The first step in any problem solving process, be it an ad hoc (“sausage”) process or a systematic approach, is to recognize that you have a problem. Problems themselves are the impetus for action and for change.
When the problem is felt across multiple groups in the organization - engineering, operations, finance, customer support, marketing, etc. – I find it particularly beneficial to take the time to document the problem clearly. You will find that this is an important step for team building, too.
So many initiative teams do not take the time to document well the problems they are attempting to solve. By not doing so, the team may find that they wind up solving completely different problems. I would characterize that situation as being “off track.” On the other hand, taking the time to document the problems helps the team stay focused on solving those problems. Also, the problem descriptions will serve as a metric for success: in the end, how well did the initiative team solve the documented problems. Here is how I have developed both problem and goal statements for problem solving initiatives. This important step generally requires two meetings held on back-to-back days.
Welcome the Whiners
The first step in this problem solving process is where whiners can shine. Invite them to kick off meeting. In fact, invite all the stakeholders to the kick off meeting. When I facilitate this meeting, I encourage everyone to vent, to describe the problems they have and the troubles these problems cause. This meeting can quickly become very animated as everyone starts to chime in describing their unique view of the problem. I frantically scribble down everyone’s comments on flip charts. Meanwhile, everyone has the opportunity to understand everyone else’s perspective on the problem.
What is happening here? I have noticed several things. Firstly, everyone is allowed the opportunity to vent, and that is a cathartic process in and of itself (I suppose it is like listening to Blues music.) Secondly, the team starts to have an appreciation for each other’s perspective, building up empathy within the team. Finally, I find that the team starts to find commonality in the problem – essentially, the team creates a common enemy. In this process, a bond is formed between the members of this group, a bond formed by the excitement and anticipation that they are embarking collectively to slay that common enemy.
The Beautiful World
The flip side of the terrible world about which everyone complains is the beautiful world that they imagine possible. Once everyone has had a chance to complain about the problem, I adjourn the group and reconvene the following day. At the second meeting, I ask every stakeholder to describe that beautiful world they imagine. You will find that some people find it easier to complain about the existing world than to create a new beautiful world. Some will even continue to complain, just because it is so easy and fun to do. Certainly, if they are introducing new problems unaired the previous day, these problems need to be captured. On the other hand, if they are simply re-hashing the same issues raised the previous day, these team members need to be encouraged to describe the “Beautiful World” with the simple question, “So, how should it be?” In allowing everyone to describe their vision of the beautiful world, themes will begin to emerge. These themes will serve as the goals for the initiative team.
Now that you have descriptions of the problems that the stakeholder’s face, and the vision for the world they would like to create, you have the information you need to formulate the goals for the team and the metrics for success. Vet this information with the executive sponsor for the initiative to ensure that these goals align with the direction that the sponsor envisions. Once you are satisfied that there is alignment, you are ready to move on to the next step: building the team to slay the common enemy and create the Beautiful World.
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Matt Schlegel has helped clients build many beautiful worlds, worlds in which team members are aligned to accomplish seeming miracles. Some examples include shipping American made electronics into the Japanese market; Japanese companies shipping American made products as their own; and, bringing a company into compliance with environment regulations in record time so that product shipments continued uninterrupted. Perhaps the most beautiful world he helped create was the one that eliminated commercial advertisements from TV programming using a DVR.
When the problem is felt across multiple groups in the organization - engineering, operations, finance, customer support, marketing, etc. – I find it particularly beneficial to take the time to document the problem clearly. You will find that this is an important step for team building, too.
So many initiative teams do not take the time to document well the problems they are attempting to solve. By not doing so, the team may find that they wind up solving completely different problems. I would characterize that situation as being “off track.” On the other hand, taking the time to document the problems helps the team stay focused on solving those problems. Also, the problem descriptions will serve as a metric for success: in the end, how well did the initiative team solve the documented problems. Here is how I have developed both problem and goal statements for problem solving initiatives. This important step generally requires two meetings held on back-to-back days.
Welcome the Whiners
The first step in this problem solving process is where whiners can shine. Invite them to kick off meeting. In fact, invite all the stakeholders to the kick off meeting. When I facilitate this meeting, I encourage everyone to vent, to describe the problems they have and the troubles these problems cause. This meeting can quickly become very animated as everyone starts to chime in describing their unique view of the problem. I frantically scribble down everyone’s comments on flip charts. Meanwhile, everyone has the opportunity to understand everyone else’s perspective on the problem.
What is happening here? I have noticed several things. Firstly, everyone is allowed the opportunity to vent, and that is a cathartic process in and of itself (I suppose it is like listening to Blues music.) Secondly, the team starts to have an appreciation for each other’s perspective, building up empathy within the team. Finally, I find that the team starts to find commonality in the problem – essentially, the team creates a common enemy. In this process, a bond is formed between the members of this group, a bond formed by the excitement and anticipation that they are embarking collectively to slay that common enemy.
The Beautiful World
The flip side of the terrible world about which everyone complains is the beautiful world that they imagine possible. Once everyone has had a chance to complain about the problem, I adjourn the group and reconvene the following day. At the second meeting, I ask every stakeholder to describe that beautiful world they imagine. You will find that some people find it easier to complain about the existing world than to create a new beautiful world. Some will even continue to complain, just because it is so easy and fun to do. Certainly, if they are introducing new problems unaired the previous day, these problems need to be captured. On the other hand, if they are simply re-hashing the same issues raised the previous day, these team members need to be encouraged to describe the “Beautiful World” with the simple question, “So, how should it be?” In allowing everyone to describe their vision of the beautiful world, themes will begin to emerge. These themes will serve as the goals for the initiative team.
Now that you have descriptions of the problems that the stakeholder’s face, and the vision for the world they would like to create, you have the information you need to formulate the goals for the team and the metrics for success. Vet this information with the executive sponsor for the initiative to ensure that these goals align with the direction that the sponsor envisions. Once you are satisfied that there is alignment, you are ready to move on to the next step: building the team to slay the common enemy and create the Beautiful World.
________________________
Matt Schlegel has helped clients build many beautiful worlds, worlds in which team members are aligned to accomplish seeming miracles. Some examples include shipping American made electronics into the Japanese market; Japanese companies shipping American made products as their own; and, bringing a company into compliance with environment regulations in record time so that product shipments continued uninterrupted. Perhaps the most beautiful world he helped create was the one that eliminated commercial advertisements from TV programming using a DVR.
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