A Surprising Illustration of Process Management

Today I attended a luncheon meeting of the Career Women's Network. Our guest speaker, the Honorable Trip Self, superior court judge, was the guest speaker. It turns out that he is also an official for college football. He managed to enthrall 75 women by talking about football, if you can believe it.

First he described the selection process for becoming an official, and the way one moves through the hierarchy of different divisions and regions. Who knew it was such a difficult thing to achieve?

Then he talked about how often he hears variations on "how could you not see that?" Besides trying to see around 22 200-300 lb. men in gear, things happen incredibly fast. I didn't take notes, so don't hold me to these numbers (because we know how my memory is getting!):

• 8 seconds to place the ball from the completion of the last play
• 25 seconds to make sure there aren't too many people on the field and that players are not positioned incorrectly and communicate that to the referee
• 15 seconds for a play to unfold.

Within the 25 seconds, each of the seven officials on the field has a specific thing or things to check for, some of which are amazingly detailed. For example, the line official has to evaluate a potential receiver who is not on the line, but is in the neutral zone (which I think is the area between the ball and the quarterback), to make sure he doesn't catch the ball within 10 yards from the line of scrimmage.

What I really enjoyed hearing about though was the amazing process of quality control they have in place, for officials, even at the college level. There is an observer at every game who gives the team feedback immediately after the game. Then there is a league supervisor for the officials, who reviews the games and EVERY call for every game in the league. The officials are graded on EVERY play, whether a call is good, bad or questionable. They may also hear from the head coaches. And if that wasn't enough feedback, the team of officials gets together Friday night before the next game and reviews the tape on last week's game themselves. They are on one-year contracts, so too many bad calls by an official may mean his contract will not be reviewed.

In addition, they spend one weekend in training each year, take two tests on the rules each year, and review the rules before every game. (It's a good thing he's a judge; that's a lot of... ruling?)

Part of me is amazed at how much care and attention is placed on these games -- they're just games, right? But college football is really a business, and the quality of the officials is an integral part of the integrity of the ... game. There can be a lot of money at stake, whether it's for television broadcasts, bowl games, or alumni donations.

I will never watch a football game the same way again.

Life Cycle Assessments

My training and education as an industrial engineer taught me to be a systems thinker, i.e., someone who can see the whole and the parts and how they work together. In my opinion, this is a fundamental skill for effective management. At a minimum, for my classes, I teach that:

* a system is a purposeful collection of components,
* a business system can transcend organizational boundaries,
* a system's environment consists of factors outside its control but can affect its operation, and
* good management systems have measured and actionable feedback loops.

One of the reasons it is important have a systems perspective is to understand how changes in one part of the system can affect the other. Optimizing one part of the system may be suboptimal for the system as a whole.

This comes to mind because I have been reading Daniel Goleman's Ecological Intelligence. Understanding the environmental and social impact of products we produce and purchase extends the system perspective to include the dimension of time. He describes life cycle assessment (LCA) as "a method that allows us to systematically tear apart any manufactured item into its components and their subsidiary industrial processes, and measure with near-surgical precision their impact on nature from the beginning of their production through their final disposal" (p. 14). The complexity is staggering.

One example he gives is glass packaging (pp. 18): "The basics for making glass have changed little since the time of ancient Rome. Today, natural gas-powered furnances... melt sand into glass... But there's far more to it than that. A chart showing the thirteen most important processes deployed to make glass jars revealed a system stitching together 1,959 distinct "unit processes." Each unit process... represents an aggregate of innumerable subsidiary processes, themselves the outcome of hundred of others, in what can appear an infinite regression."

Producing a glass jar requires the use of hundreds of substances (and 659 different ingredients) throughout the jar's supply chain. According to Goleman (p. 18), around one hundred substances [are] released into water and fifty or so into soil along the way... [with] 220 different kinds of emissions into the air." In addition to these ecological concerns, the LCA examines the energy use and health risks, such as carcinogens, in the product and its various unit processes. Incorporating recycled glass saves hundreds of gallons of water and mitigates carbon dioxide emissions, so the LCA incorporates negative as well as positive effects.

Increasingly, consumers and environmental advocates are pressing manufacturers to disclose such information. With the Internet and social networking tools, it is easy to build a groundswell of support for -- or against -- a particular product for its impact. Independent information providers, also known as "infomediaries," are compiling this vast array of information and developing summarized and simplified indices. Manufacturers and retailers are gradually recognizing the need to be more transparent. The NYTimes published an interesting article describing this trend earlier this summer.

