1. 1 Part 1 of ‘General Presentation’ OPMS Work in progress – use F5 key to view as it contains animations

2. How to accomplish our long- term goals and Missions? What should we do, today (and tomorrow, and every day) that would help us to reach a goal six months, a year – or 5 or 10 years - in the future?

3. 3 Some example Missions: “To enable each member of our staff to develop most effectively” “To ensure effective Knowledge Management in the organisation” “To reduce inventory held by 20% within six months” “To increase turnover to Rs 2000 crores, with PAT of Rs 500 crores by 20xx” To become an expert at the ‘C’ computer language To become a top-level consultant within 3 years “To ensure 90% true literacy in the nation in 10 years” “To make the right investment decisions for our current needs” “To understand thoroughly all topics of my math syllabus and THEREBY to do significantly better in my math exams, tests and quizzes” OPMS has been successfully applied to several of these Missions; others are ongoing; one was a resounding failure “Bushout!!” (Resounding failure, alas! It needed Obama to take out the successors to GW Bush) “To become a top-level software designer within 1/3/5/7 years”

4. 4 Individual Missions Organisational Missions Societal Missions Exactly the same process is applicable to any kind of Mission – barring differences arising because of issues involved in group dynamics! Kinds of OPMS Missions:

5. 5 Choosing a Mission for the Group (and Missions for individuals in the Group) Just choose anything of interest to you…

6. On any issue of specific concern, you will ALWAYS have ideas! The ‘secret’ is to make effective use of all good ideas, filtering out the irrelevant or not-so-good ideas! The conventional approaches DO NOT adequately enable effective utilisation of the good ideas of people at all levels of the organisation The greatest demotivator is the feeling that our ideas are not adequately valued by the organisation (In fact, the conventional way does not allow even an individual to put available ideas to truly effective use)

7. 7 We must ensure that we take good ideas from all stakeholders – AND use those ideas! (And demonstrate that those ides have been used) At the same time, we should not get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of ideas available from the stakeholders Two critical issues:

8. OPMS - helps users articulate their ideas about any ‘Mission’ by asking them appropriate ‘Trigger Questions’: your “What, in your opinion, are the THINGS TO DO to enable each member to develop himself/herself for the needs of the organisation (and for himself/herself)?”

9. 9 To challenge each member of staff to develop himself/herself to maximum possible for his/her own and for organisation’s benefit To make our organisation a truly exciting place to work in To help each person develop himself/herself as an individual AND as a member of the organisation To provide all needed facilities for effective work and recreation To provide effective counseling for perceived needs of staff … (etc, etc) Responding to Trigger Questions: Stage I: A process for generating and clarifying available ideas Elements articulated in natural language, no jargon needed

10. 10 Three Stages: Stage 1 (Idea Generation & Clarification), Stage 2 (Idea Organisation) and Stage 3 (Idea Integration) are designed to make the best possible use of available ideas! Idea ‘structuring’ or organising is done through a process of modeling to show us, for instance, how the accomplishment of one idea or ‘element’ can help the accomplishment of another The OPMS process uses two powerful modeling tools, the seminal contributions of Professor John N. Warfield Idea Organisation (Stage 2) is the process that enables us to organize and filter our ideas to ensure that the right ones become available for action at any point of time. Stage 3 - Idea Integration: this is partially accomplished at Stage 2, develops comprehensively along with the OPMS

11. 11 Stage 2 Stage 1 Stage 3 However, note that the process is not neatly divided into ‘separated’ stages (as we should do all of them more or less ‘all the time’) The OPMS process affords us a practical means to accomplish just that

12. 12 Created by asking ‘modeling questions’ about the elements generated, e.g.: “Does, in your opinion, Challenging each member of staff to develop himself/herself fully help to accomplish To make our organisation a truly exciting place to work in ? ” Response: “YES” or “NO” A: Interpretive Structuring Modeling A: Interpretive Structuring Modeling:

13. 13 Making our organisation a truly exciting place to work in Challenging Challenging each member of staff to develop himself/herself fully “may help accomplish” Two such questions lead to: In some sense, the heart of the matter is already articulated, in that little ‘mental model’! What’s required is a process to extend and amplify that model as we find needed – the OPMS process enables just that…

