OR

Why + Who + What = How

Does the order of this problem solving/solution discovery equation really matter?

Yes, it does, and I’d like to explain the reasoning for this.

When we develop a thought in our head, especially as it relates to an opinion or a process, it slowly becomes concrete. The “how” of our world becomes immune to reason or change, and we all become creatures of habit, regardless of the efficiency of that habit.

If you question this, think of your morning routine. Chances are, you brush your teeth in the exact same manner each day. The steps to your “getting ready” process are mind-numbingly identical to the day before. But this is okay. In fact, we like routine. It gives us comfort and allows our mind one less thing to think about.  “How” we get ready each morning took years to perfect, and we honor that by remaining loyal to the process.

Sometimes, however, the “how” takes an opportunity from us and actually makes our life more difficult than it needs to be. Think about advancements in technology as it relates to making a phone call. If you wanted to make a phone call forty years ago, you would need to first find a phone. That phone was a ground line, most likely attached to a wall or desk via multiple cords, with a rotary dial. (This, however, was a luxury compared to several decades before, when an operator would need to connect your call).  The chances of your call being successful were limited; the line could be busy, the person could have stepped away, and there was most likely no answering machine. Today, all of this seems ridiculous. If you want to make a call, you grab your smart phone, and a few seconds later you’re in business. If you don’t desire to make a phone call, you can always just send an email, instant message, text message, or connect with the person via one of several social networks. But what if we had said, “No, the phone is fine the way it is, this is how we make calls,” and not moved forward? What effect would this have had on our communication as it stands today?

When we put the “how” first, it plays into an existing mindset of resisting change. Since we already know how we do something, we neglect to look at why we do it, who is impacted or involved, and what are the factors to consider or reasons for our decisions.

When we put the “how” as an arbitrary factor that is determined only by the logical outcomes of considering why, who, and what first, the entire perspective changes. If we don’t have an answer, we are forced to look at the factors involved and find a solution based on what is best for the existing condition.

Here is another example:

When a court system is running a trial, they send out subpoenas. Normally, these are created via the court computer system and sent via “snail mail” to law enforcement to deliver. If there is any delay with the mail, however, the entire trial can be put on hold (due to the fact the subpoena wasn’t served and thus the person is not aware of their required attendance), and this may not be announced in some cases until the court has begun to fill with attorneys, a judge, jury, and other participants. This situation is highly inefficient and costly, and is instigated from a “how” mentality. The subpoenas has always been sent via mail, thus that is how we do it. Think about this…. what if the courts and law enforcement had a shared document system amongst their computers? In this way, when the court issues a subpoena, it is simultaneously delivered to law enforcement, who can then use a “reply” check box to indicate when the subpoena was delivered. We put the how last, and saved time, effort and money.

The next time you face a challenge, remove your existing “how” and allow the solution to be seen in the why, who, and what.

To expand… the effort would cultivate growth and innovation. A leader is one who has the ability to take risks and set a clear direction for the masses, and revolutionize the current state by developing something “new”

Mother Teresa  for over 45 years ministered to the poor, sick, orphaned, and dying while guiding the Missionaries of Charity’s expansion, first throughout India and then all over the world. Her actions and leadership helped improve lives and what she started several years ago, continues to play a vital role even today.

Mahatma Gandhi who did not live in India, came to India from South Africa with zero political clout. Gandhi helped improved the self-esteem of an entire nation and led India to independence. He inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world.

Google CEO, Eric Schmidt motivated his team and created a workforce where innovation and ownership in the company was huge – which led to Google as we know of it today. It changed the interaction between the web and human forever…..

Community police officers are leaders in their own way as they derive ways of keeping neighborhoods safe and make sure that our kids are protected.

One can be also a true leader in my mind, at their own level, each day of their life. You can set goals and improve yourself by taking charge and control weight, anger or any other challenge you are trying to overcome, or improve upon. I know of an individual on a personal level, who in true essence is a leader. He used to be a professional, with huge entrepreneurial desires. He was afraid to speak in public and was not a great student as a kid. In fact he was diagnosed with dyslexia. After working hard to grow himself and develop his speaking skills, he now runs a small business here in West Michigan employing several people.

A leader is one who leads with example, is honest, listens and motivates.

Once we all understand the true essence of leadership, the question that comes to mind is – Is a true leader born or can he become one?

My personal answer is …..You can strive and work hard to become one.

Link to the Fast Track Booking video here.

Create bubbles on a whiteboard that map out all of your processes. Start with the high-level processes and then drill down on each bubble to outline what each entails.

As you complete the mapping, take note of what areas are in need of improvement. Make sure to map out the entire process before you focus on process improvement solutions. However, look for quick win improvements as they are a great way to start the ball rolling towards larger, more wide reaching changes.

It is extremely useful to develop general timeframes for how long each step in the process takes. This will help you pinpoint areas for improvement which will later serve as a metric for measuring the success of implemented process changes.

For example, let’s look at the basic process of Order Fulfillment. If a customer contacts a business and places an order, what are the steps your business goes through to manage this order?

Map out the process as you understand it presently. This initial map will serve as a guide as you delve into the details.

