Consulting
Never Panic!
Panic is never a good problem-solving tool, regardless of your position or role. It is especially bad when you are in charge of people or brought in for your expertise. Panic leads to a myopic view of the problem, hindering creativity and fostering dread.
The point in my career when this became readily apparent was when I was working for a small software company. We had a new product (Warehouse Management System) and were launching our third deployment. This one was more complicated than the rest because it was for a pharmaceutical company. In addition to requirements like refrigeration and lot control, there was a mix of FDA-controlled items requiring various forms of auditing and security, and storage areas significantly smaller than previous installations (think small packages of medicine versus pallets of one product). It was a challenge, to be sure.
A critical component, “Location Search,” failed during this implementation. About 10-12 people were in the “war room” when my boss, the VP of Development, began to panic. He was extremely talented and normally did an excellent job, but his reaction negatively affected the others in the room. The mood quickly worsened.
I jumped in and took over because I didn’t want to be stuck there all weekend, and because I wanted this implementation to succeed. I asked my boss to go out and get a bunch of pizzas. Next, I organized a short meeting to review what we knew and what differed from our prior tests, and I asked for speculation about the root cause. The team came up with two potential causes and one potential workaround. Everyone was organized into three teams, and we began attacking each item independently and in parallel.
We identified the root cause, which led to an ideal fix a few days later and a workaround that allowed us to finish the user acceptance testing and go live the following day. A change in mindset fostered the collaboration and problem-solving needed to move forward.
But this isn’t just limited to groups. I was a consultant at a large insurance company on a team redesigning their Risk Management system. We were using new software and wanted to be sure that the proper environment variables were set during the Unix login process for this new system. I volunteered to create an external function executed as part of the login process. To keep the code clean, I added an “exit” at the end of the function. It worked well during testing, but once it was placed into production, the function immediately logged people out as they attempted to log into the system.
As you can imagine, I had a sinking feeling in my gut. How could I have missed this? This was a newer system deployed just for this risk management application, so no other privileged users were logged in at the time. Then, I remembered reading about a Unix “worm” that used FTP to infiltrate systems. The article stated that FTP bypassed the standard login process. This allowed me to FTP into the system and then delete the offending function. In less than 5 minutes, everything was back to normal.
A related lesson learned was to make key people aware of what happened, noting that the problem was resolved and there was no lasting damage. Hiding mistakes kills careers. Then, we created a “Lessons Learned” log, with this as the first entry, to foster the idea of sharing mistakes to avoid them in the future. Understanding that mistakes can happen to anyone is a good way to get people to plan better and keep them from panicking when problems occur.
Staying calm and focused on resolving the problem is a much better approach than worrying about blame and the implications of those actions. And most people appreciate the honesty.
As the novelist James Lane Allen stated, “Adversity does not build character; it reveals it.” Maintaining your composure and sense of calm (“equanimity”) makes chaos more manageable and helps develop resilience within the team. That is key to surviving in any high-pressure environment.
Understanding the Real Issue using Root Cause Analysis
Too often people, including Consultants, spend time trying to solve the wrong problem due to having incomplete or incorrect information. Once, I was investigating a series of performance problems and unplanned outages that were assumed to be two separate problems. As I gathered information, several people shared anecdotal stories of anomalous behaviors in various systems, speculated about the “real problem,” and discussed “chasing ghosts” during previous attempts to resolve it.
I remember stating that I was there to solve a real problem that was seriously impacting production, and that it was not my intent to chase ghosts or do anything else that would unnecessarily waste time. Next, I outlined the approach I would use to make a Root Cause determination and that we would reconvene to discuss the real problem and potential solutions. A few people scoffed and felt this was a waste of time and money.
The process followed was simple, structured, and logical. It took everything we knew to be true and mapped it out. I looked for patterns, commonalities, and intersections of systems and events. Within two days, my team and I had identified a complex root cause involving multiple components, which we demonstrated would reliably reproduce the symptoms that our client was experiencing. From there, we worked with their teams to make minor network changes, system configuration changes, and several small application changes.
By the end of the second week, they were no longer experiencing major slowdowns or unplanned outages. Each outage cost the company tens of thousands of dollars in lost sales because of the time-sensitive nature of their product. Within one week, they had recovered the cost of hiring my team and me. What stuck with us was how many really smart people “believed in ghosts” and failed to focus on the information they already had.
A few years later, we created a white paper to help others who needed a simple, structured approach. Below is a link to that white paper written by one of the top people on my team. We received very positive feedback then, so it still seems useful today. Please take a look and let me know what you think.
Using Themes for Enhanced Problem Solving
Thematic Analysis is a powerful qualitative approach used by many consultants. It involves identifying patterns and themes to better understand how and why something happened, providing context for other quantitative analyses. It can also be used when developing strategies and tactics because of its “cause and effect” nature.
Typical analysis tends to be event-based. Something happened that was unexpected. Some type of triggering or compelling event is sought to either stop something from happening or to make something happen. With enough of the right data, you may be able to identify patterns that help predict what will happen next based on past events. This data-based understanding may be simplistic or incomplete, but often it is sufficient.
But people are creatures of habit. If you can identify and understand those habits and place them within the context of a specific environment that includes interactions with others, you may be able to identify patterns within the patterns. Those themes can be much better indicators of what may or may not happen than the data itself. They become better predictors of things to come and can help identify more effective strategies and tactics to achieve your goals.
