Greetings! Hope you’re having a great start to the New Year. We want to send a shout-out and special thanks to all of you who have attended our workshops, seminars and webinars in 2015. We hope to see you again very soon!
So how is the Near Year progressing? Are your Business Plans finalized? Have you established your 2016 strategic objectives? Have you identified and aligned your projects and operational processes to those objectives? Or are you still tying up loose ends from 2015?
If you’re struggling with the planning process, rest assured you’re not alone.
But the good news is it’s not too late to get back on track!
First of all, it’s imperative to establish your strategic objectives, as quantitatively as possible. Once these are established, everything you do should lead directly to the accomplishment of these objectives. So what does ‘everything you do’ really mean? We do a lot, don’t we?
For the most part, our efforts are focused around two primary categories: 1) Operational Processes and 2) Projects. Let’s define them:
Operational Processes - Permanent processes (Business As Usual – BAU) that produce repetitive results, with resources assigned to do the same set of tasks and produce a standard output.
- Ongoing - no clearly defined beginning or end
- Require operations management
- Require Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
Projects - Temporary endeavors undertaken to create unique products, services or results
- Have clearly defined beginning and end
- Require project management
- Require project plans (scope, schedule, resource plan, etc.)
Here are some fun examples on the home front that clearly delineate these two categories:
| Operational Process |
Project |
| Clean the window |
Install a new Bay window |
| Trim the hedges |
Plant new red Barberry bushes |
| Mow the lawn |
Lay new sod |
| Vacuum the rug |
Install a new Persian rug |
As can be seen, both operational processes and projects are necessary to maintain and improve a home. It’s not much different than what we do at work. Let’s see:
| Update the company website daily with breaking news |
Design and deploy a new E-commerce website |
| Perform vendor management activities |
Execute an RFP process to choose a new software vendor |
| Conduct quarterly stakeholder meetings |
Organize and execute the 2-day International Senior Management Summit |
| Install periodic software updates |
Implement a new Linux Mint operating system |
| Maintains current business operations |
Transforms business operations |
As can be seen, both operational processes and projects are vital to maintaining and improving a business. The challenge comes with finding the right mix, staffing them accordingly and, of course, ensuring they align to your strategic objectives.
Here are some actionable tips to help you get started:
- Make a 2016 ‘Buckets of Work’ list – clearly define and delineate all of the operational processes that must be performed and all of the projects your department plans to implement (or continue implementing) in 2016
- You may be surprised with how long (or even how short) the list is – sometimes less is more
- You may realize that you are spending way too much time on things that are not even aligned to the strategic objectives
- You may realize there are too many projects given your current staffing levels - you certainly don’t want to bite off more than you can chew, and the best time to realize this is NOW
- Develop a 12-month ‘Calendar of Milestone Events’ – clearly list the key milestones, deliverable dates, key meetings, required seminars and all other events of significance
- You can download a free 2016 calendar in Word, PPT or other formats quite easily
- Having visibility into the entire year facilitates planning and ensures those due dates don’t sneak up on you
- Helps with allocating resources, scheduling vacations and planning professional development opportunities (seminars, training, etc.)
- Ensure Accountability – All operational processes and projects should have a single owner
- Shared ownership rarely works
- When there is clearly defined ownership, things get done
- Ensures no single resource has too much on his or her plate
- Ensure Transparency – Upcoming milestones, progress and results must be visible to all stakeholders
- Ensure everyone in your department has the ‘Buckets of Work’ list and the 12-month calendar
- Incorporate all milestone dates into your management systems
- Celebrate your key accomplishments!
As a parting thought, did you notice anything in particular about the examples we used for the operational processes and projects? Did you notice that each of the examples started with a VERB?
- Mow the lawn
- Execute an RFP process
- Design and deploy a new E-commerce website
This was not done unintentionally. It is best practices to name your processes and projects starting with a verb. In doing so, it makes it crystal clear what that process or project is all about. For instance, if we called a project “Stakeholder Roundtable Event,” what does that even mean? Are we organizing the event? Hosting it? Attending it? Developing marketing material for it?
Well, in this real-world example, and after emphasizing the importance of using verbs, the project was renamed “Develop a registration webpage for the Stakeholder Roundtable Event.” Crystal clear now, isn’t it? Go ahead, give it a shot, you’ll be amazed!
To learn more about how we can assist you with the strategic planning and execution of your projects and operational processes, contact us at 201-803-4653 or via our online contact form.
Cheers to efficient and effective processes and projects!
