You will never get the time back you have wasted! In most cases the best is just to get started and do what is needed. Perhaps it doesn’t work in the first attempt but at least you learn something and may be able to do it perfectly right in the 2nd or 3rd attempt.

Working with several international organisations we observe that getting started and doing what is needed is becoming more difficult. One reason could be the big matrix organisations where everyone seeks commitment and engagement from their peers and managers during several meetings before action starts.

As a manager, you need to have a clear understanding of what you can do within your own organisation, and you need to empower your staff to act fast on problems. Build in a “sense of urgency”. If a “sense of urgency” can be part of the company culture, many problems can be solved fast on any level just with peer-to-peer contact between departments. A clear written definition of managers and employees’ roles and responsibilities can reduce the number of meetings significantly.

Having meetings defining the direction, coordinating and seeking commitment could be reserved for stubborn problems, plans or solutions that impact people personally or challenges of a longer-term or strategic nature.