When working on an improvement project it's recognised that we should know where we are in terms of becoming better off. Many times however it is apparent that the measures that would tell us how things are going are not in place. Agreeing what these measures are and how to record the right information is a skill that can make a huge difference to the business. More interesting than this is the fact that most organisations only measure external factors - which aren't always in our control. When you look at the business processes in terms of the internal and external measures you can develop a far more complete approach to managing performance. Review your performance indicators and see if you have got a good mix of external and internal measures. Smartspeed Consulting Limited 'For When Results Matter' http://www.smartspeed.co.uk

When a project is progressing along isn't it always nice to be able to see how it is going? How many times have you been on a project and you are not sure how it is really going? The use of milestones and agreed communication is a great way to get a project off to a great start. This can even be extended permanently into the processes of a business to understand the continual benefits being derived. Milestones are an interesting tool. When someone asks how a project is going it is often easy to say 'yeah - OK', when the real answer is 'we are behind schedule on part X, but three weeks ahead on part Y... we need help'. The benefit of using a milestone is having the 'go no-go' conversation. It either is, or isn't on track at that agreed point in time. The deviation from that point then can be assessed as to what needs to happen. Agreeing communication routes / methods for the project and the milestones can help to understand how tangible progress really is

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.

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

You can track the performance of projects in many cases to the amount of face to face contact that takes place during the life of the project. E-mail is an amazing tool that helps to deliver messages at a lightning pace, and often this gives people the impression that face to face contact can be minimised. Many times have I seen people sitting in the same office reciprocating with e-mails whilst both are seated - and it's an ongoing conversation! Looking into someone's eyes when you have a project update meeting can tell you so much more that by just reading an e-mail. I accept that there is a justification for efficiency, but is the balance right in your organisation? Smartspeed Consulting Limited 'For When Results Matter' http://www.smartspeed.co.uk

When you look back at the end of a working day - what do you see? Do you see a whole raft of accomplishments that will help to improve your business performance, or a load of inconveniences that only served to hinder? If you do spare a couple of minutes at the end of the day to review these annoyances you can often start to find patterns emerging. When you find a pattern you can then do something about it. One of the best ways to do this is to use the '5 Why' tool to delve down into the root causes of the problem and solve it once and for all. It never ceases to amaze me how many other problems just disappear at the same time - obviously they are symptomatic of the original problem. Smartspeed Consulting Limited 'For When Results Matter' http://www.smartspeed.co.uk

When a discussion around improvement is taking place it is pretty easy to see who is interested in taking part and who is not. One of the most interesting discussions that takes place is when you turn around the discussion to the people who we need to convince. Asking them 'how would you be better off from doing this?' or 'what could you get out of this?' are two questions that usually throw up some interesting answers. When people see the improvement as just a necessity that is going to make life harder for them we have an opportunity to discuss with them the positive aspects of the project, and if we can get them onboard (as usually happens when doing this) we can find a better solution that really does leave them better off than when they started. Next time you find yourself getting stuck 'negotiating' an improvement feel free to try asking the above questions. Smartspeed Consulting Limited 'For When Results Matter' www.smartspeed.co.uk

Sometimes when you are in the middle of a project it becomes hard to keep your focus on what you are meant to be doing, I mean really meant to be doing. You've been through the initial stages of a project and you have converted the requirements of the project into a nice series of milestones and actions. Then you get into the project and often it can turn into a mechanical piece of work, and the focus on what you need to be achieving gets missed. I write this because I have seen this happen time and time again, re-focussing on the result that is required is essential so that we can choose the next steps effectively. If you are into the 'plan - do - check - act' method of improvement you will know what I am talking about, plans change. One of the most effective ways to keep this focus is to update your project plan in a rolling fashion. Choose a horizon that is suitable for your project(s) and a time frame when to update. Some people like weekly, some monthly - it la

When a business is struggling to deliver its products or services one of the first areas you can review is the way in which resources are allocated. The method that is used can reveal a lot about how effective the resource is used, and hence how efficient the delivery of a project can be. OK - I'll stop saying resources - people and machines is what I am talking about. Do you know how much available capacity you have at this moment in the business, what about next week or next month? Coming up with simple ways to track commitments versus available hours can make huge differences in the ability for an organisation to deliver. Often the act of putting a tool in place for doing this can yield interesting insights in their own right that can help improve the business directly. Smartspeed Consulting Limited 'For When Results Matter' www.smartspeed.co.uk

At any one point in time there is usually a clear priority that needs to be addressed. This makes sense when you think about it. One particular task or objective that will give a higher payback on our efforts than any of the other items that are on our to-do list. We mainly continue on however working through our list of actions without paying attention to the level of payback, or impact, that could be generated. By doing this very short evaluation we can change the output of our day and keep ourselves focussed on what needs to be done. When discussing this with others the comment of '...but I know what needs to be done' is pretty common. I agree, most people do know what needs to be done. However, there is often a better sequence of activity and I can tell on which days I have considered this, and which ones I have not. Spend a couple of minutes to re-evaluate your to-do list, and see what the impact of the actions are - you might find a better way to tackle your work.

When paperwork piles up in the office it is usually pretty easy to spot (the desk looks less tidy for a start). When this pile up occurs on the computer system it is less obvious and appears to be less of a problem. This is until you need to find a file on the system and you find yourself trudging around the folders and files struggling to find a logical way to find what you want. Many organisations don't communicate where files are to be stored and as a result people lose time that could be used for more profitable activities. Information should flow around a business and not get stuck in the hands of a few people, or in intrays that help people to lose track of time. Find where your information gets stuck, and then re-design the way information flows - if you want a smoother running operation that is! Smartspeed Consulting Limited 'For When Results Matter' www.smartspeed.co.uk

It never ceases to amaze me when I visit different businesses how there is always a person or an area of a business that seems to get things done better and faster than other areas. Usually in these areas there is an attitude or approach that seems to differentiate it from the other parts of the business. Somehow this department has found a way to overcome their problems and is able to take in and spit out more work than the other areas. When you look into what has been changed or altered it is often something quite basic that most people just tend to live with. If we took this attitude to our other departments just think what it could do for the business. Find the catalysts in your business and get them to help you propogate improvement across the business. Smartspeed Consulting Limited 'For When Results Matter' www.smartspeed.co.uk

When faced with organising a schedule for a meeting or a project it is often quite amazing at how one of two things occurs: 1 - the agenda is tight and is never adhered to. 2 - the agenda is very loose and there offers little benefit. A third option is to have the start and finish determined (and hence tight) with the middle section of the activity 'loose'. Knowing clearly how the activity will begin and end is usually enough to run an effective session, if you add in some guidelines to the middle of the activity then you will more likely have the right balance of flexibility and structure to make the sesssion effective. Smartspeed Consulting Limited 'For When Results Matter' www.smartspeed.co.uk