I have recently been running some workshops using a very
simple technique. It’s not new, and it is not particularly clever. But it is
simple and it does work.
The “How Diagram” is a simple concept. For each agreed
objective you list all the possible “how can we do this”. The result is a long
list of possible tasks which individually or cumulatively will explain “how we
will do this” and ostensibly provide a menu of “how this can be done”.
A simple example:
Objective: I want to run a marathon in 4 hours
How? Get used to running distance.
How? Run
every day.
How?
Wake early and go for a run, no matter how short or long
How?
Set alarm clock for 5:30am to wake and be ready
How?
Prepare the night before and go to bed early
The above forms a logical chain of tasks: A, then B, then C,
then D etc
Of course, there may be many, many chains that cumulatively
and incrementally help achieve a marathon in 4 hours from flexibility, fitness,
diet, time, commitment, training buddies, good shoes, a training plan. For each of these there may be a logical chain
of tasks: A, then B, then C, then D etc.
Every one of these can be broken into simple “how would I do
this” steps. With this type of simple easy-to-do approach success is as simple
as following a recipe. Whilst this is
not a guarantee, such an approach significantly improves the probability of
success.
I have been using this as a tool for industry consultation
and it is rewarding to see the wide variety of different means to achieving the
shared objectives.
Each separate chain of tasks (A, then B, then C, then D etc.)
is evaluated for time, cost, resource, risk, feasibility, suitability and
acceptability.
We also separate “quick wins” from “big -slower- wins” and
the urgent (time critical) from important (strategically critical). So we can
see which sequences of tasks are easy or hard, cheap or expensive, easy or hard
to deploy and examine which are likely to have the best effect.
None of this is new, but I had such good feedback I thought
I would share.
Comments and suggestions (including other tools, approaches
and experiences) are always welcome.
@TimHJRogers +447797762051
https://www.linkedin.com/in/timhjrogers/
MBA (Management Consulting) Projects & Change
Practitioner,
http://www.timhjrogers.com
No comments:
Post a Comment