This approach requires that a person view an event (desired or historical) from various perspectives to help understand:
- Things that are accidental but predictable because of human nature.
- Things that are predictable based on other events and interactions.
- Things that are the logical consequence of a series of events and outcomes.
Aside from the practical implications of this approach, I find it fascinating relative to AI and Predictive Analysis.
For example, you can proactively monitor data, activities, and patterns by understanding recurring themes and triggers. That provides actionable intelligence that can be automated and incorporated into a larger system. Machine Learning and Deep Learning can analyze tremendous volumes of data from various sources in real-time.
Combine that with Semantic Analysis (and products like AllegroGraph) to harness the power of language through taxonomies and ontologies. The monitoring system would better understand what is happening (not just be aware of it), possibly determine how and why it happened, and result in even more focused and accurate predictions. Finally, include spatial and temporal data such as IoT, metadata from photographs, etc., and you should be able to view something as though you were very high up – providing the ability to “see” what is on the path ahead. It is obviously not that simple, but it is exciting.
This approach provides a multi-dimensional view of events and their causality, giving you the means to identify and prevent complex problems before they negatively affect a business.
Keeping these thoughts in mind will help you see details others have missed. Better tools can make for better analysis, better strategies, and better outcomes. Who wouldn’t want that?
Perspective and Expectations Establish Your Starting Point
We may have seen the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and now I am seeing more and more articles about the “New Normal” and “Next Normal.” Interestingly enough, I have also been seeing a few articles over the past two weeks about this being an opportunity. Once the fear, uncertainty, and doubt (aka “FUD”) began to diminish, people finally started looking for a silver lining.
Fear is a powerful demotivator, so I find it interesting that some managers and executives use it to help achieve their goals. There may be short-term gains, but the long-term effects can be devastating. In times of chaos (real or perceived), one of the best things a leader can do is be genuine and concerned for their team’s welfare, communicate honestly and promptly, and display confidence to help shift emotions from a negative state to a positive one. Fear holds you and your team back.
What I find interesting is that two months ago, I posted about this unfortunate time being an opportunity – something that led to several negative comments at the time. Three weeks ago, I posted about changes coming as part of the “New Normal.” I believe this is simply insight coming into play, which is one reason why Consultants, great Salespeople, and new Executives can often add immediate value to an organization.
As an aside, diversity of backgrounds, experiences, knowledge, expertise, and opinions leads to various perspectives- fostering creativity. The best team-building practice is finding people whose strengths help cover your weaknesses.
So, perspective and expectations determine where you begin, not where you end. The benefit of a better starting point is that you’re in a much better position to win. The best part is that you can teach yourself to identify different perspectives. You may find it much easier to understand the big picture of whatever problem you face with that new skill.
From time to time, we all face situations we know will suck. Avoidance may be an option, but it usually isn’t the best option. The military has a saying, “Embrace the Suck,” that essentially boils down to “just deal with it.” Focusing on “the gain” (rather than “the suck”), identifying small wins along the way, and visualizing success is part of the process I’ve found helpful for maintaining a positive attitude and an open mind. This simple process helps balance optimism with realism and, most importantly, creates high expectations.
So, what are your thoughts? Do you want to lead or follow? There is nothing wrong with following, especially when contributing to the team’s success. Perspective and Expectations are two tools that can help in any role.
Could this Pandemic Create New Business Opportunities?
Originally posted on LinkedIn.com/in/chipn
For most businesses, now is a time of caution and uncertainty. Mitigation and emergency planning are likely underway. The CDC has provided solid guidance, and new information is forthcoming daily. Communication Plans are being rolled out and revised as needed. Travel and meetings are being curtailed. Disruption may become the new normal for the next several months.
Alexander Fleming, the Nobel Prize winner who invented Penicillin, is quoted as saying:
“The unprepared mind cannot see the outstretched hand of opportunity.”
More people will be working from home, face-to-face meetings will be limited, large gatherings will be avoided, and travel to those meetings or gatherings. Working from home can be challenging for people not accustomed to it, so helping them transition may be very important to your financial bottom line.
Collaboration tools like Slack, Basecamp, and Asana can help maintain productivity and foster necessary interaction. Some tools include video conferencing; tools like Zoom or Webex can help internally and externally. Seeing the person you are speaking with increases engagement and leads to more effective communication by helping you spot nuances, such as facial expressions, that could otherwise be missed.
Secure, easy-to-implement tools (cloud-based solutions have an advantage here) that are easy to learn and use can be a cost-effective way to keep your business on track. Another benefit is building an effective distributed workforce.
But wait, there is more!
You may have important projects you can pull in and start now. That is another way to keep your teams engaged and focused. This could also be an opportunity to enhance skills with online training or research new technologies or business models.
This could also be a great time to buy and sell products and services. Business demands could temporarily decrease in many market segments.
- Sales organizations could use that opportunity to offer appealing deals to customers and prospects.
- Buyers could use their ability to purchase quickly to secure better deals during this lull in business.
Reasonable concessions can be mutually beneficial and a boon for both parties.
Negative events like a pandemic are not ideal and should not be taken lightly, but they can create opportunities to advance your business and position you for even greater success once the situation is under control. It is like that old saying, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”
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