Choosing and Using the Best Solution

Generally before you make any decision, you take certain aspects into account. Likewise before making business decisions, you'll need to determine criteria so that your decision is realistic and actionable. Criteria set boundaries for decisions, so that you don't for example choose a solution that requires a tractor trailer when all you have is a pickup truck. Setting criteria also ensures that there is alignment with your company's goals and brand. And once your team has evaluated possible solutions and weeded out those that aren't feasible, you're ready to make your final decision.

 

You need to consider several factors that will make up your criteria. First you need alignment with individual, department, and organizational goals. For more visible projects, you'll have to consider things like alignment with the brand, goodwill, and potential impact on the community or environment. Does your decision align with your organization's long-term goals? Another factor to consider is timing. Ask yourself, can this be finished by the time we need it? Or is now the right time to be considering this? Think about money. What's the actual cost of your solution?

 

Can the company afford it right now? Does it make financial sense? You don't want to implement a solution now only to discover that it's a temporary fix, and you'll be spending more in the long run. Next you'll need to consider the resources required to implement the solution. How many people will be involved? Get their input now so you can count on their support at the implementation stage. It might mean employing outside contractors or specialist operators. You'll have to determine the cost and availability if you need more resources.

 

Maybe your decision looks great on paper but will be challenging to put into place. Ease of implementation is another factor to consider. For instance you might need a project manager to oversee the process. On a practical level too, you should find out whether the solution will be easily maintained. You don't want to find out too late about hidden costs. Nobody likes to think about the worst-case scenario, but you have to make sure your decision takes risk, and visibility into consideration. What if the solution doesn't actually work? If the worst does happen, can the company absorb the impact or will it sink?

 

The final factor to consider is the wider impact of the decision, the long-term breadth, depth and longevity. Can you sustain the solution? Will employees adapt to the new process? Your situation may require that you consider yet additional criteria. Like if your decision needs to take customer impact into consideration, the best alternative is the one that produces the most advantages with the fewest serious disadvantages yielding the highest probability of success. Reviewing your list of criteria will help you in planning and communicating with your stakeholders. Remember they need to be involved at every stage including your final decision-making.

 

 How you treat adults when they do something wrong is very different from how you treat children in the same scenario. Similarly in business different situations require different styles of decision-making. But how do you know which style to use? Start by considering what factors will play an important part in coming to your final decision, and how you will implement it. Factors like the impact and urgency of the decision must inform your choice of decision-making style. Secondary factors like how the decision and solution will be received by those it will affect and who will be required to implement the decision also come into play.

 

Each decision you make will have its own set of factors to consider. They should be taken into account when choosing how you'll approach your decision. There are several distinct styles of decision-making. And the one you use depends on the factors that inform your situation. First there's authoritative decision-making. This style is best used when the decision-maker has all the knowledge necessary. You would use this when time is short, and you don't need buy-in from other stakeholders.

 

If others don't need a say in the outcome or you have privileged information that you can't share, then this is your most appropriate style. If others do need a say in the matter you might want to use a consultative style, the opposite of authoritative. This is where you get input and insight from affected individuals or groups before making a decision. When using the style of decision-making, you need to be willing to accept and act on new ideas and proposals. Sometimes you need to make a decision about a fairly trivial matter.

 

When the leader and the group reach a decision that everyone understands and most people are willing to implement, that's the majority style of decision-making. Similarly use the consensus decision-making style in situations where everyone affected needs to be willing to buy into the decision. However reaching a consensus takes a lot of time and effort, and doesn't work well if the decision requires specific expertise. And finally there's the option to delegate. Hand over the decision to another person or group.

 

This develops relationships with employees, encourages teamwork, and enhances your own reputation as a team player. When there's a coach or a mentor available this style has the added benefit of creating growth opportunities for high performers. However if the situation is one of high impact or there's a risk of company exposure if things don't go according to plan, then delegating isn't the best choice. No matter which style you decide is best, it's important to get agreement and commitment to ensure the execution goes smoothly.

 

You may need to start with small agreements to find common ground, perhaps run a pilot or rollout in phases. And remember regardless of which style you use, always be actively listening.

 

You know the saying “Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst”? Planning the implementation of your decision is kind of the same thing. You need to prepare for the expected, but plan for the unexpected, and always have a plan B. Planning is crucial and necessary for the smooth implementation of a business decision. It's also important to plan for what could go wrong. Have contingencies in place. Involve the appropriate stakeholders to get their input and insight. Fortunately, there are some guidelines and best practices to help ensure implementation goes smoothly.

 

First determine the metrics. How are you actually going to monitor progress, and measure whether the change is successful? Include metrics such as money saved, cost of overtime, or extra training required. Next, brainstorm with your team for ideas on what might go wrong. If you have some clues as to what might go wrong, factoring them in at the planning stage minimizes the risk if something does go wrong. Ask if the right standards, processes, and systems are in place. Consider the what-ifs when planning. It's inevitable that some things will go wrong.

