Part 3 (1/2)

The first clue that thedeeper for the real root question is that the answer to the given question could be yes or no

Metrics Designer: ”What do youcalls in a tiner: ”What exactly is a 'timely manner'? Do you mean how s?”

Director: ”I guess within the first three rings?”

The designer uessed calls should be answered within three rings, but that end users had to provide the actual answer

Metrics Designer: ”Okay Why do we need to know this? What's driving the curiosity?”

Director: ”I've had so up the phone quickly enough Custo to get to speak to a person”

Metrics Designer: ”What constitutes 'not quick enough'? Or, what is a wait that is 'too long'?”

Director: ”I don't know”

The designerto admit that he didn't knohat the custoh” and that he didn't knoould please the custoner: ”I suggest we ask some of your customers to determine these parameters This will help us deteres But we also need to knohat you want to know Why do you want to kno responsive the service desk is?”

Director: ”Well, the service desk is the face of our organization-when most customers say 'Emerald City Services' they think of the service desk”

Metrics Designer: ”So, what do you want to know about the face of your organization?”

Director: ”Hoell it's received by our custoe”

This is a n With the root question (Hoell is the service desk representing Eful picture-a picture that enco the question

There are other possible results of our inquisition Of course, we shouldn't think of it as an interrogation That would not only give the director the wrong i questions No, our job is to reach the root question We have to help our clients deter needs are and what they need or want to know One tool for doing so is the Five Whys

The Five Whys is simple in its concept You ask ”why” five tier ansith a deeper need Of course, you can't ask ”why” repeatedly like a child being told they can't play in the rain You have to ask it in a mature manner Many times you don't actually use the word, ”why” As in the earlier exa other terms-like ”what” and ”how” and ”what if?”

The process isn't so predicated on the use of the word ”why” as it is grounded in atte to reach the root purpose or need Perhaps the worst error is to jump happily at the first ”why” in which you feel some confidence that you could answer We are all proble onto a question hich we can easily provide an answer is very te

Let's look at another exaet to the root question

Director: ”I'd like to know if our service desk is responsive to our custoner: ”What do youcalls in a tiner: ”Why do we need to know this? What's driving the curiosity?”

Director: ”My boss is de metrics, and I understand from the service desk that this information is readily available froner: ”Yes, it is But, weimpression of what you think is important if we choose this ful to you could also be provided without additional work to the staff If we can identify different ive you a better picture of the depart to use thener: ”Excellent Usually we for to achieve, processes you want to i to solve”

Director: ”But leadershi+p wants service desk ner: ”Okay Why do they want service desk ers to deic plans”

Metrics Designer: ”Do you have a strategic plan for the service desk?”

Director: ”Yes, of course”

Metrics Designer: ”So, perhaps we should look at the goals within the plan”

To get to a root question, ask ”why” five ti until you reach a root need or question

I was able to narrow the need down to oals Not a perfect root question, but much better than e started with

The problem is that you may not even be close to a root question You may be driven by decrees fro a box on a checklist

When I run into this proble away I just let theh they believe they want a metric, I don't believe they actually need one If they want to look at a couple offor theain, they don't need a full-blown anization who feels he oals, improvement opportunities, or probleoals for your unit, you can add value by first developing the ood root question to move forward, you don't have oals, then your task becomes much easier But be careful; the existence of a docuoals Unless you have a living strategic plan, one that you are actually following, the strategic plan you have is probably more of an ornament for your shelf than a usable plan But, let's start with the assuoals, improvement opportunities, and/or probleet to the root questions when starting fro session with a trained facilitator, your teaer than two or three one-hour sessions

To start, I usually break out the large Post-it pads and oals for the unit I've also done this one-on-one with er, by the secondin key teae them, coach them, and keep them motivated since there is no one else for the with a team, I have to focus the trips down any rabbit holes This requires that the team be fully present No phones, laptops, or side conversations This et the job done h one or more facilitated sessions

The itinerary runs as follows: Five h if I keep everyone focused and avoid any discussion, critiques, or explanations of what I capture on paper This is of course harder in a group, but since the facilitator is in charge-she can force the team to truly brainstorm I find it helpful to remind everyone they'll have time to explain, modify, delete, add, and/or critique later

Five to ten ain, you need a facilitator I end up doing both roles-facilitator andthis on your own, you'll probably need to enlist a facilitator to help you Once the team runs out of inputs-it could be in less than five minutes or a littleis clear I allow the client(s) to delete ite,” add more, and/or e anything because they don't think it's possible to achieve (goals) or to orizing the results This step is optional If you have identified anizing the iteain, a trained facilitator will be able to think on her feet here Sos, rather than try to find the each itean, or Measure of Success Although the purpose was to brainstor is the identification of other related items Goals and objectives are ”achievable” items on the list you've captured It is very unlikely that you'll have strategic (long range) goals, but youothers I group theether and identify their classification You'll also find sos that the team or you want to do They may be process steps or just oal or objective, group theoal, I help theoal or if they are si root questions, but having a well-developed set of goals is useful Some of the items will be measures of success (MoS) Basically, they are ”how” you know you've succeeded at achieving the goal or co the task These measures may satisfy your desire for metrics-but they won't be ”metrics” More on these later Just remember that the root question h

Five oal So far you've invested about a half hour on identifying goals (and other items)-the rest of the effort oals identified, we'll be able to identify MoS for each (some may have already been identified) These will be new iteoal or to knohen you've succeeded at achieving the goal-you can stop You can also skip down to ”how to create and collect er questions (or larger goals) a metric may be appropriate Re inforoals, the need oal is strategic and ”large” the questions will also be bigger, and likely lead to a enerate questions, other than if the teaoal is one possibility Another is to deteroal-the reason for it Many times these also lead to ato the root needfive ”whys” to get to a root need and using or developing a strategic plan (si to the root need However, anyrequireet to the underlying need The root question should address what needs to be achieved, improved, or resolved

What is important is to remember that you can work from wherever you start back to a root question and then forward again to the ue that I wanted to write a book on h to do?” She kneas perpetually busy

”Yes, but every time I turn around, I run into people who need help with ood at The Five Whys

”It gives me a tool to help teach others I can tell them to read the book and I'll be able to reference it”