The document discusses how consulting is changing, with more focus on outcomes and results rather than reports. Successful consulting firms use an intensive diagnostic approach and focus on delivering rapid, significant improvements for clients through a focus on people and execution over technology. Traditional "bulldozed" change cannot be sustainable; real improvements require ideas management, wiring changes into the organization, and coaching to ensure changes stick long-term.
This document discusses the role of a business analyst on an agile project. Some key points:
1) In agile, business analysis is done collaboratively by the entire team throughout the project in short iterations, rather than a business analyst doing all analysis upfront. This requires the business analyst to determine the right amount of analysis needed for each iteration.
2) The business analyst adopts two main roles: business advisor to support the product owner, and business coach to help other team members improve their analysis skills.
3) As a business advisor, the business analyst helps the product owner understand customer needs, prioritize features, and make decisions by applying business analysis techniques. This is important because product owners often
The document describes Cap Gemini Ernst & Young's Accelerated Solutions Environment (ASE), which aims to accelerate business decision making and solution creation. The ASE brings together diverse stakeholders over 2-5 days to tackle problems faster than traditional methods, which can take 3-9 months. Key components include ensuring the right purpose, inputs, people, environment, facilitation and process. The ASE has been used in over 1,200 events across many industries.
Flawless Project Execution The Road To Greatness For Professional Services Firmsarjencornelisse
White Paper on flawless project execution for professional services firms. It discusses:
1) Best practices must be integrated across the entire organization to consistently deliver projects on time and under budget. Best-in-class firms are more likely to have integrated solutions based on best practices.
2) Increased competition and lower volumes are forcing firms to cut costs. Those that can deliver projects efficiently will have a long-term competitive advantage.
3) Complex projects require established best practices, yet many firms have not adapted their processes. Implementing industry-specific best practices is key to navigating future challenges.
The document discusses managing change in the education sector. It provides an overview of change management approaches and tools. Specifically:
- Change is difficult but essential in education due to various pressures. Managing change requires teamwork, leadership, and adapting to culture.
- The infoKit guides users through change management approaches focusing on people, processes, and culture. It provides templates and tools to analyze problems, clarify goals, and monitor progress.
- Appreciative Inquiry is introduced as a positive approach to understanding current practices and planning improvements by focusing on strengths rather than weaknesses. Examples are given of universities using this technique.
This document provides a guide for planning a CRM project with the goal of helping companies develop comprehensive customer relationship management strategies and solutions. It outlines key steps for planning a CRM project including conducting a current and desired state analysis to identify goals and objectives, selecting appropriate people, establishing a timeline, and taking a technical inventory. The guide emphasizes involving users, prioritizing needs, and taking a phased implementation approach to avoid overwhelming the organization with changes. Overall, the planning process aims to set organizations up for a successful CRM project and realization of expected benefits.
This document critiques presentations that use "red herrings" to argue for agile over traditional project management approaches. It asserts that many criticisms of traditional approaches actually represent examples of bad project management practices, not limitations of the approach. The document recommends focusing on established processes for areas like problem detection, continuous improvement, and lessons learned rather than presented conjectures. It concludes that for agile to be taken seriously by business leaders, it needs to demonstrate how it improves established processes and show value in quantifiable business terms rather than anecdotal experiences.
Integrating Change Management Into Technology and Outsourcing Implementationsevanslyke
The document discusses change management and Solleva Group's approach. It provides an overview of Solleva Group's services, which include managing complex business transitions. Their approach uses both science and art - the science provides structure, while the art provides adaptability to deal with human factors. Their Architecture of Change framework integrates change management into projects using both technical and adaptive capabilities.
This document provides a summary of 16 models from the MG Taylor modelling language. It begins by explaining that models can represent slices of reality or perspectives. It then provides brief 1-2 paragraph summaries of each of the following models: Scan Focus Act, Appropriate Response, Design Build Use, 5 E's of Education, Business of Enterprise, Creating the Problem, and 7 more models. Each summary highlights the key elements and applications of that particular model. The document emphasizes that models can provide different lenses for perceiving and designing systems and processes.
