January 201819 Want Your Next Project to Succeed? Engage Your StakeholdersOne of the keys to creating a culture of sustainability is approaching social responsibility holistically. However, the applicable methodology around this subject is hard to find. Using the skill sets already available to many of us, in a different way, can create many alternative solutions.In my opinion, of the three pillars of a sustainable culture, social responsibility is the hardest to implement and maintain effectively. The difficulty lies not in the tasks but in gaps in the methodology to define the problem. By revising the methodology of how we approach an opportunity, we can create alternatives and solutions which are beyond the obvious. The approach with the broader perspective that generates more alternatives will ultimately produce the best solutions.Stakeholder EngagementThis past year I embarked on a learning journey to more fully understand practically applicable methodology around social responsibility. The primary reason for this effort was to improve my effectiveness at creating sustainable solutions to existing problems. I felt that I have a good grasp of creating both economically and environmentally viable solutions. However, I lacked a good methodology for creating socially viable solutions. If my goal is to create new value in the most sustainable manner, then I was not fully equipped. At this specific point in time, God smiled and presented me an opportunity to fill this gap.During the learning process, I discovered that by applying this new understanding and altering my perspective, I could eliminate many problems by asking the right question. I also discovered that asking a slightly different question could be the solution to more than one existing problem. However, the most interesting application of this methodology was attempting to solve existing problems only to discover completely new, untapped stakeholder value.Over the span of a few months, I learned some important lessons. The most important was that social responsibility as a means to a sustainable culture and product requires a thorough understanding of stakeholder needs. The second was that the more I study and learn the more, I realize the gap in understanding.DMAIC vs. SOFAIRMany people are familiar with the DMAIC model for problem resolution. The familiar steps to define, measure, analyze, improve, and control have been applied with great affect by six sigma and lean practitioners for decades. However, this methodology, like any other, has an opportunity for improvement and new frontiers of application.One of the latest improvements to this methodology is the SOFAIR model. SOFAIR is an acronym for stakeholders/subjects, objective, function/focus, analyze, innovate/improve and report/repeat. This methodology was developed to define better and capture additional value related to social responsibility not considered when using the DMAIC method. One of the major differences between the two approaches is the definition portion of DMAIC. This portion is expanded to more fully represent the needs of the stakeholders. In addition, the define portion also allows for a sharper objective and clearer focus for the project. These added steps enable the practitioner to create more socially sustainable BY BILLY INGRAM, DIRECTOR OF LEAN PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT, INTERFACECxO InsightsBilly Ingram
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