What the Cloud is NOT for

Published by Jelena Fedurko-Cohen, 6 March 2018

There are several typical situations in which people wrongly perceive that they should use the Cloud.

1. Confusing a regular assessment process with the dilemma AFTER the assessment, thus wanting to use the Inner Dilemma (Conflict) Cloud

The Inner Dilemma (Conflict) Cloud is to be used NOT for the situations when we are presented with two (several) options to assess, but for the situation when AFTER assessing the options we are swinging between them unable to choose.

In other words, the Inner Dilemma (Conflict) Cloud is NOT for the situations when we know we have to / would like to do something, and having two options, we naturally ask the question, “Should I go for Option 1 or Option 2?”

The Inner Dilemma (Conflict) Cloud is for the situations:

• When we KEEP ON asking ourselves “Should I go for Option 1 or Option 2? Or Option 1? Or option 2? Or Option 1? Or Option 2?, etc”.

Keeping on asking the question “Should I go for Option 1? or Option 2? Or Option 1? Or Option 2?” happens when after assessing both options we see that they are sort of ‘equal’: one has strong positives on some critical criteria that we have set for choosing, while the other one has not less strong positives on other critical criteria.

• Or when AFTER assessing the available options, we KNOW WHICH option we should take (according to the criteria for decision-making that we used) but we are reluctant to take this option and keep on considering the other option.

Another typical mistake:

2. Interpreting ANY regular alternating behaviour in a system as a signal for using the Cloud

The fact that the conflict boxes D and D’ in the UDE Cloud present regular alternating behaviour  – sometimes  we do this, but other times we behave in an opposite way (e.g. ‘buy more inventory vs buy less inventory’ or ‘take expensive corrective actions vs. stick to the plan/budget’, etc .) – often lead people to want to treat ANY alternating behaviour as a case for a Cloud. This is not correct.

When approaching traffic lights drivers some times keep on driving, other times they stop. It is an alternating behaviour, however it has nothing to do with the Cloud. Driver’s behaviour in BOTH cases is regulated by THE SAME procedure that explicitly covers cases in which situation which behaviour is prescribed.  The procedure is clear, prescriptive, does not leave room for ‘my personal perception/interpretation’ and MUST be followed. Moreover, the BOTH behaviours are there to meet THE SAME NEED (not to endanger other traffic participants).

The UDE Cloud is for the situations when we do something UNTIL WE CANNOT DO THAT ANY MORE and we swing to the opposing behaviour.

This is in order to protect TWO important needs of the system presented in B and C of the UDE Cloud. We do D in order to protect B and keep on doing D UNTIL we cannot do it any more because we start explicitly hurting C. So we swing to D’ to start protecting C and keep on doing D’ UNTIL we cannot do it any more because B starts suffering really bad. This goes on and on.

Published by Jelena Fedurko-Cohen, 6 March 2018