Arthur Davidson
Some of the simplest inventions have yielded the greatest impact. A match, a zipper, a pencil, a safety pin, a sticky note and a paper clip, for instance, are simple inventions that make us say, "I wish I had thought of it." With great thinkers, the complicated is distilled into clarity and clarity into simplicity. Simplicity allows individuals to focus on the few things that produce the greatest impact. As complicated as turnarounds may be, there are only a few reasons they either succeed or fail. The successful manager concentrates his focus on only five key areas: the knowledge of what to do, the wisdom of how to do it, the resources with which to do it, the time required to do it and the discipline to follow the plan.
- The knowledge of what to do. What to do should be directly related to why the turnaround is being done. These non-negotiable drivers should dictate the maximum duration and limit the turnaround scope. Scope development is the foundation on which the turnaround is built. No wise builder would pour a mediocre foundation and expect the quality of the carpenters to make up for it. When scope development, scope definition and scope control don't receive the same focus as scope execution, the turnaround automatically suffers. Just as the execution phase is subject to regular meetings, elaborate key performance indicators and very focused pressures and incentives, so should the scope development phase. Scope developers cannot be allowed to work in practical obscurity while struggling to get resources and even to get their calls returned.
- The wisdom of how to do it. Knowledge is different than wisdom. Wisdom is the ability to leverage knowledge to achieve the best outcome. Two teams with the same knowledge can make drastically different decisions. Two shoe salesmen visited another country and were shocked to discover the population didn't wear shoes. With that knowledge in hand, they each applied their own brands of wisdom: one called the factory in a panic to cancel his order, while the other called to double his order. Knowledge of the scope is not enough. The wisdom to execute the scope for the least amount of time and money, while attaining the best quality and safety, is needed. This requires building on lessons learned and constant research to stay abreast of new technology, techniques and processes.
- The resources to carry out the plan. This includes a detailed resource plan, not only for execution but for every phase of the project -- a firmly enforced plan with clear accountabilities and consequences. It is contradictory for a manager to be frustrated by delays during the execution phase due to a shortage of resources but be unmoved by a shortage of resources during scope identification, which could compromise the whole project. With contract resources, managers must procure not only quantity but quality. Perhaps it is time for owners to do what consumers have done for years: publicize their ratings of contractors to drive quality up and poor quality out.
- Sufficient time to carry out the plan. This assumes a well-developed front-end loading process that accounts for the size and complexity of the turnaround to grant sufficient time for the delivery of early prerequisites. Unrecoverable time may be lost early in the process due to procrastination or matrixed resources having to manage competing roles in other departments. It is advisable to have a schedule performance curve to highlight progress or delay, along with logic ties between front-end loading activities and execution milestones to allow the impact of delays to be realized while they can be easily corrected.
- The discipline to follow the plan. Why do well-funded teams with talented people and good processes fail? A common reason is a lack of discipline in following the plan. Without discipline, no amount of talent or planning may be sufficient. Personal development legend Jim Rohn said, "Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment." Expectations must be clearly communicated, training must be relentless, and discipline must be driven through consistent accountability.
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