13 Smart Ways To Measure Your Tech Team's ProductivityDharmendra Rama
When leading a tech team, it’s important to measure your team’s overall productivity. This metric can be used for major business decisions down the line. However, measurin
GETTYP hoto: your tech team’s productivity isn’t as simple as counting revenue gained or units produced. Beyond the outcome of the project, there are several other factors that should be taken into account.
This document provides guidance on managing portfolio projects. It discusses key dimensions of project delivery including product, organization, process, and client/business needs. It emphasizes setting project levers in equilibrium to reduce risk and increase certainty. Successful delivery requires good processes, people, technology, and great leadership. The four essential disciplines of portfolio management are planning, resource management, financial management, and change management. Status reporting must be consistent to effectively manage projects. Challenges include applying a flexible rather than "one size fits all" methodology. Tips for programme managers include allowing time for decisions, surrounding oneself with good project managers, and clearly understanding goals and authority.
This document discusses project portfolio management (PPM) and addresses five key questions that are important for successful PPM implementation:
1. Are we investing in the right things? - PPM requires prioritizing projects to ensure investments are made in strategic initiatives.
2. Are we optimizing our capacity? - Resources must be optimized across all projects.
3. How well are we executing? - Monitoring project execution and progress is important.
4. Can we absorb all the changes? - Changes in strategic objectives or the business environment may impact the portfolio.
5. Are we realizing the promised benefits? - Expected benefits from projects must be tracked and realized.
The business case is
The document provides an overview of a webinar on A3 Management. It introduces Karen Martin as the instructor and discusses the agenda, which focuses on using the A3 problem-solving method. This includes exploring the key components of an A3 report such as defining the problem theme, analyzing the current and target conditions, identifying the root cause, and developing countermeasures. The goal is to teach a structured approach to problem-solving using the PDSA cycle and visual A3 format.
Agile project management - everything you want to know but were afraid to ask
Presented by Adrian Pyne
Tuesday 18 October 2016
APM East of England branch event
Anglia Ruskin University, Chelmsford
Whitepaper - The Annual Review – What’s The PointAmy Cookson
The document discusses the history and purpose of performance appraisals in organizations. While appraisals originated as a disciplinary tool, they now aim to provide feedback, set goals, and discuss employee development. Some companies have eliminated formal appraisals in favor of continuous performance management through regular coaching and feedback. However, removing all formal processes could limit objective evaluation and make it harder for organizations to justify personnel decisions. The document argues that both continuous feedback and formal appraisals are important when used correctly and complement each other well.
This document provides an overview of EnEx-Consult, a company that provides management consulting services to research and development organizations. It describes common challenges faced by R&D teams, such as delays, cost overruns, and lack of innovation. EnEx-Consult helps R&D organizations improve performance in key areas like project management, competence development, and processes. The company has expertise in engineering management gained from working with clients in various industries and countries. Past clients have been satisfied with EnEx-Consult's services to boost R&D effectiveness and productivity.
The key to successful Digital TransformationMegan Hunter
The document discusses key factors for successful business transformation:
1. Having the right team, including roles like a Business Project Manager, Transformation Lead, Lead Business Analyst, and Lead Solutions Architect.
2. Securing talent either internally or through partnerships if needed skills are not available internally.
3. Adopting solutions with minimal customization ("adopt, don't adapt") and having strong governance through a steering board to challenge customization requests.
The document summarizes an Agile coaching engagement at a luxury bathtub manufacturer in Italy. The company was experiencing delays, poor quality, and overload. Through interviews and process mapping, key issues were identified including unrealistic planning, approval delays, and frequent changes. Initial steps included educating managers on Agile principles and visualizing the development process on a board. This exposed issues like queues and helped accelerate some projects. Daily stand-ups and retrospectives helped improve collaboration and focus on problems. Metrics were tracked and WIP limits introduced to further improve flow. As a result, cycle times decreased by 20-50% across development phases.
