Strict or Lenient: Where is the balance?

As a father, a husband and a team leader, I frequently come across this dilemma. How much strict or lenient should I be while dealing with people towards whom I am responsible or have some form of control. Same may be the case with every one.

Feminists may object to my mentioning ‘as a husband’ in the above statement but my conventional role of ‘head of the family’ warrants that I take vital decisions which can sometimes be unpleasant in short term.

Being strict is nothing but using one’s veto power to enforce ideas, decisions or actions in line with own judgment. The basic intention is to ensure desired beneficial results or control deviations or under performance.

One natural query that comes to mind is what is the need of being strict? At least in the case of spouse and team members, who are supposed to be mature adults, ideally there should be no need for being strict. Even in case of children, they should be coached well to be able to take right decisions and actions.

Let us see the areas where one feels the need to be strict.

In case of children, it can be about acceptable behaviour, manners & courtesy, time spent on leisure activities or wasted, type and number of friends, type of dresses, involvement in religious activities, type of books to read & movies to watch, type of extra-curricular activities & hobbies, health & fitness, studies, choice of career, affairs, choice of life partner, time of marriage and so on.

In case of spouse, it can be about expenses, handling extended family and relatives, general upkeep of the house, health & fitness, grooming and care of children, children’s career etc.

In case of team members, it is generally about quality & timeliness of work, conduct & discipline, in some cases dress code, communication protocols and business critical decisions.

Almost all people live and work with a positive intention. They mean to be good and to do what is right. They want to have a balanced life fulfilling all responsibilities associated with the multiple roles they play. Almost no one wants to deliberately do anything that is wrong or harmful.

So why is there a need for someone to be strict with others? The affected person, more often than not, finds the strictness as unfair, unjust and restrictive. This is natural since the decision enforced is not in sync with his judgment.

We hear so many children, spouses and team members complaining about the parent, partner or the boss for being unduly strict. I too have felt that way many times. I am also fully aware that my daughter, wife and team feel the same about me on some occasions.

Before going deeper in to this, I want to reiterate that the choice of being strict or lenient is ultimately determined by about our judgment on the probability of getting desired results.

Based on information, knowledge, past experience and upbringing, we all create an image or expectations about a role or position. How should a person in that role or position think, talk, act, decide, behave and interact. We also form an idea about the process and activities that will lead to a particular result. Some of these expectations or ideas are generally accepted by the society at large thus forming the part of ethics, morals, principles and culture.

As a basic instinct, we trust our own judgment the most. We all consider our self as the custodian of generally accepted ethics, morals, principles and culture. I have interacted with and overheard people from the lowest rung to far above. Everyone has a distinct idea about how everyone else should behave and why his own judgment of the situation is the most accurate. We are able to trust very few people’s judgment that too after evaluating them for consistently coming up to our expectation over a prolonged period.

Rightly or wrongly, this belief in own judgment and doubt in others’ is the reason one wants to be strict.

We fear that the other person, out of immaturity, wrong prioritization or insufficient information / competence will take incorrect, less beneficial or harmful decisions. We fear that the person will give more importance to their other roles not related to us at the cost of those where we are the stake holders. We believe that it is our moral, social or official responsibility to restrain them from straying on the wrong path. We believe that consistent strictness will help the other persons change or improve their judgment and thus decisions. Or at least, it will not allow them to act in a detrimental manner till that change of heart happens.

So, what is way to ensure achievement of desired results without being unduly strict? Excess in strictness can be real or perceived also. But truth is rarely the truth. More often than not, it is the perception that is the truth. Thus we have to look at both the reality and the perception.

One initial step that can reduce the need of being strict is to distinctly spell out and clearly communicate our expectations to others. It may also be helpful to explain the reason or logic behind that particular expectation. If the person comes up with a counter idea, we should not hesitate to accept it or explain the short coming therein. Sometimes, we expect more than the usual or the norm and this has also to be clearly communicated with the compulsions forcing this over expectation. This clear communication may help enroll the person in to the idea and thus not require much monitoring or control in future.

Second step can be to regularly monitor and review the progress or behaviour. Right inputs and feedback at required time can eliminate the need for being strict at a later stage. It is difficult for a person to change or retract at advanced stages. Ego also prohibits from making major changes.

