{"id":44,"date":"2020-02-03T15:44:41","date_gmt":"2020-02-03T15:44:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/authorlab.pro\/layout\/beyondthespreadsheet\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=44"},"modified":"2020-04-23T07:49:41","modified_gmt":"2020-04-23T07:49:41","slug":"challenges","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/authorlab.pro\/layout\/beyondthespreadsheet\/chapter\/challenges\/","title":{"raw":"Challenges","rendered":"Challenges"},"content":{"raw":"<h1>September 25th<\/h1>\r\n<em>Bobbie had a little bit of time in the office after her coffee with Jim and was clearing up before heading home. It had been a mixed kind of day: she was still pleased with the stellar feedback from the visit but the enormity of the risk assessment was becoming more apparent.<\/em>\r\n\r\n<em>Just before she left for the day, an email popped up from Jim with the subject \u2018Challenges\u2019. She checked her watch. It was time to head out if she wanted to beat the traffic and have dinner with the kids but she was curious to hear Jim\u2019s thoughts. She cleared her desk and pulled the message up on her phone to scan it on the way to her car.<\/em>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">-----<\/p>\r\nFrom: \u201cJim\u201d &lt;<a href=\"mailto:ratherbegolfing@mymail.com\">ratherbegolfing@mymail.com<\/a>&gt;\r\n\r\nSubject: Challenges\r\n\r\nDate: September 25\r\n\r\nHey Bobbie\r\n\r\nThanks for the awful coffee earlier and for making my retirement more stressful!\r\n\r\nI\u2019ve been thinking things over and before we (I mean you) jump into the weeds of this thing, I think it\u2019s worth thinking about the challenges that a big project like this is going to run into. Anything this big is going to face some headwinds so I\u2019ve been thinking back to some of the big projects I\u2019ve been involved with in the past, trying to work out what the main issues were. I think this risk assessment for Xavier might have its own specific difficulties, but for what it\u2019s worth, here\u2019s what this old man thinks you need to watch out for.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">No Buy-in<\/span> - I know Xav is bought into this but make sure you bring the rest of the team along too (especially Yvonne and Zack). I\u2019d do some groundwork with them and sell the idea to the management team once you have clarified the scope with Xav.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Resource shortages<\/span> - I think time\u2019s the big limitation here but we\u2019ll need to see what else is \/ isn\u2019t available. For example, is the idea that you visit Janwick too? That would be a strain on time and budget I\u2019d imagine. Maybe stay constraints-led and make sure Xav is realistic about what can be achieved with the resources available.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Unclear Purpose<\/span> - I think you\u2019re addressing this later with Xav but make sure that you get him to clarify the purpose of the risk assessment. Make sure that\u2019s shared with the other managers and really sell the benefits to the business.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Unclear Process<\/span> - We\u2019re going to have to really focus on KISS here but also to make sure that everyone involved understands what we are doing and what the expectations are. You need everyone on the same page here. (Remind me to tell you about the Texas City audit one day\u2026).<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Trying to be too clever <\/span>- I think you were really successful with the HSE overhaul because you kept us grounded and built on what was already in place. We didn\u2019t get ahead of ourselves and try to make up a whole new system so let\u2019s do the same here: let\u2019s KISS - keep it simple - and use tried and tested methods. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s time for anything else and our learning curve is steep enough as it is.<\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Loss of energy<\/span> - (or in Xav\u2019s case attention). I think three weeks is short enough to stay focused and maintain momentum but let\u2019s make sure we don\u2019t go over that and start to lose steam. Otherwise, this could be another one of the good ideas that\u2019s still in the \u2018incomplete\u2019 column a year from now.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\n<em>I know you know this already but I could see earlier that you were already thinking about the mechanics - just don\u2019t lose sight of the forest for the trees!<\/em>\r\n\r\n<em>Jim<\/em>\r\n\r\n<em>PS - Give my love to Alex and the kids - why don\u2019t you come over on Saturday for a BBQ? \u2018Grandpa\u2019 Jim accidentally bought a new jungle gym I think the kids will like.\u00a0<\/em>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">-----<\/p>\r\n<em>Bobbie sat back in the driver\u2019s seat taking a minute to herself.<\/em>\r\n\r\n<em>\u2018More things to add to the \u2018to do\u2019 list\u2019, she thought. \u2018And more things to clarify with Xav.\u2019\u00a0<\/em>\r\n\r\n<em>She quickly fired off a meeting request to Debbie asking for 30 minutes with Xavier the following day.\u00a0<\/em>\r\n\r\n<em>\u2018That should help clarify things,\u2019 she thought, \u2018just as long as I work out what it is I need to know by then.\u2019<\/em>\r\n\r\n<em>She glanced at the clock.\u00a0<\/em>\r\n\r\n<em>\u2018Definitely time to get out of here\u2019 she thought. She pushed the risk assessment out of her mind and eased into traffic. She was eager to see Alex and the twins for their traditional Wednesday night pizza night.\u00a0<\/em>\r\n\r\n<em>She had a feeling those might be in jeopardy over the next few weeks.\u00a0<\/em>","rendered":"<h1>September 25th<\/h1>\n<p><em>Bobbie had a little bit of time in the office after her coffee with Jim and was clearing up before heading home. It had been a mixed kind of day: she was still pleased with the stellar feedback from the visit but the enormity of the risk assessment was becoming more apparent.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Just before she left for the day, an email popped up from Jim with the subject \u2018Challenges\u2019. She checked her watch. It was time to head out if she wanted to beat the traffic and have dinner with the kids but she was curious to hear Jim\u2019s thoughts. She cleared her desk and pulled the message up on her phone to scan it on the way to her car.<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">&#8212;&#8211;<\/p>\n<p>From: \u201cJim\u201d &lt;<a href=\"mailto:ratherbegolfing@mymail.com\">ratherbegolfing@mymail.com<\/a>&gt;<\/p>\n<p>Subject: Challenges<\/p>\n<p>Date: September 25<\/p>\n<p>Hey Bobbie<\/p>\n<p>Thanks for the awful coffee earlier and for making my retirement more stressful!