Implementing a Solution

Our intrepid problem solvers have settled on a strategy and they are now meeting to review the early feedback. They have sponsored six brown-bag luncheons (most of which went over two hours) as a way to test out a revised approach to project management. The model had been developed by two project managers (one who advocated for a strict system with accountability, and another who thought "guidelines" were sufficient).

JACK: OK, we've started to get some clear reactions from our project managers. It's time to pool our impressions and see how we're doing. Keep in mind that nothing of this magnitude is likely to go smoothly. And we'll probably learn as much about the problem now as we thought we knew at the beginning. Who wants to start?

JOAN: I'll start out. I'm really disappointed. I thought our project managers would love this program, and they just spit up all over it.

JACK: It certainly wasn't the positive response we were hoping for. So let's see if we can figure out what's going on. Who else?

The facilitator's first task is to normalize stumbling. Failures in implementation should not warrant either "giving up" or "turning up the heat". They should be opportunities to learn, to deepen our understanding of the problem, and to refine the solution.

GEORGE: I was also taken aback by the negativity. But I don't think they were mad at us; I think we just gave them the first chance they've had to vent, and they took full advantage of it! We just happened to be in the room, so we were the easy targets.

JOHN: Were we in the same meeting?! They were practically yelling!

JACK: Did anyone else have a response like George's?

BOB: I agree with George. If you think of what they said, it wasn't that our program was so bad, it was that it was so naive. They basically said that if the VP of Sales isn't re-trained or replaced or drugged, it won't matter how much we redesign the process. They were telling us that a good project management process only works if you have reasonable client contracts in the first place.

JOHN: And you think anyone's going to confront the VP of Sales?! He's always going on and on about how he's the only one making us profitable...and I think the CEO believes him.

The group is beginning to make some sense out of their initial efforts. Like any complex problem, doing something -- doing anything -- is likely to expose new subtleties that were missed initially.

And it is not unusual that the new facets of the problem involve political constraints, personal agendas, or "sacred cows" in the company's structure or history.

JACK: Before we answer your question, John, let me ask another one. If -- and I grant that it's a big "if" -- the VP of Sales somehow "saw the light" and changed his behavior, would that take care of it? Would there be any residual issues to address?

JOHN: Yeah, I also heard something else. I heard a lot of despair, as if they had given up on the senior team. They just don't believe that any real change is possible with our current leadership in place.

GEORGE: I'd have to agree. If we're going to get any motivation out of people's dissatisfaction, we're going to have to have some clear demonstration of senior support.

The facilitator's job now is to re-direct attention to how we need to modify the program. Typically the discussion of learnings and issues might go on for a while, but for the sake of your printer cartridge, we'll jump ahead to bringing things around to modifications.

JACK: So what have we learned? What do we need to change?

JOHN: I don't know why we didn't think of it before, but we need to have someone from Sales on our task force. We need more visibility into the flow of work from Sales into the Project Management Office

JOAN: And we need someone from the senior executive group to be more visible in this effort. We can tell 'em what we've learned, but they're going to have to decide if they're willing to support it wholeheartedly or not.

JACK: And if we did those two things successfully, would that take care of it? Are there other changes to make?

BOB: I think we might need to think through the kind of information technology we need to manage this new process, but I'd be afraid to throw that onto the pile until we see more senior support and more positive support from the Proj Management Office.

JACK: So stick with these two modifications and then see how it fares?

The process of implementation is just that: a process. The facilitator keeps people in tune with the need to repeatedly revisit their experience and consider new adjustments.

Bob's suggestion is a good one, but his idea to wait is also appropriate. Good problem solving is not a linear sequence, but rather a cyclical process that goes from improvement effort to greater understanding to redesigning the intervention to a revised implementation, and so on.

While the group may come up with a solid solution eventually, it is equally valuable that they are creating a new mechanism in the company for self-reflection and continuous improvement.