RE: Harry Nimon - push training

[david_a_davis@bankone.com]

It appears you have done everything you can.

Several solutions that occur to me at this stage are:

1) get high enough up in the organization and essentially provide that
manager/director/ceo with what I call a
Staff Recommendation:
   Describe the current situation
   Outline the problems/costs/difficulties the current situation causes
   Outline 2-5 solutions with pros and cons for each solution (many pros and
   cons will be similar if not
      the same between solutions, but include them anyway - don't assume the
   manager will know which ones
      apply to which solution), (3 is best, anything over 5 is too confusing
   (crows can count to 7 but managers...))
   Recommend one of the solutions, include all the pros and cons and include a
   statement or explanation as to
   why this recommended solution is better that the others.
   This whole package should be 2-3 pages, very concise. If necessary you can
   include attachments, but get the meat in the
   first 2-3 pages.

   If you can get a 'hearing' and you get high enough up and you are
   dispassionate/logical then I believe you have a good
   chance of having your recommendation seriously and rationally considered.
   (Doesn't mean you'll win - who know the CEO
   may be a friend of someone...).

   This has been successful for me for several reasons:
     managers don't like to make decisions (they might be wrong) - you are
     taking some of this onus on yourself when you make a recommendation
     managers, in many cases, don't know all the issues, the grunts on the floor
     do, you do, you need to bring those issues to light and compare and
     contrast them.
     managers always like to be well informed so they can argue an issue to a
     successful conclusion, you need to give them that ammunition, including the
     'dark side' so they will be prepared for and aware of all the mine-fields
     if you are fair and complete in the pros and cons for each you appear to be
     unbiased
     2-3 pages is a reasonably acceptable length to be read and discussed in
     20-40 minutes, anything longer and you might not get a hearing until there
     is time (and there never is enough time...)
     if you can get someone else (higher up in the organization) to
     champion/write/present the Staff Recommendation as their own it may lend
     more weight and appear to be less biased

2) go to your supervisor and use something of the same format above - with the
difference that your final recommendation would
be to discontinue your project immediately and stop spending money which could
be used for something else. You can't control
the other project, you can't control what program people will accept but you do
have some control over your own project. What is best for
the organization - to continue in-fighting and pay for two solutions? or to
settle for a sub-optimal solution on one hand and get on with work
with the resources freed up from your project?

3) Get approval to have a consultant come in - review the duplication between
the projects and make a recommendation. The consultant would have to be hired
and paid by a person high enough up to put an end to either of the project's
funding.

If you would like help crafting/outlining a Staff Recommendation, let me know.

Dave Davis