Tactics > continuous improvement


Ideas mean nothing without execution


By James Doyan


The final part of our series on change management


W


e all have great ideas—some are even brilliant. We encourage staff to suggest new ways to improve working, introduce innovative ways


to stretch the brand and drive sales and profit.


All too often though good ideas go to waste


and business-as-usual takes precedence. In some environments, there is no actual avenue for people to suggest ways to improve things—such a wasted opportunity. If an idea does take flight and launched as a


project or initiative, it is often challenged by so many factors that it becomes like someone else’s child on that long-haul flight. Improvement and development projects so often fail because of people and their inability to plan and manage effectively. So now it’s time to broach the topic of


actually managing the change within your organisation. In previous articles I discussed the elements that need to be combined in order to understand the components of change. Namely: Strategy—a set of clearly defined aims and objectives Process—what you are going to do in order to deliver your strategy and how are you going to measure progress People—what culture or behaviour you want in order to achieve success Partnerships—how people and processes are going to be dovetailed in order to achieve sustainable and effective cross-functional delivery.


The critical component to success, and


something we have yet to address, is the “how”: How is the change going to be delivered? The how element is there to combine all the strategy, people, process and partnerships parts and throw in any new technology. The mix is then ready for a heady combination of raw emotion, steadfast conventional processes, resistance to change, wavering job security, and a host of unknowns that challenge delivery. As Tesco chief Terry Leahy said: “Ideas


20


mean nothing without execution”. You cannot take anything away from how well Tesco has evolved and delivered its acute knowledge of its current and targeted customer base. Given that the majority of Tesco’s entries into new markets have been through acquisitions—which offer even more challenges as far as inherent company culture, national culture, language and barriers—its formula is a truly tried and tested successful one.


Catalogue e-business www.catalog-biz.com


I’ll be the project manager! Aside from the selection criteria of The Apprentice, the programme has driven home the complexities of trying to successfully manage and deliver a project. Dealing with complex personalities with different agendas, constraints, time restrictions, technological barriers, potentially unfamiliar third parties, all trying to deliver to a fickle and flighty consumer is all very daunting—hence the reason why so few projects actually succeed. So what is needed is someone who can rise


above the emotion, the ongoing challenges and limitations and just get on and do a great job. Every organisation has its bright stars, but they are all too scarce and in these trying times some companies have to resort to prioritising their important projects and offering to those less capable the less risky offerings. However, in our experience, this is poor practice; all projects should be treated as business-critical, if not, then why bother doing them in the first place? So how do you capture this perfect


manager—recruit externally, train internal candidates, hire interim resource? Whichever you choose, having someone impart his capacity for seamless delivery is vital and although it may all appear simple on paper—read any project management book and it does appear so very straightforward—it is far from easy. So here are a few priorities, tips, jargon


busters and methods that will go some way to stimulate the management of projects.


Begin with the end in mind Structure and discipline will stem from initiating the project in the right way. We start with a structured and clearly defined document and areas to define should include: Governance—who owns the initiative and how it is going to be managed Communication planning—who needs to be informed, when and by what channel Goals and objectives—what you are aiming to achieve Scope—what is in and out of scope; rule this with a rod of iron Benefits and costs—ensuring that the former outweighs the latter and managing proactively Business requirements—what the solution needs to achieve in order to deliver success Proposed solution—what you are intending to do Approach—how you are going to do it Deliverables—what the output will be and what can be expected


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