Key Questions For Strategy Deployment

Strategy is not about doing the important things but rather the process of choosing, the responsibility of leaders to grasp the situation and decide the plan forward.  I always tell others that strategy deployment is a focusing mechanism. This is about sharpening your focus by selecting the vital few breakthrough objectives.

The strategy deployment process identifies and concentrates resources on the vital few stretch achievements that support the vision. It separates those performance issues that require dramatic improvement from the many incremental improvements that can achieved at the local level. All the changes that the leadership believes to be incremental are skimmed out of the strategic plan and addressed through quality in daily work. The remaining category of contribution – the vital few breakthrough achievements – becomes the heart of the strategy deployment process.

Asking intelligent questions is critical for executives who are responsible for making decisions and setting corporate strategy. Below are a series of questions that you can use that evaluate strategy comprehensively.

Breakthrough Objectives Questions

• Can the “Breakthrough Objective” be measured?
• Do “Breakthrough Objectives” clearly tie to your Strategic Plan Objectives?
• Is the advantage unique enough to distinguish ourselves from competition?
• Do the breakthrough objectives clearly indicate how we consider winning 3-5 years down the line?
• Have you stretched your target past the 3-5 year outlook that would be considered breakthrough performance?
• Has the team reached consensus that these are the critical few breakthroughs that will lead to competitive advantage?

Annual Objective Questions

• Can the “Annual Objectives” be measured?
• Do “Annual Objectives” clearly tie to your breakthroughs?
• Is the advantage unique enough to distinguish ourselves from competition?
• Is the “Annual Objective” stretched to carve out a good chunk of the breakthrough objective where it would be considered a healthy challenge for the organization?
• Can actions realistically be taken within a 1 year time frame in order to achieve the result (assess time to implement plus pull through results)?
• Has the team reached consensus that these are the critical few “ Annual Objectives” that will lead to competitive advantage?

Improvement Priorities Questions

• Can the “Improvement Priority” be measured?
• Do “Improvement Priorities” clearly tie to your “Annual Objectives” ?
• Is the “Improvement Priority” specific to a business value stream and what action will be taken to deliver a result?
• Is the action to be taken a new approach or the same as current operations? (If it is the latter, you may need to dive deeper into what you will do differently or better)
• Can actions be taken within a 1 year time frame in order to achieve this Improvement priority (implementation time + results achieved)?
• Does the improvement priority have potential to become a standard part of the business? (i.e. Daily Management)
• Has the team reached consensus that these are the critical few “ Improvement Priorities” that will lead to competitive advantage?

Targets to Improve Questions

• Can the “Targets to Improve” realistically impact
• Improvement Priorities
• Annual Objective
• Breakthrough Objective – if achieved with long term sustainment
• Are the “Targets to Improve” SMART?
• Are there both leading and lagging indicators?
• Can the “Targets to Improve” be measured and maintained routinely to meet our monthly cadence review?
• Has the team reached consensus that these are the critical few “Targets to Improve” that will lead to a competitive advantage?

By posing the right questions, you can help assure the best outcomes for your organization.

If I had to take one lesson from my business experience it is without focus you are lost.  Infinity is not available to us in this life.  Time and money are limited and as such we must utilize these limited resources effectively.  I can see no way to achieve our objectives other than to utilize discretion, prioritization and selection.  For after all, some things are simply more critical and more important.

Focus on Feedback Instead of Criticism

Getting feedback on both a personal and professional level is critical to an individual’s development and advancement. However, if the feedback is done incorrectly, it may sound like criticism.

This can damage the relationship between the leader and the follower, but it doesn’t have to be that way. The person in authority must recall that there is a clear difference between criticism vs. feedback. Namely, criticism is damaging and hurtful. There’s nothing positive in it. In contrast, feedback is beneficial, useful, and constructive.

So, what’s the distinction between feedback and criticism?