The document provides answers to questions about investment projects being considered by Pan-Europa Foods. It conducts financial analyses of 11 projects using NPV and lists them in order of ranking. It then discusses adjusting the analysis for risk, time value of money, project lifetimes, and size. Based on strategic fit, mandatory status, IRR, payback period, risk level, and other qualitative factors, the recommended projects are: Effluent Treatment, Eastward Expansion, Southward Expansion, Snack Foods, and Inventory Control.
This document provides an overview of pH and how it is measured. It discusses key topics such as:
- pH is a measure of hydrogen ion concentration in a solution on a scale from 0 to 14, with 7 being neutral.
- pH is defined as the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration and represents a 10-fold change in concentration for each unit change in pH.
- pH is measured using a pH electrode and meter, with glass electrodes being the most common. The electrode responds to hydrogen ion activity.
- Factors like temperature, ionic strength, and reference junctions must be accounted for to ensure accurate pH measurement.
betterfootball.org
Be sure to list on your resume any particular knowledge of a company's products and the team's willingness to promote and test products
Stuart Hall theorized that media texts can be interpreted in different ways depending on the audience. He categorized audiences as dominant, negotiated, or oppositional based on whether they accept, partially accept, or reject the codes presented in a media text. Additionally, uses and gratifications theory posits that consumers are active in choosing and interpreting media based on their needs and culture can influence how media is understood. Age can also impact interpretation, as younger audiences may be passive while older audiences can be negotiated in understanding codes.
micronewsagency.org
interested in working in this field, you might pursue a career as a videographer who shoots the stories, a producer who organizes the flow
The preschool program will serve children ages 2 to 6 years old. Technology will be used to individualize learning for each child by finding developmentally appropriate software. Technology will also be used to support learning by making computers another learning center for students to use equally along with other areas. Students will be encouraged to work together on computers and learn using technology which can generate excitement to learn and make learning more realistic by featuring things like animals.
This document discusses using Gliricidia sepium (kakawate) leaves to prevent Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Kakawate is a medium-sized tree that is thought to repel mosquitoes due to its smell. The objective is to prove that kakawate leaves can kill mosquitoes. It hypothesizes that kakawate kills mosquitoes because of the smell. The significance is that using kakawate leaves can help prevent dengue by killing many mosquitoes.
DIVAs is an Android app created by Aseem Jakhar that contains intentional security vulnerabilities for developers to find and address. It has issues like insecure logging, data storage, input validation, and access control. Analyzing the app requires tools like Genymotion, Dex2jar, JD-GUI, APKTOOL and commands like adb, jadx, and sqlite3 to interact with the app and diagnose the vulnerabilities.
The document discusses career options in television news media, including roles such as videographer, producer, reporter, writer, video editor, and assignment editor. It emphasizes gaining relevant experience through internships, freelancing, volunteering, and maintaining a portfolio to improve chances of getting a full-time job. Experience at smaller local stations is typically needed before obtaining positions at major city stations.
This document is a statement of attainment issued by Open Universities Australia to Mr. Rabea Salameh. It certifies that he has completed 22 accredited units through Open Universities Australia between 2011-2014. The units were undertaken at various Australian universities and cover subjects such as programming, information systems, statistics, marketing and communications. The statement provides details of each completed unit including course code, name, workload, assessing institution and result.
Software Security: In the World of Cloud & CI-CDOWASP Delhi
The document discusses software security in the context of cloud computing and continuous integration/continuous delivery (CI/CD) development processes. It outlines the challenges of managing security for organizations with many cloud products and frequent software changes. The key points are that security needs to be addressed at all stages of the CI/CD pipeline, including selecting secure third-party components, performing static and dynamic analysis during development and testing, and deploying runtime application security tools in production. Taking a holistic CI/CD-based approach helps provide security visibility and input for business decisions around investment and meeting customer demands.
So you're working with a web service that doesn't play nice with Ember Data, that's okay! Using Ember Data 1.0.0-beta we will normalize ugly JSON feeds into something that Ember understands and loves.
The document discusses business process modeling and its benefits. It argues that modeling processes can help identify inefficiencies and improve quality, customer service, and reduce costs. The modeling process involves workshops with different levels of an organization, from senior executives to frontline staff, to capture different perspectives and build detailed models. An effective model provides different views for different user groups and links all processes together. The model should then be used across the organization for various purposes like organizational design, performance measurement, training, and continuous improvement initiatives. Overall, process modeling creates a shared understanding of how work gets done and opportunities to enhance performance when the model is utilized on an ongoing basis.