Even if we have to strictly enforce the change, it is best to explain the logic behind the difference of judgment. Many times, the other person will get convinced.

Sometimes the situations will be urgent with little opportunity to enroll or convince people. At times, the other person will be adamant and unwilling to accept other ideas and the adverse impact of his idea or action is action will be too high. In such cases, taking strict decisions becomes mandatory in the greater interest. However, it might be a better idea to interact with the affected person later and explain the logic and reason. At that time, both persons will interact in a much cooler frame of mind and thus will be more receptive. Even we may find, after cool deliberations that our strictness was unwarranted and could have been avoided. It may be too late to undo the decision or action but it can be a lesson for future.

In any case, one thing we must carefully distinguish between is the person and the decision / act. When being strict and overruling the other person’s choice, we are merely objecting to that choice, decision or act and not to the person per se.

We must strongly believe that all people are sensible, mature & respectable in their own right and have the right intentions. It is the lack of information, knowledge or competence that has made them think or act the way they did. However, if the person is defaulting repeatedly, the intention also needs to be investigated.

Taking right decisions is a skill that can be learnt and improved. It should be our continuous endeavour to support them in improving their decision making capability by providing better information, increasing their competence, coaching and letting them take minor or less consequential decisions.

In my opinion, we can be a bit stricter with our children, owing to their limited knowledge and experience while also being friendly and accessible to them. They should be encouraged to approach us with their thoughts and preferences before putting them in action.

In case of team members, we have to be only moderately strict, owing to their age and experience and thus higher sensitivities. Also there is no social or emotional bonding to absorb minor excesses. But since, professional decisions are liable to scrutinized & audited and can have major financial or legal impact, a fair amount of monitoring and control is mandatory.

At the same time, we have to be sensitive about their work life balance and personal compulsions. At the end of the day, for most people, personal commitments supersede professional ones.

Trickiest is the spouse. Today, more & more women are educated and employed. They have higher belief on their judgment. They want to have bigger say and freedom in decision making. Both husband and wife are more aware about health and finances. At the same time, with disintegration of joint family system, lesser support, advice and social pressure is available to preserve the marital bond.

This relationship needs friendship, mutual respect for each other’s capability & interests, and appreciation of each other’s extended responsibilities to thrive. Open communication and adaptability are more critical than strictness.

In human interactions, nothing is absolutely right or wrong. In this dynamic world, what is right today or in a given situation may prove to be wrong tomorrow or in a different situation.

Ultimately, improving the probability of the desired result should be most critical factor in deciding our behaviour but always backed up by open and clear communication.

Fulfilling Mutual Expectations - Key to Organization Employee Synergy

An organization is but a vector sum of its employees. It is their collective contribution that determines the organization’s performance. Strategy, technology, processes and infrastructure are enablers for their performance. But it is the employees who unlock the real value of these enablers.

Simultaneously, an employee also needs the organization to realize, enhance and utilize his full potential and fulfill his dreams. A capable and committed employee working in an enabling atmosphere produces best results for self and also for the organization.

To fulfill its vision, mission and objectives, an organization expects its employees to think and act in a particular way. Likewise, an employee also has his own list of expectations from the organization.

Let us first look at the employees’ expectations from the organization.

The first requirement, naturally, is money. That is the basic reason why almost all of us work except for very few driven by some greater cause. But, how much money is right money? The remuneration must commensurate with the contribution an employee makes to the organization’s overall performance.

Second requirement would thus be a fair opportunity to make contribution irrespective of age, gender, physique, colour, religion, caste, creed or political beliefs. Personal proximity to people in authority or sycophancy should not decide the opportunities, responsibilities or challenges.

The contribution must be duly recognized and rewarded. It can be in form of open verbal appreciation, commendation letter, certificate or citation, monetary benefit, additional facilities, more challenging assignments, higher responsibility, promotion etc.

It is an employee’s right to have clear communication about his exact role, responsibility, authority and expectations from him. Only then he can correctly plan how to deliver his performance. In case he is found lacking on that front, it is a logical expectation that he will be given timely feedback. If the under-performance is due to his attitude or competence, the employee and the organization must jointly work to overcome the lacunae.

Growth is one of the important requirements of any individual. Growth in competence, responsibility, authority and benefits is what drives most of the employees. I have read one statement in many novels, “There is more where this comes from”. A future more exciting than the present is what keeps an employee attached & committed to the organization.

