“Where do we start?” Eduardo asked.

“Where do you think we should start?” I replied. We were trying to determine whether Hector was big enough to handle his current job.

“We are trying to measure his capability. That’s the goal of this session,” Eduardo established.

“Yes, so what Unit of Measure have we talked about when it comes to defining the tasks involved in his job?”

“Well, we have talked about Time Span,” he said.

“And, what was the measure of the longest task in Hector’s job?”

“We said, one month. Hector is in charge of shipping, but it’s more than just getting freight out the door. He is responsible for proper crating, working with vendors to select the proper crating materials, collecting information about product damage in transit. It is really a big job. Some of the problems that have to be solved involve testing in-house, you know, crash testing and then field testing.

“I don’t think one month is accurate. I think, to be successful, the longest task is three months. It takes that long to solve some of our material damage issues in that department,” Eduardo concluded.

“Okay, three months is the longest task required. To be successful running the shipping area requires the ability to work three months into the future, without direction, using his own discretionary judgment?”

Eduardo nodded, “Yes, I need Hector to carry the ball to whole way. I may check up on him more frequently to see if he still has the ball, but I need him to supervise the resolution to some of these issues without me. If I really have to get involved, then Hector is not doing the necessary work.”

“So, success in the job requires a Time Span of three months?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“That is Step One. Firmly establishing the Time Span of the longest task, establishing the required Time Span for the role.

“Are you ready for Step Two? The next part is to measure Hector.” -TF