Criticism is judgmental. It’s all about pointing the finger and accusing the recipient of something negative. It’s about condemnation and saying, “Look what you did wrong.” Moreover, there is usually an assumption made concerning the motives of the recipient. As a result, there’s the connotation that the recipient’s worth as an employee and as an individual, is “less than.” The employee’s superior who criticizes often comes across as authoritarian, condescending, and arrogant.

In stark contrast, feedback can be motivating and even inspirational. It doesn’t overwhelm the recipient with negativity and revolves around issues that can be changed. Feedback is never intended as an attack, but rather to inform. The person giving the feedback has the opportunity to gain the perspective of the recipient and can be incredibly motivating when willing to help the employee reach or exceed expectations as part of a “team effort.”

Now that you know what effective feedback looks like, it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty—how to actually deliver constructive feedback with as little pain as possible.

Follow these oure steps to give valuable feedback:

Step 1- Ask if You Can Give Feedback

• “Communication is what the listener does.” – Peter Drukker
• Respects the individual, and their situation
• If someone says “No” twice, then the ask turns to “I need to talk to you.”
• Starts with: “May I give you some feedback?” or “Can I share something with you?”

Step 2- Describe the Specific Behavior

• Descriptions should be about behavior not the person
• Descriptions about behavior need to be as specific as possible
• Starts with: “When you…”
• Avoid starting with: “I think…”, “I feel…”, or “I’ve noticed…”

Step 3- Describe the Impact of the Behavior on Self or Others

• Describe the consequences (positive or negative) that result from the action
• Impact could be self or others- focus on the one that is most impactful to the individual
• Starts with: “Here’s what happens…”, “The impact of your actions are…”

Step 4- Next Steps

• Feedback is about the future not the past.
• This step is the most critical. What is it that you want the person to do differently?
• The solution should come from the individual, not the manager.
• Starts with: “What can you do differently?” or “Thank you, keep it up!”

Giving effective feedback is key to building strong teams and high-performing companies. That’s why so many organizations focus on creating a culture of feedback.

Positive employee feedback and constructive feedback can:

• Boost employee loyalty
• Strengthen team bonds
• Promote mentorship
• Improve performance
• Increase employee engagement

In fact, Gallup found that when managers provide weekly constructive feedback, employees were 5.2x more likely to strongly agree that they receive meaningful feedback and 3.2x more likely to strongly agree they are motivated to do outstanding work.

Bottom line: When and how you give feedback matters. So make it count.

Lean Quote: Power of Time Management

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"Standing still is the fastest way of moving backwards in a rapidly changing world."   —  Lauren Bacall   

Time-based competition is a demonstration of the power of time management, and how companies can use it to gain a competitive advantage. For companies that make best use of time as they respond and adapt to changes in the market and other possible conditions and obstacles, they will gain an adaptive advantage. But time-based competition is about more than just viewing time as a critical resource, it’s about time as the basis of strategy.

George Stalk and Thomas Hout, both of The Boston Consulting Group, wrote, Competing Against Time: How Time-Based Competition Is Reshaping the Global Economy in 1990.  This book was one of the first to identify the importance of time as a competitive advantage.

Based on their research, they outline four rules of responsiveness that the value-delivery systems of corporations are subject to:

The .05 to 5 Rule
Most products and many services are actually receiving value for only 0.05 to 5 percent of the time they are in the value-delivery systems of their companies.

The 3/3 Rule
The waiting time has 3 components, which are the time lost while waiting for:
- Completion of the batch a particular product or service is part of
- Completion of the batch ahead of the batch a particular product or service is part of
- Management to get around to making and executing the decision to send the batch on to the next step of the value added process

The ¼-2-20 Rule
For every quartering of the time interval required to provide a service or product, the productivity of labor and of working capital can often double, resulting is as much as a 20% reduction in costs.

The 3 x 2 Rule
Companies that cut the time consumption of their value-delivery systems experience growth rates of 3 times the industry average and 2 times the profit margins.

The golden rule of time based competitiveness is to never delay a customer value adding step by a non-value adding step.  Instead, seek to do such steps in parallel.

