Evaluation
Introduction
Evaluate by stopping and thinking. Plan before you proceed.
The first step in being able to fix things is what is called the Evaluation stage. Before ever tempting to repair anything, you must evaluate if the repair is worth the time, effort, and money to fix it. Is it necessary or just something to do?
Many fix-it guys fail in this essential first step. In fact, success can only be measured and achieved if the broken thing is evaluated properly. Please don't rush through or eliminate this step. The thing to do is to step back and think about the repair before you ever lift a tool to fix it! Sometimes repair is not the solution. It may cost more to fix it than to replace it.
Back in the eighties, VCR's and DVD players were made so cheap and were so complicated that it wasn't worth the effort to fix them. The smart thing to do was to replace them. Sometimes it might be prudent to replace it. Sometimes what is needed is practical organization. Sometimes the fault lies in misunderstanding of the device's proper use. What is needed is education. The evaluation process continues into the investigation process. As you investigate, when you get the facts straight about what happened, you must evaluate the proper steps to repair the problem. After you investigate the problem, it then must be re-evaluated to determine the next course of action.
Many Christians fail in this vital first step. Jesus, the greatest authority on the subject, made the following observation. If you don't listen to me, please evaluate His advice, and listen to Him!
Luke 14:28-33 "For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.
Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand?
Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.
So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple."
Can you see the evaluation process? Can you see the actions of counting the cost and estimating the sufficiency? Also, there is consulting! Do you also see the sending and desiring? And finally, notice the forsaking.
Evaluation is not only important in fixing things. It is a big step in determining the will of God for your life and for you daily actions. How do you determine what to major in in college? Start with the evaluation method as laid out in this website. How do you know what to do today? Start by evaluating what needs to be done!
Sometimes the evaluation is a team effort. Not only do you need the team's input. Fixing something will affect the team. Sometimes the team is your family; sometimes it is the church. The decision to repair or replace may need the finance guys input on whether it can be afforded. The people that use it have a say also in its necessity. This not only affects the cost, but the effort and priority of when to fix it. Now? Or can it be scheduled for later. Maybe it just needs to be abandoned altogether. Leadership sometimes needs to be involved. Sometimes leadership just needs to know. Sometimes they need to go and see. Sometimes they need to make the decision. I have learned in the maintenance world, to keep leadership informed. They are there to help me do my job of fixing things!
Back when I was 20 years old, I learned the value of the evaluation process. I was miserable, frustrated, and greatly confused. I didn't know what life was all about, but I knew one thing, I wasn't enjoying it and it looked like I was making a mess of it! I was sure it was going to end badly! As I was pondering these things and unsuccessfully trying things and not liking them, the gospel was presented to me. I thought to myself, "I have tried everything else, why not try this?" I received Jesus Christ as my Savior and found the solution to my problem. Not only have I not regretted trusting Jesus, but it has also turned out to be the best outcome of an evaluation process that I have ever had! Since then, I have evaluated a lot of things and I have learned how to evaluate them properly. I have learned that to fix the problem, I must step back and evaluate the situation to find out what the real problem is.
In evaluating, it is important to obtain and read the instructions. Before you read the instructions, ask yourself if they are necessary or do you already know how to install it correctly? Are there some key elements that would be beneficial to know before attempting? Do I have the knowledge, skill, resources, time, and energy to do it right? Do I need some help? Do I know someone that has done it before that could give me tips making it easier and better?
One of the jokes in the maintenance world is that the first step is to throw the instructions away! This maintenance myth has caused many avoidable problems. I always either read the instructions or skim them to get the valuable information. The instructions have great purpose. I always keep and file the paperwork just in case!
You must be careful with instructions. It is easy to misread them and get the steps out of order. Also, I have found that there is a great need for someone who can write instructions to make them easier to read. When I was teaching my daughter how to drive, I got the drivers handbook from the state. It needs to be rewritten!
