Theory of Constraints Handbook - James Cox Iii [717]
5. Monitor your progress by measuring performance on your short-term objectives.
6. Compare your performance measures to your performance standards.
7. Take corrective action, if necessary.
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Let’s apply these steps to a specific situation where the student is a little more mature in approaching schoolwork than the typical undergraduate student described in the EC in Fig. 38-3. Suppose you work full time and are a full-time MBA student in a night program.5 Your professional goal is to [A] Graduate with honors from an MBA program while not sacrificing the other facets of your life. For your strategy (how to accomplish the goal), you decide to re-evaluate the time commitments made to various life facets where you can devote more time to MBA studies so that graduating with merit can be achieved. Examining the generic cloud in Fig. 38-3, the objective [A] remains the same, your [B] and [C] requirements are: [B] Achieve honors in the MBA program (an A-average across all courses) and [B] Satisfy the other facets of your life while completing the MBA program. This requirement encompasses work, family, friends, etc. Of course, the D—D′ dilemma is the same: You do not have enough time to do both simultaneously.
You have decided that the performance criterion for your MBA degree is the course grade. As you take exams and turn in projects in each course, you are able to chart your actual progress against your short-term standard for the course grade. Charting your performance measure (actual grades) against your performance standard (desired course grades) indicates your progress toward your long-term goal of graduating with merit. Are you on schedule, ahead of schedule, or behind schedule with your average grade? You might want to re-evaluate your course objectives for next term based on your results from this term.
When a deviation (difference between standard and actual grades) in grades occurs, identify the cause. How can you address the cause? Suppose that you were on a project team where the others did not contribute their share to the project. How might you address this situation in the future?
What to Change—How Do You Currently Use Your Time?
Most people recognize that they do not use their time effectively in accomplishing their goals. Many read self-improvement books on how to organize, how to improve memory, how to speed-read, etc. They try to improve everything instead of focusing on the core problem. Is time the problem with you?
It takes time to accomplish your short-term objectives and goals. Do you know how you use your time? Do you spend it freely or manage it? Are you reactive or proactive in managing your time? Do you plan your time or just let things happen? Once your time is planned, do you immediately abandon your plan once a disruption occurs? Do you ever accomplish your goals and objectives?
Prior to deciding on a plan for personal improvement, you should find out how you currently spend your time. What are the UDEs of poor time management? Set up a time analysis form and run enough copies to cover a week of recording your activities. A time analysis form is quite easy to construct in a spreadsheet. At the top of this form, write your objectives for the day (a simple “to-do” list). Some of these daily activities should support your short-term objectives. If you do not currently plan your day, leave the objectives section blank. Most people do not use “to-do” lists. In the first column, enter the time you usually get up (6:00; 6:30; 7:00; etc.) and 30-minute intervals to when you usually go to bed. In the second column, enter the activity that you are performing during that 30-minute interval. Attempt to record how you spend your time every half hour or less. If you wait to record your activities until the end of the day, you lose your perspective of the amount of time taken by various activities and you fail to record major interruptions. The third column, the comment column, allows