Comments on: Designing the Project Environment for Resilience to Remaining Breakdowns

by:

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 +0000

Any suggestions on how to manange the sequencing of commitments? Or is that through Linguistic Action that one determines which order the Commitments can be made so as not to make Commitments downstream that cannot be met because of the lack of commitment upstream. Or are you simply discussing what to do to ensure that the Team can react to breakdowns caused by unanticipated events?

gary

by: Garrie Hankins

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 +0000

Hal;

My small mind is a bit confused.

When you talk about commitments do you mean instilling a sense of ownership or dedication by the team members to the project or, defining the commitment to produce a deliverable? Or maybe both?

Garrie

by: Frank Winters

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 +0000

We may have many masters, but in an organization with its head screwed on right — the customer is the customer is the customer. Period.

by: Erudite

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 +0000

I�ve been wrestling with Frank�s observation that we all agree on who the customer is. I think in general that Frank is soundly right, the customer is not all the in-between managers and supervisors.

However, when the man who signs the worker�s check requests something to be done (the tacit commitment in this discussion) the worker may ask a question or two on behalf of the customer � to do the right thing and avoid either a breakdown or variation � but ultimately, the manager�s request will be fulfilled � or in Hal�s situation, not done because it was either never communicated, or not deemed �in the deal� or of value, but someone else.

None of these descriptions are excuses or pardons for mis-deeds. Clearly, we hope everyone is committing on behalf of the customer�s better interest. But sometimes reality, otherwise known as scope, schedule, or cost, sets in and some modifications are made either with or without the customer�s input.

Again, the customer is clearly the customer, but the experience [or practice] does not always support what is clear.

by: Frank Winters

Wed, 31 Dec 1969 16:00:00 +0000

Erudite — you’ve framed the problem well � The issue is how to keep everyone focused on the customer. However, keep in mind that my observation is for companies with heads screwed on correctly. Those that do not fall into that group have lots of walls within them to confuse staff about who the customer is.

An example — retail industry — most retailer tell their sales people what the rules are and tell them they must follow the rules about check chasing and credits, returns and such. And that�s about it for training. The really good ones give the sales people the power to make decisions in favor of the customer whenever possible and intelligent.

Go into Trader Joe’s and they want to help you find what you need and provide you with service. Same at Nordstrom�s. This differentiates these stores because most retail shops act as if they don’t care about the customer. The sales people serve their managers not the customer. Trader Joe’s and Nordstrom�s are the exception.

Frank