Use your time for problems that are truly important.
Hard as it may be to walk away once you’re aware of it, just because a problem is there doesn’t mean you have to solve it. Ask yourself and your colleagues, “What will happen if we don’t solve this problem?” If the answer is, “not much,” then turn your attention to something more important. If you don’t know what will happen, find out before you undertake a problem-solving project. It should be clear to you and everyone else involved that the problem is worth the effort-and expense-to fix it.
Quantify the cost of the problem quickly, but as realistically as you can. Include lost opportunity costs as well as real expenses such as staff time to deal with the problem, travel expenses, etc. Use actual costs where you can; estimate where you can’t. Then guesstimate what it will cost to analyze and fix it. Write your analysis down, stating all your assumptions explicitly. Get a colleague to verify that your assumptions and estimates are reasonable. Start with a rough “order of magnitude” estimate. That may be enough to answer the question of whether you should proceed. If it’s not clear, especially if the cost to solve it will be high, do a more careful analysis.
If it will cost more to fix than to live with the problem, or if the number is even close, perhaps your resources (time, people, money) are better spent on other projects. If you decide to proceed anyway, you can do so with a better understanding of what you’re undertaking. On the other hand, if you can demonstrate that the cost of the problem is much higher than the cost of solving it, using estimates based on reasonable assumptions, it will generally be much easier to get the resources you need. You can use your written analysis as a sales tool to help win support for your decision to proceed or not.
We have to learn to distinguish those things that are truly important from those that are merely urgent.
– Jerry D. Campbell
Copyright 2007. Jeanne Sawyer. All Rights Reserved.
Jeanne Sawyer helps her clients solve expensive, chronic problems, such as those that cause operational disruptions and cause customers to take their business elsewhere. These tips are excerpted from her book, When Stuff Happens: A Practical Guide to Solving Problems Permanently. Now also an ebook, find out about it and get more free information on problem solving at her web site: http://www.sawyerpartnership.com/.
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.png00StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2009-07-16 22:36:482016-05-02 18:17:39Problem-Solving Success Tip – Use Your Time for Problems That are Truly Important
Management observation programs seek to reinforce desired behaviors while also capturing data to enable the identification of improvement opportunities. Both of these objectives require observation repetition in order to be effective; enough reinforcement points to alter or establish reflexive behaviors and an adequate number of data points collected to enable a statistically sound conclusion to be formed. Realizing the desired number of observations is most easily achieved through a quota system.
Hi there! Gain access to this article with a StrategyDriven Insights Library – Total Access subscription or buy access to the article itself.
Subscribe to the StrategyDriven Insights Library
Sign-up now for your StrategyDriven Insights Library – Total Access subscription for as low as $15 / month (paid annually).
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/Quota.jpg423284StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2009-07-14 20:04:582018-08-07 22:35:15Management Observation Program Best Practice 4 – Observation Quotas
StrategyDriven Podcasts focus on the tools and techniques executives and managers can use to improve their organization’s alignment and accountability to ultimately achieve superior results. These podcasts elaborate on the best practice and warning flag articles on the StrategyDriven website.
five shifts CMOs need to make in order to transform themselves from tactical marketer to corporate growth leader
the most important customer data sets in making the shift
how CMOs can demonstrate bottom line results
benefits for the CMO and organization for making the shift
Additional Information
In addition to the incredible insights Scott shares in The Shift and this special edition podcast are the additional resources accessible from his book’s website and his organization’s website, www.Prophet.com. Scott’s book, The Shift, can be purchased by clicking here.
Complimenting The Shift, are Scott’s books on the brand asset management including:
The strength of our community grows with the additional insights brought by our expanding member base. Please consider rating us on iTunes by clicking here. Rating the StrategyDriven Podcast and providing your comments online improves our ranking and helps us attract new listeners which, in turn, helps us grow our community.
Thank you again for listening to the StrategyDriven Podcast!
About the Author
Scott Davis, author of The Shift, is a senior partner at Prophet, a global marketing consultancy. Scott was an adjunct professor at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University and has guest lectured at many top MBA programs including Harvard, New York University, Columbia, and the University of Chicago. He has worked with top executives at GE, Johnson & Johnson, IBM, Best Buy, Sara Lee, and Boeing. Scott is frequently quoted by leading business publications including The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, USA Today, and Business Week. To read Scott’s full biography, click here.
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.png00StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2009-07-09 13:14:162015-10-07 23:09:13StrategyDriven Podcast Special Edition 16b – An Interview with Scott Davis, author of The Shift, part 2 of 2
It seems obvious, but how many times have we gone to a problem-solving meeting and the discussion started with either whose fault was it or an assertion about the proper solution?
