From plan to implementation
In the previous posts over the summer, I have described the phases to go through to create a plan, understand your current situation, dream and design a vastly improved situation, and now to implement this in your business.
We have gone through three of the phases, and are now on the fourth:
Planning and organising
Mapping and understanding
Vision and design
>>> Develop and implement <<<
Last week I described that you should create governing and supporting documents in various forms, and also review and describe your meetings. In addition, how important it is to understand their products in business.
Digitisation
Another important element is to implement the desired digital support in the process. I have talked about the importance of digitisation, and what it is and what it isn’t, in previous newsletters. In phase 3, Vision and design, you have described how good you want the digital support to be.
Now it’s time to make it happen.
In simple terms, we can divide it into
- New business system
- Adaptation and completion
- Development of smaller components
- Sensors and technical equipment
- Executable processes
You will find a brief description of each part below.
New business system
The first is simply to acquire a new business system or systems. It may be that what you have today does not live up to your expectations. Then take the chance to really do something about it. I meet far too many people who live with systems they don’t like, but they are too comfortable to change, and may be locked into long contracts they don’t want to break.
Just remember that your business systems should be something that helps you develop and improve, not be an anchor that holds you back.
Adaptation and completion
The second part is to adapt the existing business system. Change it to fit the way you want to work, not just go with the way the system provider wants you to work.
It can also be to complete the business system. It may be that the supplier has components for the system that you haven’t heard of before, or perhaps haven’t seen the need for before. Now might be the time to take the plunge and add these clever add-ons that make the system even better.
Development of smaller components
Is it the case that the supplier is not able to develop the system further? Maybe they are not interested or have a long wait for development to happen? Or it may not even occur to them, or anyone else, to have what you are asking for.
Then it might be best to develop some smaller component that will give you exactly what you are looking for, no more and no less. Then turn to a developer, internally or externally, and order these components.
These components can be for making a decision, doing calculations of some kind or checking something in other systems or on the Internet.
Sensors and technical equipment
Then there’s what most people think of when they hear the word ‘digitisation’, which is all the fun new gadgets you can order and install. Such as smart locks, alarms, sensors, virtual reality, augmented reality, and more.
These types of equipment can help your business reach the previous thoughts that you designed so well. For example, it allows you to get information that you previously had to retrieve manually, see things remotely, be proactive by getting advance indications of upcoming events, and more.
Executable processes
And then what I see as one of the biggest realizations of a successful process, and what is at the heart of that above; an evolved executable process. It means that you put the way you designed the process flow into a program that makes sure that you actually worked the way you said you would work.
This gives you full control over where different “cases” are, how long they have been going on, how many there are, and have been, of certain types, who is acting in which role, and so on.
Measurement and monitoring
Having the above list of improvements in your arsenal of business systems and most importantly the ability to have executable processes, gives you the ability to measure and follow up.
Always remember that you can’t control what you don’t measure, and you can’t measure what you don’t see.
Now that you have designed the processes and chosen to make them executable, you can also easily start to follow them and get control of the flow. It is the only way to be in control in a fast-moving world and to be proactive in your work as a leader.
Training
So there is one more thing I would like to highlight when it comes to phase 4 develop and implement, and that is the need to train those who will act in any of the process roles. Many people miss it. Unfortunately, it’s becoming all too common to say “well, let’s say we do that, shall we?” and expect everyone to be “on board”.
As you can see from the list of things that you have now developed and are about to introduce into the business, training is obviously needed so that the process team and other stakeholders understand what to do, when and how.
Another exciting education
I’ve already talked about a course starting in the autumn (see more below), but there’s also another one. It is the training How to succeed in your improvement work – 5 steps to make your work easier, more fun and more effective.
It is shorter and will be in mixed form; both with recorded material but also live.
Here we look at what is possible when you succeed in your improvement work. You will learn some important basic skills to succeed, but you will also learn about what it looks like in other organisations, both in Sweden and abroad. We will go through a variety of good examples.
In addition, we will also take a closer look at what digitalisation is and can do to help us succeed.
Click here to sign up for the entry list. Of course, it is completely unconditional and you have not committed yourself to anything, but only said that you want more information.
Certified Improvement Leader
This autumn also sees the start of the next round of the Certified Improvement Leader training, which is now upgraded with the latest version of the Shaper of Business Excellence improvement methodology.
The first phase of five is to plan and organise your improvement work. The second is to map and understand the current state of the business for each priority process. And the third phase is to create a vision and design the future improved situation.
In the new version, this phase consists of 24 steps, which I have described in detail in this and last week’s newsletter.
Interested?
Are you interested in learning more about how you too can succeed in your improvement work and how you could lead and drive this work? Then I think you should sign up for the entry list for one of the courses. This means that you will receive more information before it is released to “everyone else”. I will also be able to answer your specific questions about your improvement work.
For How to succeed in your improvement efforts, click HERE.
For Certified Improvement Leader click HERE.
I wish you a nice summer and I’ll talk to you next week.
Matts
