Cause and Effect Map: Management Tip of the Day for Busy Leaders
How did THAT happen? It’s a simple question that doesn’t get asked often, or particularly well. Join us this week as we talk about Cause and Effect Maps, and how Managers can use easy methods to increase the probability that they are solving problems that matter, rather than symptoms of something else. Join us this week at www.wilymanager.com to learn more.
Monday’s Tip (Cause And Effect Map): Define a clear problem statement. Be very clear what problem you are trying to fix. If it’s ambiguous, or not commonly understood, you will be wasting your time.
Tuesday’s Tip (Cause And Effect Map): Be creative with the “bone” groups. Don’t get locked-in to the standard cause groups. Use them as a starting point, and then customize the categories as the situation warrants.
Wednesday’s Tip (Cause And Effect Map): Work to the appropriate level of detail. Sometimes, you need to ask why four or five times for a cause. Other times, the answer becomes ridiculous after three times of asking why. Know when to stop.
Thursday’s Tip (Cause And Effect Map): Look for causes that show up in multiple places. If the same cause shows up several times or places on your fishbone chart, you should pay special attention to that cause.
Friday’s Tip (Cause And Effect Map): Prioritize the action to take. You cannot do everything. Choose one or two of the most important causes of your problem, and take action on those things. Don’t diffuse your effort by trying to take care of everything.
Three Things to Remember About Your Cause And Effect Map:
1. Make sure you clearly define a problem or goal. If you have an unclear, or misunderstood problem statement, you will waste a lot of time.
2. Make sure you are at the right level of detail. In some cases a Cause And Effect Map might take several hours to complete. Other times, it can be done in just a few minutes. You need to decide the right level of detail.
3. Prioritize what action to take. You should choose a couple of causes you want to address, and leave the others for later on.
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