I find this trend to be heartening, yet overwhelming at the same time. I'm still not sure if "paper or plastic?" is the best option when I don't have my reusable grocery bags. Or what kind of light bulb I should buy. Flourescent bulbs use less energy to illuminate, but if you consider the production process and hazardous materials, are florescent better than incandescent bulbs?

I don't know -- I guess I'll sit in the dark and think about it.

Clarity in Communications - Not!

In my Leadership class yesterday, we were covering Andy Stanley's suggestions for the necessary characteristics for leaders in his book, The Next Generation Leaders. When we covered "Clarity," I explained that this meant not only did a leader need to communicate clearly, but that s/he must have clarity in the vision of what is to be done. As Stanley explains, it's uncertainty that creates the need for leadership. With certainty, the actions needed are clear.

To protect one's credibility -- and ability to be an effective leader and provide clarity -- it is important to be honest and forthcoming with people. It is much better to say, "I don't know the answer to that, but I'll look into it," than to bluff your way through a situation. People will see through you, pretty quickly.

You can also undermine your credibility by being vague. "Vagueness sands the clarity off of vision," says Stanley. Having plenty of scratched reading glasses, I like the metaphor.

So, here I am in class, trying to think of a story to illustrate the point, and was really coming up blank. There wasn't even something on the "tip of my tongue!" (4:00 in the afternoon is NOT my sharpest time to teach.) Grasping at straws, I said, "what if there had been several cases of swine flu detected on campus?"

"Here's a situation in which people would be uncertain of what to do. Being honest and forthcoming doesn't mean shouting, "We've got swine flu on campus!" and encouraging people to panic. But it also doesn't mean to say something vague, like "A few students have reported flu-like symptoms. I encourage everyone to take special precautions." A leader in this situation would have to be very clear about what precautions to take (e.g., quarantine, class cancellations, extended health services), and very deliberate about how to get the correct information out and how to get it updated. Communicating clearly usually requires repeated messages over a variety of pathways."

As an example, it was ok, something the students could relate to in their life experience. But a few of my students apparently missed the part where I said "what if," and thought that there really were cases of swine flu on campus. (There aren't, as far as I know.)

There's an irony in being misunderstood when talking about clarity in communications.

Life is a Process

As I write about process effectiveness, I think about how much of life is really a process: inputs turn into outputs through a system affected by its environment.

For example, procrastinating. This is a process at which I excel, and teach students to avoid. (It takes one to know one.) People tend to procrastinate because they are perfectionists, or because they are overwhelmed, or both. To overcome this, you projectize whatever you are procrastinating about, and then you break it into smaller pieces that are less overwhelming. Visualize the end result. Allow yourself an imperfect beginning. Do the most distasteful task first and get it out of the way. (Have you read Eat that Frog, by Brian Tracy? -- it's the same principle. While I'm at it, let me also recommend The Now Habit by Neil Fiore.) You can see, I am quite knowledgeable -- and if I may say so, adept -- at procrastinating.

My procrastinating process goes something like this: Whatever I am avoiding is usually something on paper: grading, bookkeeping, or in this case, some writing. The process begins with either carrying the papers around for a while, or looking at the pile in an unavoidable place. My anxiety increases, the longer this part of the process continues. Then I think, "Hmm, maybe I should clear my mind of all the little things distracting me from concentrating on this pile." So, I clean out my email boxes, organize something, plan something else, and sometimes even cook dinner. Yet the pile persists. So, the next step is usually a nap -- so I can feel refreshed and focused. Then -- and only then -- do I tackle something ELSE I have been procrastinating about. For example, when I had a stack of term papers to grade last semester, it was a terrific time to rewrite the by-laws for an organization of which I am a member. (I had been putting that off for several weeks, because it was a bit overwhelming, and kind of boring.)

This week, I've been avoiding working on a textbook chapter about process effectiveness. (The reference file has been on my desk for eleven days.) This time, it's an issue of perfectionism: I really, really want to make this chapter life-changing for my students. Truly, I have a passion for processes.

So, my email boxes are current, I have re-organized my closet, planned the first three weeks of classes, and even prepared to make my C, C & C (chicken, couscous, and carrots mixed together) for dinner . The nap was great. And now I'm writing the blog that I wanted to update two days ago, but have been avoiding. See how this works? You have to channel the procrastination, and make it work for you. Eventually, you get it all done.

Maybe I'll start the following chapter, procrastinate about IT, and then go back to process effectiveness. Hmmm...

A New School Year

One of the things I love about my job is that I gain closure when a school year ends, and enjoy anticipation of the new year in the fall.

Tom Peters has said that knowledge workers should "projectize everything." Turn all of your work into projects, i.e., temporary endeavors to create a unique product or service (www.pmi.org). Temporary means only that the work has a start and an end; it does not necessarily mean short-term. A unique product or service is the desired result.