For the Christian, the Bible is the instructions. All the wisdom I have learned that is useful in repairing things I got out of the Bible. I either read it myself or was taught it by someone else. When the things I was taught go against the instructions, I always side with the instructions. If I don't understand the instructions, I use the toll-free number and call the manufacturer. I do the same with the Bible! When I don't understand something, or face a new problem, I call unto God to get the solution! Usually, He points to the instructions for further clarification!
I do the evaluating process now out of habit, but when I was first starting, I had to force myself to think it through. As a child I would buy plastic model cars and planes that needed assembly. I was in such a hurry to finish the job that they usually turned out looking awful. I wouldn't wait for the glue to dry. I would only take a cursory look at the instructions. The projects ended badly and eventually ended up in the trash. This is when I learned the concept of dead ends! Some actions, when taken, eventually lead to dead ends! Use the evaluation process to stay off the roads that lead to a bunch of wasted time, energy, money, and end in failure! Think about it before you do it!
I was helping a friend one time take down a dead tree. The tree was old, with no bark but was not rotten and very sturdy. It was situated between a house and a garage. It had to be pulled down just right so that it would not fall on the house or the garage. The guy I was helping sized up the job and hooked a chain on it and hooked it to his car. His idea was to cut the tree partially and then pull it down between the house and garage. It seemed like a good plan. Everything was going as planned. He cut through the tree most of the way. As he started pulling it with the chain attached to his car, there was a loud snap and then the tree fell! Unfortunately, it didn't follow the path we had planned on and if fell partially on the house ruining the attached carport. He had a good plan but did not consider the weight and tendency of the tree to follow gravity. Most of its weight was toward the house. He altered the weight slightly, but it was still a disaster! I have watched the professionals since then. They take the tree down in pieces to eliminate this kind of failure! Lesson learned.
The cause of many failures is because of improper evaluation!
As a successful fix it guy, I have learned to think about how to do the job and start gathering tools and supplies ahead of time so that everything is there that is needed to do it right.
Don't skip the evaluation process. God doesn't. God knew exactly what would get my attention and He waited for the right time to act. This is true, not only in my salvation, but in my experience with the incurable fungal infection that almost killed me! Because of His timing, I was ready to receive the lessons that the illness taught me. When He saved me, He knew exactly what He was getting. When He repaired me, He did it right, using the correct tools, parts, and time!
Before attempting repair, please evaluate what the solution should be. Every service call is because of a problem. It may be a perceived problem, but it is a problem, none-the-less. It may be an understanding or lack of understanding problem. It may be something broken. The first step is to analyze what the problem is. A lot of time and money can be wasted trying to fix something that is not really broken. Sometimes the solution is an organizational solution. Sometimes it is a teaching solution. Sometimes it is a combination of them both.
Remember this saying, "If it ain't broke; don't fix it." If it is broken and needs fixing, do it to the best of your ability. Make it better than it was before it broke! Restore it right to its usefulness. It should last a long time. I joke when I tell people, "It is guaranteed until I leave"! One of the sayings we use in the service industry is "No call backs"! We don't want to make the repair twice or more!
How do you know if it is worthwhile or just a waste of time?
To start the evaluation process, learn the Evaluation Maxims. They will help you evaluate whether something is good or bad. They will open your understanding to being able to determine if it is worth fixing or not.
Back when I was a teenager, when we got a car, we started working on it to make it run faster and look or sound cooler. Back then, we would mess with the carburetor, or put louder mufflers on, or put bigger wheels on it. Before long a fine running car would not even start! We had "improved" it so much that it no longer would run, and we had to take it to an expert to get it repaired. One of the lessons, I have learned is that "If'n it hain't broke, DON'T FIX IT!"
Before you ever put a tool on something to try to repair it, there are eight little maxims that need to be considered. These are essential truths to learn. They will allow you to evaluate things properly to know if you need to "monkey" with them to "improve" them. These maxims not only work in the physical world, but also in the spiritual and mental world as well
They are:
