TOP THREE TIPS FOR YOUR ORGANISATION ECOSYSTEM

Being a robust organisation isn't about perfecting one or two things; it's about deliberately creating an ecosystem that fosters robustness and resilience. This critical work can only be accomplished before you're in the middle of a crisis. As the saying goes, the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago, and the second best time is now.

The following focus areas are foundational to this ecosystem. They're designed to help you prepare your business for robustness before a real crisis hits.

Portfolio Optimisation

The creation and protection of value is fundamental to a healthy business. Modern approaches have shifted the delivery focus toward a product and value-based approach rather than the traditional project focus. This shift has, in turn, changed how a portfolio of work is created and managed.

Our top tips for an optimised portfolio are:

1. Prioritise, prioritise, prioritise. Create the criteria and apply mechanics to ensure there is only "one number one" at any given point in time.
2. Apply and optimise rolling planning cycles. Collaboratively plan across the organisation to create visibility and identify constraints and dependencies.
3. Create Lean governance structures with "enough" detail and structure to support the necessary decision-making and problem-solving.

Productivity

Productivity concentrates on the value creation process, focusing on both individual and team execution and delivery. The system of work an organisation uses is paramount in supporting a productive workplace.

Our top tips for a productive workplace:

1. Limit the work in progress (WIP), so that every team and individual is dedicated to the most valuable thing at any point in time.
2. Visualise your organisational value streams and identify areas for improvement.
3. Foster a sense of accountability within teams where commitments are made and transparency is created around those commitments.

Leadership

Shifting an organisation's leadership from traditional, command-and-control approaches to a modern, adaptive style is not a small task, but it is essential to creating a robust organisation.

Top tips for your leadership team:

1. Create a culture of decision-making within leadership teams. This means identifying when a decision needs to be made and what the last responsible moment is to make it, then having a structured process for making the decision.
2. Embrace change and develop a sense of curiosity about what is coming next. Things will always change, and you will miss opportunities by trying to hold on to "how we used to do it".
3. Develop a culture where leaders lead by example and expect others to do the same.

Business Resilience

Disruption is the new normal, and no part of your organisation is immune. However, inside every disruption event is an opportunity for innovation. Business resilience is the capability to be open to disruption and change while being able to capture opportunities as they emerge.

To build business resilience, you should

1. Identify single points of failure and create knowledge sharing opportunities.
2. Develop distributed decision-making capabilities both horizontally and vertically through the organisation.
3. Create and foster effective communication channels, internally and externally.

Crisis Preparation

It's not a matter of if a crisis will happen in your organisation; it's a matter of when. Developing and using your pessimism can actually create a competitive advantage. We advise you to:

1. Doomstorm potential black swan events.
2. Create standard operating procedures (SOP's) for crisis events.
3. Practice using SOP's before an event occurs. Continuously improve SOP's based on those practice events.
   

Is there something else you'd like to see covered, or are you keen to know more now and not wait for the next post? Get in touch with us and let's discuss how we can help you be ready.