Anton Nekic IS PPM Overhead or Competitive Advantage v2-4Anton Nekic
This document discusses project portfolio management (PPM) and the role of project management offices (PMOs). It suggests that traditional PPM approaches focused on compliance, reporting, and metrics are no longer sufficient, and that PMOs must shift to directly demonstrating value and competitive advantage. The document also predicts that PPM solutions will move towards real-time exception management and linking project performance to key business indicators. Finally, it emphasizes the need for PPM consultants to bring experience and tools that can both optimize costs and guarantee outcomes.
Alternatives to scaling your agile process: valuing outcomes over outputAgileNZ Conference
This document discusses alternatives to simply scaling up agile processes. It argues that organizations should focus on continuously improving outcomes rather than just increasing output or volume. Some key points made include:
- Agile is about mindset and values, not processes, and scaling up risks losing those. Organizations should fix weaknesses before scaling.
- True scaling happens incrementally based on measuring business impacts, not just adopting more processes. Teams should regularly inspect and adapt.
- There are many ways to improve value, quality and productivity within existing teams, like improving technical practices and skills, before considering larger scale changes.
- Scaling is primarily a "people problem" - organizations should focus on building networks between self-organ
Alternatives to scaling your agile process: valuing outcomes over outputEdwin Dando
This document discusses alternatives to simply scaling up agile processes. It argues that organizations should focus on continuously improving outcomes rather than just increasing output or volume. Some key points made include:
- Agile is about mindset and values, not processes, and scaling up risks losing those. Organizations should fix weaknesses before scaling.
- True scaling happens incrementally based on measuring business impacts, not just adopting more processes. Teams should regularly inspect and adapt.
- There are many ways to improve value, quality and productivity within existing teams, like improving technical practices and skills, before considering larger scale changes.
- Scaling is primarily a "people problem" - organizations should focus on building networks between self-organ
Enterprise Project Management Solutions - Install and train, job done? by "Da...Project Controls Expo
Enterprise Project Management Solutions - Install and train, job done? by "David Dunning - Chairman for CPS, UK" at Project Controls Expo 2017, Arsenal Stadium, London
Business Performance Improvement in the Future of WorkDalia Katan
The document discusses nine practices that can help frontline workgroups accelerate performance improvement in three key ways:
1) The practices are meant to provoke workgroups to think differently, propel them to take action, and pull them together for shared outcomes.
2) The practices focus on cultivating learning embodied in action through experimentation and reflection, rather than just sharing existing knowledge.
3) When implemented as a "bundle", the practices are meant to reinforce each other to help workgroups learn faster and have more impact on key performance metrics.
The document discusses leading change versus managing change. It notes that while change management focuses on keeping change efforts under control, change leadership is about driving large-scale transformation through establishing a sense of urgency, developing a vision, empowering broad-based action, generating short-term wins, and incorporating changes into the culture. Effective change leadership requires strategy, governance, seamless execution, and emphasizing dialogue to make the process relevant and the changes doable. Leaders must own the change themselves through putting skin in the game, working closely with employees, and embracing change as part of their role.
The document discusses transforming the culture of BGT's PMO through a new change management plan interwoven with their 5-year business initiatives. It will focus on adjusting how human capital responds to program plans. The transformation includes designing innovative digital solutions, listening to customers, and defining the new business transformation. The key aspects are mastering change through change management and leadership, simplifying processes to do more with less, and improving processes through data-driven projects.