Every employee wants to be respected as an individual and as a professional. Dignity and pride is a prized possession of every individual. People offer their time and talent in lieu of employment and not their self respect. Any direct or indirect assault on that can be extremely de-motivating or can create unrest and rebellion.

Most people derive their social status and self esteem from their work and position held therein. I am yet to see anyone having a visiting card mentioning his family, interests, contribution to society, wealth etc. It is always one’s work & position that is mentioned therein. I have seen many people rejecting a job offer, in spite of better salary and role because of the less attractive designation. Some organizations use this by giving fancy designations to very junior people and thus creating an exit barrier. Seating arrangement, size of cubicle or cabin, access to executive dining halls, perks and entitlements etc. contribute to this status.

For people who love travel, having a job that involves national or international travel is a great opportunity to fulfill this interest. In last 10 years or so, I have visited so many places in India and some abroad which I could have never even imagined in my earlier job. It is definitely difficult, if not impossible, to see so many places on own accord. Seeing new places, meeting new people and understanding new cultures has its own excitement. It also adds a lot to self confidence.

One more expectation that employees have from the organization is care and support during emergencies. Accidents, illness, bereavements, calamities etc. are occasions when a person feels distraught and finds it difficult to handle on his own, alone. With more and more people taking up jobs far away from home town, they are frequently dependent upon the organizational support to meet these challenges at least till their personal reinforcements arrive. Sometimes the troubles extend over a period of time and the employees are not able to concentrate or contribute to the fullest extent. During this period, the organization has to be understanding and accommodative.

I have been lucky to work in a few organizations that take good care of their employees and take keen interest in their complete development.

It is quite natural that organizations also have a similar list of expectations from the employees.

An organization expects the employee to take complete ownership of the organizational goals and contribute with full commitment & diligence in his assigned area of responsibility.

An employee having ownership is expected to demonstrate a vision for self and for the organization. Their thinking and actions must be aligned with the organization’s mission and objectives. The employee is expected to be result oriented and not merely process or activity driven.

The employees must have smart trust based relationships and collaborate among themselves. They should be proactive in their actions to fulfill their roles and responsibilities and not always depend upon instructions and guidance.

An organization grows when its employees contribute innovative and creative ideas to break new grounds, increase productivity and improve efficiency. An employee should not impose self inflicted limits. They should be willing and able to contribute ideas and extend support in areas beyond their assigned responsibility.

An organization expects the employees to dream big and expect more but in return of real contribution. The employee should be willing to consciously explore areas of enhancement and improvement and learn continuously. People can not expect better results and growth for the same performance as earlier. In the fiercely competitive market, the organizations and in turn its employees, must continuously and relentlessly reinvent themselves. It involves de-learning, relearning and new learning.

An organization expects its employees to have high pride in self, his work and the organization. It is the pride that enables employees to tap in to internal reserves and stretch beyond imagination to create miracles.

The organization and employees, both must continuously strive to express, understand and fulfill the expectations. It is the consistent and sustained fulfillment of mutual expectations that creates the synergy between them. This synergy in turn produces excellent results.

Sustainable Change – The Elusive Tool

Often we feel the need to make some changes. This may be in our own selves, our loved ones, our team, our organization, our society or our country. This change may be needed to increase the positives or decrease the negatives. This change may be to accelerate the growth or retard the downfall or even to stay where we are. This change may be incremental or even complete transformation.

Who hasn’t heard about the saying that the only constant thing in life is change?

Unsatisfactory result is the most common trigger for recognizing the need for change. I strongly believe that every one approaches a situation with a positive intention and most have a belief that their analysis, strategy, competence and actions will produce the desired results. When that result does not come through, people are forced to analyze, either own their own or per force, the reason behind the under achievement.

This need for change may be related to competence, thinking, behaviour, habits, processes, relationships, priorities, allocations, culture, environment, circumstances and so on.

Sometimes, one may be satisfied with what one has or achieved. But, exposure to new possibilities often triggers the desire for something better or more.

Second trigger is anticipated events. An anticipated change in environment, new or bigger goals or progress in implementation warrant a change is strategy, plans & actions.