14. 14 where ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’ are ‘elements’ in the system under consideration and ‘ ’ the specific transitive relationship, for example: “should help accomplish” We use only ‘transitive’ relationships: If ‘A’ ‘B’ AND if ‘B’ ‘C’ THEN ‘A’ MUST ‘C’ Because of transitivity, these models can be created quite efficiently, as we generally need to ask only a small fraction of the total number of possible questions

15. 15 To challenge each member of staff develop himself/herself to maximum possible To make our organisation a truly exciting place to work in To help each person develop himself/herself as an individual To provide all needed facilities for effective work and recreation To provide effective counseling for perceived needs of staff To enable each member of our staff to develop most effectively should help accomplish Interpretive Structural Model The relationship is the heart of the matter! should help accomplish These models can become as large as required to describe the most complex live situation! Over time, as we work on our Missions, our models may come to comprise hundreds or even thousands of elements! These models are representations of the way people perceive the relationships – thus we should to begin with expect wide variation in those perceptions Over time, as people begin to understand themselves, each other and ‘the whole system’ effectively, they often do arrive at a true consensus of perceptions – and thereby at true consensus action on issues! Stage II: A very effective and quite efficient process for ‘organising’ all available ideas

16. 16 THINGS TO DOTHINGS TO DO The model may keep on growing until the Mission is successful! are actually helping to accomplish everything else that needs to be done for the project! Even when we have thousands of elements integrated into our model, we are always able to focus on a narrow band of elements in the full confidence that by so doing we are actually helping to accomplish everything else that needs to be done for the project! Current focus

17. 17 To challenge each member of staff develop himself/herself to maximum possible To make our organisation a truly exciting place to work in To help each person develop himself/herself as an individual To provide all needed facilities for effective work and recreation To provide effective counseling for perceived needs of staff To enable each member of our staff to develop most effectively Interpretive Structural Model Intent Structures Another important attribute of such ‘Intent Structures’ WHY? HOW? Up  WHY? Down  HOW?

18. 18 THINGS TO DOTHINGS TO DO WHY? HOW? UP“WHY?” UP the model to find out “WHY?” DOWN “HOW?” DOWN the model to find out “HOW?” The “HOW?”s and the “WHY?”s of things are built into these structures for each and every element in them! WHYs? HOWs? !!! To ensure effective handling of tasks by people reporting to you, just enthuse them about the WHYs? of their tasks - then let them work out the HOWs? !!!

19. 19 Another major benefit of using this ‘structuring process’ is explained on the next slides… Imagine we have constructed a model of, say, 6 elements. For convenience, we explicitly display only the relationship to the elements in the ‘next level’ and not the relationships in the levels beyond.

20. 20 M T4T2 T6  T1  T5 T3 M T4T2 T6  T1  T5 T3 For example, the structure we display as… … because of transitivity, is actually the structure on the right – the extra relationships seen at right are implied in the structure at left: Actually, the situation is much more complicated than is illustrated, as I’m not showing the “does not contribute” relationship from upper levels to lower levels…

21. 21 ‘does not contribute’ Imagine a whole lot of ‘does not contribute’ arrows leading from each upper level to the levels below. And think of the complexity of structures containing and showing 15, 20 or more elements… That is, in fact, the complexity we are normally facing in all our real-life situations…the easy way to handle such complexity is to substitute a simple picture ‘showing the flow’ in a way that our mind can easily comprehend, and let your imagination do the rest as required… M T4T2 T6  T1  T5 T3 M T4T2 T6  T1  T5 T3

22. 22 To challenge each member of staff develop himself/herself to maximum possible To make our organisation a truly exciting place to work in To help each person develop himself/herself as an individual To provide all needed facilities for effective work and recreation To provide effective counseling for perceived needs of staff To enable each member of our staff to develop most effectively should help accomplish Read bottom-upwards, in direction of arrows. THINK the elements READ the arrows as encountered! Interpretive Structural Model The illustration is in fact the ‘structural graphics’ part of an extension to our conventional language that I call ‘prose + structural graphics’

23. 23 ‘Prose + structural graphics’ - ‘Prose + structural graphics’ - an extension to our conventional language that adds enormous power to our abilities to ‘perceive’ complex systems with clarity and precision!

24. 24 THINGS TO DOTHINGS TO DO Imagine the complexities you have to comprehend as your exploration of your Mission continues – if we had to look at all the relations implicit in this structure all the time IS In fact, that IS precisely the kind of complexity we are trying to cope with at all times when we do not have this simple ‘structuring’ to aid us!

