Force Field Analysis
Needs/Wants Matrix
Matrix Diagram
Decision Matrix or Prioritization Matrices (see pages 76-81 in Problem Solving Memory Jogger)
Tree Diagram
Responsibility Matrix
Gantt Chart
Process Decision Program Chart

Force Field Analysis

Force Field Analysis is a simple but powerful technique for building an understanding of the forces that will drive and resist a proposed change. It consists of a two column form, with driving forces listed in the first column, and restraining forces in the second.

The force field diagram is derived from the work of social psychologist Kurt Lewin. According to Lewin’s theories, human behavior is caused by forces – beliefs, expectations, cultural norms, and the like – within the "life space" of an individual or society. These forces can be positive, urging us toward a behavior, or negative, propelling us away from a behavior. A force field diagram portrays these driving forces and restraining forces that affect a central question or problem. A force field diagram can be used to compare any kind of opposites, actions and consequences, different points of view, and so on.

In the context of process improvement, driving forces could be seen as pushing for change while restraining forces stand in the way of change. A force field diagram is used to analyze these opposing forces and set the stage for making change possible. Change will not occur when either the driving forces and restraining forces are equal, or the restraining forces are stronger than the driving forces. For change to be possible, the driving forces must overcome the restraining forces. Usually, the most effective way to do this it to diminish or remove restraining forces. It can be tempting to try strengthening the driving forces instead, but this tends to intensify the opposition at the same time.

Example of Force Field Diagram


You can also use a force field diagram to:

1. List pro's and con's.
2. List actions and reactions.
3. List strengths and weaknesses.
4. Compare ideal situations and reality.
5. In negotiation, compare the perceptions of opposing parties.
6. List "what we know" in the left column, and "what we don't know" in the right.

Example of Force Field Diagram with ratings:


Steps for creating a Force Field Analysis Diagram:
1, Describe your plan or proposal in the middle of a piece of paper or whiteboard.
2. List all of the forces for change in a column on the left-side, and all of the forces against change in a column on the right-side.
3. Optional: Score each factor, and add up the scores for each column. You can then decide whether or not to move forward with the change. Alternatively, you can use your analysis to think about how you can strengthen the forces that support the change and weaken the forces opposing it, so that the change is more successful.

Click here for a blank Force Field Analysis Worksheet:

NEEDs / WANTs Decision Matrix

What is a Decision Matrix? A Decision Matrix is a systematic process for making a choice.

Why would we want to use it? When a team cannot determine which of several choices will be most effective or efficient, the Decision Matrix tool can be used to assist in making that selection.

1. Determine what the team needs to decide.
2. Generate the criteria.
3. Determine criteria within the context of values

• a. Classify criteria in NEEDs and WANTs (NEEDs = mandatory)
• b. Weight the WANTs (1-10 as 1=lowest)

4. Generate the alternatives / options
5. Screen options through the NEEDs (Yes and No)
6. Score the matrix by consensus / voting

• 1 = Not met
• 2 = Somewhat met
• 3 = Met
• 4 = Exceeds

7. Multiply weight with score and total
8. Compare options against the WANTs
9. Examine the risks and benefits

• a. What could go wrong, short and long term, if this option were chosen?
• b. Are we willing to accept the risks to gain the benefits of this choice?

10. Make the best balanced choice.


Example:

Criteria	Weight	Option 1 Food Service Preparation	Option 2 Morrison’s	Option 3 Cook / Chill
Serves vegetarian entrees	M	Yes	Yes	Yes
Quality of food	10	3*10 = 30	3*10 = 30	1*10 = 10
Quality of service	7	3*7 = 21	2*7 = 14	3*7 = 21
Within five miles	M	Yes	No	Yes
Within one hour	M	Yes	No	Yes
Low-fat entree	6	3*6 = 18	1*6 = 6	1*6 = 6
Totals		69	50	37

Matrix Diagram

A matrix diagram can help you identify the best solution by plot the solutions against select criteria

Steps:

