This Focused Performance Weblog is a "business management blog" containing links and commentary related primarily to organizational effectiveness with a "Theory of Constraints" perspective. TOC is noted for its applications in Project Management and Multi-Project Management (Critical Chain) and Operations Management (Drum-Buffer-Rope), as well as in Marketing, Strategic Planning and Change Management (TOC Thinking Processes). If you are on an archive page, current postings are found here.
"TOC’s Current Reality Tree is the most analytical and robust of the numerous methods of getting to root cause. I’ve used it several times. In each instance, it has led me to a very sound root cause, to which the solution became obvious. In each instance, I have been completely unable to communicate either the process or the result to others. The work and simple, logical elegance was for naught."
Joe and I carried on a brief "comment conversation" over at his blog, and we quickly got to the intial nub of the issue...
FRANK: Joe - Another question - Your CRT process. Was it a Dettmer style CRT, focusing on a single entity root cause, or did you use the 3-UDE/core-conflict process that roots the CRT in a conflict/dilemma? If the former, did you turn the results into a "Communication CRT" with a conflict/dilemma at the base?
JOE: Frank, I used the Dettmer model. And, yes, I did (at least attempt to) make it a communication model...I did put the conflict/dilemma at the base.
My gut feel was that the logic tree itself created so much mental "noise" that the users were unable to then "hear" the resultant root cause.
Make sense??
FRANK: Yes it does - That's exactly where the first response on my blog was going to head, if I could get f'ing Visio to work for me. The tree is most useful as a back-pocket reference if they don't follow your logic. Another way of using it is in small pieces, defining critical connections without throwing the whole big collection of boxes and arrows at the audience right up front.
JOE: Very helpful, Frank. Thank you.
I can see I succumbed to a perhaps normal tendancy. After putting a lot of work into something like a CRT, one wants to show the work and the elegance of the logic. The listener, OTOH, particularly if senior management, wants to know "what's the deal here" rather than the entire process behind it. "Give me the baby, not the labor pains."
Seeing the tree as a back up is very helpful.
Thanks, Frank! Joe Ely
You're welcome, Joe. Like I said, "initial nub of the issue". Watch this space for more on the subject of analyzing and communicating root causes and core problems with Current Reality Trees (CRTs).
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