 

That's why it's so important to have a written recovery or contingency plan. This might take the form of a troubleshooting guide for your project. You might even consider having a designated team ready to step in to deal with any unexpected fallout. Another thing to consider at the planning stage is running a pilot or a test. This isn't always possible, but it works well in situations like new training, offering a new product or service, or introducing a new system or procedure. Using focus groups to try out something new is also a good way to increase buy-in and discover unknowns.

 

The catch here is the need to re-evaluate your plans to incorporate any significant findings. The last best practice that can help with planning your implementation is to simply communicate. Don't assume your stakeholders are fully informed about why change is needed, and how it's going to be implemented. That's not always the case. The way you communicate your decision will greatly affect the success of your implementation. Prepare a presentation of the plans that people can see, hear, and truly understand it, and make no assumptions.

 

Present it in a way that even an outsider would understand. Explain the thinking behind your decision. Outline the current state, the desired state, and the expectations you have for the company after the change has been implemented. Follow as many of these guidelines as is practical for your situation. When you put effort into thorough planning before implementing your decision, you minimize the chances of encountering any speed bumps when your project is up and running. With thorough planning, there will be fewer surprises during implementation.

 

You’ve put a lot of time and work into planning your implementation. But even with all the pieces in place, you still need the support of others to be successful. When it comes to involving people, communication is key. Be clear about what needs to be done, when, and by whom. And allow people to voice their concerns and give feedback. Be sure that everyone involved in the implementation shares a common message.

 

There are some best practices to follow to help build support for the coming change, and increase the likelihood of success. The first thing to do, set clear expectations. When you clearly and publicly set expectations and boundaries everyone knows their roles and levels of authority. For example, for a given project, you might assign a project manager, and then assign separate teams under them to handle different tasks.

 

As things progress, you might empower additional people to make decisions. Being upfront about roles and responsibilities reduces the risk of conflict and confusion. Another good habit is to prepare for resistance. It's entirely possible that not everyone will like the decision. Think about how you'll manage that resistance. Work with the whole implementation team to create a common message.

 

If it's just you, then write out the message so it's thoughtful, consistent and easily understood. You may consider finding champions or early adaptors to support your efforts. These champions can convince their peers that the benefits of the change far outweigh the drawbacks. For projects with a wide or deep impact, change management or even some stress management training might be helpful. As much as possible get commitment from everyone involved.

A part of getting commitment is addressing any reservations your team might have about the process. For example, call a meeting where everyone has a chance to voice their concerns and then address them immediately. Allowing people to share their concerns is more productive than finding out later that they aren't fully on board. Finally in order to build the support you need have an accountability plan to maintain, reinforce, and build upon.

 

Holding people accountable lets them know this isn't just the flavor of the month. You're fully committed. For long-term projects, include the project in the annual performance review. Let all task owners working on the project know that they'll be held accountable for their part of implementing the plan. Include an update in each of the company's quarterly reports for the next year to keep everyone involved.

 

Even if you work primarily on your own you'll need support from others at some point. When you've put significant time and effort into implementing a plan, getting cooperation and support from others is critical for its success. Using the best practices for getting support you should be well prepared for the implementation of your plan.

 

You'd think that once the decision was made, and the implementation was planned and executed, it would be a done deal, right. Well not exactly. Your implementation might be complete but it's not quite time to put it behind you yet. At this point it's important to evaluate and celebrate. Acknowledging great work and celebrating achievements helps keep people engaged and builds support for future projects.

 

First and foremost, you need to find out how the process went. You want to clarify what went well, so you can continue to do those things in the future and learn what to do better next time. A great way to evaluate an implementation is to use the Plus Delta tool. It's a simple way of assessing the plusses, what went well and what you want to continue doing as well as the things you'd like to do better next time called the Deltas.

 

It's a positive approach that focuses on what you can do better. In fact Delta is the Greek symbol for change. These are the changes you need to make to improve the implementation process whether now or in the future. There are a couple of different ways you can use the Plus Delta tool. First you can do a Plus Delta on the entire process. Give everyone who provided input or assisted in any way on the project a chance to provide feedback.

 

You can use an online survey or individual conversations. Conversely, you can do it as a group in a communal or meeting setting. But remember this isn't about complaining. It's focused on the positive aspects only. Or you could do a Plus Delta on the impact. Do this at regular intervals, perhaps daily or quarterly but most importantly at the end of the project. Either way you gain experience and insight by learning what you did well and what can be improved.

 

Earlier we touched on celebrating. And this is an important part of closing out a project. Don't underestimate the importance of celebration. Acknowledging everyone's hard work doesn't have to be expensive or time-consuming. You can recognize people's contributions in the company newsletter. Take them to a team lunch or pay out bonuses. If the project had a far-reaching impact, consider sending out a report to everyone in the company.

 

If there was a team involved you could celebrate by organizing a thank you lunch. The point is people want and need to feel valued. If you skip this step it could cost you goodwill and future cooperation. Celebrating brings the project to a final close and keeps those involved feeling good about what they've accomplished. And if they feel good, there's a good chance they'll be happy to help the next time there's a problem to solve.