MY WHYS
WORKING PRINCIPLES
Question Everything
Solving problems involves asking the questions; lots of them. Questions allow us to pinpoint root causes, unearth opportunities and most importantly, learn something new.
01
Embrace the Unknowns
Problems, like life itself, are full of uncertainty. One must be willing to say "I don't know." This attitude opens you up to many possibilities leaving you ample flexibility to change your mind or change course, should you need to.
02
Build Great Relationships
Problems are not created in a vacuum and therefore cannot be solved in one. They are best solved shared. Whether it's a new process or a new product, bringing people along with you makes the results all the better.
03
Exhaust All Possibilities
There is a solution to every problem, an answer to every question.Problem-solving is finding the right answers to the right questions and doing so at speed, making a judgement on what matters and what doesn't.
04
Push to Finish
Think of all the things that could go wrong: conflicts, disengaged stakeholders, scope creep. Delivery good results anyway. Good delivery management means you anticipate and manage risk and minimise the degree to which they influence the project outcome.
05
Iterate if Necessary
In an ideal world, the first solution will always be the right fit, but environments change and solutions need to be adapted else they become obsolete. It is important to have a keen eye to know when previously implemented solutions begin to show signs of obsolescence.
06
MY HOW
WORKING STYLE
Agree scope and define problem statement.
Deep dive into each probing area identified in the previous steps to make an assessment of the critical areas to address. This assessment would be based on hard data to support anecdotal statements, an understanding of business priorities to check for alignment with ongoing initiatives and an honest view of whether you are best placed to support the Client moving forward.
Input
Request quantitative data from clients: defect rates, through put times, etc. A comparative study of the Client and competitors or between Client sites would help contextualise findings.
Output
Value proposition presented to Client outlining scope, problem statement, approach, timeline, resource requirements from Client side, risks, costs and expected benefits.
SCOPE
1-2 Weeks
DATA ANALYSIS
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
VALUE PROPOSITION
I have worked on projects of varying lengths and complexities. A selection of some of these projects is shown here. There has never been such a thing as a typical project for me (which I love) but if I had to approximate a typical delivery over a 6-12 week period, it would go something like this
Context
Imagine Magnet Metals Inc. has asked me to help them understand how to embed a continuous improvement culture to their manufacturing environment. Specifically, they want to look at reducing inventory costs, defect rates and increase on-time performance.
Approach
The steps I would take to scope, solve and implement the ask are summarised below. While the example is somewhat specific to manufacturing, the approach is translatable to other working contexts.
Understand the context of the problem.
This stage of the process will include conversations with people steeped in the organisation or the specific function you are trying to understand. Here, you will mostly be relying on anecdotal evidence of what the issues are and how they affect performance.
Initial client conversations are also an opportunity to gauge what level of business support/ appetite there is for solving a problem.
Input
Work with Client teams to understand operational context, business focus and priorities and get a sense of what the underlying issues might be.
Output
Probing areas identified i.e. specific areas in the business we should focus on either because they have high strategic value, or exhibit symptomatic issues.
CONTEXT
1-2 Weeks
INTERVIEWS
WORKSHOP
DESK STUDY
Identify Root Cause and develop corrective measures.
Once critical business areas have been identified, focus is shifted to pinpoint the root cause of any symptomatic operational issues. Solutions will be directly related to root cause not symptoms.
Input
The combination of quantitative, qualitative and anecdotal understanding of processes should pinpoint bottlenecks and failure points. Assess the impact of these over a given time period. Impact assessment should include the what, how much and who (is affected).
Output
Clearly outline the specific solutions to address identified root cause and the order in which they will be delivered. Highlight also the potential impact of change and what steps you are taking to minimise disruption to BAU operation.
ROOT CAUSE
2-4 WEEKS
RCA
FMEA
WORKSHOPS
DATA ANLYSIS
PROCESS REDESIGN
Implement solutions & put measures in place to ensure sustainability
Time frame for delivery solution will depend on the scale of problem being addressed. Priority must be given to ensuring that delivered solution is fit for purpose and usable by intended groups. Also engage internal stakeholders to ensure that any changes made are retained and built on.
Input
Delivery timeline and impact assessment must be communicated to all affected parties to ensure proper buy-in and to minimise disruption to roll-out.
Output
Best practice for handover must be followed including, capturing and documenting learnings from the project and flagging any additional areas for improvement not addressed by the current scope.
IMPLEMENTATION
2-4 WEEKS
CHANGE MNG.
RESTOSPECTIVES
DOCUMENTATION
This stage of the process will include conversations with people steeped in the organisation or the specific function you are trying to understand. Here, you will mostly be relying on anecdotal evidence of what the issues are and how they affect performance.
Deep dive into each probing area identified in the previous steps to make an assessment of the critical areas to address. This assessment would be based on hard data to support anecdotal statements.
Once critical business areas have been identified, focus is shifted to pinpoint the root cause of any symptomatic operational issues. Solutions will be directly related to root cause not symptoms.
This stage of the process will include conversations with people steeped in the organisation or the specific function you are trying to understand. Here, you will mostly be relying on anecdotal evidence of what the issues are and how they affect performance.
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