toc tools for mentors day 3 a workshop for mec/qcc faculty and fyp advisors july 12-14, 2011 janice...

TOC Tools for MentorsDay 3

A Workshop for MEC/QCC Faculty and FYP Advisors

July 12-14, 2011Janice F. Cerveny, Ph.D.

(CervenyJ@MEC/QCC.edu) 561-297-0052Florida Atlantic University – College of Business

Boca Raton, FL 33431

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

TOC Tools for Mentors Workshop, July 12-14, 2011

Plan of AttackDay 3• Conflict Clouds and/or Cause-Effect

– Trouble-shooting problems– Expanding/formalizing range of uses

• Improving “planning” and creating action plans– Ambitious Target Trees– Transition Trees

Day 3 Slide 2

Trouble-Shooting Time

• Let’s look at the lists of what was difficult to do from the previous 2 days

• “Fixes”/Tips/Work-arounds…


Day 3 Slide 3

Expanding/Formalizing the range of Applications: the Reference Bank

• Cause-Effect

• Clouds


Day 3 Slide 4





Day 3 Slide 5

And are often characterized as extended battles of wills, bad multi-tasking and heroic efforts

“Projects”

Are part of nearly every organization – and educational initiative

Let’s play a game“Confetti game” from Rob Newbold

http://billiondollarsolution.com/multitasking.htmlTOC Tools for Mentors Workshop,

July 12-14, 2011Day 3 Slide 6

The problem the skill should address

10Team success depends

upon the level of ‘match’ of the members’ efforts.

© Avraham Y. Goldratt Institute 1995

20People generally

regard failure as bad

40Teams rarely operate

under a coherent strategy and synchronized tactics

30Any mismatch between

team members is a source of concern

60Many times people have doubts

about their and (team mates’) ability to achieve an ambitious target.

50Mismatches of team

members’ effort is common.

70Team spends time monitoring and

worrying about each others progress

80


Day 3 Slide 7

The problem the skill should address

© Avraham Y. Goldratt Institute 1995

20People generally regard failure as

bad

80Many times team members wonder if they

are going to associated with failure.

110Team spirit and

progress erodes.

50Mismatches of team members’ effort is

common.

70Team spends time monitoring

and worrying about each others’ progress

90Team members start to look

(more and more) for someone/something to blame.

100For each team member there is less (and less) difficulty finding

reasons to hang blame on (an)other member(s) of the team.


Day 3 Slide 8

WHERE does the ‘tree’ get negative?

WHY does the problem persist?

The “internal” conflict

Appear committed to achieve the

target

Don’t appear committed to

achieve the target

Avoid taking risks

(failing)

Do what is expected of

me

To do a good job on the

project

Because we assume the likelihood of success is too low (and we can’t depend on most of the team)…

TOC Tools for Mentors Workshop, July 12-14, 2011 Day 3 Slide 9

CURRENT Behavior?

Injection?

WHY does the problem persist?

The “internal” conflict

Work on (for the) “now”

Work on the ‘future’

Security (steady income for me and my family)

Self-fulfillment (Achieve my dreams/the

maximum I can)

A happyLife

Because we assume the likelihood of success is too low (and we can’t depend on most of the team)…


Day 3 Slide 10

CURRENT Behavior?

Injection?

The Six Phases of “Projects”

1. Enthusiasm

2. Disillusionment

3. Panic

4. Search for the Guilty

5. Punishment of the Innocent

6. Praise and Honor for the non-participants


Day 3 Slide 11

From a German magazine "Der Spiegel" 12/17/1973.

IDENTIFICATION: Indicators that the Tool is Required

What have you experienced in projects… or when personally facing a large, important undertaking (ambitious target)?

• Disorganization• Continually revisiting issues thought to

have been resolved [INERTIA] • Lots of activity but little to show for it [More effort on

process/Less on actual work]• Conflicts over priorities and responsibilities…• • These signs are indicators that you need

the tool for achieving ambitious targets PreRequisite Trees (PRTs)


Day 3 Slide 12

Projects and Ambitious TargetsList some examples of PROJECTS:• • •

List examples of ambitious, personal goals:• • •


Day 3 Slide 13

An Ambitious Target

IF you have a PROJECT AT WORK for which you are responsible w/ a team of others (and is just starting), describe it below. Otherwise, select a PERSONAL STRETCH GOAL you would like to achieve.

_____________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________


Day 3 Slide 14

Construction of the PRT

TIPS and HINTS:• If it’s a personal goal, make sure it is

stated in ‘superlatives’ [i.e. REALLY ambitious and not vague/”wishy-washy”]

• Write the target or goal in terms of it being ALREADY ACHIEVED. i.e. “We have a revised process to shorten delivery time.”, “I am employed by _____”, etc.