Third trigger is the change in the decision maker. There is no absolutely right way of doing most of the things, especially in the man made concepts. Be it business management, leadership, organizational behaviour, strategy, technology, processes, procedures, practices or relationships.

If there were and known, every family would be happy, every person a hero and every organization successful.

The decision makers rely on their knowledge, information, past experience and trustable advice available to them to take decisions. The same person may change even own decisions over the period of time as the inputs change. This requires people supposed to follow & implement the decisions also to change.

Another trigger for change is the rapidly changing technology. The way we did everything has changed tremendously. Be it the way we learn, work, interact, entertain, live or travel, everything is changing rapidly. Naturally, we have to change commensurately in all walks of life.

Changing norms and morals of the society are also bringing lots of change. What was a taboo few years back has become totally acceptable today. What was normal then has vanished or is unrecognizable now.

Change is so pervasive and common that we should all be so good at changing especially if the change is beneficial to us.

I have worked in many organizations like government, PSU, private and MNCs. I interact with and observe several people in personal life also. I have rarely come across a person who does not want to live and provide a better life, who does not want to discharge his responsibilities in a better manner, who does not want to contribute more or who does not want to be respected & loved more.

Most of the people are willing to change if that will help them achieve the above goals. This is clearly reflected in the millions of books that are sold every year telling people how to be better at almost everything. Thousands of teachers, trainers, mentors, coaches, motivational speakers, religious preachers and spiritual gurus are all working towards helping people change for the better or avoid change for the worse. Every parent, elder, spouse, friend, relative, superior, colleague and even subordinate is busy asking and helping others to change.

But, are we really living a better life or performing better, consistently and sustainably? Is there more love and happiness in our life than before? For some yes but for most no.

One reason is that some people are too self indulgent and keep blaming the extraneous factors for their misery and problems. Naturally they miss the opportunity to bring a beneficial change in their self.

There are others who understand that the short coming is with themselves or at least want to begin with themselves. Many times, they are not able to identify the areas, quantum or method of improvement. Such people can do with external support from capable & trustable friends,  family members or colleagues. If the desired result is critical, even engaging a life coach or approaching a guru might be a good idea.

There are lots of commonly available programmes that can help us identify the change required. Most organizations have formal feedback mechanism to help employees become more productive, efficient and successful. Informal feedback is always available from all over provided we are willing to grab & decipher it.

New Year resolutions are a classic example of the recognition for a need for change. Breaking of those resolutions is also a classical example that most changes are only short lived.

This is the biggest reason why in spite of having knowledgeable, sensible and committed people all around, the world is not a better place, we are not happier and we are not as successful as we would like to be. The change that we are able to bring in self and surrounding is short lived.

Sustainable change is as elusive as a mirage or the proverbial pot of gold.

Individuals, families, relations, organizations, societies and even countries launch major change programmes, sometimes silently and sometimes with fanfare but it all dies once the initial euphoria subsides.

People start exercising or reading, try to pick up new skills or improve the existing ones, join courses, try to break old habits or inculcate new ones but get back to the old ways very soon. Organizations introduce new structures & practices, adopt new standards and processes and hire consultants, trainers and coaches. The more things change, more they remain the same.

So, why is change so short lived? Why is it so difficult to sustain & grow the new?

One big reason is inertia. Any change requires effort and is uncomfortable. We, by nature, abhor any extra effort or discomfort.

Second is the fear of unknown and failure. Familiarity with the old and known gives a sense of security in that moment without realizing that sitting in a boat headed downhill is more dangerous than getting out in to the stream and attempting to swim to the shore. People are ready to be satisfied with little but sure success rather than attempting something big or different. Risks involved are more prohibitive than the lure of potential gains.

The third and biggest reason, in my opinion, is the externality of the new goals that necessitate change. People see them as being imposed by the parents, spouse, family, managers or the organization. They are not able to take ownership of the goals that are eventually beneficial for them only or also. The entire change that they embrace is under external pressure, stimulus or inspiration. The moment that external support is removed, they go back to their old ways.

The change is sustainable only in 2 cases.

Easier & quicker but less effective is irreversible & uncompromised change in a process. Whether liked or not, whether accepted or not and whether internalized or not, the new way is the only way of doing things. This is a coercive method and requires tremendous amount of supervision and monitoring.

A better way, though a bit long drawn, is to make a change in the way people think. That changes their emotions, values, actions, habits, culture and thus results.

