When the work stalls, the next step is the one definition that matches the symptom.
What you'll learn in this chapter: What if things stall partway through? Choose one chapter to return to based on the symptom, and open only that chapter that week.
The 90 days in Chapter 12 won't always go according to plan. This chapter covers how to get back on track when things stall (the recovery procedure).
With an ambitious goal, there will be months you fall short and weeks when things stall. Without blaming anyone, you simply decide in advance where to go back to. This is the chapter on getting back on track, so that you can keep running stretch goals.
Scene: Trying to Redo a Stalled Plan from Scratch
At one company, preparation for the peak month stalled in week 2. A large job had suddenly come in, and the employees couldn't keep up.
When things calmed down, the president thought, "While we're at it, let's redo everything from the beginning": the site structure, how photos are taken, all of it.
As a result, preparation fell even further behind. The scope of the redo was so broad that no one knew where to start.
When they checked later, all that had been missing was a single photo in the Folder.
Stalling partway through is not a failure; it's common. What matters is not never stalling, but having one fixed place to go back to.
When things stall and you spread your efforts across this and that, even you lose track of where you restarted. If you decide on one place to go back to, the next thing to do comes into view. That place is a chapter you've already been through. There's no need to start anything new.
If you've noticed that things have stalled, the restart has already begun.
Choose One Chapter to Return To, Based on the Symptom
The symptom determines the one place to go back to.
Symptom
Chapter to return to
Every month has become a peak month / pages are being rebuilt in regular months
Chapter 2
There is no named Sheet
Chapter 3
The names of documents with deadlines are missing
Chapter 4
Days with no named Sheet left behind are counted as preparation
Chapter 5
"With heartfelt care" is still there
Chapter 6
Three abstract claims remain
Chapter 7
Blanks have been filled in
Chapter 8
Price has moved to the fore
Chapter 9
The Closing begins with a commitment
Chapter 10
The Entrance says "anyone is welcome"
Chapter 11
Two peak months were put into one 90-day cycle
Chapter 12
What to Check in the Chapter You Return To
• If every month has become a peak month, or you're rebuilding pages in regular months: Chapter 2. Go back to the rule that only the Sheet is left in regular months, and pages are not rebuilt in peak months.
• If there's no named Sheet: Chapter 3. Start again from the Sheet in week 1.
• If the names of documents with deadlines aren't on the homepage: Chapter 4. Publish the document names and deadlines.
• If days with no named Sheet left behind are being counted as preparation: Chapter 5. Count only by the name of the Sheet left behind.
• If the homepage has gone back to sentences anyone could use: Chapter 6. There is no factual Line from a Sheet on the website.
• If three abstract claims remain: Chapter 7. Pair the before and after versions, and check whether the after version is a sentence by someone who was there.
• If a draft has filled in quantities or lead times not found in the records: Chapter 8. Return names, dates, and amounts to Blank.
• If price talk appears before the Entrance: Chapter 9. Place the Line about specifications before price.
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