Time to join the revolution: Agile change in financial servicesAccenture Insurance
Agile change has always been a priority for financial services organizations. However, in today’s rapidly evolving digital world, it is now clear that they must make it a critical capability to survive and thrive. Applying agile end-to-end business change increases the speed to benefit, and impacts every aspect of a business from customers and employees to organization and processes. Making change their core competence will help FS firms find new ways of serving customers and creating value. This report spells out what is needed to succeed with agile, and proposes five culture-related steps FS firms can take to improve their organization agility
Large, established companies face significant challenges with continuous innovation because their structures, processes, policies and incentives are designed for efficient execution, not innovation. While companies understand the need for innovation, their traditional management tools like KPIs, strategies, organizational structures, product management processes and HR policies are set up in a way that actually inhibits innovation. For companies to truly foster innovation, they need to develop new innovation-focused tools including metrics, processes and incentives that support innovation in parallel to execution, not just through occasional incubators or initiatives.
This document proposes adopting an Agile methodology called Kanban to improve the efficiency of digital teams at a communications agency called Text100. The agency is transitioning to integrated digital communications work from traditional PR. Currently, project planning and execution uses a "waterfall" approach that does not allow for flexibility.
The document introduces Kanban and how it can help by making work visible, limiting work-in-progress, ensuring steady workflow, and facilitating iteration. It describes a one-month experiment using Kanban boards, daily stand-up meetings, and fortnightly reflections for the OMRON client account. Initial results included prioritizing bottleneck tasks, understanding dependencies, and increased efficiency. The document reflects on Kanban's
Much of the time, we view innovation through a lens of total newness, but teachings from a variety of industries and professions might hold the key to defining successful strategies, and positively influence the way innovation is executed in the enterprise space.
Greetings from SIMCON !
Wish you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !
It gives us immense pleasure to present you December Edition of our monthly newsletter "BEACON".
This issue covers articles on HR consulting (by our SIMSREE student Mr. Avdhoot Patane), IT consulting, book review of 'The Mckinsey Mind', industry related recent news and quiz.
Hope you enjoy reading the newsletter ! Do provide your valuable feedback.
For more updates on consulting industry, keep visiting our FB page.
http://www.facebook.com/SimCon
This document outlines 9 potential projects for Avinger's 2017 initiatives focused on improving business processes and driving strategic goals:
1. Put more focus on projects that support the company's strategy.
2. Re-assess customer needs through feedback and ensure products/services meet changing needs.
3. Take on business process improvement projects to streamline ineffective processes.
4. Revisit vendor offerings to ensure they support business needs and future growth.
5. Review and update information systems and technologies used by the business.
6. Review the employee "hire to retire" process to optimally deploy human resources.
7. Simplify the chart of accounts to improve accounting processes.
The document discusses barriers to starting technology innovation companies and how those barriers have become easier to overcome in recent years. Specifically, it addresses how infrastructure, investment, time, and talent barriers that once required significant money and resources can now be addressed more easily through cloud services, lower startup costs, leveraging existing customer bases, and outsourcing talent. The key is seeing opportunities rather than barriers and being willing to start small, test ideas quickly, and iterate based on customer feedback.
Driving Market Impact by Operationalizing Agile MarketingCMG Partners
There's a difference between "doing Agile" and "BEING Agile" - we give case studies from our experience coaching enterprise companies through Agile Marketing adopting.
This document provides guidance on effective change management for projects. It emphasizes the importance of aligning change management activities with project phases, communicating regularly with stakeholders, shifting communications from purely informational to more persuasive, and addressing potential resistance to change. Success requires planning, proactive communication, stakeholder engagement and ownership of the solution. Key roles on the change management team and their responsibilities are also discussed.
Visual project management simplifying project execution to deliver on time an...ssuser52fa40
This document discusses why projects are often late and over budget, despite best efforts. It finds that while training improves control factors like scope and quality, there is an inverse relationship between training and schedule/budget performance. This is because training focuses on planning and control, not execution. Execution accounts for under 5% of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) guide content. The document argues successful project execution is an art, not a science, and that improving execution can boost financial returns by 65% for "best executors." Focusing on on-time and on-budget performance yields more financial gains than other initiatives.
Similar to The change.asia - results not reports (20)
Certified Administrative Officer CAO.pdfGAFM ACADEMY
The Certified Administrative Officer (CAO) is a gold-standard certification awarded exclusively by the Global Academy of Finance and Management ®. Earning this designation demonstrates that you have skills and experience in office administration which includes events coordination, time management, resource management, Microsoft Office applications, and business communication.