<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019ve been thinking things over and before we (I mean you) jump into the weeds of this thing, I think it\u2019s worth thinking about the challenges that a big project like this is going to run into. Anything this big is going to face some headwinds so I\u2019ve been thinking back to some of the big projects I\u2019ve been involved with in the past, trying to work out what the main issues were. I think this risk assessment for Xavier might have its own specific difficulties, but for what it\u2019s worth, here\u2019s what this old man thinks you need to watch out for.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">No Buy-in<\/span> &#8211; I know Xav is bought into this but make sure you bring the rest of the team along too (especially Yvonne and Zack). I\u2019d do some groundwork with them and sell the idea to the management team once you have clarified the scope with Xav.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Resource shortages<\/span> &#8211; I think time\u2019s the big limitation here but we\u2019ll need to see what else is \/ isn\u2019t available. For example, is the idea that you visit Janwick too? That would be a strain on time and budget I\u2019d imagine. Maybe stay constraints-led and make sure Xav is realistic about what can be achieved with the resources available.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Unclear Purpose<\/span> &#8211; I think you\u2019re addressing this later with Xav but make sure that you get him to clarify the purpose of the risk assessment. Make sure that\u2019s shared with the other managers and really sell the benefits to the business.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Unclear Process<\/span> &#8211; We\u2019re going to have to really focus on KISS here but also to make sure that everyone involved understands what we are doing and what the expectations are. You need everyone on the same page here. (Remind me to tell you about the Texas City audit one day\u2026).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Trying to be too clever <\/span>&#8211; I think you were really successful with the HSE overhaul because you kept us grounded and built on what was already in place. We didn\u2019t get ahead of ourselves and try to make up a whole new system so let\u2019s do the same here: let\u2019s KISS &#8211; keep it simple &#8211; and use tried and tested methods. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s time for anything else and our learning curve is steep enough as it is.<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Loss of energy<\/span> &#8211; (or in Xav\u2019s case attention). I think three weeks is short enough to stay focused and maintain momentum but let\u2019s make sure we don\u2019t go over that and start to lose steam. Otherwise, this could be another one of the good ideas that\u2019s still in the \u2018incomplete\u2019 column a year from now.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>I know you know this already but I could see earlier that you were already thinking about the mechanics &#8211; just don\u2019t lose sight of the forest for the trees!<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>Jim<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>PS &#8211; Give my love to Alex and the kids &#8211; why don\u2019t you come over on Saturday for a BBQ? \u2018Grandpa\u2019 Jim accidentally bought a new jungle gym I think the kids will like.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center\">&#8212;&#8211;<\/p>\n<p><em>Bobbie sat back in the driver\u2019s seat taking a minute to herself.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u2018More things to add to the \u2018to do\u2019 list\u2019, she thought. \u2018And more things to clarify with Xav.\u2019\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>She quickly fired off a meeting request to Debbie asking for 30 minutes with Xavier the following day.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u2018That should help clarify things,\u2019 she thought, \u2018just as long as I work out what it is I need to know by then.\u2019<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>She glanced at the clock.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>\u2018Definitely time to get out of here\u2019 she thought. She pushed the risk assessment out of her mind and eased into traffic. She was eager to see Alex and the twins for their traditional Wednesday night pizza night.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>She had a feeling those might be in jeopardy over the next few weeks.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":253,"menu_order":1,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[47],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-44","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","chapter-type-standard"],"part":42,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/authorlab.pro\/layout\/beyondthespreadsheet\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/44","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/authorlab.pro\/layout\/beyondthespreadsheet\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/authorlab.pro\/layout\/beyondthespreadsheet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/authorlab.pro\/layout\/beyondthespreadsheet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/253"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/authorlab.pro\/layout\/beyondthespreadsheet\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/44\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":302,"href":"https:\/\/authorlab.pro\/layout\/beyondthespreadsheet\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/44\/revisions\/302"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/authorlab.pro\/layout\/beyondthespreadsheet\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/42"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/authorlab.pro\/layout\/beyondthespreadsheet\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/44\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/authorlab.pro\/layout\/beyondthespreadsheet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/authorlab.pro\/layout\/beyondthespreadsheet\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=44"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/authorlab.pro\/layout\/beyondthespreadsheet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=44"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/authorlab.pro\/layout\/beyondthespreadsheet\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=44"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}