1. State the project’s goal or the ambitious target and position it at the top of a sheet or paper.

I have facilitated a VERY successful TOC Tools mentoring workshop.


Day 3 Slide 15

TIPS and HINTS:• Clear, concise (SIMPLE not compound - no “and” or “or”),

complete statements.• They exist, or may possibly exist, in reality today

(“obstacle-ness”!)• They are written as obstacles – i.e. they block the specific

goal you’re working on. To check if this is the case, read “If (obstacle) exists, we are/I am blocked from (ambitious goal).”

2. Generate or solicit the significant obstacles to the goal or target


Common problem: Listing negative EFFECTS FROM the goal vs. generating obstacles that

BLOCK achieving the goalTOC Tools for Mentors Workshop,


Negative Branches (NBRs) vs. Ambitious Target or PreRequisite Trees (PRTs)

PreRequisite Tree (PRT)

Your Idea

Negative Effect

Unintended Consequence Negative

Effect

Significant Concern

Obstacle

Obstacle

Obstacle

• Lead to (cause) DESIRED outcomes without causing UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES and

• Addresses the major concerns or obstacles to achieving it

Negative Branch


Day 3 Slide 17

Goal: I have facilitated a VERY successful TOC Tools mentoring workshop.

Obstacles1. Boring2. Participants don’t have

time3. I’ve no idea who the

participants are4. I have to do my fall prep!...n. _____________________

There are four things you are factoring into your thinking with obstacles1. Anything that will BLOCK

your achieving the goal.2. Others whose approval is

needed3. Those whose active

collaboration is needed4. Any significant obstacles that

might come up in others’ areas of responsibility.


Day 3 Slide 18

Trouble-shooting your writing obstacles

Initial Obstacle The problem w/ it Better verbalization

“Boring” Incomplete The workshop is boring.

“We don’t have time. Doesn’t exist as an obstacle.

Participants have work-related distractions.

Who are the participants?

Not written as an obstacle.

I don’t know who the program participants are.

I haven’t completed my fall prep.