REQUIREMENTS
The Certified Administrative Officer designation requires a diploma or a bachelor's degree in business and administration, or related field.
Two years experience in office administration
Final year graduates with industrial attachment will be considered.
In addition to educational requirements, candidates must have knowledge in Microsoft Office applications, and business communication skills.
To apply: https://gafm.com.my/digital-certification/application-for-certification/
Unlocking The Human Element in IT And Service ManagementDario Diament
The book "Unlocking the Human Element in IT" provides a comprehensive guide to understanding and leveraging the human aspects of information technology. Drawing on extensive research and real-world case studies, the book delves into the critical role that people, culture, and organizational dynamics play in the success or failure of IT initiatives.
The Importance of the Human Element in IT
The book begins by highlighting the often-overlooked human dimension of IT, emphasizing that technology alone is not enough to drive meaningful change and innovation. It argues that the true power of IT lies in its ability to empower and engage people, fostering a collaborative and adaptive organizational culture.
Key Themes and Insights
People-Centric Approach: The book underscores the need to shift from a technology-centric mindset to a people-centric approach in IT management. It explores strategies for aligning IT goals with the needs and aspirations of employees, customers, and stakeholders.
Organizational Culture: The authors examine the profound impact of organizational culture on IT initiatives, addressing topics such as change management, leadership, and team dynamics. They provide practical frameworks for cultivating a culture that embraces innovation, collaboration, and continuous learning.
Soft Skills and Talent Management: The book delves into the importance of developing soft skills, such as communication, empathy, and problem-solving, among IT professionals. It also explores effective talent management strategies to attract, retain, and develop high-performing IT teams.
Agile and Adaptive IT: The book highlights the rise of agile and adaptive IT methodologies, emphasizing the need for IT organizations to be nimble, responsive, and customer-centric. It offers guidance on implementing agile practices and fostering a mindset of continuous improvement.
Bridging the IT-Business Divide: The authors address the longstanding challenge of aligning IT with business objectives, providing strategies for enhancing collaboration, communication, and mutual understanding between IT and other organizational functions.
Practical Applications and Case Studies
Throughout the book, the authors present real-world case studies that illustrate the impact of the human element in IT. These case studies cover a range of industries and organizational contexts, offering valuable insights and lessons learned for readers to apply in their own environments.
Conclusion
"Unlocking the Human Element in IT" is a must-read for IT leaders, managers, and professionals who recognize the importance of people, culture, and organizational dynamics in driving successful IT initiatives. By embracing the human element, organizations can unlock the full potential of their technology investments and achieve sustainable, transformative change.
People mentioned:
- Matt Beran
- Deborah Monroe
- NJ Robinson
- Megan Engels
- Gregg Gregory
- Rocky McGuire
Learn more at invgate.com
Embracing Change_ Volunteerism in the New Normal by Frederik Durda.pdfFrederik Durda
The new normal has not diminished the spirit of volunteerism; rather, it has transformed it, opening up new avenues for individuals to connect with and support their communities. As we continue to adapt, volunteerism will remain a vital force in building resilient, compassionate, and inclusive societies.
Embracing Change_ Volunteerism in the New Normal by Frederik Durda.pdf
The change.asia - results not reports
1. Business does not needBusiness does not need
consulting….they need resultsconsulting….they need results
“execution is strategic….people, not te“execution is strategic….people, not te
chnology are the focus”chnology are the focus”
2. 23/07/14 2
IntroductionIntroduction
We are seeing an increasing failure of company projects – whether IT driven,
strategic or process reengineering.
More clients seem to be engaging in battles with their consultants and IT vendors – to
the point where it looks more like a Mexican stand-off.
And yet there are some consulting groups who are thriving and growing. They have
specific qualities as far as I can see:
• They come from an outcomes – driven philosophy
• Their initial approach is an intensive diagnostics using:
Value driver trees
Assessment of management operating systems
Alignment of KPI’s
Benchmarking
• They take rapid action to deliver significant improvements to the client operating
performance
• They put in place the “hard wiring” to ensure sustainability of the improvements
We ought to be able to model ourselves on this approach. I do think that the market is
amenable to a refreshing approach – and I have jotted down a few thoughts .
