CDA Business Solutions Program
8 Steps to Success
Step One: Listen and Watch
First, we have to learn what your problem is. As you describe the problem, we will ask some basic questions. We will find out how the problem began and how you first discovered it. We know how problems manifest themselves, and how often they affect your business. We will recognize the people involved and their responsibilities. And, we will want you to provide us with guidance to learn about the problem in greater depth.
Step Two: Probe and Question
We will want to spend time talking to others about the problem and how it affects them. We will find out their opinions about the problem and potential solutions. We will question supervisors, managers and executives regarding their opinions of the problem and its effects.
Step Three: Observe and Analyze
We investigate the sources of the problem and determine possible causes and solutions. We will observe persons, customers or suppliers in action to see the problems first hand and their effects on the company. We will analyze what we see to determine its possible courses of action.
Step Four: Evaluate and Confer
We will evaluate our findings, based on our extensive experience, knowledge and education in business, engineering, science, education and critical thinking. We will develop processes and procedures and plans. We will discuss our findings, consider options, provide insights and present our plan.
Step Five: Infer and Develop
Based on our evaluations, and with your approval, we will develop processes and procedures to implement a business solution to the problems. We will review them with you to ensure you agree with our plan, and to agree upon an implementation schedule.
Step Six: Train and Implement
As scheduled, we will initiate a training program for the affected employees, their supervisors and their managers. In any implementation, it is critical that all levels of labor and management ‘buy in’ to the problem, the solution, the training and the implementation. The implementation will be staged in as quickly as agreed.
Step Seven: Review and Reflect
No implementation is perfect. No training is perfect. Training for a new implementation will inevitably have holes that can only be discovered after the fact. The implementation will not go perfectly, no matter how well thought out it might be. We will have to meet with all levels of employees affected by the new implementation to determine its effects.
Step Eight: Revise and Improve
Depending upon the review process, we will modify will the training, and revise the implementation plan to ensure the optimal business solution to the business problem and to achieve a more successful business.
