Stop endless improvement wish lists, use these Change Quadrants

If your management team leaves a “priority meeting” with 27 priorities, you didn’t set priorities. You just created a longer to-do list. That’s why I like the quadrants of change. Not because it helps you list what to improve, but because it forces the harder decision: what are we choosing not to change right now, even though we know it’s not great? The first axis is simple: what is going well versus what is going poorly. That part is already useful, because it surfaces what people actually experience (especially on the softer topics like cooperation, communication, training, and day-to-day operating habits). But the real value comes from the second axis: change versus keep. That creates four clear choices. Good and change means you double down. You strengthen something that is already working, because it is a competitive advantage, a culture strength, or a performance driver you want more of. Good and keep means you defend it. You name it, protect it, and make sure you don’t accidentally break it while chasing new initiatives. Poor and change is the classic improvement bucket: the things that are costing you, slowing you down, or frustrating people, where you’re making a conscious commitment to improve. Poor and keep is the uncomfortable one, but it’s often the most important: we accept this weakness for now. Not because it’s fine, but because we’re making a deliberate trade-off with limited time, attention, and money. That acceptance quadrant is where you stop wasting energy. It’s where a team says: yes, the IT system is clunky, the wastewater plant is a pain, we’re stuck in spreadsheets for certain analyses, and it’s not going to be solved this quarter. So we stop arguing about it every week, and we focus on what we can actually change. To make this tool work in practice, put some guardrails on the output. Limit the number of items per quadrant. One big thing to defend. One big thing to double down on. One or two improvements you truly commit to. One or two pains you consciously accept for now. Those limits force the prioritisation conversation that most teams avoid. This isn’t a replacement for strategy tools like SWOT when you’re talking market position, product portfolio, or competitive threats. It’s a framing tool for decision-making and focus in teams and operations. It’s what turns “we should do something about this” into “here’s what we will do, here’s what we will protect, and here’s what we are choosing to live with until we have capacity.” #OperationalExcellence #Leadership #ContinuousImprovement    • Stop endless improvement wish lists, use t...   0:00 The uncomfortable truth about “priorities” 2:46 The two axes that create clarity 6:06 The four quadrants: strengthen, defend, improve, accept 8:04 Why accepting a weakness can be a strong decision 10:07 How to force real prioritisation with simple limits 12:05 Why this works for teams, culture, and operations Interested in working with me to boost Operational Excellence in your organisation, or perhaps more personal coaching on your CI career? Check out my website for details or go to my contacts page directly (www.tommentink.com/contact).