Instead, start by explaining what the problem is – what went wrong, what the symptoms are, what the impact on your business and your customer’s business is. These are the things that someone knows at this point in the problem solving process. If the someone is not you, and you’re leading the problem-solving effort, you need to do some research to find out. No guesses or assumptions allowed: the problem description must give the facts clearly and accurately.
Write it down. Writing the problem down forces you to describe it carefully, completely and unambiguously. The statement is a valuable tool to help focus your team on the real problem and avoid wasting time on extraneous issues. Everyone who reads it should understand what the problem is and why it’s important. No jumping ahead, either: you don’t know yet what caused the problem much less what you will do to fix it.
The written statement can also be used as a “sales tool” to explain what problem you’re solving and why it’s important. Use it to make sure you have the support you’ll need from management, your customer and any other key players. This is especially important if the significance of the problem is not universally understood or accepted.
The problem is defined when everybody who reads your problem statement, including you, understands what will be different when the problem is solved and your team agrees that it describes the correct problem.
Copyright 2007. Jeanne Sawyer. All Rights Reserved.
Jeanne Sawyer helps her clients solve expensive, chronic problems, such as those that cause operational disruptions and cause customers to take their business elsewhere. These tips are excerpted from her book, When Stuff Happens: A Practical Guide to Solving Problems Permanently. Now also an ebook, find out about it and get more free information on problem solving at her web site: http://www.sawyerpartnership.com/.
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.png00StrategyDrivenhttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngStrategyDriven2009-07-07 13:37:062016-05-02 18:15:59Problem-Solving Success Tip: Define the Problem First
July 1, 2009 marked the second anniversary of the StrategyDriven website and we have experienced considerable growth and innovation! Since July 1, 2008, we have tripled our number of registered members and have grown to a peak of:
1,035 registered members
9,107 unique monthly visitors
22,090 monthly site visits
69,519 monthly page views
Our website has also grown, now offering insights on strategic business planning and tactical execution through:
229 principle, best practice, and warning flag postings – covering 24 management and leadership categories
27 episodes of the StrategyDriven Podcast – ranked in the top three of all business podcasts during the last 12 months and twice voted as the number one business podcast!
20 Interviews
5 whitepapers
8 models and
the monthly edition of the StrategyDriven Newsletter – click here to sign up
As a community, we are fortunate to have had several of our members share their insights with us through posted comments including:
Podcast Alley (www.PodcastAlley.com) – ranked number 1, 2, or 3 of over 2500 business podcasts each month and
over 100 other websites linking to StrategyDriven
Thank You!
The StrategyDriven family would like to thank you, our readers and listeners, for helping to make our second year even more successful than the first! We truly appreciate your time and your insights and we look forward to an exciting year to come.
All the Best,
Karen Juliano
Editor-in-Chief and
Director, Communications and Marketing StrategyDriven
https://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.png00Nathan Iveshttps://www.strategydriven.com/wp-content/uploads/SDELogo5-300x70-300x70.pngNathan Ives2009-07-05 11:06:452013-06-30 15:11:56Celebrating Our Second Year… Continuing a Trend of Innovation
A VETERAN OWNED SMALL BUSINESS | Call or text now for a FREE consultation: +1 (770) 765-3692 | Website Login
Business Programs
Problem-Solving Success Tip – Use Your Time for Problems That are Truly Important
/in Decision-Making/by Jeanne SawyerUse your time for problems that are truly important.
Hard as it may be to walk away once you’re aware of it, just because a problem is there doesn’t mean you have to solve it. Ask yourself and your colleagues, “What will happen if we don’t solve this problem?” If the answer is, “not much,” then turn your attention to something more important. If you don’t know what will happen, find out before you undertake a problem-solving project. It should be clear to you and everyone else involved that the problem is worth the effort-and expense-to fix it.
Quantify the cost of the problem quickly, but as realistically as you can. Include lost opportunity costs as well as real expenses such as staff time to deal with the problem, travel expenses, etc. Use actual costs where you can; estimate where you can’t. Then guesstimate what it will cost to analyze and fix it. Write your analysis down, stating all your assumptions explicitly. Get a colleague to verify that your assumptions and estimates are reasonable. Start with a rough “order of magnitude” estimate. That may be enough to answer the question of whether you should proceed. If it’s not clear, especially if the cost to solve it will be high, do a more careful analysis.
If it will cost more to fix than to live with the problem, or if the number is even close, perhaps your resources (time, people, money) are better spent on other projects. If you decide to proceed anyway, you can do so with a better understanding of what you’re undertaking. On the other hand, if you can demonstrate that the cost of the problem is much higher than the cost of solving it, using estimates based on reasonable assumptions, it will generally be much easier to get the resources you need. You can use your written analysis as a sales tool to help win support for your decision to proceed or not.
