Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from August, 2008

Regular service updates

Some days it feels like we are being bombarded with information and some days we just don't seem to have enough. The amount of updates that are being given within and to an organisation is a topic that I find really interesting. How do people keep on track of what is going on? Does it help? Does it make people more accountable? Somewhere in the midst of all the information that flies around a business is the right amount (and the right quality too!). If you ask around at your place of work you are likely to find reports that are produced too frequently and that aren't read. You might find meetings that take place that are no longer meaningful to the current business activities. You may find that data gathering is taking place, but is no longer referred to as information. What are the key sources of information your organisation needs to manage itself effectively? Do you have them at the right frequency, and is the information correct? Could be worth checking out.

Find the little steps

There are certain themes that keep on turning up when you look into the performance of an organisation. One of the recurring themes is that of progress, or lack of it, on key projects. We've talked about the use of 'kaizen' principles before - trying to find the smallest amount of action that you can take to start moving you forward with an endeavour. Many recent projects have utilised this very principle to get some movement on a project before a natural level of acceleration takes place bringing the project back up to speed. It all goes back to the realisation that people can get freaked out by change and struggle to make the right changes to their working ways in order to implement the improvement. Little steps - it sounds like it will take forever, but trust me - it usually saves a lot of time and effort. Smartspeed Consulting Limited 'For When Results Matter' http://www.smartspeed.co.uk