You can see into the future. Strategy for guranteeing success.

Hello Everyone,
This week’s topic is on ensuring success through iterative feedback and monitoring. Most often than none ventures, projects, implementations, and other initiatives fail because the leadership fails to implement proactive monitoring and feedback into the process.

The following is a practical tip/strategy that anyone can implement to ensure success in their tasks. The easiest, quickest, and the least complicated method to implement iterative feedback and monitoring within tasks is to:

1. Identify the feedback indicators
2. Choose the iteration frequency

Identifying the feedback indicator means to select the unit of measure by which one will determine if the progress is going as planned or not. The unit of measure is dependant on the task that is being performed. In many cases it is as simple as asking “Are you satisfied thus far?” or “Is there resistance”. In other cases it could be the measure of the rate of implementation against a deliverable timeline.

Once the unit of measure has been identified, then the next step is to determine the frequency of the iteration. This means determining how often will the unit of measure be checked. This can be by day, week, or level of production, etc. For example, one may want to check the feedback indicator every week, every time 10 units are rolled out, or every time a milestone is reached, and so on.

Yes, I compare implementing iterative monitoring and feedback to the ability of seeing into the future because if one implements iterative monitoring and feedback processes, one can gauge how the tasks are progressing and can predict the outcome with a high degree of certainty; provided that the two factors mentioned above have been accurately identified and implemented.

To illustrate this with an example, if one is implementing a new process within Operations and using the iterative monitoring and feedback techniques one find out that there is much resistance then one can conclude that if the present course is not altered in a way to reduce resistance then the change will most likely fail. The same holds true for the opposite; that is if the monitoring and feedback indicators show that the change is being received and implemented with little resistance then success is ensured.

Therefore, do not discount implementing iterative monitoring and feedback within initiatives. It could be the difference between success and failure.

Question of the week:
Do you implement iterative monitoring and feedback within your initiatives? If yes, then what have you noticed? If not, what have your results been?

Till next time…

Sal
www.skkservices.com

3 Rules of Optimized Communications

Today’s blog is about some basic communication strategies to ensure that the right message gets to the right person.

Projects and business relationships fail because of improper communications. I guess this holds true for personal relationships as well. However, as this is a blog focused on business optimization strategies, we will keep personal stuff for another time.

Communications can be in the form of written or verbal. Communications can be informally structured or they can be formal such as an inter-office memo or press release. Regardless of the communication type there exists some common features. In any communication at there is a sender, receiver, and a message.

Rule #1: Identify the right method of communication
Not everyone likes to receive information in the same medium. Some may prefer face-to-face, while others may prefer an email. Therefore, whether you are communicating with a vendor or internally with managers or employees identify who responds to what type of medium. Create a spreadsheet that has a group or persons name and write the preferred method of communication.

Now in large organizations or projects you may want to identify communication methods on an individual basis for decision makers and have group-wide methods of communication for the rest.

Rule #2: Say it so that you cannot be misunderstood
The message is equally important as the type of communication. Get to the point. Many times emails or phone messages go on and on and the receiver ends up more confused then before. Communication is all about getting the other person to receive what you intended to deliver.

Therefore, start your communication with “the purpose of the message”. State in clear terms why you are calling or writing. After the main purpose of the message then go in to any background story. However, if you have a long story, you must re-state your “point” at the end again. This is done so that there is no room for misunderstanding.

Rule #3: Follow-up
Some communications require a follow-up. This is so that the message and its intent is re-enforced to the receiver. Many-a-times, important decision communications will not be followed up and this results in the wrong decision being made.

One would think that if the message is clear and written or stated in a way that the chances for misunderstanding would be negligible. Unfortunately, human nature is to interpret what one wants to hear. Therefore, I recommend that for certain critical communications, a follow-up is very important.

In conclusion, identify who should receive what type of communication and in which medium; state the point of your communication; and finally if the communications is critical, always follow-up.

QUESTION:
Please comment to this post by answering: Are there communication issues in your company or project? If yes, what are the root causes? If no, what do you attribute the success to?

Thank You

Sal
http://www.skkservices.com/