We have to learn to distinguish those things that are truly important from those that are merely urgent.
– Jerry D. Campbell
Copyright 2007. Jeanne Sawyer. All Rights Reserved.
Article Source:
http://www.bestmanagementarticles.com
http://crisis-management.bestmanagementarticles.com
About the Author:
Jeanne Sawyer helps her clients solve expensive, chronic problems, such as those that cause operational disruptions and cause customers to take their business elsewhere. These tips are excerpted from her book, When Stuff Happens: A Practical Guide to Solving Problems Permanently. Now also an ebook, find out about it and get more free information on problem solving at her web site: http://www.sawyerpartnership.com/.
Management Observation Program Best Practice 4 – Observation Quotas
/in Management Observation Program, Premium/by StrategyDrivenHi there! Gain access to this article with a StrategyDriven Insights Library – Total Access subscription or buy access to the article itself.
Subscribe to the StrategyDriven Insights Library
Sign-up now for your StrategyDriven Insights Library – Total Access subscription for as low as $15 / month (paid annually).
Not sure? Click here to learn more.
Buy the Article
Don’t need a subscription? Buy access to Management Observation Program Best Practice 4 – Observation Quotas for just $2!
Access the Article Now!
StrategyDriven Podcast Special Edition 16b – An Interview with Scott Davis, author of The Shift, part 2 of 2
/in Marketing & Sales, StrategyDriven Podcast/by StrategyDrivenSpecial Edition 16b – An Interview with Scott Davis, author of The Shift, part 2 of 2 examines the bottom line benefits of the Chief Marketing Officer serving as an organization’s corporate growth leader. During part one of our discussion, Scott Davis, author of The Shift: The Transformation of Today’s Marketers into Tomorrow’s Growth Leaders
shares his insights with us regarding:
tactical marketer to corporate growth leader
Additional Information
In addition to the incredible insights Scott shares in The Shift
and this special edition podcast are the additional resources accessible from his book’s website and his organization’s website, www.Prophet.com. Scott’s book, The Shift
, can be purchased by clicking here
.
Complimenting The Shift
, are Scott’s books on the brand asset management including:
Final Request…
Thank you again for listening to the StrategyDriven Podcast!
About the Author
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 31:24 — 43.2MB)
Subscribe: RSS
Problem-Solving Success Tip: Define the Problem First
/in Decision-Making/by Jeanne SawyerIt seems obvious, but how many times have we gone to a problem-solving meeting and the discussion started with either whose fault was it or an assertion about the proper solution?
Instead, start by explaining what the problem is – what went wrong, what the symptoms are, what the impact on your business and your customer’s business is. These are the things that someone knows at this point in the problem solving process. If the someone is not you, and you’re leading the problem-solving effort, you need to do some research to find out. No guesses or assumptions allowed: the problem description must give the facts clearly and accurately.
Write it down. Writing the problem down forces you to describe it carefully, completely and unambiguously. The statement is a valuable tool to help focus your team on the real problem and avoid wasting time on extraneous issues. Everyone who reads it should understand what the problem is and why it’s important. No jumping ahead, either: you don’t know yet what caused the problem much less what you will do to fix it.
The written statement can also be used as a “sales tool” to explain what problem you’re solving and why it’s important. Use it to make sure you have the support you’ll need from management, your customer and any other key players. This is especially important if the significance of the problem is not universally understood or accepted.
The problem is defined when everybody who reads your problem statement, including you, understands what will be different when the problem is solved and your team agrees that it describes the correct problem.
Copyright 2007. Jeanne Sawyer. All Rights Reserved.
Article Source:
http://www.bestmanagementarticles.com
http://crisis-management.bestmanagementarticles.com
About the Author:
Jeanne Sawyer helps her clients solve expensive, chronic problems, such as those that cause operational disruptions and cause customers to take their business elsewhere. These tips are excerpted from her book, When Stuff Happens: A Practical Guide to Solving Problems Permanently. Now also an ebook, find out about it and get more free information on problem solving at her web site: http://www.sawyerpartnership.com/.
Celebrating Our Second Year… Continuing a Trend of Innovation
/in Announcements/by Nathan IvesOur website has also grown, now offering insights on strategic business planning and tactical execution through:
As a community, we are fortunate to have had several of our members share their insights with us through posted comments including:
Finally, we have been complimented by many reviewers and websites linking to us including:
Thank You!
The StrategyDriven family would like to thank you, our readers and listeners, for helping to make our second year even more successful than the first! We truly appreciate your time and your insights and we look forward to an exciting year to come.
All the Best,
Karen Juliano
Editor-in-Chief and
Director, Communications and Marketing
StrategyDriven