Obstacle Removal Log

For Servant Leaders Systematizing Support

Obstacle Entry and Classification

Obstacle Information

Date Identified: [Date]
Obstacle ID: [Sequential ID for tracking - OB-2024-001]
Reported By: [Person who identified the obstacle]
Affected Team Member(s): [Who is impacted by this obstacle]
Priority Level: [Critical / High / Medium / Low]

Obstacle Description

Obstacle Title: [Clear, concise description]

Detailed Description: [Comprehensive explanation of the obstacle, including context and impact]

How It's Blocking Progress: [Specific ways this obstacle prevents effective work or achievement]

Frequency/Timing: [How often this obstacle occurs - Daily/Weekly/Project-specific/One-time]

Impact Assessment

Performance Impact:

Quality: [How this affects work quality - High/Medium/Low/None]
Speed: [How this affects work speed - High/Medium/Low/None]
Morale: [How this affects team member motivation - High/Medium/Low/None]

Scope of Impact:

[ ] Individual team member
[ ] Multiple team members
[ ] Entire team
[ ] Cross-functional impact
[ ] Customer-facing impact

Urgency Factors:

[ ] Prevents meeting critical deadline
[ ] Affects customer satisfaction
[ ] Creates safety or compliance risk
[ ] Blocks other team members
[ ] Causes stress or frustration

Root Cause Analysis

Initial Analysis

Surface-Level Cause: [What appears to be causing this obstacle]

Underlying Factors: [Deeper issues that contribute to this obstacle]

System/Process Issues: [How organizational systems contribute]

Resource Issues: [Missing tools, information, or support]

5 Whys Analysis

Why is this obstacle occurring? [First level cause]
Why is that happening? [Second level cause]
Why is that the case? [Third level cause]
Why does that exist? [Fourth level cause]
Why is that the root issue? [Root cause identification]

Root Cause Summary: [Final assessment of fundamental cause]

Solution Development and Planning

Solution Options

Option 1: [Description]

Pros: [Advantages]
Cons: [Disadvantages]
Resources Needed: [Time, people, budget, tools]
Timeline: [How long to implement]

Option 2: [Description]

Pros: [Advantages]
Cons: [Disadvantages]
Resources Needed: [Time, people, budget, tools]
Timeline: [How long to implement]

Option 3: [Description]

Pros: [Advantages]
Cons: [Disadvantages]
Resources Needed: [Time, people, budget, tools]
Timeline: [How long to implement]

Selected Solution

Chosen Approach: [Which option was selected and why]

Implementation Plan:

Step 1: [Action] - [Owner] - [Deadline]
Step 2: [Action] - [Owner] - [Deadline]
Step 3: [Action] - [Owner] - [Deadline]

Success Criteria: [How we'll know the obstacle is resolved]

Resources Committed: [What will be provided to resolve this]

Action Tracking and Progress

Implementation Status

Current Status: [Not Started / In Progress / Testing / Complete / Blocked]

Progress Updates:

[Date]: [Progress update and any issues encountered]
[Date]: [Progress update and any issues encountered]
[Date]: [Progress update and any issues encountered]

Stakeholder Communication

Team Member Updates:

[Date]: [What was communicated to affected team member(s)]
[Date]: [Follow-up communication and feedback received]

Leadership Updates:

[Date]: [What was escalated or communicated to leadership]

Challenges During Resolution

Implementation Challenges: [Any problems encountered while solving]

Additional Resources Needed: [Extra support required]

Timeline Adjustments: [Any changes to original timeline and why]

Resolution and Validation

Resolution Confirmation

Date Resolved: [When obstacle was eliminated]

Final Solution Implemented: [What was actually done to resolve]

Validation Method: [How resolution was confirmed]

Team Member Confirmation: [Feedback from affected person that obstacle is resolved]

Effectiveness Assessment

Resolution Rating (1-5): [How well the solution worked]

5 = Completely resolved, better than before
4 = Fully resolved, back to normal function
3 = Mostly resolved, minor issues remain
2 = Partially resolved, still some impact
1 = Not effectively resolved, obstacle remains

Time to Resolution: [How long from identification to resolution]

Resource Efficiency: [Whether resolution used expected resources]

Prevention and Learning

Lessons Learned

What Worked Well: [Successful aspects of the resolution process]

What Could Be Improved: [Areas for improvement in future obstacle resolution]

Process Insights: [How this experience improves obstacle removal process]

Prevention Strategies

System Changes: [Modifications to prevent similar obstacles]

Process Improvements: [Workflow or procedure changes]

Training or Communication: [Education to prevent recurrence]

Monitoring: [How to detect this type of obstacle earlier in the future]

Follow-Up and Monitoring

Post-Resolution Check-ins

1-Week Follow-up: [Date] - [Status and any new issues]

1-Month Follow-up: [Date] - [Long-term effectiveness confirmation]

Quarterly Review: [Include in quarterly obstacle analysis]

Recurrence Tracking

Has This Obstacle Recurred? [Yes/No and details if yes]

Related Obstacles: [Any similar or connected obstacles identified later]

Obstacle Database and Trends

Categorization for Analysis

Obstacle Category:

[ ] Resource/Tool shortage
[ ] Process/Workflow issue
[ ] Communication breakdown
[ ] Skill/Training gap
[ ] Technology/System problem
[ ] Policy/Procedure barrier
[ ] External dependency
[ ] Workload/Capacity issue

Department/Function Affected:

[ ] Engineering/Technical
[ ] Sales/Marketing
[ ] Operations
[ ] Customer Service
[ ] Finance/Admin
[ ] HR/People
[ ] Cross-functional

Pattern Analysis Notes

Similar Obstacles: [Reference to related obstacle IDs]

Team/Individual Patterns: [Notes about recurring themes for specific people]

Systemic Issues: [Organizational issues this obstacle reveals]

Quick Reference Status Dashboard

| Obstacle ID | Team Member | Priority | Status | Days Open | Next Action | |-------------|-------------|----------|---------|-----------|-------------| | OB-2024-001 | [Name] | High | In Progress | 5 | [Next step] | | OB-2024-002 | [Name] | Medium | Testing | 12 | [Next step] | | OB-2024-003 | [Name] | Critical | Complete | 3 | [Follow-up] |

Monthly Obstacle Analysis

Obstacle Volume and Trends

Total Obstacles This Month: [Number]
Average Resolution Time: [Days]
Most Common Categories: [Top 3 categories]

Team Support Effectiveness

Resolution Success Rate: [Percentage resolved successfully]
Team Member Satisfaction: [Feedback on obstacle removal support]
Process Improvements Needed: [Areas to enhance obstacle removal]

This log helps Servant Leaders systematically track and resolve obstacles while building patterns that improve team effectiveness and prevent future issues.