Page 87 - The Handbook for Quality Management a Complete Guide to Operational Excellence

74 I n t e g r a t e d P l a n n i n g S t r a t e g i c P l a n n i n g 75

In this example, Lafley cites the pricing sweet spot as the most chal-
lenging issue. Analysis focused on evaluating the price points at which
consumers perceived prestige but were willing to purchase in the mass
market. This particular challenge, and the analysis resulting from the pos-
sibility-based conditions, proved the most influential to ensuring success
of the strategy.
The authors note the key differences in the possibilities-based approach
compared to more traditional strategic planning:
1. Rather than asking “What should we do?” ask “What might we
do?” Whereas the former leads to hasty decisions, the latter fosters
introspective thought, which can then be scrutinized.
2. The specification of conditions leads the team to consider the
assumptions necessary for the option to be desirable. This forces
the team to imagine possibilities, rather than deal directly with the
perceived limitations.
3. The team is essentially tasked with focusing on defining the right
questions that lead them to the best decision, rather than trying
to jump to the best solution quickly. The focus on inquiry is a
fundamental aspect of the scientific approach to problem-solving.

Strategic Development Using Constraint Theory*
More than ever before, operational leaders are finding themselves in need
of system-level tools to sustain the business success they’ve fought so
hard to achieve. One such system-level tool is constraint manage ment.
Constraint management acknowledges that quality is but one important
element in the business equation. Constraint management seeks to help
managers at all levels of an organization maintain proper focus on the fac-
tors that are most critical to overall success: system constraints. In some
systems, these might be quality related. In other systems, they may extend
well beyond the traditional territory of quality.
There are many types of constraints. Some are not physical (e.g., lack of
space, not enough resources, etc.). In many cases they derive from policies:
the laws, regulations, rules, or procedures that determine what we can or
can’t do. Who hasn’t heard it said, “That’s the way we do things around
here”? Or, alternatively, “That’s not the way we do things around here.”
What you’re hearing is the verbalization of a policy, possibly unwritten,
but accepted as traditional practice nonetheless. When a policy of any
kind inhibits what we need (or want) to accomplish, it, too, constitutes a
constraint.

∗ Thanks to H. William Dettmer from Goal Systems International for writing this section.

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