This is concept paper entitled "Tackling Your Organization Pain & Gain Issues" which is good for all business owners and all senior top managers to help them fulfill their mission/vision statement obligations and achieve their short, medium and long-term goals

1. Business owners, executives and corporations are driven by two forces; urgent pain issues
that need to be eliminated/reduced, and strategically important gain issues that need to be
achieved/maximized in order to fulfill corporate mission obligations and futuristic vision
dreams/ambitions.
TACKLING YOUR “PAIN
& GAIN” ISSUES
PREMIUM SERVICE FOR BUSINESS OWNERS & EXECUTIVE MANAGERS

2. 1
TACKLING YOUR
“PAIN & GAIN”
ISSUES
PREMIUM SERVICE FOR BUSINESS
OWNERS & EXECUTIVE
MANAGERS
VALUE PROPOSITION
Business owners and executive managers face overwhelming
challenges to fulfill their obligations towards their organizations. These
challenges come mainly from within their own organizations (internal
reasons), and also from numerous external sources outside their direct
control (external reasons). These internal and external factors tend to
complicate the challenges further and make them uncrackable even
with the level of authority and power these business owners/executive
managers have in their hands.
Among these challenges business owners/executive managers face is
how to effectively tackle their PAIN & GAIN issues and use them as
driving forces to move their organizations and their business models
forward. To do so, it is important to understand and correctly position
these two forces within the context of progress and development.
PAIN ISSUES
Undoubtedly, pain issues are natural start point in this effort due to
their urgency. PAIN issues exist and cause damages, losses and
other undesired consequences in different forms and shapes. Hence, it
becomes a priority to eliminate/minimize these PAIN issues before
doing anything else.
When dealing with PAIN issues, we usually deal with a mix of “causes
and consequences” that are associated with these “undesired” things
in the current situation. These pain issues need to be sorted out and
analyzed to show the relations and differentiate between “causes” that
QUITE
CONFIDENTLY
I can step inside any
organization in any
business sector in any
industry and make this
daring statement …
“YOUR
BIGGEST
CHALLENGE
COULD BE
YOUR OWN
PAIN & GAIN
ISSUES”
Ironically, this is true
regardless of who the
organization is and
regardless of its size or
specialty.
It is a matter of being given
the opportunity to prove
this is true

3. 2
lead to undesired consequences, and the “results” of such causes leading to undesired consequences
including losses and damages in their various shapes and forms.
PAIN issues analysis should also look at the sources of these issues. Internal sources of pain issues
come from within the organization/business model itself. External sources come from outside the
organization/business model as the name implies.
This analysis done correctly and accurately determines to a large extent 1
what could be done in each
case, and what could be the best way to deal with these issues.
GAIN ISSUES
Once we are reasonably happy with what we did for our pain issues, we may shift gear to look at the
brighter side which is the GAIN issues. These are things which do not exist yet in the current situation,
however, it is widely recognized that they (if present) would significantly make things better.
Gain issues may be very important due to their anticipated benefits, however, they are still considered
“nice to have” with no mandates and with no urgency most of the time. This is especially true for
organizations which are sucked into daily operational activities that consume all their energy, all their
time, and all their resources, leaving almost nothing for the “nice to have” items.
If things are to be changed to the better, decision-makers in these organizations need to pursue their
GAIN issues even if there is no externally imposed obligation to mandate making this route.
This way, organizations will need to be clear on such gain issues, identify them, articulate them,
document them, build momentum around them, and get them implemented and turned into reality.
The value proposition Summary
In summary, we are proposing here to business owners and senior/executive managers to start tackling
their own PAIN & Gain issues effectively and seriously to move their organizations forward towards
achieving corporate goals, and fulfill their obligations/commitments personally and professionally.
Tackling PAIN & GAIN issues 2
is a management consultancy and professional service designed to
help the decision-makers in all organizations to effectively and successfully deal with these issues in
order to eliminate/minimize their pain issues and implement/maximize their gain issues.
Done correctly and professionally, this service will prove its value in moving organizations forward and
help business owners/senior managers fulfill their obligations and achieve desired goals/objectives.
Details of the service and its financial implications will be given in a separate document, leaving the rest
of this paper to the concept itself, the underlying methodology, and the details of the technical work that
will come along with this service.
1
This will be reflected in the “Master Action Plan” which is one of the deliverables of this professional service
2
Special service conducted by Millennia-Vision Consulting led by senior consultant Mohammed Thiab