Competition expressed in response time is known as time-based competition. Companies engaged in time-based competition seek to reduce the amount of time devoted during each stage of the general cycle by eliminating non-value-adding from activities, shortening time, and efficiently coordinating value-adding activities.

When response time to consumer needs is shorter than the one demonstrated by rivals, the company can achieve a greater competitive advantage and, frequently, tends to be dominant and is expressed in speed, which contributes to short delivery time, lower costs, higher quality, flexibility, and credible delivery.

Reasons Why Every Company Needs Business Process Management

Photo by Mikael Blomkvist on pexels

In today's dynamic and fast-paced business landscape, organizations actively seek ways to enhance efficiency, streamline operations, and provide exceptional customer experiences. In response to these objectives, Business Process Management (BPM) has emerged as a powerful approach.

What Is Business Process Management?

Business process management (BPM) is an organized method for planning, putting into practice, and continually enhancing organizational business processes. By optimizing workflows, identifying inefficiencies, and enhancing operational performance, BPM contributes to the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the organization. It employs a range of methodologies, tools, and techniques to streamline processes, automate tasks, and ensure alignment with strategic goals. 

Role of Software in Business Process Management

Contract management software is crucial in supporting Business Process Management (BPM) in companies. It offers comprehensive, advanced tools and features that streamline and automate contract-related processes.

With contract templates, clause libraries, and approval workflows, the software simplifies and standardizes contract creation and negotiation, ensuring efficiency and consistency. Centralized storage, retrieval, and management of contracts enable easy access and enhanced visibility throughout the entire contract lifecycle. 

By automating notifications and reminders, the software assists in tracking critical dates, renewals, and compliance obligations, reducing manual efforts and mitigating risks. Integration with other systems promotes seamless data exchange, improving process efficiency and accuracy. 

Contract management software significantly enhances BPM by streamlining workflows, improving control and compliance, reducing administrative burdens, and facilitating efficient contract management.

Reasons for Business Process Management

In the current business landscape characterized by rapid changes and intense competition, organizations continually strive to achieve superior outcomes. Business Process Management (BPM) emerges as a critical approach that facilitates the systematic management and optimization of an organization's processes. By focusing on performance enhancement, cost reduction, and driving innovation, BPM empowers companies to thrive in the dynamic marketplace. Let's explore why embracing BPM is imperative for every company's success.

1. Enhanced Efficiency and Productivity

Business Process Management (BPM) strongly emphasizes analyzing, documenting, and enhancing existing processes to eliminate redundancies, bottlenecks, and inefficiencies. Through streamlining workflows, automation of repetitive tasks, and optimized allocation of resources, BPM empowers companies to operate with enhanced efficiency and achieve heightened levels of productivity. It enables employees to dedicate their time and energy to value-added activities, resulting in improved output and heightened customer satisfaction.

2. Agility and Adaptability

Business Process Management (BPM) plays a pivotal role in fostering organizational agility by enhancing the flexibility and adaptability of processes in response to evolving market dynamics. With BPM, companies can easily modify and optimize processes to meet emerging trends, customer demands, or regulatory requirements. By nurturing continuous improvement and innovation, BPM empowers organizations to proactively stay ahead of the competition and swiftly adapt to new business challenges. Through implementing BPM, companies can embrace change and seize opportunities for growth and success in an ever-changing business landscape.

3. Risk Management and Compliance

Effective risk management and compliance are fundamental for every company, regardless of size or industry. Businesses can identify, evaluate, and reduce risks related to their business processes using a systematic framework provided by business process management (BPM). By integrating robust risk management and compliance measures into the process design, companies can ensure regulatory adherence, minimize operational risks, and safeguard their reputation. BPM empowers companies to proactively address potential risks, establish internal controls, and implement monitoring mechanisms to ensure compliance. By embracing BPM, organizations can enhance risk management practices and maintain a secure and trustworthy operational environment.

