THE STI JOB TICKET^TM

As indicated earlier, an ambiguous assignment, passed on to teams who then wander inefficiently are ultimately forced to assume their own direction. Each assignment should be made clear at the outset. The STI Job Ticket™ is marvelously effective in avoiding ambiguity and in ensuring that individual and/or team efforts will be both focused on the correct issue or challenge, and further, that their work will be performed in a manner that the requester or assignor will find most acceptable. The intent is to make the assignment completely clear to those who will work the task. A distinctive appearance of the Ticket itself (paper color, icons, or both) is an important facet of this step. That is, when a distinctive form is employed, the project team can more readily become aware that they have specific requirements to follow.

Once in general operation, there is a tendency for the author of a job Ticket to expand its content to several pages with nitty-gritty instructions. To combat this tendency, the STI Job Ticket™ confines its direction to a one-page, single-sided, 8 ½ x 11-inch page with 12 point or greater type font. This is a must! This set of format constraints has proven to be necessary and universally positive in countering the controlling individuals who have a tendency to over-direct and try to over-control work. It is a welcome example of simplicity that leaders and action teams find refreshing.

The STI Job Ticket™ form is depicted below:

1. Title:				2. x Customer	□Employee	□Financial
3. Statement of the goal / problem or issue to be worked Develop and gain approval of a plan that ... Develop, gain approval and execute with excellence a plan that ...					4. Approver of plan / customer for the output: Team leader: Team member:
a. Follow the 8 Steps of the STI Breakthrough Process to develop ... Recipient's requirements relative to the output:
Step 3:	Step 4:	Step 5:	Step 6:	Step 7:	Step 8:
Activate Team and Leader	Determine Current State Level and Processes	Determine Desired State Level & Needed Processes	Develop Transition Plan	Implement & Execute Plan	Measure Resulting New State, Recycle if Required
b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i.			j. k. l. m. n. ...

The following are the five steps to the production of an STI Job Ticket™:

Note: It is important to take the necessary steps to isolate and focus on a problem or challenge that is worthy of the investment of time and talent that will be required to attack the issue.

Select a title for the effort
Indicate on the form who expected to most benefit from success [customers, employees or financial constituents].
The challenge that is placed before the team is best stated using clear action verbs. The most common wording starts with either:

Develop and gain approval of a plan which, if resourced as indicated and executed with excellence, will produce the following results_______________________

Develop, gain approval, staff up an implementation team and execute with excellence to produce the following results:________________________

Note who will be those who will approve the plan recommendations of the team. Also record the names of the team leader and team members.

List the expectations and requirements that will satisfy the requestor that the process used to come to the recommendations was of sufficient quality. Note that the eight steps of the STI Breakthrough Process™ indicated on the form itself. This gives excellent, specific guidance to the team. The process also surfaces key areas where check point meetings will be beneficial. E.g. at the end of each step.

A sample STI Job Ticket^TM follows. Look it over carefully and become familiar with the 5 elements or boxes on the form. The sample can actually be a template. That is, most of the detail show is present in most Tickets. As such, the adoption of Tickets to deploy work is even made easier.

CUSTOMER DELIGHT				2. x Customer	□Employee	□Financial
Statement of the goal / problem or issue to be worked Develop and gain approval of a plan which when executed with excellence will result in a substantial improvement in the number of C customers who would say that they willingly recommend XYZ.					Approver of plan: Team leader:
Requirements: 1. Rigorously follow six of the 8 Steps of the STI Breakthrough Process as the project is managed.
Step 3:	Step 4:	Step 5:	Step 6:	Step 7:	Step 8:
Activate Team and Leader	Determine Current State Level and Processes	Determine Desired State Level & Needed Processes	Develop Transition Plan	Implement & Execute Plan	Measure Resulting New State, Recycle if Required
2. Follow the team process from steps 3-6 above 3. Select a team facilitator, note taker and presenter. Note the steps taken, progress, and team decisions on a flip chart for presentation of recommendations. 4. Discuss and get consensus on processes, approaches or events that contribute to the current dissatisfaction with communication between departments. 5. Accept that "100% agreement" that communication between departments is the desired state and target recommendations to achieve a substantial improvement in the current level.			6. Discuss and come to consensus on needed actions or changes that will accomplish the task objectives. Keep in mind the necessity to minimize any unintended consequences on the customers, employees or financial performance. 7. Resistance to change is to be expected. Outline in the transition plan actions that will counter such resistances. Include necessary changes in: Leadership behavior Reward and recognition Training or coaching Measures Communication 8. In the team's short presentation time, plan to cover each of the preceding 7 task requirements, leaving time for questions.

With practice and constant use, the creation of quality Job Tickets becomes simpler and requires little time.

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THE STI JOB TICKETTM

THE STI JOB TICKET^TM