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Task force critical issues papers are to be submitted to the steering
committee. These are then consolidated as the steering committee’s final
report, which is submitted to you. This will become a vital guide and tool
for you. Review it in detail with your boss, and later summarize it for your
organization as a whole. This last point is important because you will want
to mobilize the organization and implement the steering committee’s rec-
ommendations.

Developing the Timeline and Critical Events Calendar
The steering committee’s timeline and deadlines are largely governed by your
expectations and by the time required by constituent task forces. Typically, a
task force will require about six weeks to four months to organize, collect, and
analyze its data and draft its conclusions and recommendations depending on
the size of the organization and the depth of the analysis. Add two weeks for
organization and another four weeks for the steering committee to review the
task forces’ critical issues papers and then to develop final conclusions, rec-
ommendations, and a plan for implementation. The time frames depend on
the size and scope of the study and the organization as well as the time avail-
able to members, who are also doing their regular work.
A critical events schedule marks activities that should be completed if the
analysis is to be done on a timely basis:

■ Whom to interview inside the function, with deadlines
■ Which internal stakeholders and others are involved in horizontal work
processes
■ Whom to interview among clients, customers, and vendors and contrac-
tors, with deadlines
■ Documents and products to be reviewed, with deadlines

Identifying Critical Issues
The diagnostic targets described in this chapter and more fully in Chapter 7
can define the task forces that will be required. There may be obvious prob-
lems or growth opportunities around which task forces can form. Take advan-
tage of existing information and reports.
The task forces may be involved in the nine broad-based target areas
described in Chapter 7, such as organizational mission and objectives, lead-
ership, delegation, and culture. On the other hand, the steering committee may