This is where the role of leadership emerges. This leadership can be for self or for others within our zone of influence. A Leader is one who can enroll people and draw them to stretch towards a shared vision. He may or may not be a person in authority though being in authority helps.

The more lofty, glamorous & exciting the goals, more identifiable milestones, easier the process to understand and implement, more distinctly visible the rewards and benefits, clear losses for non compliance, more examples of successful or beneficiaries to emulate & be inspired from and more impeccable the leader’s conduct & reputation, the more sustainable a change can be.

External change is inevitable while internal change is optional. What gets affected by the convergence or divergence between this inevitability and option is the quality of life and success of individuals & organizations.

Work Life Balance - A Real Issue or a Hype?

Work Life Balance – a Real Issue or a Hype?

‘Work Life Balance’ is a popular topic in many debates on human productivity and happiness.

It is rightly believed that one needs sufficient rest and recreation to continue being productive at work for a long time. Some attention needs to be paid towards one’s health, fitness and development. The immediate family has due rights on one’s time for doing some household things, for sharing & guidance, for their hobbies, interests & recreation and for togetherness & fellowship. One has some responsibility towards parents, extended family, friends, relatives and society in general as well. All this needs time.

It has been noticed that people aspiring for fast growth often give over importance to work and devote too much time to it at the cost of other dimensions of their life. Some others are forced to devote more hours to work because of their inefficiency or low productivity. In some cases, the organizations are not rightly staffed and this increases the work load on people which they are not able to complete within the stipulated time.

Such lopsided distribution of time can have many negative fall outs of one’s life. The first victim is the well being and comfort of the immediate family. Slowly the relationship with the spouse and children gets affected. The children’s studies and development can also suffer. This sometimes happens due to lack of adequate guidance or support and sometimes in rebellion to the perceived negligence of their needs.

Many times, one tries to use expensive gifts, frequent outings and unnecessary shopping to compensate for lack of regular interactions with the family. This brings in the additional dimension of financial imprudence. Please remember, money cannot buy love.

Working continuously under pressure without adequate rest & recreation can lead to stress. In medium term, this affects the person’s health and fitness also. Life style diseases like obesity, diabetes and blood pressure are common among people not taking sufficient care of themselves. A stressed person often misbehaves with others and thus spoils the relationships. We all know that relations and influence are very important to ensure sustainable success and accelerated growth.

To achieve fast growth, continuous learning and re-skilling is very vital. That is possible only if one devotes sufficient time for it.

Overall if see, one must strike a balance among work, self care, immediate family and extended family / friends / society.

While the importance of ‘work life balance’ is obvious, I also see it being occasionally used as an excuse for escaping one’s share of responsibilities. I often feel that in the case of an over whelming majority, ‘work life balance’ in a redundant issue.

Out of 168 hours in a week, in India, one is supposed to work only for 48 hours. Including commuting time and occasional over stay, one may be devoting 60 hours to work apparently. Of the remaining 108 hours, 77 hours may be used for sleeping, eating and personal hygiene. Most get at least 31 hours a week to do whatever they want. Add to that the closed holidays and annual leaves then one gets around 35 hours a week on an average.

During this time, one can indulge in sports, fitness or other hobbies. One can spend this time with family members and take them for an outing, to a movie or to a restaurant. They can also indulge in some common hobbies or interests.

Over and above, it is not that people do not devote a small part of working hours doing personal things. They do make or accept phone call, pay bills, check personal mails, respond to Facebook or Whatsapp messages and so on. Likewise, a couple of hours for work at home on weekends can make the forth coming weekdays quite comfortable.

I hear that in some European countries, people want to work only for around 35 hours a week. It is difficult to digest that people can get so over stressed in just this much work.

Most will agree that we lead an integrated life. It cannot be compartmentalized in to various chambers of work, self, family and others. All the dimensions of our life exist concurrently and congruently. Each of it needs to be addressed as and when it needs attention. Of course there is a preferred time for each dimension respectively.

Personally, this topic was irrelevant for me during the first 14 years of my career. I rarely travelled in those days and most of the times I was home by 5.30 pm. There was enough time available to indulge in whatever we liked. We socialized, played, actively organized or participated in Officers Club activities and partied. Only occasionally there would be a call from the plant if there was some trouble.

