James Tenser

BrainTrust Query: Can Task Management Go Too Far?

February 17, 2010

FROM RETAILWIRE:
Task management applications can help the store achieve better results, but there could be a downside in the loss of "ownership" by store management. Numerous studies have shown that as people relinquish control they become less committed to results. Could task management be "over utilized?"      [more...]

Task management in retail--sometimes called "Store Execution Management"--but a partial step toward the goal of more effective In-Store Implementation and compliance. Users and advocates should be careful not to mistake this worthwhile tool for anything close to a comprehensive solution.

Here's why: Even when merchandising work is better organized from the top down, there remains the considerable challenge of detecting and measuring performance. Did the resets get done? On time? In which stores? By whom? At what level of accuracy? What's the evidence? How were exceptions addressed? How is task performance related to sales performance? Which tasks are worth performing and which are not?

Few can answer these questions today, but a full-circle Merchandising Performance Management discipline is essential for breaking down the barrier that now exists between merchandising and store operations. If the goal is compliance, we must measure it constantly and align the measurements with performance incentives at store level.

In other words, a task management system is of very limited use until and unless the individuals performing the tasks are able to sense how well they are doing versus expectation. And the individuals assigning the tasks need the same visibility to make intelligent decisions about the allocation of finite store resources.

This is a primary issue for the In-Store Implementation Network and a topic I'd gladly address further with the RW community.