4. Data-Driven Decision Making

In today's era of big data, companies have unprecedented access to extensive amounts of information that can yield valuable insights for effective decision-making. Business Process Management (BPM) is pivotal in enabling organizations to collect, analyze, and visualize process-related data, empowering them to make well-informed decisions based on accurate and timely information. By harnessing the power of data analytics, companies can identify process bottlenecks, performance gaps, and areas for improvement, thereby driving data-driven decision-making and strategic planning. Using BPM, organizations can unlock the potential of data to optimize processes, enhance performance, and achieve their strategic objectives.

5. Collaboration and Communication

Business Process Management (BPM) actively fosters collaboration and communication among diverse organizational departments and stakeholders. By providing a clear and shared understanding of processes, roles, and responsibilities, BPM effectively dismantles silos and encourages cross-functional collaboration. It creates an environment where employees can collaborate towards common goals, share knowledge, and exchange best practices, ultimately enhancing teamwork and fostering organizational alignment. Through implementing BPM, organizations can leverage their workforce's collective expertise and insights, leading to improved collaboration, enhanced productivity, and a cohesive working environment.

Conclusion

Business Process Management is a strategic imperative for every company aiming to thrive in today's competitive business landscape. By focusing on the above reasons, BPM empowers organizations to achieve operational excellence, drive innovation, and maintain a competitive edge. Embracing BPM as a core organizational discipline is essential for companies seeking sustainable growth in the dynamic business world.

Author Bio: Qurat-ul-Ain Ghazali, aka Annie, is the growth manager at Contractbook and looks after all the organic channels. She has been with tech startups and scaleups for a couple of years with a B2B focus. You can find her socializing, traveling, indulging in extreme sports, and enjoying the local desserts when she is not working.

Lean Tips Edition #204 (#3271 - #3285)

For my Facebook fans you already know about this great feature. But for those of you that are not connected to A Lean Journey on Facebook or Twitter I post daily a feature I call Lean Tips.  It is meant to be advice, things I learned from experience, and some knowledge tidbits about Lean to help you along your journey.  Another great reason to like A Lean Journey on Facebook.

Click this link for A Lean Journey's Facebook Page Notes Feed.

Here is the next addition of tips from the Facebook page:

Lean Tip #3271 – Empower Your Employees to Innovate

Set your team up for success by empowering them with the freedom to work in ways that work best for them. Provide them with the flexibility to work when, where and how they want. Try to give projects to them that best align with their strengths and preferences.

Lean Tip #3272 – Change Your Workday Habits

Add variety to your workday and challenge yourself to approach things in a way other than you normally would. For example, challenge your team to brainstorm new ideas without allowing them to use tools or resources they normally would, such as access to the internet to guide their search. See what they think of on their own as a starting point, and supplement their ideas with research later.

Lean Tip #3273 – Don’t Make Staff Jump Through Hoops

You may think that it’s easy for employees to offer their ideas, but is it really?

If managers are constantly behind closed doors and meetings tend to be one-way discussions, the message to staff is that their feedback isn’t welcome.

Make sure you and other leaders keep your office doors open as much as possible, let employees know directly that their ideas are always valued and keep formal discussions on a two-way street. Also use your intranet, brainstorming sessions or even an old-fashioned suggestion box to solicit input.

Lean Tip #3274 – Rethink Competition

Setting up contests for individuals at work can be useful for goals such as achieving sales targets.

However, be cautious about creating too competitive of a work environment when you’re trying to encourage innovation in the workplace. When employees are aiming for a reward, they may be reluctant to speak up for fear that their suggestions will be stolen. Instead, promote the value of collaboration.

For example, when launching a new project, you might pair employees to develop ideas for the best ways to tackle different aspects of the project. Encourage open communication and a team-first atmosphere.

Lean Tip #3275 – Prioritize a Learning Mindset.

A commitment to ongoing learning and skills development is critical to innovation. Encourage and prioritize personal development by offering individual and group opportunities to learn and grow. This can be done through in-person or virtual development opportunities such as workshops, personalized one-on-one mentoring, group webinars and trainings as well as in-the-moment sharing of thought-leadership articles, podcasts, websites and books. 

When you expand your and your teams’ skill set by providing access to the tools they need and push them toward new ways of thinking, everyone benefits and your company and clients are positioned for growth.

Lean Tip #3276 – Give Employees a Reason to Care

The fact is, if people aren’t feeling connected to your company, there’s little incentive for them to be innovative.

Make sure you keep your team in the loop on your firm’s strategies and challenges, and invite their input.

Employees who are involved early on in processes and plans will be motivated to see them through to completion. Their active participation will fuel more ideas than if they learn of initiatives second-hand.

Lean Tip #3277 – Do What You Can to Remove the Red Tape

Consider which internal processes might be stifling innovation.

For instance, it can be demoralizing if recommendations must go through multiple layers of approvals in the organization and take a significant time before they’re implemented, if at all.

Look for ways to streamline the process so people can see their good ideas in action quickly.

Lean Tip #3278 – Calm the Naysayers

A key reason people often hesitate to offer fresh proposals is that they worry what others might say. No one wants to have their ideas shot down immediately or become fodder for jokes. Make sure you’re doing all you can to make it safe to brainstorm.

Even if someone makes an unrealistic suggestion, thank the person for thinking creatively. Also make sure that people can offer their recommendations in writing if they’re not comfortable speaking up. Stress to the entire team that you welcome input any way they prefer to share it with you.

Lean Tip #3279 – Develop A Culture Of Constant Improvement

The most important value that companies can build their culture around is one of constant improvement, both as individuals and as an overall business (and your processes, workflows and the way you handle customers). If members of your team know and understand that the business is always looking to improve itself, then it becomes easier to talk about gaps and areas that may be able to be improved. Be accepting of proposed solutions or changes that are brought to you by employees, and reward them for what they are doing—which is actively working to make your business better. It is hearing these suggestions out and giving them serious thought and discussion rather than brushing them aside that is the ultimate incentivization for employees.

Lean Tip #3280 – Inspire People to Voice Their Opinions

Eighty percent of creative new ideas come from your employees on the front line; less than 20% of business innovation in the workplace is generated from members of the C-Suite. The question on employees’ minds should always be, “How can we do things better and how can we provide better services to our customers?” If you are willing to take the advice of employees when they suggest how they can improve operations, there will be a noticeable increase of new ideas.

Lean Tip #3281 – Build on the Company’s Values.

One way to improve the creative mindset in the workplace is knowing your values. It’s important to define your values, and make sure that everyone in the company knows them. That way, everyone is on the same page about where to go next, and there is no miscommunication.

When employees and managers know the values of your company, they feel more connected to it. They know why they’re working, and how to contribute.

Lean Tip #3282 – Be Willing To Experiment

Businesses need to be willing to experiment with new ideas in order to be truly innovative. This can be achieved through a variety of different tactics, which can help you grow your business effectively. For example, it may be beneficial to think about identifying new markets and products. They should be closely related to the work you are currently involved with, but different enough to demonstrate another value of your organization. By exploring various areas for growth, you may reach new customers and solidify your company’s market position at the same time. Moreover, this will allow your employees to utilize their skills and support you in a new phase of development.

Lean Tip #3283 – Encourage the Practice of Self-Reflection

When the workload picks up, it’s easy for your employees to become focused on the work and forget about the significance of what they’re accomplishing. 

Encourage employees to get in the habit of self-reflection check-ins. This exercise helps them to focus on what they’ve achieved, as well as what’s coming up next, and helps inspire them to see things differently. 

If possible, also share monthly or quarterly accomplishments with your team so they can see the concrete results of their hard work and innovative solutions.

Lean Tip #3284 – Support Employees in Creative Risk-Taking

Cultivate an office culture that rewards creative risk-taking. One reason why employees are not thinking out of the box or proposing different solutions is due to the fear of making mistakes and not having their ideas supported. As much as possible, make it clear to your employees that your organization values creativity—and understands its importance. This can be communicated clearly by being receptive to new ideas and recognizing risk-takers for the impact they've made.

