Starting with Success Criteria #1

26 Apr Starting with Success Criteria #1

Posted at 00:00h in Government, Growing Companies, Health & Community Services, IMPLEMENTATION, Local Government, Utilities by Mark Nicholls

Know more of our IMPLEMENTATION capabilities.

This post represents my first blog in a while and a fresh commitment to blog more regularly.

To restart here, I have recapped on Success Criteria #1, Risk Management. That sounds boring doesn’t it! Well perhaps so. But let’s get real about what we are doing when we implement changes to a business. Aren’t we creating a new future? Risk Management is about doing things today to create a future state tomorrow, or to avoid a different future state. Given we are implementing changes to create a new future state of the business, then it makes sense that risk management should be a key capability. However it is often not the case.

When we look at programs and projects that are implementing change, one of the first things we look for is whether risk management is being practiced. If it is we know that the team is looking far enough ahead and doing today what’s required to manage any future challenges they expect to encounter. If they are doing that, this it is good.

If they are not doing that, we consider whether they are doing Issue Management. If so, the team are at least identifying, categorising and prioritising tasks for those challenges they are facing today. This is OK but not as good. Lastly, if they are not doing either of these then they are scrambling to cope with every issue as and when it arrives. The team is therefore in a reactive mode. It is impossible to be high performing in this mode. The team may feel busy and may feel like they are making progress, which they are, but they will never be more than mediocre.

Making changes to any business encounters problems. That much is normal. How you deal with them is what varies. Issue Management gets the team triaging problems, Risk Management gets the team ahead of the curve and gives it and the organisation the best chance of success. This is why this is the Number One Success Criteria.

I’ll cover # 2 of 5 in my next post.

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Mark Nicholls

Chief Executive at Information Professionals Group

With experience across almost every industry, Mark brings more than 30 years of accumulated knowledge to each and every project, leading technology transformation within organisations across Australia.Mark understands and has seen first-hand the challenges around technology that organisations face today. He is dedicated to helping IPG clients find a way through these, helping them to do what they need to do, within their capabilities to achieve whatever success might look like for them. A member of the Australian Information Industry Association Board, Mark is at the forefront of technology transformation. Known for his ability to engage people at every level, he is adept at honing in on client priorities and finding the right formula to help organisations grow their way.