Problem-Solving Success Tip: Use Your Time for Problems that are Truly ImportantLearn Management Articles on management-info.biz. Problem-Solving Success Tip: Use Your Time for Problems that are Truly Important article will help answer your questions on Management Articles.We at management-info.biz specialize in Management Articles. Management Articles at management-info.biz provides the most up to date news and articles. If you have questions please do not hesitate to contact us.
Hard as it may be to walk away once you're aware of it, just because a problem is there doesn't mean you have to solve it. Ask yourself and your colleagues, 'What will happen if we don't solve this problem?' If the answer is, 'not much,' then turn your attention to something more important. If you don't know what will happen, find out before you undertake a problem-solving project. It should be clear to you and everyone else involved that the problem is worth the effort--and expense--to fix it. Quantify the cost of the problem quickly, but as realistically as you can. Include lost opportunity costs as well as real expenses such as staff time to deal with the problem, travel expenses, etc. Use actual costs where you can; estimate where you can't. Then guesstimate what it will cost to analyze and fix it. Write your analysis down, stating all your assumptions explicitly. Get a colleague to verify that your assumptions and estimates are reasonable. Start with a rough 'order of magnitude' estimate. That may be enough to answer the question of whether you should proceed. If it's not clear, especially if the cost to solve it will be high, do a more careful analysis. If it will cost more to fix than to live with the problem, or if the number is even close, perhaps your resources (time, people, money) are better spent on other projects. If you decide to proceed anyway, you can do so with a better understanding of what you're undertaking. On the other hand, if you can demonstrate that the cost of the problem is much higher than the cost of solving it, using estimates based on reasonable assumptions, it will generally be much easier to get the resources you need. You can use your written analysis as a sales tool to help win support for your decision to proceed or not. We have to learn to distinguish those things that are truly important from those that are merely urgent. --Jerry D. Campbell
copyright 2005. Jeanne Sawyer. All Rights Reserved. |
More Articles:1. Credibility - A Golden Key to Becoming More Influential By Kevin Eikenberry You have been named a new leader in your organization, or you are a long time leader with some new people in your organization. Or maybe you aren’t a formal leader but are working on an important new project. Or perhaps you are staff person with expertise that can benefit the business… but only if you can get others to see your perspective.These are just four situations where having the ability to be more influential could make a big difference in our effectiveness.Regardless of our role, ra… 2. What You Should Know if People Don't Buy From You and People Don't Visit Your Web Site By Julia Tang It is essential to understand what work and what do not work when you run business, especially through Internet. 1. You don't make people feel safe when they order. Remind people that they are ordering through a secure server. Tell them you won't sell their e-mail address and all their information will be kept confidential. 2. You don't make your ad copy attractive. Your ad lists features instead of benefits. The headline does not attract at your target audience. You don't list any testimon… 3. Successful Business Decision Making By Terri Zwierzynski Some people make decisions without any difficulty, while others struggle. Are you having trouble making a decision? Do you feel overwhelmed by all the choices you have, and aren’t sure how to pick just one? No matter how big or small those decisions might be, I can teach you how to strategically:-- Define your decision and come up with alternatives-- Determine what criteria you’ll need to help you make the decision-- Make the decision"If we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely every… 4. The Use of Goals - Friend or Foe? As a society we are achievement driven, recognized for our tangible contributions to the world. The examples of this are everywhere: At school we are praised for doing well at tests and reading to certain levels. At work we are rewarded for achieving specific objectives. On the sporting field our athletes are heralded for their victories. Public organisations are required to share their goals with the world. The penalties for failing to achieve them are collapsing share prices and reduced invest… |
||||
