Decision
From GPWiki
Saturday 31 of July, 2010
The Phases Explained: Discovery | Development | Decision | Deployment
The Frameworks Explained: Discovery Framework | Development Framework
Decision Executive Overview
All organisations have to deal with complexity. How we simplify, order or deal with this is the important thing. By now we will have completed some kind of alignment, Discovery Framework and certainly a Development Framework strategy creation session.
We have, therefore, created a vision and a journey that adds up. This is a decision. We now need to ‘land’ that safely within the enterprise. We can look at defining this simply as an issue that needs sorting, a problem or an opportunity. That makes little difference to how we need to think about the situation. It just needs to be thought about. That is what we will be doing.
What is it?
The key idea here is to compress the cycle time to work the strategy (a ‘decision’) through some attractive options that can either be researched further or just chosen from. What makes that possible is getting the right people in the room, with access to relevant information, and the process to work the bits through. See Roadmap
The Key Steps
Discovering New Meaning
Discovery Asks what NEW meaning could we create? 4D™ Developing New Meaning
Development Discusses what NEW meaning should we create? 4D™
Deciding New Meaning
Decision Decides what NEW meaning will we create? 4D™ Deploying New Meaning
Deployment Ensures that the NEW meaning we created gets deployed 4D™ Go to: 4D™, The 'Pixar' Of Consulting, A Vision Model
Frame the problem or opportunity: This is different from context or situation. It focuses on the question “what are we going to pay attention to?” It usually takes the form of a question. To get there, we explicitly explore lots of possible definitions of the problem.
Alternative Generation. This is about building a decision table. All the areas in which we want to make choices. This usually takes the balance of the day.
Strategy Construction. The alternative generation phase. This is where we task teams with specific themes which they use to “shop” the decision table. The themes are threads like “low cost,” “easy to implement,” “maximize customer experience,” etc.
Information: Within the context of the workshop, the idea here is to identify critical uncertainties or data we’d need in order to understand the pros and cons of the strategy. This is the clairvoyant bit. What do you really want to know? What would help you choose?
Evaluation: We do a simple “rating and weighting” matrix with values (what we want) across the top, and the strategies down the side. Values are things like: Low initial cost, total ROI, customer satisfaction, etc. We’re making trade-offs. Weighing things.
Decision Quality. Undertaking extensive and deep work into the physics of the decision making that is required to achieve the given objectives.
- Define the data and information that will enable the enterprise to make the best decisions possible. * Construct the detailed frames.
- Develop the frame within which we need to make decisions.
- Create the alternatives that are available to us. Build the Tables.
- Deep thinking in the overall context of the D2 framework.
- Undergo the research that is required to get at the data and information we need. Record and develop the content.
- Fully consider the outcomes of Deep Dive BC or agreements within D1 or D2.
Create the environment and data against which we can stop doing things that don’t contribute to the new plan.
- Publish the clear plan, strategy and direction within the context of the overall story.
- Understand Decision Quality in line with the Strategic Goals and in alignment with Deep Dives.
Specific Note: Within Discovery the 11 pillars begin to frame the criteria and important references for the DQ Deep Dive.
The DQ Deep Dive can be replaced by The Decision Phase in circumstances where we and the client agrees that D1 and D2 achieved sufficient context, agreement and information upon which to perform the D3 exercise.
Detailed Definitions and Approach
We want to use a rational decision making process to embed high quality decision making into the culture of our clients through the development of leadership and management infrastructure, process, models and tools, training, and coaching.
By using 4D™ Decision and Development we build a visual model of the organization in its current state (context) and future state that will serve as a learning map and “due north” for transforming the organization. These frameworks also serve as the dashboard for organizing disparate workstreams into a coherent whole of strategies, initiatives, and projects.
The Benefit: A Shared picture (literally) and ‘buy-in’ of architecture of new business strategy; increased speed to action; better coordination of resources; foundation for increased accountability.
Decision Architecture.
The Benefit: Reduced decision overhead and time to decision; common language and approach; reduction of rework and organizational confusion; increase in alignment and buy-in; smaller PowerPoint decks; more efficient decision processes and meetings. Clarity, Focus and Coherence across the entire enterprise.
The Decision Quality Methodology
First base: Decision Quality Audit - The audit will be comprised of four streams of work-
- Identify three to five recent, representative decisions.
