1. Sticky Steps - ‘Takes the terror out of planning!’TM
A learningbyte from All Change! The Project Leader’s Secret Handbook by TM
This presentation is best viewed as a slide show. It lasts just under four minutes. You can advance at any time using the mouse.
This presentation is best viewed as a slide show. It lasts just under four minutes. You can advance at any time using your mouse.
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Copyright Obeng 2000
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2. Sticky Steps - ‘Takes the terror out of planning!’
"Any one who does not realise that the true nature of planning is to continuously gain and maintain perspective and that the true nature of co-ordination and control is to spread and use the perspective amongst stakeholders, and that the two things are two separate processes will find it difficult to consistently succeed with change leadership or the delivery of projects."...
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3. Sticky Steps - ‘Takes the terror out of planning!’
Change comes in several flavours. Sometimes you are doing ‘More of the same in different/more demanding conditions, but you have the core experience at other times You know where you are, but need to find out where to go and that's demanding. At other times you know where to go but you don't know how to get there And there is my favourite flavour, when you don't know where you are, don't know where to go but you know that you can't stay here!
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4. Sticky Steps - ‘Takes the terror out of planning!’
The last three are the hardest to plan. How do you plan when you have decided the approach or method but not the exact outcome (Called Movie Change) or when the goal is agreed but not the method (Quest Change) or when all you know is that you have a problem or an opportunity but are unsure of what the outcome should be or what the method you should use should be or sometimes even why you are trying to deliver the change! (my favorite - Foggy Change).
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5. Sticky Steps - ‘Takes the terror out of planning!’
I have invented a method of planning which works even if you don’t know WHAT you are trying to achieve or HOW you are going to achieve it. It will give you a time-scale, highlight resource requirements and can even give you an approximate cost!
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6. Would you like to use a simple planning method that works effectively for all the open types of project change?
You would?
I call this planning method Sticky Steps because it uses Sticky ‘post-it’ type notes. TM
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7. Just follow the example on the next few screens.
The first thing you do is to write on a flip chart the following two phrases:-
“ In order to have “…
“We must must have”….
Just follow the example on the next few screens.
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8. “VIRTUAL FLIP CHART “ IN ORDER TO HAVE … ( VERB ) …….
WE MUST HAVE…( VERB ) …….
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9. Then you take a sticky note and write on it your best guess of your change or project outcome or objective.
Now pretend that it is say, six months on and the change or project has been completed. How do you feel? Great I hope!
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10. Now we will pretend that we are in a discussion reminiscing (looking back in time) on the things we had to do to achieve the outcome we were after...
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11. WHAT? “ VIRTUAL FLIP CHART” Developed new ways in
which to work together
across the organization
WHAT?
IN ORDER TO HAVE … ( VERB ) …….
WE MUST HAVE…( VERB ) …….
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12. VERY IMPORTANT: Start each post it with a verb ( a doing word) in the past tense. Do not use bullets but write out clearly the exact description of the actions which MUST have been carried out in the past.
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13. Now you have identified the overall aim (‘the big What’).
Now you can guess the large steps that you must have gone though.
What MUST you have had to have done to achieve this objective? (Big hint - The ideas should fit easily into the sentence as if it were a conversation)
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14. across the organization
Developed new ways in
which to work together
across the organization
IN ORDER TO HAVE … ( VERB ) …….
WE MUST HAVE…( VERB ) …….
Found out which processes we currently run and establish if they are good or bad
Brought my boss up to speed
Brought my colleagues up to speed
Followed through the business to establish the chains of activities we
routinely carry out
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15. Once you have created your list of the things you MUST have done you need to sequence them in order of action.
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16. Developed new ways in which to work together across the organization
IN ORDER TO HAVE … ( VERB ) …….
WE MUST HAVE…( VERB ) …….
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17. Now take the original sticky step and move it out of the way on the flip-chart.
Take the first (early or easy) step from the list and place it where the original sticky step was .
