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. Nonprofit Performance: Outcome Measurement Can Be A Good Thing By Judith Rothbaum Does the idea of program evaluation make your stomach churn? If so, you're not alone. Many nonprofit professionals and volunteers view program evaluation with fear. The idea of outcome measurement often takes these fears to new heights.Program evaluation is about learning and communicating what you've learned. Program evaluation gives you concrete, credible information about what you are doing well and why; it also gives you concrete, credible information about areas where improvements are nee… 2. Stop Sickies and Make People Happy At Work Stop Sickies and Make People Happy At Work If you're an employer or a manager then work place absenceis costing you money, inconvenience, and upsetting yourcustomers. And as we all know, not all days taken off workare due to genuine sickness. Many employees 'take a sickie'because their morale is low and they just don't like orcan't do their work.The challenge for employers and managers is to make peoplehappier at work. And if people are happy at work then theyare less likely to take a day off ev… 3. Recognition: A Quick, Low-cost Way to Motivate Employees By Marcia Zidle Recognizing good performance through praise or other positive action is one of the simplest and most cost-effective ways to motivate people. It provides three major benefits: It lets people know that their performance was valued, and increases the likelihood that they will continue to perform well. It builds confidence so that people are willing to try new things, and develop further in their jobs. It leads to greater job satisfaction which in turn builds commitment to the manager and the e… 4. Strategic Planning for Associations: Planning to Plan Making the commitment to undertake a strategic planning effort is an extremely important first step, but once you've done this, what can you do to ensure you get started on the right foot and continue on track? Here are some tips. Break the Mold Start by assembling the planning committee. Strive to create a team that has a good balance of board and non-board members, and seasoned as well as emerging leaders. Include creative people who aren't afraid to challenge the status quo. Even though the c… |
||||