Doesn’t block the goal we’re working on.

~~~~~~~~~

GOAL: I have facilitated a VERY successful TOC Tools mentoring workshop.

TOC Tools for Mentors Workshop, July 12-14, 2011 Day 3 Slide 19

List the Obstacles

1.________________________ 2.________________________

3.________________________

4.________________________

5.________________________

6.________________________

Ambitious Target: ____________________________________________________________________________

Cleaned/Revised Obstacles

1.________________________ 2.________________________

3.________________________

4.________________________

5.________________________

6.________________________TOC Tools for Mentors Workshop,


Step 3: Identify an Intermediate Objective (IO) that, if it existed, would clearly remove or overcome the obstacle.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

.

.

.n.

1.

2.

3a.

3b.

4.

5.

6. (see 4)

7.

.

.

.n.

Intermediate Objectives (IOs)Obstacles

What must exist for you to be sure the obstacle

is overcome?



Day 3 Slide 21

Helpful Hints & Tips for IOs• IOs are not actions! They are objectives, states or

conditions. [Hint: express the IO as something already in place or done.]

• The IO should be the minimum necessary to overcome the obstacle. If you’ve previously identified an IO that would also overcome the one on which you’re working, use it!

• There are many ways to achieve an objective – it is not necessary to commit to any one just yet.

• Sometimes, an obstacle may require a couple or several IOs to ensure it is overcome. Write as many as needed.

• Don’t take short cuts when verbalizing the IOs! It will make it much more difficult and time consuming to sequence the IOs correctly. In other words, short cuts can often make things take longer.


Day 3 Slide 22

Cleaned List of Obstacles

1.________________________ 2.________________________

3.________________________

4.________________________

5.________________________

6.________________________

Ambitious Target: ____________________________________________________________________________

Intermediate Objectives

1.________________________ 2.________________________

3.________________________

4.________________________

5.________________________

6.________________________TOC Tools for Mentors Workshop,


Step 4: Sequence the Intermediate Objectives

IO 6

IO 4

IO 3a

IO 1

IO 2

IO 5 IO 3b

Ambitious Targetfuture

now

TIM

E

Entry or ‘starter’ IOs



Day 3 Slide 24

Helpful Hints for Sequencing the Intermediate Objectives

IO 1

IO 2

“In order to have (IO 1),I must first have (IO 2)”

“I/we must have (IO 2)before I can have (IO 1)

because (Obstacle 2) exists”

Tips for trouble-shooting:• “Can I possibly get to or have IO 1 without first getting IO 2?”

If the answer is no, then IO 1 is positioned above IO 2.• “Which IO is most likely to occur before the other?”• Don’t forget to look across branches for possible

connections.

Some “verbal” cues


Day 3 Slide 25

A Useful Process to Sequence the Intermediate Objectives

• Write each IO on a separate post-it and lay them out in an initial ‘pass’ at their sequence. [Use the verbal cues on the previous page. You will end up with a couple 2-3 entity “strings” and clusters.]

• Identify starters (e.g. “entry” IOs) by asking “Is there any other IO I need to achieve before I accomplish this IO? [A ‘no’ response = “entry” IO]

• Try to find “across cluster” linkages [e.g. points at which an IO has more than one ‘entering’ or preceding IO] by asking “Are any of the remaining IOs critical to achieving this IO?]

Hands-On Practice TimeTOC Tools for Mentors Workshop,


Practice Area for Sequencing your IOs• “Can I possibly get to or have

IO 1 without first getting IO2? (If the answer is no, then position IO 1 above IO 2.)

• “Which IO is most likely to occur before the other?”

• Don’t forget to look across branches for possible connections.

Use post-its!


Day 3 Slide 27

Breakout Practice Time• Individually or in small groups, ensure you have a clearly

stated objective and initial set of obstacles [use slides 15-20 and the template on slide 21].

• Generate your Intermediate Objectives [refer back to slides 22-23. Use template on slide 24].

• Using pointers on slides 25-27, create your skeleton/ initial road map sequence of intermediate objectives.

• Read your PRT from the top-down using the “In order to (have upper IO or goal)”… “I must FIRST (have lower IO or goal) BECAUSE (obstacle for the lower IO) exists”. Have at least one other person critique your work.

• Be prepared to share your results!

30 minutesTOC Tools for Mentors Workshop,


Cleaned List of Obstacles1. Workshop is viewed as a

necessary evil.2. Participants have lots of

work-related distractions.3. Participants have lots of

WIP.4. Skills from workshops like

these are often not transferable.

5. I don’t know the purpose of the employee mentors program.

Initial List the Obstacles1. Boring2. Participants are too busy3. They’re behind on their work.4. BOHICA might be an issue.5. I haven’t completed my fall

prep and I have to develop a workshop for this unfamiliar program.



Day 3 Slide 29

Intermediate Objectives1. I have surpassed participants’

expectations.2. (a) I have a list of participants

and their expectations, and (b) I have generated a list of their key concerns.

3. (a) I have established relevance to work env’t and (b) I design workshop using PrT process

4. Participants see how tool can help them now and in future

5. I know the purpose of the program.

Cleaned List of Obstacles1. Workshop is viewed as a

necessary evil.2. Participants have lots of

work-related distractions.3. Participants have lots of

WIP.4. Skills from workshops like

these are often not transferable.

5. I don’t know the purpose of the employee mentors program.


Day 3 Slide 30


IO 5I understand the

program’s purpose.

IO 2bI have generated a list of participants’ likely

(key) concerns .

IO 3aI’ve established relevance to

individual participants’ environments.

IO 3bI’ve successfully built a hands-on workshop w/ a logically-designed

handout

IO 4Participants able to see how the tool & info

in workshop can help them on current workload and for future efforts.

IO 1I have surpassed

participants’ expectations.

Obs. 3


Day 3 Slide 31

IO 2aI have obtained a list of

participants & their roles in MEC/QCC.


Hands-On Practice Time

• Finalize your ambitious target or project objective.

• Generate your initial list of obstacles – and the ‘final’ ones.

