My Favorite Choopchicks – The Check Box Mentality
I’ve been ailing for the past week, and it just doesn’t seem to be getting much better. I went back to the doctors office for a follow up (and more pills) when I heard a familiar voice behind me. It turned out to be an ex-employee of mine who left GM to go work at a competitor. He was leaving for a better position with more responsibility, and I was happy for him, since opportunities like that in the auto industry these days are few and far between.
As we caught up, he told me about his success and failures, a lot of the past battles and lessons learned were revisited. Soon, a list of common obstacles came up, and with it, a fresh set of choopchicks. The one I would like to spend a few minutes on today is “The Check Box Mentality (CBM)”
Definition
Easily one of the commonest ailments in the frozen middle layer of middle to large size companies, the CBM is subtle cancer that is difficult to detect, unless under direct examination. It happens when a task is deemed complete, even through the true intent of the task has not been accomplished. An example from my past follows – feel free to post whatever examples you have seen.
Example
The task is simulation for the new manufacturing line. The boss/project manager asks, “Is this task done?” The answer from the task owner is “Yes.” There is a long stare from the boss/project manager, as s/he ponders whether to ask a follow up question. Decision made, s/he moves to the next assignment and asks the next owner for an update.
No direct lies where told, but the intent of the task probably was not fulfilled, if we look more deeply at the conversation above. The task is really intended to valid that the new manufacturing system will run approximately to the original requirements. It turns out a simulation has been done, but it actually shows the line will run far less than the design spec. But the simulation has been done, and the task owner, if faced with this conflict, can “check the box” and say the task has been completed.
This can be more apparent when an upper level executive ties a reward to this box being checked – You cannot get funding for this project unless it has been simulated. The task owner can say with confidence that the design has been simulated, and the task is complete. S/he can rationalize that the project is late already (See Mutually Assured Lateness) and we’ll fix the design once we secure the funding. Or that the plant will have to run better (say at 105% uptime) to reach the design target, etc., etc. Fill in whatever rationalization you might have seen (or used yourself) to help justify why the box should be checked.
The boss/PM hesitation is not for the sake of the story – this person has probably done this task or one similar to it in a prior job. S/he has to decide how much they want to know. If they have been through that prized corporate ritual called “The Scapegoat Hunt” before, they may already be thinking about who they want to throw in front of the bus first. Knowing the rules of the Hunt means that when they asked the question, they meant it based upon the intent of the question – has the system been validated by simulation or not. They can blame the task owner for not living up to the intent of the task, and point the finger at them if they themselves come under fire for problems that (enviably) come from the new manufacturing system.
In defense of the task owner, they are probably overworked and heavily mult-tasking on several projects already. Getting the simulation box checked off is easy, since the results of the decision to check the box may not been realized for months or years. Plus, this task owner will probably not have to live with the consequences of the decision. Many changes will come to the design between now and then, so if will have to be re-simulated anyway. Continue rationalization as required.
A Choopchick?
CBM is the effect, not the cause, of why some many things seem to go wrong with new programs or projects. Is it a Choopchick? In my opinion, yes. There is a lot of effort being put forth by employees to “get your boxes checked”, versus working across silos and focusing in on the constraint in the company. The amount of effort spent on checking the box with so few (or negative!) results make CBM a triviality. What’s the root cause? That will take another blog or two!
