Prioritizing Change
The first step in implementing a strategy is to identify areas for improvement. Compare the current situation with the ideal to see where there are gaps, then group changes that are critical to your strategy into areas for immediate action.
TIP
Learn to live with business processes that you are unable to change.
TIP
Always aim for the best possible result.
TIP
Deal with the most important areas for improvement first.
Listing improvements
Draw up a comprehensive list of between 50 to 100 issues that need improvement in order for the new strategy to succeed. This will provide you with the starting point for planning the changes. You can compile this list yourself if it comes easily to you, or you can ask key members of the team to brainstorm it with you. Pose the question, “Given what we are trying to achieve, how, in an ideal world, would our organization operate in the areas of business processes, technology, and people?” This will lead to several answers. You now know what would be ideal.
Identifying gaps
By reviewing your current situation and comparing it to the ideal, you will reveal gaps. These will probably never be fully closed, since there is always room for improvements. Nevertheless the major gaps – the ones you must do something about – will be clear. At the opposite end of the scale, there will be much less important gaps where improvements would be desirable but not necessarily essential.
Things to do
Look at your processes, such as how you handle customer orders.
Assess whether you need to upgrade your technology.
Look at staffing structure: might smaller teams serve the customer better?
Check that you have the right people with the necessary skills on the team.
Look at support resources: does the team have back-up?
Setting priorities
List each area for improvement and mark it as high, medium, or low under the categories of impact and urgency. You have no option but to deal with those changes that have a high impact and high urgency. Use the measure to prioritize the changes, then group them so that you arrive at, say, eight to 10 areas for change. These groupings are called “change projects”. As you implement your strategy, the team should find itself tackling high-impact changes before they become high-urgency.
Comparing priorities
The good prioritizing team looks ahead and tackles critical jobs first, giving them control over the strategy. Bad prioritizers react to the past and put off demanding activities, leading to loss of control.
Prioritizing Well
Puts emphasis where needed, even if changes involved are difficult
Quickly handles high-impact, high- urgency improvements
Takes external influences into account without losing focus
Takes considered risks
Prioritizing Badly
Carries out only those changes that are easy to make
Waits for bad results before making changes
Makes external influences the main drivers of the plan
Chooses the safest option