4. 3
THE NATURE OF THE CHALLENGE
Things may look simple and straight-forward from the above description. The business case for this
service should look compelling and convincing, and the decision-maker should not find it extremely
difficult to take this decision.
But, there may be other unforeseen implications that exist below the tip of the ice-berg. This is
something 3
that business owners/senior managers should be aware of when presenting this idea
internally within their own organizations.
Sensitivity of the PAIN issues
It is not easy or even acceptable in some organizations to speak about PAIN issues. Such things may
often be considered as “secrets” that should not be disclosed or discussed. It is in fact difficult to admit
the existence of these pain issues, especially those ones attributed to “internal” causes and reasons.
Hence, we understand and appreciate the reservations some organizations may have about addressing
these issues openly in front of outsiders!
This is why we take certain measures 4
when dealing with such delicate issues to ensure all what is
shared with us remains between us and does not go to anyone else.
Other walls/barriers
Dealing with pain issues may also face other unforeseen challenges represented by “walls/barriers”
from within the organization itself, its culture, its management styles … and from “external factors”
caused by competitive pressures, regulatory controls, and/or customer/partner relations.
 Denial: There are no pain issues here, everything is just great… what are you talking
about?
 Underestimation: Yeah … we have some pain issues, but they are minor and not
causing us any major problems.
 Submission: Ok … we have pain issues and may be major ones, but we are not the only
ones … are we?
 Confrontation: who are you to come from outside and tell us what we should do and
what we should not do?
 Skepticism: We are not sure what you are talking about is doable and feasible... It may
be better just to stay as we are.
 Ego: Ok, thanks for raising the flag, we will take it from here onwards, and do it
ourselves.
These barriers (and others) are real and cause the situation to remain as-is without being tackled
effectively to eliminate/minimize the pain issues and their consequences and create/maximize the gain
issues and enjoy their benefits.
3
Resistance may be expected from lower organizational levels who may view this service as a threat or embarrassment
4
Including “1 to 1” private sessions/workshops/engagements, NDA “confidentiality” agreement … etc

5. 4
METHODOLOGY
Methodology Outlines
This service relies on a proven and well-established methodology that has been executed successfully
with a wide range of customers throughout the region. Similar to other eWizdum premium value
services we execute for our customers, this consultancy/professional service relies on full coordination
and cooperation with the customer organization.
Following are some elements of this methodology
 Ensuring endorsement/support from highest-level authority within the customer organization
 Ensuring active participation from all involved functions/departments within customer
organization
 High-level of dependency on “Quality Input” from the customer side to avoid the “garbage-
in/garbage-out” syndrome
 Striking a balance point between how much we want to cover, how deep we want to go, and
what we need to focus at within available time, money and resources
 Scope of work (SoW) 5
development/customization in consensus with customer top
management and overall project senior executive sponsor
 On-site initial exploration/fact finding exercise to establish the baseline of the service through
clear identification/articulation of the most relevant pain and gain issues
 Custom-designed and built input collection forms based on customer specifics and priorities
 Face-to-face meetings with top/middle management levels and other key players in the
customer organization per defined scope of work for this service.
 Management group meetings at key milestones of the project to ensure consensus and buy-in
of the different departments/functions involved in this project
 Custom-designed tacking plan for collected inputs that includes documentation, categorization,
analysis, evaluation and prioritization for approved/selected items worth focusing on.
 Three-years Master Action Plan based on weighing what each items takes to be implemented
(cost/effort/resources) versus what it gives us when implemented (value/return)
 Categorization of the Master Action Plan items along the three-year time horizon into immediate
(quick-win) items, short-term (3-6 months) items, medium-term (6-12 months) items, and long-
term (1-3 years) items.
 Approval of the selected items (in the master plan) by customer management and assignment
of ownership/start-date/end-date/end-date for each approved item.
 Review of the detailed action plans (after being developed by the assigned customer personnel)
to advise on the level of these plans and ensure the necessary mechanisms are there for
successful and effective execution.
5
Scope of work (SOW) defines basically the width and depth of the service engagement and will be based on the MV-E2E
principle for the width and MV-Top5Max for the depth.

