| During the course of day-to-day business, only | | | | be made with the expectation of how the |
| one thing can be expected. That is that problems | | | | information should be summarized or presented |
| how will arise. Some businesses hold individual | | | | to the action team and when. Ideally, they should |
| managers responsible to resolve problems. Others | | | | be in the form of a presentation with back-up |
| address problems through teams of managers | | | | details in advance of the next action team |
| aligned either organizationally or functionally with | | | | meeting to allow for detailed review prior to the |
| the problem. And yet other businesses | | | | next meeting. |
| intentionally or unintentionally ignore problems until | | | | Step 3: DO YOUR HOMEWORK |
| they are so impactful on business outcomes that | | | | The Second Action Team Meeting |
| they must be addressed in some manner. The | | | | Action teams must work in compressed time |
| latter usually requires additional resource due to | | | | frames to be most effective. Within a short |
| the crisis nature of the problem. In that business | | | | period following the initial action team meeting and |
| problems are a given, there should be a | | | | the completion of the assigned research, the |
| consistent methodology for addressing problems | | | | team should reconvene, in an environment where |
| as they arise. The purpose of this document is to | | | | they cannot be interrupted by any normal |
| summarize one of the most effective was to | | | | day-to-day issues. These should be either |
| identify, address and resolve business problems. | | | | delegated or temporarily reassigned during the |
| Identifying business problems. | | | | action team meeting to allow complete focus on |
| One of the greatest challenges in business is | | | | the task at hand. The action team meeting should |
| separating problems from the numerous daily | | | | be structured as follows: |
| issues, challenges, competitive pressures and | | | | - Restatement of the business problem |
| change. Many if not most of these are part of | | | | - Review of the direction from the CEO including |
| the day-to-day and must be addressed by the | | | | the time frame for resolution |
| individual managers with functional or organizational | | | | - Crisp presentations by each of the individuals or |
| accountability in the area where they arise. This is | | | | teams on their research topic |
| not to minimize the importance of these. It is just | | | | - Boarding (Post Its or large flip charts) the |
| that they must be acted upon by the individuals | | | | causes of the issue, actions to address the |
| who have accountability and responsibility where | | | | problem, other effects of those actions and good |
| they arise. There are other business problems | | | | ideas and issues but unrelated to the problem at |
| that go beyond the accountability of the individual | | | | hand should be posted on a "parking lot" |
| manager. Some of their characteristics are: | | | | - Vote on the issues and actions to identify the |
| - They impact the revenue top line against the | | | | top three of each |
| business plan | | | | - Assign a team to present each of the issues |
| - They impact the cost and/or expense against | | | | and a team to present each of the actions |
| the business plan | | | | Step 4: CLARIFY THE TOP THREE ISSUES AND |
| - They impact market share against what was | | | | RELATED TOP THREE ACTIONS |
| targeted in the business plan | | | | The Third Action Team Meeting |
| - They impact customer satisfaction against the | | | | The action team should reconvene to present the |
| measure in place | | | | top three issues and related top three actions. |
| - They impact employee retention and/or | | | | This could be the next day or the next week. It |
| satisfaction against the measure in place | | | | should not be more than two weeks after the |
| While there may be business problems beyond | | | | Second Action Team meeting. The third action |
| these that need to be addressed by a team and | | | | team meeting should be structured as follows: |
| the process outlined below, these are the key | | | | - Review of the business problem and time frame |
| indicators externally and internally for the success | | | | for resolution |
| of any business. Any deviation in any of these | | | | - A crisp presentation by each of the sub team |
| measures against the business plan or other | | | | of their top (one of three) issues and related |
| internal metric is a candidate for action by a cross | | | | action (one of three) |
| functional and/or cross organizational action team. | | | | - At the end of each there should be a rigorous |
| Step 1: IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM IN CLEAR, | | | | question and answer period. The points should be |
| CONCISE LANGUAGE | | | | boarded on a flip chart |
| Team to resolve the problem | | | | - When the discussion of all three issues and |
| Now that the problem has been identified and | | | | actions have been completed and documented, |
| documented in clear, concise language, the next | | | | their should be a vote among all participants of |
| step is who can address the problem. Short of | | | | the dominant issue and action |
| the Chairman or the CEO, who is the business | | | | - The dominant issue and action should be |
| owner for the outcome or achieving the | | | | documented to insure clarity among all participants |
| committed business result? This needs to be | | | | - Each participant should speak to their role in |
| defined clearly within the organization at the | | | | addressing the issue; this should not be |
| functional and organizational level. Once that | | | | constrained by resource, budget or organizational |
| individual has been identified, she must be | | | | contention |
| empowered by a senior leader (CEO ideally) to | | | | - The agreed upon issue and action including first |
| own and resolve the problem. Along with this | | | | step organizational and functional roles should be |
| goes the charter to establish an action team to | | | | documented and reviewed with the entire action |
| work the problem to resolution. The CEO (or | | | | team |
| other senior executive) needs to be clear about | | | | - A target for presenting the action team issue, |
| the time frame for action. The problem owner | | | | action and accountabilities to the CEO or senior |
| must next reach within and outside their | | | | business leader should then be scheduled |
| organization to assemble a team to address and | | | | Step 5: ALIGN ON A SINGLE ISSUE, SINGLE |
| resolve the problem. While this team may include | | | | ACTION, FUNCTIONAL OWNERS |
| members of organizations such as Finance, | | | | Present, Close and Act |
| Marketing, Sales, Operations, Research and | | | | The agreed upon issue, action and owners with |
| Development and Human Resources, the | | | | accountabilities and time frames must next be |
| composition should be specific to the problem and | | | | presented to the CEO or senior business leader. If |
| not include more than one participant per | | | | the senior business leader agrees with the action |
| organization or functional area. The members of | | | | team's recommendations, the next step is to |
| the action team need to be committed to the | | | | implement the action plan with specific objectives, |
| project through their leadership and committed to | | | | owners and time frames (metrics). If the senior |
| a pre-agreed amount of their work time and | | | | business leader does not agree with the action |
| project duration. While these may change at | | | | team's recommendations, the action team must |
| points during the project, they should be | | | | either go back and do additional research and |
| communicated up front. | | | | follow the subsequent steps or if additional |
| Step 2: ASSEMBLE AN EMPOWERED TEAM TO | | | | research is not needed then the team should go |
| RESOLVE THE PROBLEM | | | | back to step 3. |
| Initial Meeting | | | | Step 6: ACT, MEASURE, CORRECT, ACT, |
| The action team must have an initial meeting for | | | | MEASURE, CORRECT |
| several purposes. First it should serve to | | | | During the execution of the action plan, the |
| communicate the problem to all participants. | | | | individual functions and organizations must perform |
| Secondly it should serve as an occasion for all the | | | | the roles, actions and within the time frames |
| action team members to get to know one | | | | presented by the action team to and as |
| another. Thirdly, the timeline, expectations, and | | | | approved by the CEO or the senior business |
| roles must be clearly outlined at the initial meeting. | | | | leader. The action team does not own this, they |
| Finally, specific fact-finding assignments must be | | | | must be owned by the functions and the |
| made during the initial meeting along with time | | | | organizations as part of day-to-day business. |
| frames for reporting out information from the | | | | Otherwise it will be viewed as an action team |
| fact-finding. More information is better. While | | | | issue and not a business issue. The time frames, |
| business instincts are important, facts serve to | | | | metrics and readouts to the CEO or senior |
| take emotion out of the exercise. Whether | | | | executive by the overall business owner are |
| individual or small teams, clear assignments must | | | | essential to resolve the business problem. |