From the Ask Tom mailbag –
Question –
I attended one of your workshops on Time Span. Since that day, the subject is like a song that I just can’t get out of my head. At the same time, where do I start? You described Time Span, or Requisite Organization as a comprehensive management system, but where do I start?
Response –
A first introduction to Requisite Organization and its central kernel, Time Span, can be overwhelming. But the first steps are not that complicated. Over the past ten years, I have shared this concept with more than 5,000 CEOs and managers, and this is always the first question – Where do I start?
It’s all about the work.
There are many kinds of organizations in the world, groups of people organized around a purpose. There are religious organizations, community service organizations, political organizations, and organizations to get work done. Work is my focus. It’s all about the work.
So, what is the work that has to be done. Where do I start? It starts by understanding the answers to these questions. These questions are helpful, to understand the different levels of work required in any complex endeavor. Where you start, is by understanding the work. The first step is understanding, the first step is a design step.
- (S-V) What is the superior purpose for the work? At the end of our foreseeable future, what do we want to accomplish? This is often called vision, mission, purpose. Without defining this purpose, the rest of the list doesn’t make sense.
- (S-IV) To achieve the superior purpose (vision, mission), what are the big milestones that have to be achieved? What are the big rocks that have to be moved?
- (S-III) To move those big rocks, what are the consistent, repeatable behaviors (habits, systems) that have to be created?
- (S-II) Inside each system, what are the deadlines and completed actions (projects) that have to be completed? What are the materials, equipment and people required to complete those projects?
- (S-I) What are the fundamental tasks that have to be organized? What is the production work that has to be completed day in and day out?
The first step is to understand the work, to understand the different levels of work.
Tom:
I agree that the place to start is with the work, but I’m confused by your presentation of the structure of the work. This description seems to only apply to organizations that have five hierarchical levels. When Walt Disney was 20, he was president of a corporation called Laugh-O-Gram Films, Inc., that was established to make a series of silent cartoons. This was long before the creation of Mickey Mouse. All ten or so employees reported directly to Walt.
So, I agree with your last statement that the first step is to understand the work and the different levels of work, but I’m not sure the work necessarily matches up with the five levels you have provided above. I look forward to further clarification in your future posts.