1. Plot the solutions against the criteria
2. Unless there are significant disagreements among team members, the criteria can be used as if they are all equally important
3. Rank the solutions (high, medium, low)
4. Review the solutions for the one the most strongly meets the criterion. Remember that team members often rank several different solutions very highly. The team should feel free to choose one from the top two or three highest ranked solutions without agonizing over the math. In fact, sometimes for the best results, the team should pursue more than one solution at a time.
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Note: If the criteria are not equally important, use a Weighted Criteria Matrix or the Prioritization Matrices Tool (pages 76-81 in the Problem Solving Memory Jogger)

Matrix Diagram Example

Solutions / Criteria	Criterion 1	Criterion 2	Criterion 3
Solution 1	High	Medium	Low
Solution 2	High	High	High
Solution 3	Low	High	Medium
Solution 4	Low	Medium	Medium

High = Strongly meets criterion
Medium = Moderately meets criterion
Low = Weakly meets criterion

Solution 2 appears to most strongly meet the criteria established and should be strongly considered for the final solution.

Tree Diagram

Tree diagrams are used to figure out all the various tasks that must be undertaken to achieve a given objective. If you use it carefully and thoroughly, it will give you a better understanding of the true scope of a project, and will help your team focus on specific tasks that are needed to get something done.

To create a tree diagram:

1. Use the header cards from your team's Affinity Diagram for the major headings in the Tree Diagram. These tasks areas are the major "sub-goals" or "means" by which the plan will be achieved
2. Break down each major task area into more detail by providing answer to the question: "What needs to be addressed to achieve the solution?" (Keep the tasks at roughly the same level of detail.) Repeat the question for each successive level until the team agrees there is enough detail to complete the plan or until the assignable tasks can be delegated.
3. Review the completed Tree Diagram to determine if all the tasks need to be done.
4. Review the completed Tree Diagram to determine if all necessary tasks are included. If necessary tasks were omitted, add them to the diagram.

Note: As each level of detail is developed, the team should ask, "Is there anything that we've forgotten?" before moving on to the next level.

Excel offers Hierarchy diagrams under "SmartArt". Below is an example.

Responsibility Matrix

Show which individuals are responsible for carrying out the key tasks in the Tree Diagram and include the time, budget, and staff allocations for each task. The team needs to address these questions:

• Who is responsible for seeing that the task is completed?
• When will the task begin?
• When will the task end?
• What is the budget for completing the task?
• What staff resources will be allocated to complete the task? (staff days, weeks, months?)

Example:

Gantt Charts

Gantt Charts (also known as Gantt Diagrams) are useful tools for analyzing and planning more complex projects. They:

• Help you to plan out the tasks that need to be completed.
• Give you a basis for scheduling when these tasks will be carried out.
• Allow you to plan the allocation of resources needed to complete the project.
• Help you to work out the critical path for a project where you must complete it by a particular date.
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When a project is under way, Gantt Charts help you to monitor whether the project is on schedule. If it is not, it allows you to pinpoint the remedial action necessary to put it back on schedule.

Here is a video which explains how to create a Gantt Chart: Gantt Chart Video

Sequential and Parallel Activities

An essential concept behind project planning (and Critical Path Analysis) is that some activities are dependent on other activities being completed first. As a shallow example, it is not a good idea to start building a bridge before you have designed it!

These dependent activities need to be completed in a sequence, with each stage being more-or-less completed before the next activity can begin. We can call dependent activities "sequential" or "linear." Other activities are "parallel" tasks. These don't have to be done in sequence, but may sometimes need other tasks to be finished first.

Drawing a Gantt Chart

To draw up a Gantt Chart, follow these steps:

Step 1 – List all Activities in the Plan

For each task, show the earliest start date, estimated length of time it will take, and whether it is parallel or sequential. Also show which other stages they depend on.

You will end up with a task list like the one in figure 1. This example shows the task list for a custom-written computer project.