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18. Developed new ways in which to work together across the organization
‘Park out of the way’
Developed new ways in which to work together
across the organization
Found out which processes we currently
run and establish if they are good or bad
IN ORDER TO HAVE … ( VERB ) …….
WE MUST HAVE…( VERB ) …….
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19. the original objective:- You guess what actions you MUST have had to
Now you repeat the same
actions as you did with
the original objective:-
You guess what actions
you MUST have had to
have done to achieve this
outcome
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20. Developed new ways in which to work together across the organization
Found out which processes we currently run and establish if they are good or bad
IN ORDER TO HAVE … ( VERB ) …….
Recorded them
WE MUST HAVE…( VERB ) …….
Followed through the business to establish the chains of activities we
routinely carry out
Followed through the business to establish the chains of activities we
routinely carry out
Brought my colleagues up to speed
Brought my boss up to speed
Discussed them with the people involved with them
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21. Check these latest actions to see whether they could be started tomorrow morning. That is, check if they are TASKS which a single person can be accountable for and knows how/what to do.
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22. If they can’t, then break them down even further using the same sentence until a single person can be accountable for the actions and knows how/what to do (don’t go down to ridiculous levels such as ‘In order to have found out my stakeholder needs I must have ....picked up the phone’.
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23. If they can, then move to another flip chart and draw up a time schedule.
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24. “ VIRTUAL FLIP CHART 2“ WHO WEEK 1 WEEK 2 WEEKS 3/ 4 MONTH 2 MONTH 3
NOW
WHO
WEEK 1
WEEK 2
WEEKS 3/ 4
SOON
LATER
MONTH 2
MONTH 3
QUARTER 2
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25. Now you have the time schedule drawn up you
can move the sticky step notes from the first flip
chart onto the schedule.
There will be the short term ones which will fit in
the 1st/2nd week & soon, and the high level ones
that will be done later on in month 2 or 3 or in Quarter 2.
A special point for QUESTS:- Use several colours of sticky notes; one colour for each route of implementation. When you come to schedule be sure to schedule your activities in parallel.
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26. “ FLIP CHART “ WHO WEEK 1 WEEK 2 SOON MONTH 2 MONTH 3 QTR 2
Followed through the business to establish the chains of activities we routinely carry out
Discussed the activities with the people involved with them
Recorded
them
MONTH 2
MONTH 3
QTR 2
Brought my boss up to speed
Brought my colleagues up to speed
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27. Now you have the time schedule drawn up with
all the sticky steps notes attached, you can allocate
the names / skills / jobs needed to carry out the
activities.
This also identifies all the stakeholders who will be
involved in the project.
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28. “ FLIP CHART “ WHO WEEK 1 WEEK 2 SOON MONTH 2 MONTH 3 MONTH 4 TEAM
LEADER
Followed through the business to establish the chains of activities we routinely carry out
Discussed the activities with the people involved with them
Recorded
them
SECTION
LEADERS
MONTH 2
MONTH 3
MONTH 4
Brought my boss up to speed
Brought my colleagues
up to speed
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29. Now you can invite all the stakeholders to help you formulate the actual schedule by inviting them to repeat this planning exercise together.
You wouldn't have known who to invite until you did the initial planning yourself, and they can add extra ideas and suggestions.
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30. Sticky Steps - ‘Takes the terror out of planning!’
Re-run the Sticky Step planning activity gathering new ideas and getting the stakeholders to own their activities within the time schedule.
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31. Now if you are a neatness freak or if you want to impress your boss take the plan you have generated and feed it into some computer software to create multi-coloured charts!
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32. ‘…one change leads to another!..’
I believe that the ability to effectively deliver change and to manage projects are not only the most critical and transferable management skills but they are also a way for you to drive and lead your life as you wish in the New World I hope Sticky-Steps keeps you moving forward - one sticky step at a time! Kindest,
Eddie Obeng
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33. Sticky Steps - ‘Takes the terror out of planning!
A learningbyte from All Change! by TM
All Change! is published by the FT ISBN
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