Bill Dettmer tells us that one of the first things we need to do is, define the system boundaries that we are trying to improve, as well as our span of control and sphere of influence. Our span of control means that we have unilateral change authority, while our sphere of influence means that at best, we can only influence change decisions. Dettmer explains that if we don’t define our boundaries of the system, we risk “wandering in the wilderness for forty years.”
The Goal Tree Structure
The hierarchical structure of the Goal Tree consists of a single Goal and several entities referred to as Critical Success Factors (CSFs). The CSF’s must be in place and functioning if we are ever going to achieve our stated goal. The final piece of the Goal Tree are entities referred to as Necessary Conditions (NCs), which must be completed to realize each of the CSF’s. The Goal and CSF’s are worded as terminal outcomes, as though they were already in place, while the NC’s are stated more as activities that must be completed.
The figure below is a graphic representation of the structure of the Goal Tree, with each structural level identified accordingly. The Goal, which is defined by the owners of the organization, sits at the top of the Goal Tree, with three to five Critical Success Factors directly beneath it. The CSF’s are those critical entities that must be in place, if the Goal is to be achieved. For example, if your Goal was to create a fire, then the three CSF’s which must be in place are, (1) a combustible fuel source, (2) a spark to ignite the combustible fuel source and (3) air with a sufficient level of oxygen. If you were to remove any of these CSF’s, there would not be a fire. So, let’s look at each of these components in a bit more detail.
The Goal
Steven Covey suggests that to identify our goal we should,
“Begin with the end in mind,” or where we want to be when we’ve completed our
improvement efforts which is the ultimate purpose of the Goal. A Goal is an end to which a system’s
collective efforts are directed. It’s
actually a sort of destination, which implies a journey from where we are to
where we want to be.
Dettmer also makes it very clear that the system’s owner
determines what the goal of the system should be. If your company is privately owned, maybe the
owner is a single individual. If there’s
a board of directors, they have a chairman of the board who is ultimately
responsible for establishing the goal.
Regardless of whether the owner is a single person or a collective
group, the system's owner(s) ultimately establishes the goal of the system.
Critical Success
Factors and Necessary Conditions
In the Goal Tree there are certain high-level requirements which
must be solidly in place and if these requirements aren’t achieved, then we
simply will never realize our goal.
These requirements are referred to as Critical Success Factors (CSFs)
and Necessary Conditions (NCs). [2]
Dettmer recommends no more than three to five CSF’s should be identified. Each of the CSF’s have some number of NCs
that are considered prerequisites to each of the CSF’s being achieved. Dettmer recommends no more than two to three
levels of NC’s, but in my experience, I have seen as many as five levels
working well. While the Goal and the
CSF’s are written primarily as terminal outcomes that are already in place, the
NC’s are worded more as detailed actions that must be completed to accomplish each
of the CSF’s and upper-level NCs.
The relationship among the Goal, CSF’s and the supporting
NC’s in this cascading structure of requirements, represents what must be
happening if we are to reach our ultimate destination. For ease of understanding, when I am in the
process of constructing my Goal Trees, the connecting arrows are facing
downward to demonstrate the natural flow of ideas. But when my structure is completed, I reverse
the direction of the arrows to reveal the flow of results. In keeping with the
thought of learning a tool and making it my own, I have found this works well
for training purposes, even though this is the complete opposite of Dettmer’s
recommendations for construction of a Goal Tree.
As we proceed, it’s important to understand that the real
value of a Goal Tree is its capability to keep the analysis focused on what’s
really important to system success.
Dettmer [2] tells us that a “Goal Tree will be unique to that system and
the environment in which it operates.”
This is an extremely important concept because “one size does not fit
all.” Dettmer explains that even two
manufacturing companies, producing the same kind of part, will probably have
very dissimilar Goal Trees.
In my next post, we will begin the construction of a Goal
Tree/Intermediate Objectives Map, laying out the necessary steps for construction.
Bob Sproull
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