Since April 2005, all the jobs I have been in involve lot of travelling. Also, there are frequent phone calls, messages and mails to be attended to during evenings and off days. Since the last 2.5 years, I have been staying away from my family and come home only on the weekends.

Because of all these, the question of ‘work life balance’ keeps popping up. I do wonder sometimes whether I am doing justice to my family or self and a few times even my colleagues have asked me this question.

Coincidentally, living alone and frequent travelling gives me sufficient time to pursue my hobbies of reading & now, writing and caring for my fitness. In the 28 years since I have been away from my parents, we have come to accept weekly phone calls & once in a year meetings as enough to sustain the closeness.

I am lucky to have an educated, mature & self sufficient wife who coincidentally is not working and can drive a car, quite well. Means, my daughter can attend her various hobby classes and birthday parties without problem. Between her coaching class just 500 meters away and the mother, her educational needs are easily taken care of.

My wife and I have a regular telephonic conversation twice in a day and ensure nothing is left unshared. All 3 of us are movie buffs and watch one or two movies a month on Friday nights. I make sure to spend at least 2 hours in weekends exclusively with my daughter to take care of her balance education needs, provide career guidance or just hear to all the exciting things happening in her life. I make sure to attend the parent teacher meets if held on Saturdays and other important events even if I have to take leave.

Once in a year we travel some place. 2013 we went to Switzerland & Paris and in 2014 we went to Jaipur for my college reunion. Every New Year’s Eve, we stay in a hotel holding special celebrations.

In nut shell, in spite of living separately and travelling frequently, we are able to spend enough quality time together to ensure that all emotional and intellectual needs are taken care of.

At work also, we have tried to develop a close bonding within the team and also with the family members. Once in a quarter we have a family get together wherein we ensure that every one participates in the fun and enjoys thoroughly. The families clearly seems more comfortable with their spouses occasional extended hours at work post such get togethers.

I personally believe that if one uses proper time management techniques, is reasonably quick & efficient, takes time & proactive action and follows the proper PDCA (Plan, Do Check and Act) cycle, there will hardly be any need to put in long hours or work on weekends. Also, regular communication with family members and quality time together can take care of their needs. The occasional extra time work will not upset the apple cart if the time together is filled with laughter and closeness.

‘Work Life Balance’ does not mean demonizing or despising work and responsibility. It really means taking full care of each of the dimension of one’s life such as work, self, family, relatives, friends and society.

PDCA - The Magic Mantra

During the course of our work, interactions with the seniors and during various training programmes, we come across several management concepts & tools that can help us to do more, contribute more and to achieve more. ‘PDCA – Plan, Do, Check and Act’ is one of the most powerful and effective concepts that I have come across. All of us apply this concept in many areas of our day to day life but mostly in an unsystematic manner and not everywhere.

Like most, I came across this term during the training on Quality Management System ISO 9000. But I did not realize the applicability of this principle in all walks of life. It was during my 6 weeks’ training at IIM, Bangalore in 2010, that I realized how powerful this concept is and how it can be used to improve our effectiveness in almost all areas..

This concept of PDCA can be used for managing daily activities, weekly schedules and monthly or annual or even long term strategic plans. It can be used by individuals, families, communities, cities, states countries, departments, divisions and companies. It can be used by employees, supervisors, managers, leaders, professionals, businessmen, students, housewives and so on. Wherever we desire a performance producing a specific result, this concept can be utilized to enhance the probability of success.

Its effectiveness is most visible and critically required in the areas of work, finance and career. It can help streamline the working & operations, reduce mis-communication & confusions, minimize mistakes & rework, improve the results produced and improve efficiency by considerably reducing the effort required to achieve the results.

Coincidentally, I have seen very few individuals applying this much needed concept on regular or long term basis. If I were to rate the 2 biggest weaknesses in the working professionals and students today, it will be limited knowledge / information and poor analytical skills. Both these things are essential for applying the PDCA concept effectively.

Even the people who know about this concept and preach about it also fail to apply it to their work quite often. I have noticed an overwhelming majority of people, out of their sincerity, rushing in to action directly the moment they take up a task. It is difficult to assess whether they are doing all the activities needed to accomplish the task, whether they are moving in the correct sequence, whether they are progressing at the right pace and whether what they are doing will actually produce the desired result.