6. 5
Pain first then gain … tick it correctly... and become a star!
As pain issues tend to be “urgent” by nature, it becomes common sense to start with them and see
what can be done about them. As you see in the red part of the illustrative figure below, it would be
desirable to cut through the issue deep and in a short time to reach the “ true causes of these pain
issues and put an action plan to deal with them as soon as possible and as fast as possible.
Next, it would make sense to move forward with the gain issues which are usually of less urgent nature.
Gain issues may be extremely important and could be sometimes of strategic nature, but they are often
regarded as “nice-to-have” items with no extra time, energy, dedication or resources to work on making
them happen. Working on gain issues is somehow open-ended and tends to take longer times.
Both pain and gain issues need to be within a customer-centric focus on what matters most and what is
really worth pursuing and investing in. The net result would be a “star” organization with optimal
performance and bright star champions leading their organizations towards fulfillment of their
mission/vision statements obligations and the achievement of their short, medium and long-term goals
& objectives in a tangible, quantifiable and measurable way.
Service Master Plan Outlines
1. Define the scope (width and depth) of the service
2. Prepare a project plan for the service
3. Meet with the project sponsor (business owner/executive manager)
4. Review/finalize the project plan with the project sponsor
5. Go over the plan with the customer appointed focal point coordinator of the project
6. Issue the required internal memo from top authority to all departments/functions managers
included within the scope of the service
7. Conduct a “kick-off” meeting with function/department managers & key players to officially
introduce the project and secure consensus on its importance and the need for full cooperation
and support
8. Prepare/Distribute input collection forms and get responses within allocated time
9. Conduct initial analysis of collected input/feedback
10. Arrange/execute 1st
round meetings with identified managers/key players
11. Refine/improve quality of collected inputs supported by additional documents/resources
12. Conduct in-depth analysis of refined/improved inputs
13. Review initial-draft findings/conclusions with project sponsor (executive management)
14. Prepare “formal” version findings/conclusions report

7. 6
15. Prepare draft version master-action plan for 0-3 years
16. Arrange/execute 2nd
round meetings with participating departments/functions at the
management level to discuss their specific items and secure concurrence with findings
17. Conduct 2nd
official group meeting for all managers and key players in participating
departments/functions and the project sponsoring executive manager to go over the findings,
recommendations and the proposed 3 years action master plan
18. Incorporate outcomes of this meeting into the project deliverables and produce the final
version report & master action plan
19. Submit the final project deliverables to officially conclude the service from a contractual
viewpoints and settle all dues
20. Conduct a 1-day workshop with participation of the project executive sponsor and all
departments/functions management to go over the master action plan items and decide on the
spot the go/no-go decision for each and every time, assign an owner and due date for the start
and finish of each item
Service Schematic Diagram

8. 7
Customer Responsibilities
The customer has specific responsibilities towards the success of this service, including the following
1. Full executive support from the highest authority level within the organization
2. Full cooperation from all departments/functions/divisions within the organization
3. Appointment of a central point of coordination person from the customer side with full dedication
towards the project from start to finish
4. Full and active participation from all functions/departments in the organization within the scope
of coverage of the intended service
5. Access to all data/information required to complete the service and make it meaningful.
Our Responsibilities
As we will be executing this service jointly with the customer, our role will be that of a “facilitator” of all
activities that the customer organization will execute as part of this service. We will orchestrate the
whole effort, provide the necessary guidance, and supervise these activities and ensure outcomes are
relevant and supportive of the entire project and its purpose.
Within this framework, we will be responsible for the following:-
1. Setting the stage for this service through scope of work and project plan
2. Preparation of all forms and templates to be used in this service
3. Executing the meetings and interviews with all necessary customer personnel
4. Analysis and assessment of collected inputs
5. Consolidating the findings/recommendations in the formal report deliverable
6. Preparation of the Master Action Plan for tackling the pain and gain issues
7. Execution of the 1-day management workshop to review/approve the action plan items
8. Review of the customer-to-be-prepared detailed action plan per item when developed by the
assigned item owners to each and every approved item in the master action plan
Duration
Duration (length) of this service may vary from couple weeks to couple months depending on scope of
work, organization size, business model complexity/diversity and other factors pertaining to the
customer organization.
Financial Investment
Customer must be prepared to make justifiable financial investment in the service itself which will be in
line with international industry standard fees, and for the cost of actions that will emerge from this
service in order to take care of the raised pain and gain issues.
Customer References
We have conducted this service and other related services successfully in public and private sectors all
throughout the region. However, and due to the “sensitivity” of the topic, and to protect the privacy and
confidentiality of our customers, we cannot make public quotation of any customer name/specifics.

