In the haste to get things done there is the risk that projects don’t get properly closed off. Like the machine installation that doesn’t get commissioned, or the meeting that gets concluded without actions being defined. If you look around you will see many activities that haven’t been thought through – reducing the positive impact that they can have. The scope of an activity needs to be carefully considered. Where should the start and finish markers be placed? Without clearly communicating what the finish line looks like we might either not finish the job properly, or not meet our client’s needs. Talking to our clients and colleagues about the finish line can help to establish and develop a clear objective and help to save time and cost in the long term. If you have loose ends to tie up then it may be worth considering what the end point looks like in more detail. Smartspeed Consulting Limited 'For When Results Matter' www.smartspeed.co.uk

If we recognise the need for change within our business then why does so little change actually take place? One of the reasons is that plans and approaches don’t get agreed upon. With so many factors to take into account we can find ourselves lost with options and the feeling that we must get it 100% right. Whilst I don’t advocate getting it wrong their may be a simple approach to moving forward on our improvement projects (or any other project for that matter). If we can agree on the start of the project – a place to start – then we have the opportunity to make a difference (a tiny difference   in most cases). From doing this we can gain momentum, use newly gained knowledge to define more (or all) of the plan, and very importantly, we can find some common ground with our colleagues to agree on how we move forward. The start of a plan may be all it takes to get projects moving and a business to move forwards. If your business is getting stuck why not give this approach a go?

When improving a specific process or task, where there is not a specified ‘finish line’, it can sometimes be hard to work out what the project plan will look like. This lack of clarity can stall many projects and create unease within the business. The marketing function, for example, may need to become more effective, but how do we approach this? There could be many different ways to tackle the problem and choosing a specific plan could lead us down an ineffective path. One way to navigate this issue is to choose the next three steps and execute them. By only thinking this far ahead you can re-ignite your motivation and learn from these next steps. After a while of doing this (by replacing completed steps with new ones) you will have gained more knowledge about the situation and be able to come up with a concrete project plan. This technique is great if you are getting stuck with projects that aren’t as well defined as we need them to be, or if there is a lack of information on how

When a change needs to be designed (as it always does) you need to come up with ideas. What if you find the process of creating new ideas difficult? Is there an easy method you could employ to help you do this? Using a continuum could be one such easy option. Taking a range of possibilities and using this to create new opportunities can be a quick way to do this. At one end of our spectrum could be poor performance, in the middle could be normal (or professional) levels of delivery / performance and at the other end could be… well something amazing. Applying this to various parts of your business you can quickly identify the good and the bad characteristics. Then you can consider the amazing features by extending your thinking. New ideas can be formed and then exploited. If you feel that you are getting stuck for ideas then try applying a continuum to your problem. Smartspeed Consulting Limited 'For When Results Matter' www.smartspeed.co.uk

Day to day there are many challenges that businesses face. A risk that is present in these situations is that sticking plasters are put over the problems, rather than resolving the problem once and for all. There are several ways to do this, some are easier than others. Have you tried '5 Whys'? A straightforward approach – you don't accept the first answer. You keep on asking questions that start with 'why…' until you find yourself staring at some basic, fundamental business issue. At this point it becomes very easy to resolve the problem (once and for all). As skill develops with the use of this tool you may find that there needs to be some brief exploration of the answers provided in order to ask a question good enough to allow you access to the next level down, as you progress to the root. Don't accept the first answer and keep going until you hit something fundamental. Smartspeed Consulting Limited 'For When Results Matter' www.smartspeed.co.uk

Businesses can often get lost. The amount of information that they handle can be quite phenomenal and this can lead to a lot of confusion.   Sometimes the people within the business get lost and start doing things that they weren’t employed to do in the first place. So, how do we regain our focus? The simplest approach is to describe what we’re meant to do in a single sentence. This short string of words will clearly define the value that we are expected to bring to the organisation.  The same can also be said for departments and even businesses. This is not trying to re-invent the mission statement of a business, just trying to refocus on what is important so that effective action can take place. Smartspeed Consulting Limited 'For When Results Matter' www.smartspeed.co.uk

One of the thoughts that I have on a regular basis is about the structures of businesses when it comes to effective change in the workplace. Some businesses seem to get more focussed on the techniques being used than the fundamentals of running an effective business. Lean is a great example of this. Lean has some amazing tools and methods for driving out waste in an organisation, but it relies upon people to make it happen. So lean cannot do the change on its own – it needs the leadership and support of the management to make it work. Six sigma is the same – it is a toolkit to be embraced by the organisation as it goes through its change. The best metaphor I saw recently about this referred to Gordon Ramsay. The statement said “you have same kitchen implements as a leading chef in your kitchen at home – but this doesn’t make you into Gordon Ramsay.” The leadership and management of the organisation is what brings lean (and other improvement tools) to life. Smartspeed Consulting Limited