The outcome of this haphazard working is under performance, non achievement of results or inordinate delays therein; lots of goof ups and rework, resultant heart burns & discord and huge amount of wastages.

Is it so critical to follow PDCA concept in everything we do?

In my opinion, YES. Only, the intensity and detail of planning and review (check) will vary as per the criticality of the result expected. Also the intensity will be more when we are doing something for the first time. Once the complete process is understood, implemented and stabilized, it can be done more easily or simply for subsequent repeat activities. The rigorousness will again be higher if the activity is being repeated after a long gap.

Let us now look at this process in bit detail and see its application in various areas of our life

Plan

This is the most vital part of this process and least practiced

The first step of planning is having a clear idea of the goal (s) to be achieved. The short, medium and long term objectives and milestones vary in line with the long term goals. PDCA for a high school student aspiring to graduate top 10 institutes of the world will be different from that for those aspiring to study in IIT or NIT or a normal engineering college or a simple BSc. Likewise, PDCA for 20% growth per annum will be different from 10% or 5%. PDCA for a startup will be different from a established global enterprise.

Very few people know how to set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Reasonable and Time bound) goals. In my opinion, every person, high school onwards, must be trained in goal setting and planning.

Once the goals, objectives and milestones are set, we have to do internal and external analysis. SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis is the most commonly used method for that. It is always confusing whether opportunities and threats in the external environment decide what is our internal strength & weakness or is it vice versa. 

Thus, a good way would be to evaluate the external and internal situations first independently and then correlate them iteratively to arrive at the final analysis. The effectiveness of the analysis depends largely upon the depth and clarity of the information we have. Further, we must be able to extrapolate the trends and assess the impact of current situation and anticipated changes. This requires reasonable knowledge about the topic and its interfaces with the other aspects.

Once the analysis is done, next comes the formulation of action plan. The action plans usually involve 4 aspects.

1.    How to utilize our strengths to capitalize the opportunities and how to enhance our more relevant strengths?

2.    How to minimize or eliminate our weaknesses or how to prevent / counter the negative impacts of the residual weaknesses?

3.    How to capitalize the available opportunities and how to enrich the existing or create new opportunities?

4.    How to minimize or eliminate the threats or how to prevent / counter the negative impacts of the residual threats?

This is what can also be called as Strategy once prioritization, timelines & resource estimation are also added the plan.

In some cases, I have observed people equating planning or strategy with conspiracy. This creates a big mental block for them and they prefer to take on things as they come. This equivalence needs to be challenged and eliminated.

Do (Action)

This is where most plans fail. In many organizations, people responsible for planning are different from those responsible for executing them. This is a perfectly acceptable arrangement. But it would be wise to involve the executors in preparing and fine tuning the plans to gain from their execution experience. Plus this will instill some sense of involvement and ownership in them.

It requires full commitment and discipline to implement a plan, whether developed by self or someone else, consistently and persistently. All actions do not produce instant or visible result. Many times, lack of action has more noticeable effect rather than taking the action. The implementors or executors must not get disheartened by that. Absolute results carry no meaning by themselves. It is the ‘actual v/s plan’ that is more important and better indicator of the success.

Repetitive or long duration actions can bring in boredom, de-motivation or complacence. Proper care needs to be taken to avoid these.

Check (Review)

Proper check points must be incorporated in the plan itself along with review frequency and responsible reviewers. Proper & timely review can identify deviations, constraints and mistakes early enough to avoid significant damages or failures. Delay in identification can make correction more difficult and costly.

The executors / implementors must review on their own also before it being reviewed by people more senior and experienced than them.

It is like attempting sample test papers before writing an exam.

Act (Improve)

Slower progress or insufficient results can be either because of improper planning or incorrect execution. This can also be due to insufficient resources, lack of enough competence or inadequate processes.

Once the cause of under achievement is identified, immediate corrective action needs to be taken to bring the activity back on track or control the damage. Suitable amendments must be done in the strategy, plan, process, procedure, activity or review mechanism, as applicable, to prevent recurrence of the mistake or failure.

The effectiveness of the Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA) many be visible immediately or at the next review. Depending upon the severity of under-performance, next review may be held earlier than originally planned.

Overall, PDCA is an iterative process to be continued till the desired goals are achieved.