The Four Pillars of Pre-Implementation

There is a vital, missing link between deciding what to do and actually doing it. This is Pre-Implementation. These are called four pillars because the whole implementation is able to rest on them.

By pausing at the beginning to give carefully constructed answers to these four questions, you create a solid foundation. If a decision can be finished instantly (like making a cup of tea), you don’t need this, but if your decision requires a chain of actions over time, it helps to pause and look at these four pillars first.

1. “What Do I Expect?”

The Baseline: Write down immediately and exactly as your first step, what you expect as a result of this decision. Express it as the future state you expect.
The Habit: Read what you wrote here every time the implementation is worked on, before starting the day’s tasks.

2. “Where Are the Gaps?”

The Baseline: Identify the gaps between where you are and what is needed to make your expectation a reality. How will each gap be bridged?
The Rule of Thumb: If a gap cannot be bridged, it is an early signal to pause and review the decision.

3. “Where Am I Now?”

The Baseline: Record the literal, unchangeable facts of your situation at this moment, immediately before taking your first implementation action.
The Rule of Thumb: Exclude guesswork. If you have not checked it, it is an assumption and not yet a fact. Only count the hard data that is true at the exact threshold of starting.

4. “How Firm Is the Ground Ahead?”

The Baseline: We all know more than we think we do about the future. Identify and focus on the certainties about the future. This will help separate the future uncertainties.
The Rule of Thumb: Ignore predictions and guesswork. Look only at things that are mathematically, legally, or physically guaranteed (like age or gender).

Jack Lack’s Listening Chair is always here, as is your welcome.