1. Product Inquiry
2. Sales Quote

- Profit Analyses

3. Order Placement
4. Invoicing
5. Order Planning

- Sourcing (Inventory, Suppliers)
- Production Planning

6. Manufacturing/Assembly
7. Order Processing

- Pick, Pack, Prepare

8. Shipment
9. Delivery
10. Returns

When mapping out your process for Order Fulfillment, ask yourself questions such as:

1. Customer places an order – what next?
2. An invoice, pick ticket, and packing slip are generated – what next?
3. Warehouse picks the product – what next?
4. At each point in the process make sure to ask:

1. Who is doing the work?
2. What work is being done?
3. When is the work done?
4. How is the work done?
5. Why is the work done the current way? Is there a better way to do it?

**You need to involve the individual(s) doing the work as you map out your process. Understanding the process from their perspective is critical to successful process mapping, doing so will help you answer the all-important who, what, when, and how questions as you walk through your process.

1. Loss of intellectual property: Losing employees means it is an institutional brain drain.
2. Reduction in Service Level: If you can’t maintain a service level, you are going to lose to your competition. In the end, you rehire those employees due to loss of customers.
3. Excellent Phase out Strategy: A layoff is a great strategy if you want to phase out a company. By the end of the layoffs, you only have top management left.

Before a layoff, review your processes and make sure they are strategically aligned to your business needs and the service you are fulfilling in the market.
If you cut people and your services are affected, you lose your customer’s trust.

How can you maintain your services? Once you have the answer to this, then you can cut the waste. That waste could be processes, or the implementation of a new process that eliminates people.

But your first step has to be process improvement and process alignment.

James Brown, Management Consultant

problems, expands with the addition of two new employees. After launching in 2004 SDSS has experienced steady growth within the West Michigan market and there was significant need to add staff.

Steve Kraai, Chief Business Developer

“SDSS works with our clients to save time, money and resources by streamlining processes and implementing solutions. With the addition of Steve Kraai and James Brown we are better suited to meet all of our client’s needs,” says Pranay Rajgarhia, SDSS owner.

New hire, Steve Kraai will serve in the role of government relations where he will use his 35 years in criminal justice to assist government agencies in overcoming process obstacles by engaging employees.

“I have served the West Michigan community in varying capacities within the 58^th District Court and the Ottawa County Sheriff’s Department and I am excited to utilize my skills to improve communication and efficiencies for our clients in government,” says Kraai.

Team member, James Brown will serve in the role of strategic cost cutting management consultant where he will use his analytical and problem-solving skills to improve client processes and operational efficiencies by implementing cost-saving solutions.

“I am looking forward to putting my skills in operational planning, process innovation, and data analysis to work for our clients,” says Brown.

About SDSS:

SDSS was founded in 2004 to assist organizations in improving their processes to achieve maximum efficiency. At SDSS, we specialize in process improvements and sustain those processes with technology.

We thoroughly evaluate a client’s environment and recommend solutions to remedy existing issues. Solutions can be highly complex or resoundingly simple. We strive to find the biggest bank for the buck with each improvement by identifying the solution that fixes the problem while also respecting the constraints of the client.

Process improvement efficiencies must result from an evaluation of the processes and their stakeholders through an evaluation of the organization and their goals and methods.

For more information or case studies go to www.mysdss.com

The leader’s job is to initiate conversation between interested parties, illustrate possible benefits and strategies, emphasize benefits, and head up negotiations. The leader needs the freedom to be non-political, unbiased, and slightly removed. They must exhibit excellent modeling skills for change, but on the logistical as well as an emotional level. The change leader cannot be of a “what’s in it for me” mindset, as this will cause a collapse of the goal…he/she needs to have a naturally selfless spirit, and recognize that metamorphosis is required for survival. Their planned yet flexible strategy reflects a desire for the best possible outcomes.

The leader must first communicate with each person who will be involved, acting as a teacher as well as a salesperson. The early adapters will begin the buzz, which will build up momentum within a single department, then interdepartmentally. As the “change train” builds up speed through the marketing buzz, it will easily pick up those stragglers at the “I fear change” station. The goal is to have people buy into the change not because they are required to do so, but because they see the benefits and they want to participate. In other words, it’s not about blindly playing ‘follow the leader,’ it’s about leading instead of following.

Are you ready to employ strategic change for long term positive results? If yes then you need that catalyst. We at SDSS have seen a huge need for this “Business Catalyst” and formed our business around this principle to help our clients.

In business, change is generally dictated by budget, or lack thereof. The most obvious way to save money is to reduce personnel, followed by general outsourcing. These two strategies, which are known as Tactical cuts, save money initially, but tend to reduce quality and productivity in the long run. The end result we see in organizations who implement these types of changes are long term financial distress, many times ending in bankruptcy or severe reduction in product/service offerings. Certainly we can’t count on seeing anything innovative, as innovation cannot occur in a densely stressed environment with no positive future to anticipate.

There are two types of cuts: Tactical and Strategy based. Tactical cuts are normally made when an organization is on the brink of harm, and are not sustainable. They involve obvious and visible reductions. Like most things done in a panic situation, these cuts at times seem random, and often reflect poorly on the decision making skills of top leadership.

In contrast to Tactical cuts are Strategy based cuts. These types of “cuts” may not be cuts at all, but rather reconfigurations and better use of resources and processes. Strategy based cuts may or may not complement tactical cuts, thus the initial implementation of strategy based cuts many involve the eradication of previous tactical cuts; like one step backward to make two steps forward. This possibly awkward move incites doubt among some involved; however, when viewing the final results, even the worst nay sayers are impressed. For the implementation to be successful there needs to be a delicate balance between the self, the corporate culture, and the process.

This was the why and what of change. In our next Blog we will talk about “How” of Change.