25. 25 Examples: Herbert Simon – “The magic number seven plus or minus two”; Telephone number One major reason for doing all the work involved in learning this new language, creating these structures, etc, etc, is that the human mind is not capable of handling the complex linkages of a large number of factors (which are always there in every real-life situation)

26. 26 To challenge each member of staff develop himself/herself to maximum possible To make our organisation a truly exciting place to work in To help each person develop himself/herself as an individual To provide all needed facilities for effective work and recreation To provide effective counseling for perceived needs of staff To enable each member of our staff to develop most effectively should help accomplish Another benefit of the process: huge compression of information is possible Interpretive Structural Model Any such model can easily be translated into ‘standard prose’ very easily indeed! And this little model would translate into nearly a full page of prose. Models of 30 to 40 elements may amount to 20 to 30 pages ! Obviously, it is MUCH easier to read, understand and remember the model!

27. 27 THINGS TO DOTHINGS TO DO The prose translations of such models increase exponentially in size with increase of number of elements in the model!

28. 28 The process helps develop clear linkages between individual’s aims to the organisation’s Mission!

29. 29 My personal performance Organisation’s profits My personal rewards “contributes significantly to”

30. 30 It is ‘top-down’ because we choose a ‘Mission’ for the organisation or individual It is ‘bottom-up’ because we develop an effective Action Plan based on the THINGS TO DO to accomplish the Mission OPMS - it’s ‘TOP-DOWN’ + ‘BOTTOM-UP’!

31. 31 Whatever the issue (or Mission), this initial part of the OPMS process enables users to create an effective Action Plan, along with all needed systems, to accomplish the Mission. The processes underlying OPMS are quite unique in their power and universal applicability

32. 32 Part 2 of ‘General Presentation’

33. Another modeling tool in the OPMS ‘Field Representation’ (FR) Method

34. 34 Constructing a Field Representation First, we try to cleanse our minds from all pre-conceived categories...First, we try to cleanse our minds from all pre-conceived categories... Then, OPMS asks questions like…

35. 35 The first element is inserted into ‘Dimension 1’: A: Dimension 1 Our educational systems are not adequately effective We ask the modeling question as shown, next

36. 36 Field Representation & Profiling (contd.) (In the context of the kind of actions needed to overcome the barriers, etc.) “ “ Is (B) Need to improve productivity of Indian software industry IN THE SAME CATEGORY AS (A) Our educational systems are not adequately effective ”?””?”

37. 37 Response “YES” would put element ‘B’ into the same category as ‘A’ - “NO” would put it into a different category… … as shown, next

38. 38 Field Representation - after initial response A: Dimension 1 Our educational systems are not adequately effective B: Dimension 2 Need to improve productivity of Indian software industry Because response to modeling question was ‘NO’, a new dimension was created and the element No. 2 was inserted there Continuing questioning yields models like the one illustrated at next slide... Had the response been ‘YES’ the element would have been inserted in the same dimension

39. 39 AFTER Dimension titles provided later, AFTER insertion of elements into dimensions!

40. 40 The ‘System Tie Line’ represents any or all of the relationships inherent in the system under consideration.

41. 41 The elements are ‘linked’ by appropriate relationships as perceived by the users

42. 42 The OPMS provides a facility to enable users write down prose translations of such visual linkages “XYZ” MAY TEND TO INCREASE THE SEVERITY OF “ABC” XYZ ABC A comprehensive ‘network of relationships’ to be built up step-by- step, over time, to enable clear understanding of the system represented in the Field

43. 43 It takes a while to develop the skills needed to use the System Tie Line effectively to link different dimensions and elements together… It’s well worth our while to work towards developing these skills…

44. 44 …because Field Representations, over sufficient iterations, can be shown to satisfy a fundamental systems law, called Ashby’s Law of Requisite Variety

45. 45 Ashby’s Law of Requisite Variety (Simple Simon’s version) … “The dimensions of a proposed solution to a problem must match the dimensions of the problem” (If too few dimensions, the solution won’t work – if too many, the solution would be too expensive or too complicated)

46. 46 The Field Representation process, made more general, is found to be the ideal tool to enable us get an overview of complex projects as a whole!

