completed staff work

What is completed staff work?

 

Completed Staff Work是一种工作态度和方法，把问题尽可能完美地解决，当别人安排一个任务给你，你需要自觉主动地弄清任务的目的、意图（积极地思考+积极地询问），然后找到做事的方式和过程，最后完成任务把结果交给任务授权者那里。

 

Completed staff work is the identification and study of a problem or issue; and the presentation of a solution, possibly with alternatives, to a manager or decision maker, so that all that remains to be done is to indicate approval or disapproval of the proposed action. Completed staff work requires you to give your best thinking, your best recommendations, and ultimately your best work to advance your organization's business objectives.

The principles of completed staff work, which support problem solving and analytical models, are employed to empower all members of an organization. If you want to excel in completed staff work, resist the impulse to ask your manager "what to do"-- it is your responsibility to advise others what to do. Decision makers need answers, not questions. Completed staff work involves identifying and documenting several alternative solutions to problems or issues and recommending the alternative that you or your team consider the best of all alternatives considered. Your completed staff work should be placed before the manager or decision makers in finished form so that they can use them to achieve results. The only remaining action required is approval or disapproval.

 

Completed staff work might result in more work for you, but it results in more involvement for you and more freedom for your manager. This is as it should be. Furthermore, completed staff work provides the following advantages:

• Because your ideas have been thoroughly prepared and professionally presented, the esteem in which you are held by your manager and your peers is increased.
• Because of your effective presentation, the idea is more certain to succeed because the disadvantages as well as the advantages have been considered and appropriate action taken to avoid potential problems.

 

If executed well, completed staff work saves everybody time in the long run and produces higher-quality results by tapping into people's talents and potential.

 

What is the final test of completed staff work?

The final test of completed staff work is:

• Are you willing to stake your professional reputation on the quality of work?
• If you were the manager, would you be willing to stake your professional reputation on the accuracy of the work?

If the answer is no, take it back and work it over, because it is not completed staff work.

Ten steps that lead to completed staff work

1.Define the assignment 

任务的细节、优先级、参与人员、职责、期限、评判者。

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  • What are the details of the assignment?
  • What is the priority of the assignment?
  • Who will be working on the assignment? Are you working on this alone or with a team?
  • What are your responsibilities?
  • When are the assignment due dates?
  • Who will you go to for reviews?
This is the most important step. You must fully understand the assignment before you can move forward. Communication is the most important part of this step. Ask questions; if questions are not asked at this stage, you might be working with incomplete or inaccurate information that will affect the remaining steps in the process. Schedule a meeting with the parties involved, and ask such questions as:Document the information as you hear it; show it to respected peers and colleagues for confirmation.

2.Plan 

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  • Create a step-by-step plan to get to the end of the assignment.
  • Create a timeline for required due dates. Consider using Microsoftâ Project or a similar software application.
  • Determine the format of all documentation.
  • Identify reviewers and subject matter experts.
After step 1, the instinct is to immediately start gathering information, but taking the time to plan the process in detail saves time eventually.If working in a team environment, define the roles and assignments for each team member during an interactive discussion with the team. Obtain agreement from all the team members regarding their assignments, priorities, due dates, content, format, reviews, and so forth.

3. Gather information 

You must understand the organization before you begin gathering information. Start with the organization's mission and goals. Then identify the important people within the organization who will be subject matter experts.

Document all sources of information. If you find existing work that applies to your assignment, then use it because this could be a real time-saver. Existing work might have already been implemented and proven.

4. Analyze the information 

After gathering all the information, organize your data into a logical format; discard information that is not relevant. Contact subject matter experts who can help with the analysis process.

Take the time to outline your content in a storyboard format. You can use Post-It Notesâ to display the content that provides a visual layout to help you identify gaps in content and duplicate or questionable information.

5. Develop alternatives 

Take the time at this step to review the objectives of the assignment to make sure that you are on target with what is expected.

Do not approach this step with preconceived ideas. Be creative and brainstorm to help you identify all the alternatives; even include ideas that might seem improbable. If working in a team, use brainstorming to uncover alternatives that you could not identify on your own.

As alternatives are developed list the pros, cons, risks, and barriers of each.

6. Choose your position 

Analyze the list of alternatives. Assess the long-term and short-term impacts, the financial implications, the resources available, Ensure that each alternative addresses the original objective. If working with a team, reach a consensus on the proposed position.

This 10-step process provides for other chances to review and revise your position. As you proceed to the document and review steps, you might need to revise the original position.

7. Document 

Create the detailed documentation necessary to explain your position to the reviewer. The form and detail of this documentation might depend on who gets it and how it will be delivered; this should have been discussed during the planning step.

8. Review 

Even though this is a specific step in the process, reviews should occur constantly throughout the process. The reviewers should have been identified during the planning step.

9. Revise 

Expect revisions after a review. You might find that you have to start again at the planning step. Make sure you refocus on the objectives. Look for more sources. Review the documentation again after revisions.

10. Deliver 

Provide the final output to the designated person as defined during the planning step. All that remains to be done on the part of the manager is to indicate approval or disapproval of the completed action.

Ensure that you have:

• Defined the assignment
• Planned the tasks
• Gathered the information
• Analyzed the information
• Developed alternatives
• Chosen the best alternative
• Created the documentation
• Reviewed the final product
• Revised the final product
• Delivered the final product.
  
  If you have completed the aforementioned tasks, then you have provided Completed Staff Work!