Tim Taylor doing a DODAT Presentation at a MENSA meeting in Naples, FL
A primer on DODAT
DODAT stands for Distributive On Demand Administrative
Tasking.
Distributive means that multiple people can handle a batch
of tasks suitable to their skill level.
On Demand means the workers pull the tasks from the workload
in a priority level set by management.
Administrative tasking means all levels of administration
from clerical to conceivably mid and even upper management could pull tasks
from the server in a prioritized manner.
Delving into the first word Distributive provides a reason
for being. In most companies, tasks are not distributive even though in some
companies they may think so.
Webster’s defines Distributive as:
dis·trib·u·tive [dih-strib-yuh-tiv]
adjective
1. Serving to distribute, assign, allot, or divide; characterized by or pertaining to
distribution.
2. Grammar . referring to the
members of a group individually, as the adjectives each
and every.
(other uses omitted)
Distributive in an administrative environment as applied by
DODAT means many take tasks from a pool of tasks. In most organizations a task
is somehow delivered to a single person somewhat irrespective of workload and
interest level. In its worst application the standard task delivery system
allows workers to pick and choose their work, order work by their level of
interest and ignore work they do not want to do.
Under DODAT, a worker takes a task from the server in a
priority level set by management. They cannot take more tasks than they can
handle in short bursts. They also cannot pick and choose what task to take and
who requested the task. Task accountability is absolute as the task itself, the
person acting upon the task an the ultimate conclusion of the task is recorded and
can be monitored for timeliness and accuracy.
Further to the reporting system, end requestor and
transaction reference number can track tasks, which arrive through the system.
This allows for drill down data to be analyzed by the originator and other parties
to the transaction. By creating baseline transaction averages, users who
originate more tasks per transaction quickly become apparent and remedial
action can be assessed for end users over the statistical norm. In most
organizations these quantifications are generally subjective, under DODAT they
are empirically validated.
Websters does not have a definition for “On Demand” below is
the definition of Demand:
de·mand [dih-mand, -mahnd]
verb (used with object)
1. To ask for with proper
authority; claim as a right: He demanded
payment of the debt.
2. To ask for peremptorily or urgently: He demanded sanctuary.
She demanded
that we let her in.
3. To
call for or require
as just, proper, or necessary:
This task demands patience. justice demands objectivity.
(other definitions omitted)
On Demand in an administrative environment means the worker
requests a task on his or her own volition. The concept is the same as Lean
manufacturing employed in the Toyota Operating System and Kanban http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lean_manufacturing
The effects of utilizing an On Demand workforce philosophy
are very similar to what has made Amazon and Netflix into paradigm shifting
distribution platforms. This concept is further explained in a white paper
entitled Network FOB Blueprint for Success:http://networkfob.com/pdfs/Network%20FOB%20Blueprint%20for%20Success%20and%20why%20Blockbuster%20doesn%27t%20work.pdf
When a worker voluntarily takes a task it is because they
are ready to work. People who typically occupy lower and middle administrative
positions do not prioritize work properly as a rule. These personalities have
an ultimate objective of operating from a fairness position generally
interpreted by them as “first in, first out”. By intercepting the task prior to
presentation to the worker management can set the priority of the task.
When an SJ primary personality [Phlegmatic
under Myers-Briggs or Guardian under Keirsey] which represents about 45%
of all workers has more tasks in their visible queue and they get overwhelmed
they will actually slow down precisely at the moment they should be speeding
up. Their primary actuators is “no trouble” which sets their internal
prioritization logic to first in first out and may conflict with management
goals of the most important (also read effective) utilization of their time. In
fact their time is spent in conflict with their internal values. Maslow on
Management http://www.abrahammaslow.com/m_motivation/Maslow_On_Management.asp
What makes Distributive workforce deployment so powerful is
that workers are not required to prioritize, tasks are presented in a
preordained order by management. Workers do not pick and choose more pleasing
tasks and task originators; instead workers pull the next available task never
seeing all available work.
Distributive also optimizes workflow in that personnel from
other parts of the company can back fill in peak periods. Our internal reports
show a peak of end user originated tasks (containing our first and second level
priorities) peak between 9AM and 1PM occasionally overriding the capabilities
of our main support group. In those times if tasks sit too long other personnel
resources are brought to bear from their other work to clear the overage.
The distributing mechanism actually times and alarms time
sensitive tasks and only distributes work beyond the main queue upon business
rules set by management. This alternate distribution serves another purpose as
well as it illustrates labor force shortages not only at that instance but also
in a macro sense through analyzing longer time periods and time of day and day
of week staffing needs. It also keeps management in touch with the daily work
by giving them a sense of “what goes on out there”. This information is used
frequently in management meetings to apply new procedures of spot troublesome
constituents.
DODAT has the capability of having as many priority levels
as needed. In its current application we have identified four primary priority
levels:
- Work which needs an immediate response
- Work which needs to be done before non-time-sensitive work
- Non-time-sensitive (in any immediate sense) work
- Optional time-permitting work
You could add other variations or use a scoring system, the
premise is the same; management sets the priorities. In a properly incented
compensation system, the optional time permitting work will get done, if there
is no incentive to clear all other tasks and open up this work for compensation,
that work will never get done unless management intervenes creating a
management time drain or worse, having to make an additional hire to be
assigned this work, which is the usual management response and highly
unproductive.
Administrative Tasking simply defines the scope of what
tasks are being put through the system. It does not address the informational
output which, as discussed above provides previously uninterruptable throughput
analysis and origination.
The concept is so simple that it confounded two doctorate
level patent attorneys and support staff until a simple meeting interruption
defined the problem, the results and the consequences of past management
practices. Similarly the collapse of Borders Books, Blockbuster, the recent troubles
at Best Buy and the corner hardware store illustrate the fallacy of stored
commodities in a distribution system.
The time value of “Built for Easter Sunday” or peak workload
belies the fact of under utilization of a workforce or facility. Labor is an
expiring commodity of the highest magnitude, movies, stocked at Blockbuster
expired not only on the shelf but also in the very end-user environment, the
home. When technology became available to distribute commodities such as books,
movies and other goods though a more effective even if more expensive at the
time Internet bandwidth, the earth moved. It should have been apparent the
actual last mile segment of the distribution of a book, the purchase was
actually more expensive to the consumer in time and travel than point and
clicking on the Internet. Suddenly up is down and down is up.
What DODAT really does, at the end of the day, is to make an
expiring commodity, human time, more efficient, visible and accountable. It
does so for the most part in silence and satisfaction of both the end user and
the originator of a task. Once tasks can be quantified, tasks that could be
fully automated or shifted to less expensive methodologies manifest themselves
into dollars and cents multiplied by frequency.
The biggest challenge in implementing this system lies in
user buy-in, transport mechanism of tasks to the server and skill group
distribution. DODAT thrives in a high paced environment heavy with
administrative functions. It performs best in a properly incented workforce
with more focus on individual compensation than team compensation. It has been
successfully employed in both a W2 environment and an independent contractor
environment. By far the independent contractor environment out performed the
salaried or hourly wage W2 environment due to its completely variable pay for
play aspect. Regulatory interference regarding the use of sub-contractor labor
demands most administrative work to be operated in a properly constructed W2
compensation platform retaining pay for play compensation.