Figure 1 – Gantt Chart Example: Planning a Custom-Written Computer Project

Task	Earliest start	Length	Type	Dependent on...
A. High level analysis	Week 0	1 week	Sequential
B. Selection of hardware platform	Week 1	1 day	Sequential	A
C. Installation and commissioning of hardware	Week 1.2	2 weeks	Parallel	B
D. Detailed analysis of core modules	Week 1	2 weeks	Sequential	A
E. Detailed analysis of supporting modules	Week 3	2 weeks	Sequential	D
F. Programming of core modules	Week 3	3 weeks	Sequential	D
G. Programming of supporting modules	Week 5	3 weeks	Sequential	E
H. Quality assurance of core modules	Week 5	1 week	Sequential	F
I. Quality assurance of supporting modules	Week 8	1 week	Sequential	G
J. Core module training	Week 6	1 day	Parallel	C,H
K. Development and QA of accounting reporting	Week 5	1 week	Parallel	E
L. Development and QA of management reporting	Week 5	1 week	Parallel	E
M. Development of Management Information System	Week 6	1 week	Sequential	L
N. Detailed training	Week 9	1 week	Sequential	I, J, K, M

Step 2 – Set up Your Gantt Chart

Head up graph paper with the days or weeks through to task completion.

Step 3 – Plot the Tasks Onto the Graph Paper

Next draw up a rough draft of the Gantt Chart. Plot each task on the graph paper, showing it starting on the earliest possible date. Draw it as a bar, with the length of the bar being the length of the task. Above the task bars, mark the time taken to complete them.

Schedule them in such a way that sequential actions are carried out in the required sequence. Ensure that dependent activities do not start until the activities they depend on have been completed.
This will produce an untidy diagram like the one below:

Step 4 – Presenting the Analysis

The last stage in this process is to prepare a final version of the Gantt Chart. This shows how the sets of sequential activities link together, and identifies the critical path activities. At this stage you also need to check the resourcing of the various activities. While scheduling, ensure that you make best use of the resources you have available, and do not over-commit resource.

You can also use color to represent the different resource types that you need to use such as programmers, or analysts.

A redrawn version of the example project is shown below:

By drawing this example Gantt Chart, you can see that:

• If all goes well, the project can be completed in 10 weeks.
• If you want to complete the task as rapidly as possible, you need:
  • One analyst for the first five weeks. (Note that we had to change the scope of activity F so that we could finish this task in two weeks, rather than three. This was because we wanted to complete the project in 10 weeks, and we couldn't commit resources to activities F and G at the same time.
  • One programmer for five weeks starting week 4.
  • One programmer/QA expert for three weeks starting week six. (Note that activities L and M have been moved back a week. This does not affect the critical path, but it does mean that a single programming/QA resource can carry out all three of activities K, L and M.)

• Analysis, development, and testing of supporting modules are essential activities that must be completed on time.
• Hardware installation and commissioning is not time-critical as long as it is completed before the Core Module Training starts.
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While this section describes how to draw a Gantt Chart manually, in practice project managers use software tools like Microsoft Project and Microsoft Excel to create Gantt Charts. Not only do these ease the drawing of Gantt Charts, they also make modification of plans easier and provide facilities for monitoring progress against plans, as well as generating resource histograms.

Key Points

Gantt charts are useful tools for planning and scheduling projects. They allow you to assess how long a project should take, determine the resources needed, and lay out the order in which tasks need to be carried out. They are useful in managing the dependencies between tasks.

When a project is under way, Gantt charts are useful for monitoring its progress. You can immediately see what should have been achieved at a point in time, and can therefore take remedial action to bring the project back on course. This can be essential for the successful and profitable implementation of the project.

Process Decision Program Chart (PDPC)

Use to develop countermeasures for problems that may occur during the implementation of the plan.

• The PDPC is an ideal tool to help teams anticipate potential problems before they occur.
• Determine proposed implementation steps. These steps can be taken from the Tree Diagram.
• Develop a list of potential and likely problems (contingencies) that could interfere with the successful completion of a step by asking "What could go wrong?"
• Branch likely problems off each step.
• Branch possible and reasonable countermeasures off each likely problem.
• Choose the most effective countermeasures and build them into the plan.

Example of PDPC: