January 24, 2019
Seeing it through
Seeing a case or project through from beginning to end is very satisfying – both for the person doing it, and for the client on the other side.
But how do you achieve that when you need to be flexible in how you assign resources?
By having a clear, high-level process for handling cases, then making sure everyone knows how to run it, and that all the information needed to move that case forward is accessible to anyone who needs it at any time.
Most of the time, one person can handle the whole thing. But when that isn’t possible (due to holidays or illness, or scheduling constraints), the client needn’t feel the difference.
And you’ve just created a more empowering division of labour.
January 23, 2019
Top-down, bottom-up
I get the feeling that top-down thinking is very unfashionable at the moment. It smacks too much of command-and-control, over-complicated buraeucracy, and having things ‘done to you’ instead of ‘done with you’ – or even ‘done by you’.
Bottom-up thinking is great for quick wins, incremental change and emergent consensus, but top-down can uncover opportunities for radical change that bottom-up thinking will miss, because you’re asking higher-level questions – “How should we keep our promise?”, rather than “How do we open the office?”.
And often, by answering these high-level questions, we can remove whole chunks of low-level procedure that would otherwise go unquestioned.
We shouldn’t let our thinking get trapped in our organisational structure.
January 22, 2019
Keeping it simple
When creating a checklist like the one I described yesterday, it’s tempting to dive into lots of detail and try … Read More “Keeping it simple”
January 21, 2019
Serialisation
Years ago, I worked with a client who wanted to streamline and automate how clients were onboarded and offboarded (if that is a word). They didn’t have much time to spend with me, so they gave me a copy of the checklist they used so I could get a handle on how it worked.
This checklist would get created whenever a new client signed up, and would travel around the client’s office from one person to the next, with each person doing, then ticking off the task they were responsible for.
If you have something like this (and it might be an electronic ‘checklist’), here’s a useful question to ask yourself:
“Does the next person really need to wait for me to complete my task before they can start theirs?”
If not, they probably shouldn’t be on the same checklist.
January 18, 2019
An eye-opener
I was introduced to this book a few years ago by the people at Matte Black Systems.
It was an eye-opener.
The way we’ve always done things isn’t the only way.
Take a look.
January 17, 2019
Marketing
‘Marketing’ used to mean shopping – going out to the market and buying what you couldn’t produce yourself.
That’s still quite a useful way of looking at it if you have something to sell.
![“People will always need [insert ancient profession here]”](https://disciplinemakesdaringpossible.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Balance_sheet_Mesopotamia_Louvre_AO6036-331x331.jpg)
January 16, 2019
“People will always need [insert ancient profession here]”
Being in an industry that’s driven by compliance seems like a safe option.
But when the compliance part can be automated, outsourced or down-skilled (and it will be the compliance part that goes first), you have to offer more if you want to stay in profitable business.
There will be many incumbents who decide to step out when this happens.
That’s a great opportunity for those who want to step up.
January 15, 2019
Professionals
“A critical characteristic of a profession is the need to cultivate and exercise professional discretion – that is, the ability to make case by case judgements that cannot be determined by an absolute rule or instruction” [*]
So, how do you get professionals to do things the right way?
Not by expecting them to work like fast-food operatives, or a production line.
First, work with them to build a shared vision of what ‘the right way’ means for your clients – what I call your Promise of Value.
Then create a supporting framework of high-level, end to end business processes that operates at the right level of abstraction – delivering guidance rather than absolute rule. Something like a professional musician’s score, that tells them what to play, but not how.
The two things together make a powerful combination that encourages consistency, yet leaves plenty of room for judgement on the exceptions, plus plenty of scope to evolve the system in the light of experience.
In other words, you’ll free your people up to be professional.
January 14, 2019
I’m sorry
I wrote a blog for you on Friday, but it didn’t go out to you.
I’ve looked into it, and I’m hoping this one makes it.
Thank you for reading them.