Lean Tip #3285 - Treat Mistakes as an Opportunity to Learn

Inevitably, there will be some mistakes along the way for your team. Depending on the way they are handled, they can become big roadblocks for your team. No one ever responds well if they are called out and criticized harshly for making a mistake or failing to reach a goal. That does not mean you should let mistakes or missing a goal slide as being no big deal. Instead, use these situations as an opportunity to learn what didn’t work this time and to make better plans going forward.

Avoid assigning blame to anyone. Instead, ask questions similar to the following:

• Is there something the team did (or did not do) that caused the mistake to occur?

• How can we regroup and move forward to reach our goal next time? Be specific.

• What can I do to help the team reach the goal next time?

Generally, when a failure occurs, it is not due to one mistake. There are a series of events that occur and the failure is the result. Spending time trying to assign blame takes away from learning how to avoid the same pitfalls next time.

Lean Quote: A Happy Life is About Leaning Into Relationships

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

"There isn’t time—so brief is life—for bickerings, apologies, heartburnings, callings to account. There is only time for loving—and but an instant, so to speak, for that."   —  Mark Twain   

Whether you are twenty, fifty or seventy, you might be wondering what the meaning of life is. Or rather, how would one define the quality of their life lived?

Contrary to popular belief, it isn’t fame and money. According to the psychiatrist Robert Waldinger, which is the fourth generation director of a study on adult development, it’s about the quality of our relationships that determines it.

Apart from the quality of relationships, the study showed that loneliness kills in our modern society, whereby total independence is glorified and seen as a symbol of strength. Loneliness activates “hyper-vigilance” which puts an individual in a defensive state. Whereby daily inconveniences and adverse events are more stressful. Apart from that, loneliness can also affect the brain, risking cognitive and physical decline.

Know that it is okay to acknowledge the feeling of loneliness and seek out connection. After all, humans are social creatures, and we are physiologically and psychologically primed for connection. Your body and mind would thank you for it.

Additionally, the study had shown that having higher-quality relationships with others is better compared to the number of connections we have. So how would you go about developing better relationships?

In our modern technological era, most of us are probably guilty of using our phones during a conversation with another person at least once. It might be something as simple as giving our undivided attention to others or spending time planning for activities and events together.

So, what are you waiting for? Nobody lives forever, and you might not know what tomorrow would hold. If today was your last, how would you live it or more importantly, did you live a good life?

Lean Roundup #168 – May, 2023

A selection of highlighted blog posts from Lean bloggers from the month of May 2023.  You can also view the previous monthly Lean Roundups here.  

 

Eight Tips for Managing Up – Steve Kane shares some tips for managing up in a rapidly changing, or continuous improvement, environment.

 

Reflections on True North – Pascal Dennis talks about how Strategy Deployment is messy, humbling, intuitive, a marriage between the Right & Left brain, between intuition & logic, art & science.

 

The Necessity of Leading Without Reacting to Metrics – Christopher Chapman discusses an interesting essay by David Heinemeir Hansson, wherein he makes an argument for the “luxury” of working without metrics.

 

The Difference between the Toyota Production System and Lean Manufacturing – Christoph Roser discusses some smaller differences between TPS and westernized version Lean in the underlying approach, as well as some larger and often unintentional differences in its application.

 

Why Lean Management Requires Humble Hubris – Jim Benson reflects on the mindset and related behaviors that are the standardized work of “being the change you wish to see.”

 

Ask Art: Do You Prefer a Handwritten or Computerized Process for Visual Management? – Art Byrne shares the questions that matter when setting up your visual management systems.

 

How Context Switching Affects Problem-Solving – Steve Kane explains Context switching poses significant challenges to our cognitive processes and problem-solving abilities.

 

Toyota’s real secret sauce – Michael Balle wonders whether we are drawing the right lessons from TPS and highlights a few things we are underemphasizing.

Business Transformation Strategy: Breakthrough Ahead – Maggie Millard presents several critical milestones on the path to successful business transformation.

 

It’s Unfair and Unjust to Blame and Punish Nurses for Systemic Mistakes – Mark Graban talks about systemic problem of medical when nurses have more “accountability” thrown at them than autonomy.