• Develop your draft and ‘final’ intermediate objectives.

• Develop the draft PrT.


Day 3 Slide 32





Day 3 Slide 33


Transition Trees

Are actually a tool to – Empowerment and– Ensure the giving of clear instructions

“As long as we don’t know how to verbalize our intuition, the only think we can delegate is our own confusion.”

Eli GoldrattDay 3 Slide 34

IDENTIFICATION: Indicators that this Tool is Required

• You have good processes, solutions, etc. BUT

• People (students) responsible for executing, or implementing don’t seem able to do so properly…

• You see errors, variation, avoidance


Day 3 Slide 35

Giving Clear Instructions

Examples of student-related situations that APPEAR to be clear and logical but often not executed correctly.

• Registering for classes• Completing homework on newly-learned

material • Preparing for a test• Following the communication process for a

newly-learned tool…


Day 3 Slide 36

Select an Appropriate Procedure for which Clear Instructions are Needed

____________________________________________________________________________

Write a brief explanation (story) describing it: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________


Day 3 Slide 37

The start point is the present state of mind/where people

are “now”.

Tool = Transition Tree (TrT)

A cause-effect “how to” tree that presents the detailed logic of how to move from the present…

The end point is the objective – the changed reality from following all

actions in sequence.

… into the desired future.


Day 3 Slide 38

What knowledge do you need to have to complete a task that is assigned to you?

• Objective• How would I know when I’m done• Required specifications

• Why is this important• The sequence or order in which steps need to

be taken• The required action or step• Expected or desired result(s)• …

¹²³


Day 3 Slide 39

Format of the TrT

Repeating Structure (Template)

Starting situation

.

.

.

Desired outcome


Day 3 Slide 40

Construction of the TrT

Repeating Structure

(Template)

The (explicit or implicit) need for an action.

Rationale for the action

Why you claim the action is sufficient to CAUSE the resulting and desired effect.

Resulting required change

in reality

Logic of the sequence

Why the next need exists or

will emerge

An Action

The (explicit or implicit) need for the next action.

.

.

.

.

.

.TOC Tools for Mentors Workshop, July 12-14, 2011

Day 3 Slide 41

The (explicit or implicit) need for the next action.




in reality


An Action

Transition Tree for Communicating

NBRs

Student is ready to discuss HBI w/

the Emotional Inventor

Emotional Inventors (EIs)

are eager to meet

ACTIONI initiate a

meeting w/ the proposer

A meeting takes place.

An EI is usually very sensitive to criticism

about their idea

Student must be very careful re: how

they START the meeting

NBR ConstructionTOC Tools for Mentors Workshop,





in reality


An Action


Student must be very careful re: how you START

the meeting

EI is used to his/her ideas not being

understood clearly

ACTIONYou present the positive effects

From previous slide

Transition Tree for Communicating NBRs

EI is reassured that I understand their

idea and is willing to listen further.

I have legitimate concerns AND a way to express them ‘pretty’ safely (w/ the NBR)

I must present my concerns – but w/

care…


Day 3 Slide 43




in reality


An Action


You must present your concerns

but w/ care

NBRs enable people to present concerns

logically and clearly

ACTIONYou present the

NBR slowly and w/ relevant examples

From previous slide

Transition Tree for Communicating NBRs (cont.)

EI follows the logic that reveals my

concerns

EI is AWARE of concerns but often don’t give up on

their ‘babies’ easily

There must be some time for “absorption”


Day 3 Slide 44


Rationale for the actionAn Action

People tend to resist ideas that are not their own but want to fix the problem.

ACTIONYou remain

SILENT

Transition Tree for Communicating

NBRs

EI offers plausible solutions to trim

some of the negatives.

There must be some time for “absorption”

ACTIONFinalize details

and ‘close’

ACTIONPoint out

omissions and wait some more.

ACTIONI am gracious and push no

further.

EI saves face, respects me,

relationship stays healthy

EI offers plausible solutions that trim

remaining negatives.

Sometimes the EI doesn’t see

there’s an acceptable

solution


Day 3 Slide 45

Construction of the Transition Tree (TrT)

TIPS and HINTS:• Characterize the beginning state of MOST people

− Have attended the lectures covering the material

− Have seen/have access to sample “solved problems”

• And where their “head” probably is AFTER that− A bit overwhelmed? Uncertain but don’t want to

appear so?, Over-confident that they “get it”?...

1. For the process that needs clarification, list the starting status or situation.


Day 3 Slide 46

“Completing homework on newly-learned material”


TIPS and HINTS:

Think in terms of what the ideal is:• Student understands what s/he does

understand and what s/he doesn’t• Student completes all the problems• …

2. Clearly state the desired outcome of the process.


Day 3 Slide 47

“Completing homework on newly-learned material”


TIPS and HINTS:

• Use existing task lists, flowcharts, etc.• Supplement it with additions you and others

who are knowledgeable in following the process generally have had to make but may NOT have ‘written’

3. Make a preliminary sequenceof the steps that seem required.

Avoid the temptation to create too fine a set of details – capture the essentials.

123


Day 3 Slide 48


4. Complete the repeating structure ‘template’ for each step


Rationale for the actionWhy you claim the action is sufficient to CAUSE the resulting and desired effect.


in reality


Why the next need exists or

will emerge

An Action



Day 3 Slide 49

TrT Template

The need


The Why the NEXT need

Action

Next need


Day 3 Slide 50


5. Link the segments together with some verbalization for the starting situation at the bottom and the end point(s) at the top.

TIPS and HINTS:

• You probably don’t need a lot of cause-effect at the bottom entity. Info can probably be bulleted below starting need.

• There MAY be multiple end points [as per slide 45].


Day 3 Slide 51





Day 3 Slide 52


53

Any Questions?

Thank You

toc tools for mentors day 3 a workshop for mec/qcc faculty and fyp advisors july 12-14, 2011 janice...

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