It seems that the cable guy either comes at the end of the allotted time – or after. It’s frustrating wondering why the package promised for overnight delivery fails to show by the end of the day. The world of commerce is fraught with broken promises related to on time delivery or OTD.
Organizational productivity, in general, is plagued by what one study called “excessive task time variability.” Over promise and under deliver has become the business model of many a struggling enterprise. Unfortunately, the fix isn’t simple, yet, there are a few common culprits to narrow your search for areas requiring corrective behavior.
The study highlighted 4 areas of failure that contribute to OTD mishaps:
Unrealistic Planning: Also known as over promising the delivery date, unrealistic planning doesn’t fully consider the logistics involved in moving the pieces or efforts through the process. Lack of attention to what is needed, when it is needed and where it is needed all contribute to a sloppy execution that causes delays. Spend extra time upfront plotting out the flow in reasonable terms.
Lack of Prioritization: Left to their own interpretation, workers (me and you) will select the next object of our work based on mood, time availability or maybe just random choice. The lack of clearly identified priorities that indicate the sequential pattern of work will cause delays and rework. A misstep on timing will create bottlenecks down the line. Once you have a realistic plan, clearly identify the steps from which the team will work.
Myth of Multi-tasking: I know you don’t believe it, but our brain cannot multi-task activities that require attention to two things at once. While we can background task activities for which we have developed considerable skill, such as driving while talking on the phone, even that produces a delay or diminished ability (guy in left lane going 40 mph). Most workers, however, believe they can multi-task and in doing so, slow down the production line. Don’t kid yourself – focus is required for efficiency. Multi-tasking is really rapid task switching. It’s doable but not effective for critical activities.
Misuse of Margin: Everyone knows to build in a little extra time just in case the wheels come off the project. But, what we fail to do is protect that margin of time so we can use it for its proposed use – an emergency. More routinely, we tend to fill the time. The task has a tendency to fill the allotted time even if we don’t need the time. In other words, we waste time to make the task fit the allotted time or we finish early and don’t report that we did so thereby losing that productive time. To effectively use the built in margin, stay productive and track your completion times so you get a realistic sense of how long it takes you to complete a task.
Teach your organization the fine art of OTD by dissecting the process and shoring up the efforts. When the value of time is embraced by your organization, your culture and success will benefit greatly.