My previous post ‘Singing from the same song sheet‘, suggested that service blueprints and strategy execution plans could be likened to musical scores. In commenting on the structural similarities, the ‘stacking’ of singing parts in a choral arrangement was compared with the ‘stacking’ of strategic goals in a coordinated organisational strategy.

In the broadest sense, a stack is simply an orderly pile of a group of things. When we stack things together, we arrange them into a (usually) neat pile.

This post explores some of the ways we use this concept in an organisational setting, mainly via explanatory charts and tables. The header chart above suggests various synonyms for ‘stacking’, all of which involve synthesis (integration) in some form.

Stacks of Stacks

Stacks of various kinds seem to have become more ubiquitous in our work recently. While some of us might remember overflowing stacks of papers in our intrays, our piles of files, or the library book stacks, others came to know about stacks when our IT friends began talking about data stacks, stack overflows, and lately, AI stacks.

There are stacks for everything it seems. The term is used as a synonym for many others that refer to the organisation of related parts into some form of orderly structure. Because of its vertical orientation, it also implies hierarchical arrangements. (The horizontal equivalent would probably be a train).

Stacking methods used by management will vary according to the context of the managerial function being performed. A stack (catalogue) of some of these stacking methods is provided in the following chart.

System and Process Stacks

A business analyst might use the term “stack” to describe various aspects of an organisation’s systems and processes. The chart which follows offers a stack (list) highlighting just some of these.

Understanding and effectively communicating about these various system and process stacks can be crucial for analysts and leaders in evaluating, designing, and optimising the organisation’s approach to meeting its strategic objectives.

IT & Project Management Stacks

We can probably thank our IT friends for introducing the concept of stacks to our organisational lexicon. As noted above, they initially brought us data stacks, and then over time, we added the Technology Stack, the Task Stack, Issues Stack, Knowledge Stack, and others. They also gave us the concepts of a ‘stack overflow‘, and even the ‘full stack developer’.

The stack overflow metaphor is sometimes used to describe a situation where we feel overwhelmed by our task list, competing deadlines, or the complexity of a situation. In more extreme cases it might be used to describe worker burnout – a serious health and safety issue.

In project management, gantt and timeline charts have long been used to describe the stack of tasks and activities that must occur sequentially or in parallel over time. A stack (collection) of these stacks is offered below.

Agile Management Stacks

Perhaps because of its origins in IT, Agile management methods make extensive use of stacks. A selection of these appears below, augmenting the other stacks already identified in connection with systems, processes, and project management.

Argument Stacks

Arguments need to stack up for a case to be made. As the next chart emphasises, it’s not just the side with more arguments in favour of a proposition that wins the debate, but rather how those arguments are supported by the ‘weight’ of evidence.

Chunking Complements Stacking

If stacking is about synthesising and grouping things in an orderly way, chunking is its complementary counterpart activity. For our purposes, a chunk is a unit (sub-category) of information that has been identified as part of a larger concept or category. We are chunking when we identify the components of a system or process. The header chart above offers several synonyms for chunking, all of which involve analysis (differentiation) in some form.

The most widely known uses of chunking are probably for time/diary management and domestic budgeting. Setting aside blocks of time for specific purposes and activities (other than meetings) is time chunking. When most of us used cash instead of digital currency, we were encouraged to set aside ‘chunks’ of cash in various envelopes (also called ‘stuffing’) dedicated to specific spending commitments, including savings.

In addition to these two popular methods, managers and leaders will often employ chunking for project management, task management, learning and training plans, content creation, decision-making, and workflow optimisation – as illustrated below.

In summary

Effective leaders make extensive use of integration and differentiation methods and approaches. Stacking and chunking are just two ways of describing these skills and activities, and this post has outlined several means by which these approaches may be used to enhance organisational efficiency and effectiveness.

See also:
Singing from the same song sheet
Choosing an organisational metaphor? Choose wisely!