Besides enjoying the anticipation and closure that a school year provides, I find that projectizing myself is very helpful. It keeps me interested in what I am doing, and focused on the desired results. For example, I treat each course I teach as a project, even if I've taught the course before. I find that my classes vary greatly, depending on the engagement of the students, the current events we have for discussion, time of day, etc., so each one is unique.

Another way that projectizing is helpful is to provide a warning system for OVERLOAD. I have developed a sense of how many projects I can juggle at one time: my optimum is two classes, one writing project, two volunteer projects, one home improvement project, and one self improvement project. More than that, then my relationships and home responsibilities suffer.

Since I am teaching three different courses this fall, I know I need to cut back on volunteering (but will probably just let the home project idle!). In the same way, projectizing helped me realize that having five self-improvement projects, four home improvement projects, one class, two volunteer projects and four writing projects for the summer was probably unrealistic.

Finally, I like to projectize because it helps me to avoid becoming overwhelmed. Taking each project and breaking it into work packages or tasks (i.e., creating a work breakdown structure), helps me to better gauge how long the project will take. Then I can make realistic commitments to my students, colleagues, and family. (The dogs don't get it, though -- they are all about, "What have you done for me lately?")

A Systems View of Vacation

I know I have committed a venial sin, not blogging for a month. Well, I have been on vacation, and did think about the blog...

Something I stress in my teaching is the need to take a systems view of an organization, i.e., don't just optimize your job or department, but understand how your domain fits into the overall organization, and work from that perspective. Establish feedback loops to monitor performance. The idea is to understand the interrelationships and the environment (i.e., the things outside the system over which you have no control, but the performance of your system is affected by these things).

For a typical business organization, the environment includes the competition, as well as political, economic, social, ecological, and legal considerations. Arguably, customers and suppliers are part of the extended organization, in its value chain. The value chain, in simple terms, is the set of links that transform inputs into outputs by adding value. Transformation occurs through alteration, transportation, inspection, and storage.

So, while I was on vacation (cruising the Inner Passage in Alaska -- thanks, Mom!), I thought about how a vacation transforms you. Or at least you hope that it does.

In my case, the inputs were a stressed-out me, baggage, the cruise facilities and staff, and cash. The outputs were a recharged me, luggage, souvenirs, photographs, memories, and referrals (it was a fabulous trip). The ways in which the cruise company transformed me:

ALTER: showed me new sights, provided new experiences, prepared food, pampered me
TRANSPORT: took me round trip from Seattle very comfortably
INSPECT: assured my security by issuing cruise cards and requiring passengers to scan them to get off/on the ship
STORE: provided a lovely stateroom for my person, stocked the kitchen with ingredients

The cruise line had a good operational system, including feedback loops to ensure that the passengers were pleased with the services. However, the system was also a good illustration of the Theory of Constraints.

But that's a blog for another day.

The Power of Planning

As I work on my textbook, I am reminded that the value of many techniques is not in their result, but in the process of using them. For example, using quality function deployment (i.e., QFD or House of Quality) is not really about ending up with a matrix of specifications for statistical process control, but more about creating a common vision and consensus about how to meet customers' requirements.

Project planning is much the same. The process of planning can be team-building and goes a long way to understanding and meeting customers' expectations. It can be especially helpful in identifying interdependencies and clarifying trade-offs for decision-making.

A story that comes to mind that illustrates how project planning can deliver results far beyond a specific timetable is the experience of Connie. She was a summer intern, in between years of a prestigious full time MBA program. Young and bright, she did not have much self confidence, and was assigned a rather daunting task: assuring business continuity for a Fortune 100 company headquartered in the midst of the host city for the Olympics. Company executives were busy running their divisions, preparing for the marketing and operational challenges of the Olympics – and Connie was supposed to get them to make serious contingency plans for a variety of risks that could interrupt their business. She was having a difficult time commanding their attention and gaining their support.

We worked together to develop a project plan to develop a continuity plan (yes, a plan to develop a plan!). The project identified the pieces of information that were needed, who should participate, the specific scenarios to be addressed, and the desired results from the continuity plan. Once this was captured in a professional-looking time line, with a critical path and deadlines, Connie asked for another set of meetings with the division executives. Armed with an understanding of the interdependencies and assumptions that were reflected in the project plan, she approached these meetings with a new sense of confidence. As a result, the executives committed the proper attention and resources to business continuity and the company was well-prepared for the Olympics.

Things often do not go according to plan, but that's not the power of planning. Be clear. Be ready. Be committed. Don't be too busy to plan.