SITUATION APPRAISAL
The case for accomplishing more with less

by Drew Marshall, Chief Innovation Officer, Kepner-Tregoe, Inc.

One of the things I like to do, at least once a quarter is to reflect on the successes and challenges that have been faced. I actually carve out time in my schedule to conduct a little Situation Appraisal, the systematic process for planning concern resolution by establishing clear priorities that was developed by the founders of Kepner-Tregoe.

Based on answering some key questions, which I borrowed from Keith Ferrazzi the founder of FerrazziGreenlight (and the author of the networking-focused, must-read book, Never Eat Alone), I begin to establish clear priorities. The questions are:

• What are the results I’m getting in the different areas of my life?
• What mistakes am I making frequently?
• What do I need to stop?
• What extra energy/money/time do I have to invest?
• Where would that investment create the best returns?

I consider this process a mental “Spring Cleaning” which is why this subject is so appropriate for this time of year (in the Northern Hemisphere, of course.) I started doing this because I found that I was taking on more and more and accomplishing less and less—to my satisfaction, at least.

I actively survey the environment around me. In your own case, look for a situation for which you have full or partial responsibility, or which directly impacts you. Seek to generate information from all sources by asking open questions. State the concerns that are raised briefly. Be sure to also list concerns without extensive development, i.e., don’t try to wordsmith everything—you can clarify concerns later. Once you have a full set of concerns identified, you need to separate and clarify them so that they are actionable. Remember to be specific. From that point you can set priority and plan action.

This process is very scalable. It is something (with different question sets) that I strive to do with my project teams, clients, and friends who may need a little assistance in working on the “right stuff” and who ask for support.

As I reflect on this process, I am drawn time and again to the most critical question: “What do I need to stop?” It is in the asking, answering and acting on the results from that question that I gain the sharpest focus.

“What do I need to stop?” this one question is at the heart of strategic thinking. It is rare that we are faced with a situation in which there are few alternatives. More often than not the situation will be awash in alternatives. In one case, based on my time commitments, I responded to this question by turning down an opportunity to speak at a professional association. While the exposure would have been good, it was off-strategy and the time to prepare for it and travel to and from the event was too great for the estimated return. In another case, I stopped development of a new training program to concentrate technical resources on a client-focused operational improvement project.

It is in the stripping away of the excess, this extra baggage that we can begin to restore the core of our purpose. The key driver for effective strategy formulation is not rooted in what we WILL DO, but rather requires us to clearly and emphatically define what we WILL NOT DO. This driver is also at the heart of what helps us individually be more successful, too. Once you become practiced at stopping actions that are not adding value, the next step is to recognize what could be less-valuable actions from the outset and learn to say, “No.”

This is one approach to keeping focus – what is yours?

Andrew C. Marshall (Drew) is a partner and the chief innovation officer with Kepner-Tregoe, Inc. In this role he ensures that the products and services that KT delivers to clients are directly meeting their needs and producing measurable and meaningful results. In this role he also chairs the Technical Leadership Com­mittee which has responsibility for the successful implementation of KT’s product development strategy, positioning the firm for long-term growth.