3. Five Drivers of Success – only 21% technology linked
Based on detailed analysis by Gartner of 4,500 deployments with input from interviews with over 17,000 end users and with
project teams and business sponsors
Strategy
People
Process
Technology
19%19%
21%21%
22%22%
17%17%
21%21%
Ownership
4. 1.1. Every morning, writeEvery morning, write
a list of the thingsa list of the things
that need to be donethat need to be done
that day.that day.
2.2. DoDo tthemhem..
Source: Hugh MacLeod/tompeters.com/NPRSource: Hugh MacLeod/tompeters.com/NPR
5. ““In real life, strategyIn real life, strategy
is actually veryis actually very
straightforward.straightforward.
Pick a generalPick a general
directiondirection …… andand
imimpplementlement
likelike hellhell.”.” —Jack Welch—Jack Welch
6. CEO concerns – growth and sustainability, not
more reports
Concerns are that performance potential needs to be unlocked – and the benefit stream needs to be sustainable. Now t
hey see problems in achieving the potential of the business…and then the ability to have it sustained over time
7. 23/07/14 7
Consulting seems to be changingConsulting seems to be changing
Whilst change management consulting is capable of delivering effective business
benefits realization – it doesn’t seem to be happening
Consultants - and even the clients seem to be more focused on processes than on
outcomes
There seems to be more focus on delivering some aspects of transformational
change – i.e. just to tick the boxes and meet payment schedules – but not delivering r
eal outcomes
As a result, there are so many projects which fall short of their potential – and are
barely able to get across the line for a go-live
It is instructive that in the case of IT projects – the big players – Oracle, SAP,
Microsoft have gradually focused only on the sale of licenses and hardware. They hav
e progressively walked away from the SI functions – and in doing so, they have left th
e customers with little or no chance of ever having a really transformational solution.
And when the so-called consulting firms do step in to this space, they seem to supply
a stream of junior staff who have next to zero business experience. For example, in o
ne client, the consultants were managing a detailed stakeholder engagement – howe
ver, they had never actually met any of the 50+ stakeholders themselves
8. 23/07/14 8
Horror stories seem to aboundHorror stories seem to abound
Consultants with one year out of a bachelor’s Degree. Who profess that they have
done the Prosci training …….but cannot recall any of it
A project where the client had fallen in love with SaaS - so they were doing a series
of small projects – but had overlooked all the go-live, user adoption, training etc. – as
suming that what the vendor had said was true…..”this stuff is as intuitive as using Go
ogle”. A year on all the initiatives have been shelved
A project where really major process reengineering was going to be needed. But the
client was convinced that this could all be done by the vendor’s SI’s. The Si’s started
at level 5 process design and just applied what they know of the vendor’s solution. It
all fell over and one of the smart Solutions Architect (who reviewed the wreckage) re
marked that the SI’s had begun “selecting the colors of the tiles in the bathroom – and
yet the overall plans and the foundations had not been agreed!!”
The out-going CFO at the NAB – Mark Joiner – told a conference that he had banned
the use of the word “transformation” for all projects because……………….no transfor
mation had actually been delivered!
There seems to be an emerging segment in the marketplace for true outcomes –
driven consultants.
9. 23/07/14 9
Less reports….more results
The world of consulting and writing reports has entered a period of rapid climatic
change. Like ants caught under the beam of a microscope on a hot summer’s day,
consultants are starting to feel the heat of increased managerial focus and a new
industry driven by results.
Managers are increasingly asking themselves: “do I want a report and a big bill or do I
want the earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) results, extensive skill building, new
organisational wiring to lock-in the results and a shared risk model where I can
choose to pay for results if I want to?” That’s the difference between engaging
consultants and resultants.
Most big firms have brought in external consultants at some time to assist them in
their drive to improve performance. This typically involves significant idea generation
and documentation, risk assessment and work planning. On paper, these ideas
represent significant potential future savings.
But here’s the rub – they are ideas, not delivered results. Consultants simply consult.
