In Part 1 of this series, I introduced the A-C-E system (Assess, Commit, Execute) that I created for myself to help sort out what’s needed to get done. It’s self-explanatory for simple everyday tasks, but A-C-E can also be really helpful for more complex tasks.

A - ASSESS

What do you do when you go shopping for something trivial, like groceries? You go through the assess-commit-execute steps every time you grab something from the shelf and put it into your cart, but it only takes a split-second for the whole process. Now, think about buying something bigger, such as a new computer, a new car, or even a new house. You will naturally be more careful, but the basic principles with the first step stay the same - you first check the cost, and then you see if you can afford it. In a nutshell, this is the assessment step.

When it comes to tasks and goals, it’s sometimes helpful to go through a checklist of what can contribute to the cost of the task or goal. Especially for something big and complex, it’s a good idea to go through such a checklist to make sure all the important factors are considered. Using the analogy of buying a car again, you would ask what the terms are for the purchase - how much downpayment is needed, your trade-in value, etc… For tasks and goals, my checklist for the terms is just that: T-E-R-M:

• Time: When is it due?
• Effort: How many hours/days/weeks will it take?
• Resource: What tools are needed? Is outside support also needed?
• Money: Is a budget needed? How much?

It’s important to understand that each criteria in TERM should be quantifiable - always use numbers! That’s why I like to use the car buying analogy, because numbers are needed before anything can be finalized.

C - COMMIT

Sometimes it’s straightforward to commit after the assessment is done, but it can be helpful to go through the formal process of the commitment step before moving forward. The reason why I made commitment a separate step is because it’s foolish to jump into something before realizing whether or not you should. The three C’s to consider for commitment are Context, Choice, and Conceptualize.

After an assessment is made on the task or goal, you must decide whether it’s truly beneficial for you. You have to put it in context with your existing goals and priorities. Is it consistent, or would it be a distraction to your master plan?

At this point, you must also realize that you have a choice to not to go forward. Sometimes, we are in reaction mode and feel we are obliged to do certain things, but in reality we can choose to go a different path. Moving forward must be an active choice.

If everything makes sense in terms of context and choice, then a commitment can be made. It’s important to realize that the ability to envision a successful completion of the task or goal is very powerful. Conceptualizing a mental picture of yourself successfully completing your task or goal is the final requirement to make the commitment.

E - EXECUTE

If you assessed properly and made the right commitment, then execution should be straightforward. Ideally, the final step would be to cleanly and effortlessly execute your task and achieve your goal. Typically for large projects, many tasks never get executed cleanly. Here are tips to help improve your chances of a clean execution:

• Do not hesitate: You already assessed and committed, do not second-guess yourself. Execute through completion, and do not fall into the trap of analysis-paralysis.
• Do not procrastinate: If now is not the best time, then make a conscientious effort to commit to a better time to execute. It will be a vow to yourself to get it done.
• Have proper expectations: It sometimes require 2-3 times longer to do a task that is new which you never done before. Make sure your expectations are set accordingly.

Execution Milestones for Large Projects
Typically for large project, the situation changes as the project develops. It’s important to have milestones and to implement ACE in cycles:

Assess-Commit-Execute-MILESTONE#1-
Assess-Commit-Execute-MILESTONE#2-
[…]
Assess-Commit-Execute-LAST_MILESTONE

It is at the milestone where future milestones should be reevaluated and adjusted. Without using milestones, you will frequently stop during the execution phase and you will find yourself needing to make costly adjustments, but with proper use of milestones, these adjustments can be far cheaper.

SUMMARY

ACE was meant to keep things simple, and for many tasks and goals, the Assess-Commit-Execute steps are straightforward. For larger tasks and goals, it can be helpful to go through a more formal process in each step:

• Assess: Check the cost, then see if you can afford it under its TERMs (Time, Effort, Resource, and Money).
• Commit: Go through the 3 C’s. Does the task or goal fit into context with your master plan? Remember you have the choice to not commit. If you do commit, conceptualize a successful execution of the task.
• Execute: Do not hesitate and execute through completion. Use milestones for long-term projects.