47. 47 Integrating all the lists and models of all the work done towards any Mission into a single Field Representation creates a ‘One Page Management System’ (OPMS). The OPMS is a ‘model of models’ - it is comprised of ALL the lists and all the models that are created in various relevant dimensions during progress towards the Mission - any Mission! As you’ll see, each ‘Dimension’ in the model is linked to other relevant Dimensions, so that the user is enabled to create comprehensive and effective Action Planning to accomplish the chosen Mission

48. 48 The whole system on a single page…

49. OPMS Linkages between various dimensions ‘above the System Tie Line of the OPMS are broadly illustrated below and in following slides : A: THINGS TO DO B: BARRIERS C: STRENGTHS HELP ACCOMPLISH HINDER HELP OVERCOME

50. …more linkages… B: Barriers/Weaknesses HINDER Activities Strengths required HELP ACCOMPLISH HELP OVERCOME Opportunities HELP AVAIL

51. Activities B: Barriers/Weaknesses Strengths required HELP ACCOMPLISH HINDER HELP OVERCOME Opportunities HELP AVAIL MISSION HELP ACCOMPLISH

52. 52 Recall that we have two types of models... We put the two types of models together…

53. 53 To challenge each member of staff develop himself/herself to maximum possible To make our organisation a truly exciting place to work in To help each person develop himself/herself as an individual To provide all needed facilities for effective work and recreation To provide effective counseling for perceived needs of staff To enable each member of our staff to develop most effectively should help accomplish Interpretive Structural Model

54. 54

55. 55 Linkages between ‘BARRIERS’ & ‘THINGS TO DO’ The barrier marked in the FR HINDERS / PREVENTS accomplishment of the objective marked in the ISM

56. 56 Linkages between ‘BARRIERS’ & ‘THINGS TO DO’ That barrier also hinders accomplishment of all elements above the THING TO DO that it directly hinders!

57. 57 Linkages between ‘BARRIERS’ & ‘THINGS TO DO’ Just identify appropriate means to ‘overcome’ the barrier identified - and integrate those into the Action Plan! That would naturally help accomplish all the objectives that had been obstructed earlier

58. 58 Ensures rapid evaluation of project feasibility - helps ensure that time is not wasted on infeasible projects Provides a comprehensive view of the project, crystallised on a single page Enables each individual/group to ‘drill down’ to the level of detail required for his/her functions Links up individual performance to the performance of the whole organisation Links up individual goals to Organisational Missions Enforces high level of ‘self-discipline’ in the organisation Enables people to create practical, clearly-understood means to overcome Barriers, Threats, Weaknesses, etc - at EACH level in the organisation The same process, with appropriate adjustments, is usable for individual, organisational or societal Missions. Some features of the OPMS But there are some difficulties also!!

59. 59 To explain the difficulties that exist, we illustrate, next, the ‘Hierarchy of One Page Management Systems’ in the organization

60. 60 Group 1.2.1 OPMS Group 1.2.3 OPMS Global OPMS Group 1.2.2 OPMS Department 1 OPMSDepartment 2 OPMSDepartment 3 OPMS Section 1.1 OPMSSection 1.2 OPMSSection 1.3 OPMS Kiran’s OPMSGSC's OPMSNarayan’s OPMS “Contributes to” Hierarchy of OPMS in an organisation Individual OPMS’s Group OPMS’s Sectional OPMS’s Departmental OPMS’s Global OPMS Unless the ‘One Page Management Systems’ of at least key individuals in the organisation are being developed continuingly, the ‘global CONSENSUS OPMS’ would not develop effectively Requirement: Key members should put in about 5 to10 minutes of systematic work more or less every day to develop their individual One Page Management Systems within the global Mission The difficulty is related to the ‘paradigm-shift’ that must take place for individuals to put enough ‘value’ on their own and others’ ideas!

61. 61 Mission: “eXensys: No. 1 in SME segment” “Contribute to”“Aggravate” “Enhance” “lead to” “Aggravate” “Precede” Appropriate relationships in various dimensions are indicated above ‘Events’ dimension is MS Project ‘Fundamental Dimensions’ – above the System Tie-Line

62. 62 The dimensions seen below the ‘System Tie-Line’ are sub-systems useful/ required for effective accomplishment of the Mission. These sub-systems are derived through a clear understanding of the relationships between the factors in the fundamental dimensions of the system Various sub-systems