- Interview a sample group of people involved with making these decisions.
- Review documentation that supports the decision making process.
- Interview a sample group of people with relevant views on organizational decision making.
- Review models and tools used to support organizational decision making.
- Conduct survey of decision making to establish a baseline.
As a way of explaining how this works lets imaging a case
Case Example: The total estimated number of interviews will be 25—30 people, each interview taking about an hour. The resulting work product will summarize the current state of decision making. This will be used to calibrate the rest of the project.
A 4D™ Intervention using D1 and D2 will have taken place.
The workshops were extensive and were built on top of the Business Equation™. It divided out the various pillars of the business and was designed to define and picture the current state of play for the team. The key task of the facilitation was not to propose or posit a viewpoint, but to test for current state (as-is) rigor and insight as it is today and across the entire team.
Digital and interactive systems are a big part of the assignments for many clients They become interfaces to mult-layered content and are effective portals to the work we have created or for knowledge and learning applications. See Solutions
Each part of a 4D sequence receives a full and thorough record and this ensures the team has a full record of what happened and what needs to be done and also informs the wider community of what has been achieved. These are referred to as workbooks. See Outcomes 
If required, and specifically designed for wider distribution, each framework can be deployed as an effect device for getting the story out there. Big Pictures
- A. What are the end customer or audience needs, wants, unmet aspirations or expectations?
- B. Which targets or customer segments are we most interested in?
- C. What are the main trends and issues in our chosen markets?
- D. Which stakeholders, influencers, channels, intermediaries and opinion formers affect us most?
- E. What are our assets, our products and infrastructure and how do we describe ourselves?
- F. What are the intangible and differentiating factors in our business that will be of most value and that we can exploit to delight our customers?
- G. What is our Big Idea, our value proposition, our story and offers or promises to our consumers?
- H. What are the main criteria by which we can make decisions, what are the shared rules by which we may build our strategy?
- I. Can we deliver? Have we got the right resources, capabilities, culture, behaviors and organizational design to succeed?
- J. What tactics will we need and how can we integrate the actions both internally and externally in order to achieve our goals?
- K. What are our goals and objectives?
The later sessions acted as detailed framing and were intended to accomplish two objectives:
- Establish the broad frame describing the transformational effort.
- Frame the individual initiatives that will drive the transformation forwards
Decision Architecture:
The workshop is two days long. The objective is to introduce the leadership team to the basics of Decision Quality and uses the DQ framework to develop what will become the road-map to the future (or whatever we decide to call it: a decision architecture that will guide how decisions will be worked and made going forward. Decisions are sorted by class according to technical and organizational complexity with rules and protocols established accordingly.
We will use the Decision Quality framework, models, and tools to do the following:
- Review decision audit findings.
- Introduction to Decision Quality principles.
- Set frame for project.
- Identify classes of decisions and related protocols (who makes what decisions and how).
- Sort decisions into classes.
- Identify key decision values and measures.
The work is published into a decision guide (Words and images; tied to the D2 and Workbook Outcomes)
This is a hybrid of the CF and Decision Architecture workshops. These two day workshops are designed to accomplish two objectives with the next layer of managers in the company.
- Harvest insights into context, future state, decision current state, and decision rule book (the way).
- Create buy in to transformational efforts.
We will use a combination of 4D™ and DQ Deep Dive framework, models, and tools to do the following:
- Create clarity around current state.
- Make/ratify decisions needed to implement a decision quality infrastructure, process, and rule set.
- Create buy-in/buy-off on implementing decision quality.
- Finalize classes of decisions and related protocols (who makes what decisions and how).
Decision Quality Training.
Schematic
This illustration illustrates the 4 frameworks of the 4D approach. This is central to how we work. Our role is simply one of improving performance and accelerating value for our clients.Aim
Acceleration of value via Collaboration, Creativity, increasing Efficiencies, delivering Innovation, removal of Complexity, improved Thinking using the power of Visualisation.Approach
4D is Group Partners rigorous approach to answering the important questions of business. See Clients, References, Solutions, Outcomes, FAQs, Big Pictures(Creating a baseline for DQ in the enterprise).
Case-based (live or fabricated) interactive workshops designed to teach the use of the core Decision Quality model and tool set. Participants will learn how to manage the work and understand the organizational issues associated with making complex (a relative term) decisions of various sizes in the face of uncertainty.
