To evaluate a business decision, identify the problem it is meant to solve and the measure you will use to assess the result. Before making a change, write down the test conditions, acceptable costs and the criterion you will use to decide whether to keep, change or cancel the new way of working.
Start with a small operational change. Assess its result and enter your conclusion in a decision log. Measures can fluctuate from day to day, so do not use one good day as a reason to change how the entire store operates.
Describe the problem in a specific process
Look at the problem in the process where it occurs. Write down who performs the task, when the difficulty arises and exactly what needs to change. For example, check how long a specific task takes rather than relying on a general impression that employees are overloaded.
Separate observation from explanation. “The salesperson performs the task while serving customers” describes a situation. “This is what worsens customer service” is an assumption that still needs to be checked. Write them down separately.
State the assumption and decision criterion
An assumption is a condition that must be true for the proposed idea to work. Phrase it so that you can identify how to check it and what measure to use for the result.
Prepare a short decision card. Fill it in before starting the check so you can assess the result against a criterion set in advance.
| What to record | What the owner determines |
|---|---|
| Problem | The specific task and the conditions in which the difficulty occurs. |
| Assumption | What should change under the new way of working. |
| Scope of the check | Which task, in which store, and who will perform it differently. |
| Measure | Exactly what to measure and how to record observations. |
| Decision criterion | What result will be grounds to keep the change, review it or stop the check. |
| Constraints | How much money and working time can be spent. |
Assign someone to carry out the change and someone responsible for keeping records. Set a time to review the results. If there is not enough data, record that as grounds for an additional check, not as a positive or negative result.
Calculate costs and check available resources
Before allocating resources, find out what is available. Record who can do the task, how much time that person has and what budget you are willing to allocate. Check which existing duties will remain with the person doing the task.
In addition to direct costs, include time for explaining the new process, learning the task and providing ongoing support. Also allow for a possible temporary drop in productivity during the transition. Do not assess the cost of a change solely by the purchase price of equipment or a service.
Illustrative example: rescheduling an internal task
Suppose a salesperson spends 30 minutes preparing materials for the next shift. The owner wants to move this task from a busy customer service period to another time. The assumption: under the new schedule, there will be fewer interruptions while serving customers, and the materials will still be ready on time.
For a small check, the owner changes the timing of this task only. The salesperson records the number of interruptions and the completion time. Illustrative decision criterion: fewer interruptions, materials ready before the next shift, and no additional working time required.
If 20 minutes for the owner and 20 minutes for the salesperson are planned for explaining the process, record 40 person-minutes in the resource plan. All numbers here are illustrative. The example shows a way to check the idea, but provides no results and makes no promise of time savings.
Compare results under comparable conditions
For a check in a store, choose periods with comparable conditions. Compare the same weekdays and opening hours, and note seasonal peaks and dips. Separately record changes in staffing or other circumstances that could have affected the measure.
Review several observations, not just the best result. If the measure changes from day to day, continue observing within the resources you set or refine the test conditions. Do not set the same duration for every decision.
A simple before-and-after comparison does not by itself establish what caused the change. In your conclusion, state what you observed, under what conditions, and what other explanations still need to be checked.
How to compare visitor entries and sales in Torgsoft
If the decision concerns when a salesperson performs tasks, compare it with visitor and sales data. This analysis in Torgsoft requires a configured counter and the additional «Облік відвідувачів» (Visitor tracking) option. The option is available with Torgsoft Ultra and Torgsoft Terminal licenses. Data collection also requires a GSM Counters account on a plan that provides Web API access.
In the «Аналіз інтенсивності продажів» (Sales intensity analysis) mode, turn on the «Відображати вхід відвідувачів» (Show visitor entries) toggle. It displays visitor entries alongside sales. Use this data to choose periods for checking the new task schedule.
Compare what the report shows with separate records of task completion. Visitor entry and sales data do not establish the cause of changes and do not prove that rescheduling the task improved the result. Limit your conclusion to the conditions of the check you carried out.
Record the conclusion and next action
After the check, fill in a conclusion log. For each decision, keep five fields: assumption, test conditions, observations, conclusion and next action. In the observations, record the data collected; in the conclusion, explain how they relate to the original criterion.
State the next action specifically: keep the process for the task that was checked, change the conditions and repeat the check, or return to the previous process. Name the person responsible and the date to review the decision. If the check covered one shift or one store, preserve that limit in the conclusion.
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