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bank’s FRT, I have no doubt you will identify entities that could use more explanation and causal connections that are flawed. Moreover, I have no doubt that if you had been with the team that constructed the tree, your reservations would have helped them to create a “more perfect FRT.” Nevertheless, you are looking at real work done by real people. The results spoke for themselves. This analysis was completed 15 years ago. The bank implemented the injections. Employee turnover dropped like a stone, customer service improved, and the bank grew. A decade later, tellers and managers alike greeted customers by name, and the bank enjoyed the loyalty of its customers and employees.

TABLE 25-5 Constructing an FRT and NBR

Unfortunately, a few years ago the bank ended up being acquired by a larger bank, and then again by an even larger bank, and the policies and procedures of the conglomerates were installed. Neither tellers nor managers know the customers, and rarely does one see a smile in the bank. Customer and employee turnover is back to the levels it experienced at the time of the original analysis.

The fish stinks from the head.

—Yiddish proverb

FIGURE 25-30 Bank FRT.

How to Cause the Change

A thought which does not result in an action is nothing much, and an action which does not proceed from a thought is nothing at all.

—Georges Bernanos

Three TOC TP are used to answer the third question of change, How to Cause the Change? With the PRT, we identify the obstacles that make implementation of the injections difficult and create a logical map of Intermediate Objectives (IOs) that will overcome the obstacles. TRT are used when it is necessary to define the specific, detailed actions that will be taken in order to achieve a given objective. Finally, the S&T tree is used to integrate the output of all of the TP into a synchronized whole that fosters communication and synchronization necessary for the successful implementation of major initiatives.

Prerequisite Tree

Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.

—Michael Jordan

The PRT17 takes advantage of the same type of “necessity” logic approach as the EC. With the EC, we are modeling a set of necessary conditions that are thought to exist in the current reality of a conflict. With the PRT, we are building the necessary conditions to create a logical roadmap to move from the current situation to the desired future. We will use Fig. 25-15 (which was used previously in the EC section of this chapter) to highlight the use of the logic. In both cases (Cloud and PRT), B cannot be achieved unless A is in place because of an aspect of the current reality that exists. When we are using the EC, we call this aspect of current reality an assumption. When we are using the PRT, we call this aspect of current reality an obstacle. When we use the EC, we begin with the entities “in the boxes” (A, B, C, D, and D′), and then surface the assumptions. When we are using the PRT, we begin with the obstacles, and then define the entities “in the boxes” (intermediate objectives).

In Chapter 24, you will find detailed instructions for creating a PRT. Here are the basic steps:

1. For each injection, list the major obstacles to achieving it. An obstacle is an entity that exists in the current reality, which, due to the fact that it exists, prevents an injection from being reality.

2. For each obstacle, define an IO—an entity that, once implemented, causes the obstacle to be overcome. An obstacle can be overcome by eliminating the entity or by finding a way around the entity (the entity would still exist; it would simply no longer be an obstacle to achieving the injection).

3. Using necessary condition logic, map the order in which the IOs must be implemented.18

The Bank’s Prerequisite Tree

The bank identified six injections in its FRT:

TABLE 25-6 Obstacles and Intermediate Objectives for the I/O Map and PRT

The bank uses monies from hiring