The Benefit: Workshop teams can work many decisions to conclusion; common language and tool set; ability to engage more people more efficiently in decision making processes.
Decision Ownership Training
For the core leadership group, build and teach the “owners manual” for driving and sustaining a decision culture. This includes providing the leadership with the protocols and disciplines which would become the operating system for decision ownership, keys to working decisions; decision dialog process; inspecting decisions; improving decisions.
Benefit: Clarity of direction and messaging around decision making; ability to manage simple and complex decision processes; continuous improvement and learning around quality decision making.
Decision Leadership Training
(Black Belt level)
Build and teach a Decision Quality Black Belt program to a small group of people who could act as internal decision consultants on highly complex decisions. This group could also be engaged to teach the baseline Decision Quality Training.
Benefit: Internal stewardship of the operation of Decision Quality; internal capability to manage highly complex decision dialog processes and decision compression work.
Decision Quality Basics
Build and teach a one day survival skills program that would be targeting the masses.
Benefit: Basic understanding of Decision Quality; ability to participate constructively in large decision processes; basic framework for making high quality decisions.
DQ Launch Meeting
The framework displays the entire record of the live capture of the session and will carry significant insights as a form of additional narration to explain what was learned. See Outcomes
The workbooks contain the full record of the event. The full sequence is narrated and key insights are captured. See Outcomes 
All significant information and the actions or summaries of the decisions made are presented in a clear and readily accessible format. Big Pictures
The output from all the 4D™ Decision Quality work will be consolidated into a single document – Work Book (summary, analysis, and recommendations). This, along with a templated launch plan will be presented to the leadership team in a one-day meeting. We use this meeting to review decisions and recommended launch requirements. We make final decisions on a launch plan at this meeting.
We produce a final document based on this meeting that will spell out exactly what needs to be done by group. This is the formal launch of the key programs and initiatives and the beginning of the “hundred days to glory” which brings the project to its first critical milestones.
Hundred Days to Glory
Time is the necessary component of change. It takes time to drive any type of change and embed it into the organization. Time is also the erosive and corrosive force that eats away at the resolve required to turn small wins into broad beachheads and sustained success. Speed to first business benefit is everything. The various initiatives and projects will all be put on a first hundred day timeline.
We will work with the team to stage an operations review at the end of this time to check progress, rethread initiatives that have come loose, etc.
Build/Customize DQ models, templates, tools, and training
The Decision Quality tool set will be comprised of a “decision one-pager” and supporting elements like framing templates, decision tables and decision maps, etc. These will be customized and packaged for use by our clients. The training materials will also be customized to support the specific requirements of this project. All materials will be subject to sign-off by the designated client side project leader prior to production and will become property of our clients.
- Training Pilot - We will pilot each training program we run.
- Training Roll-Out - We need to propose this separately once we understand your requirements. We anticipate a combination of training, train-the-trainer, and black belt certification.
- Decision Compression (RIP Sessions) - Some types of decisions lend themselves to decision compression (or RIP). In these cases, teams of people are assembled for some period of time (usually two to three days) to work a decision from start to finish; frame to preliminary recommendations. Experienced client side facilitators will be able to run these sessions. Alternatively, a DQ-Group Partner facilitation team can also lead these.
- Economic Modeling - Some decisions are best evaluated using econometric models. We can either do this work or teach members of your finance team to build the types of models you’ll want going forward.
Also see Kevin Hoffberg
Also See The Technical Application of the Deep Dive within Solutions
NB. We apply all of the techniques of 4D™, Scenarios™, Journeys™ and En Route™ within each Deep Dive to arrive at rich and powerful outcomes that will contribute to the integrated outcome within 4D™
Important Note. See Decision in relation to this Deep Dive.
Decision Quality Extensive deep work into the physics of decision making. Enabling the enterprise to make the best decisions possible. Our future rests on making the right choices. The ability of the leadership team to know the reasons why they will say yes or no to a choice is at the heart of all the confidence the enterprise has in the way it sees the business being led. Strategy is a matter of making choices and the ability to take the enterprise along that path. That story has to be compelling.
This Deep Dive often occurs when deeper information is required from the enterprise in order to frame the opportunity fully.