They are paid to proffer advice, they have nothing at risk, and let’s face it, if your in-
tray is already full do you really need any more ideas? And there are too many cases
where the costs of the reports actually outweigh the proposed benefits that might be
achieved.
Resultants, in contrast, deliver results not reports. Results help create a better
business; train a client’s people to perform highly as a regular part of their job; focus
on sustainability and… are happy to be paid on results.
10. 23/07/14 10
“Bulldozed” change cannot be sustainable
Change can be positive, however, the traditional methods of managing change fall
short of the mark. There is an alternative to just bulldozing a change through, outside
the lines of reporting. Change can only succeed when instigated and embedded
within the existing, accountable management structure by the workforce itself – with
100% buy-in. As renowned business thinker Peter Senge says: “People don’t resist
change. They resist being changed!”
High-performing businesses sometimes need new skillsets but training courses alone
just won’t do – they’re an input Key Performance Indicator (KPI) after all. Experience
shows that a strategy needs to be deployed across the whole organisation to get a
performance uplift that sticks. A holistic approach is required. You need to have
developed and refined a six-element approach to training that irreversibly moves the
output KPI and achieves an effective skills transfer. The approach is to:
• train in the line as well as in the classroom;
• make classroom training participative;
• carry out front-line coaching;
• make training impact the whole organisation;
• actively manage training and make targeted end-to-end process training
material..
11. 23/07/14 11
Real improvements - not just 15 minutes of fame
The majority of improvement programmes fall short on delivering potential savings
because they fail to adequately cover the areas of:
• ideas management,
• wiring and;
• coaching.
You need all three of these dimensions in place in order to achieve sustainable,
continuous improvement. Many companies have undertaken continuous improvement
programmes, however, relatively few have achieved the results they were targeting.
Most volume, revenue, yields and cost results are driven from decisions and
behaviours made by the front line and their supervisors. Channelling those decisions
and behaviours will transform a business’s results. Front line coaching is an
evolutionary process that begins with training a supervisor on what their KPI’s are and
why? What is important to manage? How to manage it and how to deal with variance
in order to achieve targeted results?
12. Scrum Team Management delivers fast outcomesScrum Team Management delivers fast outcomes
1. Organize the work in1. Organize the work in shortshort ccyyclescles..
2. Management2. Management doesn’tdoesn’t interruinterrupptt the team duringthe team during
a work cycle.a work cycle.
3. The team reports to3. The team reports to thethe clientclient, not the manager., not the manager.
4. The team decides4. The team decides howhow muchmuch timetime work willwork will
take.take.
5. The team decides how5. The team decides how muchmuch work it can do inwork it can do in
an iteration.an iteration.
6. The team decides6. The team decides howhow to do the work in theto do the work in the
iteration.iteration.
7. The team7. The team measuresmeasures itsits ownown pperformanceerformance..
8. Define work goals8. Define work goals beforebefore each cycle starts.each cycle starts.
9. Define work goals through9. Define work goals through useruser storiesstories..
10. Systematically10. Systematically removeremove imimppedimentsediments..
Source: Steve Denning/Source: Steve Denning/Forbes/Forbes/0429.110429.11
13. 23/07/14 13
We can learn from the best PE funds
A common perception among senior executives is that Private Equity (PE) funds
achieve their superior returns by employing financial engineering techniques, by
using clever capital structures and by injecting as much debt as possible into their
portfolio companies.
Prior to the recent global financial crisis, there may have been some truth in this,
however, in the debt-constrained economic environment of the last four years, PE
funds have been forced to focus heavily on core-operating disciplines to add value to
their investee companies.
There are six measures that top-quartile PE funds take to maximise company
performance and financial returns. They are to:
• 1. Understand the key business drivers and areas that deliver value
• 2. Simplify organisational structures, make accountability key and cascade it
down the business
• 3. Introduce Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), from CEO to front-line
employees, to easily track and measure impact
• 4. Align incentives with business objectives
• 5. Drive relentless execution of the priority initiatives through to cash
• 6. Make tough decisions quickly, based on “just enough” facts.