9. 8
Related Topics/Services
This service is strongly related to other topics (services)6
that we specialize in, including: -
 SWOT analysis service: aims at exploring corporation’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities
and threats, and how they can be used as basis for professional planning.
 Mission/Vision assessment/validation services: aims at examining the effectiveness of these
fluffy nicely worded statements to explore their real value on the ground.
 True Manager Competency assessment service: aims at assessing/improving manager’s
competencies to better perform their duties and help them move forward in their careers and
move their organizations forward
 Operational Alignment with Corporate Directions: aims at aligning/synchronizing the
performance of the different organizational units, departments, divisions … etc. with the overall
corporate level strategic directions
 Crisis Management & Reputation Protection: aims at helping business owners & senior/top
management deal with tough crisis at critical times in the best way possible to minimize
damages and protect the reputation/image of the organization and its executives.
DELIVERABLES
Major Deliverables
This service will have three major deliverables
1. Proposed Master Action Plan (0-3 years) to be endorsed by senior/executive management and
with blessings from business owner (or representatives)
2. Formal Report of the service with its findings/recommendations as well as a cross-reference to
all collected inputs, filled forms, input templates, methodology outlines, …
3. One-day management-level workshop at the conclusion of this service to help the customer
take the first step towards endorsement & execution of the proposed master action plan
In addition, and throughout this service, there will be regular “weekly progress reports” to the
sponsoring project executive. The format, content and focus of these reports will be agreed in advance
with the project executive sponsor who will receive these reports, assess the progress, and take
necessary actions if needed, when needed and as much as seen necessary.
What to expect in the report & master action plan
The content of the final report and master action plan deliverables of this service will be highly
determined by what we agree upon in the scope of work (SoW) which will cover the width and depth of
the engagement. We will use MV-E2E ® to define the width, and MV-Top5Max ® 7
to define the width
subject to customer choice of which areas to focus within predefined level of effort (LoE) to be put in
this service.
6
Contact us for details of these and other services and how they can be of help to you and your organization
7
MV-E2E is Millennia-Vision end-to-end comprehensive coverage framework and MV-Top5Max is Millennia-Visions approach
to focusing on where it is worth within available time and resources

10. 9
However, and in general, you may expect the “PAIN & GAIN” issues may cover the following levels and
categories … and possibly more depending on what issues may be raised per customer specifics!
 Financial Health-check status
 Markets/Customers Health-check status
 Internal Operations & Processes efficiency/effectiveness status
 Quality/Excellence status
 Human Resources adequacy status
 HR Skills/Tools status
 Employee Satisfaction status
 Internal work environment status
 External work environment status
 Supply chain (partners, suppliers, resellers, distributors) status
Our findings and recommendations in the final report will include custom-built tables with the necessary
information to give the customer a snap-shot view of raised pain and gain issues with their weight,
relevancy, impact, cost … etc. to help business owners/executive management focus on what matters
most to them.
The master action plan will include other custom-built tables that will help business owners/executive
management make “well-informed” go/no-go decisions with the suggested actions for the identified pain
and gain issues.
Documentation Standard & Format
Reports will be developed using Microsoft office application suite, and they will be converted into Adobe
PDF format for easy viewing and printing. The source of these reports will also be given along with
other project documentation, but the formal format of the deliverables will be PDF only!
CONTACT INFORMATION
To proceed with the service, kindly go through the person who passed this information to you.
For general inquiries and follow-up questions, feedback and comments and if you got this this paper
directly from the net through popular social networks including Linkedin, Bayt, Twitter, Facebook, or
others, you may wish to contact the author directly
GMAIL : mohammed.thiab@gmail.com
Yahoo : mvc000@yahoo.com
SKYPE : mvc000
Hotmail : thiab@hotmail.com
Twitter : @millenniavision
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/MillenniaVision
Blog: http://millenniavision.blogspot.com/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/profile/public-profile-settings?trk=prof-edit-edit-public_profile
Dropbox : https://www.dropbox.com/sh/wc6vma3x9j31zt7/AAC7NWkr8osyAQsbGuME4-fOa?dl=0