Should/do is a simple and flexible model that gives you, your department or your company an overview of how you use your resources now, and a plan for how you can use them more effectively in the future.
As you know, resources can be many different things. But in this context, we especially think of resources as activities or time consumption, but you can also look at other resources, e.g. money, mental energy etc.
In the following, we start from a company's challenges, but the model can also be used at departmental or individual level. You can even use it personally in a private context.
First, a review of the model itself, which in all its simplicity looks like this:
As you can see, the model is divided into four fields: Maintained, Development, Parking and Black Box. The four fields are arranged according to two axes: Should/Don't and Do/Don't.
The model represents how you use your resources. Eg. your time. How does what you do during a working day, week or year fall into the four quadrants?
Before we can start plotting in activities, however, we need to understand the four fields. We start by looking at the two axes: the Do/Don't do axis and the Do/Don't do axis.
At one end we find "Should". There represent things and activities you should do. That is projects, assignments, etc. the company chooses to spend time and energy on.
At the opposite end of the axis we find "Shouldn't". These are things and activities you know you shouldn't spend time on. Either because they do not add value, or because you choose to prioritize your time differently. In other words, projects, tasks and actions that do not add value to you, the company or the department.
The horizontal axis in the matrix goes from "Do" to "Do not". It deals with things and activities you do or don't do.
We call the four quadrants 1, 2, 3 and 4.
Activities You both should and do
In this quadrant, you list the activities you already do that are positive for the company (which should be there) and which must therefore be maintained. It can, for example, be:
Of course, you mustn't forget the good things that exist in every company. To retain them, they must recognized and appreciated
Activities you should do, but don't
In this quadrant, you identify the company's development areas. Eg.:
This is where the company's future is decided. Therefore, it is important that a top three (or five, if you really can't limit yourself) is identified, which is given full credit focus.
The choice of the right projects obviously requires different analyzes than this model provides, but the model functions both as a brainstorming exercise to find new areas and as a concise strategy plan that provides a quick overview.
Activities you do, but shouldn't
The third quadrant is called “Parking”. It contains two different types of activities:
This exercise not only frees up time because employees are released from projects. Mental energy is also released by clarifying the fate of interesting projects that you are passionate about. Either they are parked or they are dropped - they are sent away. Less uncertainty gives clarity and greater focus.
Activities you don't do and shouldn't
Also includes things you do, even if you know you shouldn't do them (e.g. doing private things during working hours, surfing the net, etc.)
This quadrant is where there is great efficiency potential. As you go through the model, you will discover that you are spending time on things that provide no value. It can, for example, be projects that have actually been completed but are still running in a department, it can be reports no one reads, etc. In this quadrant there are also private phone calls, time on social media or if your employees e.g. booking holiday trips during working hours.
Up to 20-25% of a company's time is wasted on tasks that fall under this quadrant. Work on that limit the contents of the "Black Box" as much as possible. Realistically, the Black Box cannot be completely emptied. But in most companies there is great potential to cut back here.
Do/Should is a fluid development process, which e.g. could look like this:
You start in the Development Quadrant because you have some very specific projects that you want to start next year.
During this process, you discover that there are far more projects in the lake than there are resources for, which is why some of them are Parked.
This leads you to think of that project from last year, which has actually been completed, but which the accounting department is still sending reports on. The reports are recorded in the "Black Box".
Remember all the good things your company does and can do. Be sure to write down all the things you are good at and which it is important that you maintain. It is important that these things are recognized and appreciated, because it is what has contributed to your success so far.
The most important quadrant is the development quadrant. Since this is where the company's future development lies. So make sure you don't write more than three to five things. Rather three than five focus area here. The other good ideas that appear, but for which there is no time, are Parked.
In the Black Box quadrant, there are quick efficiency points to be gained. If you can cut the time consumption here by five or ten percent, there will suddenly be time for more development.
If you cut away 10-15 % of activities in "parking" away and 20-25% of activities in "Black Box" away, think of how much time you get to spare.
The goal of the entire exercise is to move the horizontal line downwards.
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