Unit 2 - Lesson 3: Identify what is keeping you from reaching that goal
<< Return to Lesson 2: Identify what actions are needed to reach that goal
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You've defined your target goal and identified what needs to be done to get there. So what's happening to prevent getting there? Again, you'll need to consult with your stakeholders to uncover what is keeping people from reaching this goal. You may need to do some additional investigative work to really uncover what's going on (or not going on) Generally those reasons fall into the following categories:
- Environment
- Knowledge
- Skills
- Motivation
Let's go back to our PTO scenario. We already determined what needs to be done to reach our target goal of fewer errors in PTO reporting. This step requires figuring out why these errors are happening.
Report codes need to be accurate Reports are often returned because staff are not entering the correct codes. They are picking the first code available that looks like it fits. This falls under both knowledge and motivation. Users don't know which code is appropriate and don't take the time to use the correct code.
Reports need to include accurate data Reports are often rejected by supervisors because the time entered just isn't correct. In talking to supervisors this most often occurs because staff are not using the appropriate pay period time frame. This falls under knowledge and maybe some lack of motivation.
Reports need to be complete There are required fields that must be completed in order for HR to accept the report. Reports are returned because not all required field are completed. This definitely falls under motivation, with perhaps a bit of knowledge for new employees.
Reports need to be submitted on time There are staff that do not complete the report by the deadline and/or supervisors are not approving the reports by their deadline. This causes extra work for HR as they need to rush to get data entered to make payroll. This falls under motivation, some knowledge and environment as well (we'll talk about why in the next step).
Return to the Discussion tab (at the top of the page) and take a look at the actions that you noted in Lesson 2. Thinking about 'knowledge, motivation, environment and skill' consider what is getting in the way of these actions. Make a note of these factors.