of what is productive doesn't align with the actual needs of the project.
Really I think what the author was getting at is there are some things that if you don't do them, it's easy for someone else to do them. And there are other things that if you don't do them, no one else is realistically going to come back and take care of them for you. And the whole "shape" analogy is just pointing out that some shapes are easier to fill around than others.
Regarding the whole subtractive vs additive thing, you could build a statue either way. You could carve away at a block of stone, or you could build it up with clay. Both get you a statue at the end. I think some of it just depends on how your mind works.
The thing the article talks about is more of a strategic vs procedural type of distinction I think. Part of being more effective is knowing where to put your effort, and it's a difficult thing to point out to people that their view of what is productive doesn't align with the actual needs of the project.