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Agile team working sessions are a type of meeting used in agile development. They are typically short, focused, and have a clear agenda. The goal of an agile team working session is to allow the team to collaborate and work together to solve problems and complete tasks. Agile team working sessions can be used for a variety of purposes, including: Brainstorming new ideas to encourage team members to think creatively and come up with unique solutions to problems. Prioritizing tasks to keep everyone focused, prevent scope creep, and ensure that team members are working on the most important tasks first. Solving problems by breaking down complex issues into smaller, more manageable tasks and then tackling them step-by-step. Reviewing work to ensure that everyone is on the same page and understands the project. Giving feedback to foster an open and honest environment, where team members feel comfortable voicing their opinions and ideas. Agile team working sessions are typically led by a facilitator responsible for keeping the meeting on track and ensuring that everyone has a chance to participate. The facilitator typically starts the meeting by reviewing the agenda and asking the team to brainstorm ideas or solutions. The facilitator will then help the team prioritize the tasks and devise a plan for completing them. The facilitator will also keep the discussion focused and on track. Agile team working sessions can be very effective in helping teams collaborate and work together to achieve their goals. However, it is important to ensure that the meetings are well-planned, and that the facilitator effectively keeps the discussion focused and on track. Here are some tips for running effective agile team working sessions: Plan the meeting in advance. Ensure you have a clear agenda and know what you want to accomplish in the meeting. Start and end on time. Respect everyone's time by starting and ending the meeting on time. Encourage participation. Make sure everyone has a chance to participate in the discussion. Be respectful. Listen to everyone's ideas and be respectful of different opinions. Take action. Make sure you come away from the meeting with an action plan. Agile team working sessions are an essential element of agile development as they promote collaboration, problem-solving, and task completion. They are particularly effective in brainstorming new ideas, planning and prioritizing tasks, solving problems, reviewing work and giving feedback. A well-planned agenda and a skilled facilitator are crucial for maintaining focus and ensuring that team members have an equal opportunity to participate. By following the tips mentioned above, agile team working sessions can help your teams achieve optimal results and work more harmoniously towards their goals. Through implementing agile team working sessions, your organization can maximize productivity, foster innovation, and achieve significant success.

For CEOs, crafting a successful strategic plan requires careful planning and consideration of various factors. From identifying the right objectives to researching potential opportunities, there are many challenges that must be addressed to create an effective strategy. In this post, we will explore some of the key challenges associated with creating a strategic plan and offer tips for overcoming these obstacles. 5 Key Challenges When Creating a Strategic Plan Setting a realistic mission: According to an article in the Harvard Business Review, one of the biggest challenges of creating a strategic plan is developing a clear and compelling vision that inspires and motivates all stakeholders (Kaplan and Mikes, 2012). In addition, a CEO must be able to balance the need for short-term results with the long-term goals of the company, as well as adapt the strategic plan as market conditions and business priorities change. TIP: Use values that speak to authentic company and team messaging. Understand the industry and its competitive landscape so that a strategy can be tailored, communicated, and measured to the company’s specific goals and strengths. Developing actionable strategies: A strategic plan must include actionable strategies that can be implemented to achieve the company's goals and objectives. Developing these strategies can be challenging, particularly when multiple stakeholders are involved in the process. TIP: Collaborate with stakeholders through a facilitated method of strategic planning to identify goals and metrics that are suitable for the desired outcomes. Consider the resources available in the organization and any roadblocks. Prioritize and plan for their implementation by creating timelines and assigning responsibility for executing each strategy. Gathering and analyzing data: To create an effective strategic plan, a company must gather and analyze data from a variety of sources, including market research, customer feedback, and internal performance metrics. This can be a time-consuming and resource-intensive process. TIP: Establish processes that ensure the necessary data is collected to fit the desired goals and metrics while efficiently leveraging technology or engaging with outside firms to provide additional support. Focus on current and desired success while working to uncover meaningful insights that can inform the business strategy. Communicating the plan: Communicating the strategic plan to all stakeholders, including employees, customers, investors, and partners, can be a complex task that requires effective communication skills and a clear understanding of the company's messaging. TIP: Create a framework that outlines who needs to be informed, when and how they should be informed along with a timeline including consistent dashboards, metrics, and communication/meeting cadence. Make sure that all stakeholders are aware of the plan, understand its objectives, and how it will be implemented. Ensuring alignment and incentives: Ensuring that all stakeholders are aligned with the strategic plan and committed to its implementation can be challenging, particularly when there are competing priorities or differing opinions. As Jeff Immelt, former CEO of General Electric, said in an interview with McKinsey & Company in 2017, "The hardest thing is the alignment of people and the amount of people you have to align around the strategy, because ultimately, it’s a decision that requires a lot of input and has to be implemented by many people." (McKinsey & Company, 2017). TIP: Make certain everyone understands the strategy, its goals, their role, and their incentive structure for meeting/exceeding goals. Communicate the plan with stakeholders including how and when they receive updates and how they can provide feedback. Recognize performance that contributes to the overall success of the strategy using a combination of company and individual success. Additionally, ensure that the plan is flexible enough to adapt to changing market conditions and business priorities. As Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo, said in an interview with Harvard Business Review in 2018, "You need a strategic plan, but you also need to be agile enough to make adjustments along the way." (Harvard Business Review, 2018). As Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, said in an interview with McKinsey & Company in 2017, "Strategy is about making choices, trade-offs; it’s about deliberately choosing to be different. The company that claims to stand for everything really stands for nothing." (McKinsey & Company, 2017). Developing a strategic plan is an important task for any business. Although it can be challenging to create and implement a successful strategy, with the right approach and careful consideration of all stakeholders, you can create a plan that will help your business succeed in the long run. If you're looking for help crafting a strategic plan for your company, contact us today to learn more about how we can support you in this process. Together, we can create a plan that aligns with your vision and mission and sets your business on the path to success. Free PDF download: 5 Key Challenges and Tips for Creating a Strategic Plan References: McKinsey & Company. (2017). A CEO's guide to crafting a compelling strategy. Retrieved from https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/strategy-and-corporate-finance/our-insights/a-ceos-guide-to-crafting-a-compelling-strategy Harvard Business Review. (2018). Indra Nooyi on creating a sustainable business model. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/podcast/2018/06/indra-nooyi-on-creating-a-sustainable-business-model Kaplan, R. S., & Mikes, A. (2012). Developing a strategic vision for your career. Harvard Business Review, 90(6), 105-111. Nadella, S. (2019). Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft's Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone. Harper Business.

Vendor selection management identifies, evaluates, and selects the best vendors for your organization's needs. It includes developing vendor selection criteria, creating a request for proposal (RFP), evaluating vendor responses, and negotiating contracts. Vendor selection management aims to find vendors to provide the best value for your organization. This means finding vendors that can meet your needs at a competitive price. It also means finding vendors that are reliable and have a good reputation. There are 4 key steps in the vendor selection process: Develop vendor selection criteria. This is a list of the factors you will use to evaluate vendors. Some common factors include price, quality, service, and reputation. It's important to create a list of criteria that reflects the specific needs of your organization. This will ensure you are only considering vendors that can meet your needs. You should also consider factors like experience and certifications to ensure you are getting the best value for your money. Create a request for proposal (RFP). This is a document that you will send to potential vendors. It should include information about your needs, your selection criteria, and the proposal submission process. The RFP should be detailed and clearly explain what you are looking for. This will help ensure that vendors respond with proposals that meet your needs. Evaluate vendor responses. Once you have received proposals from potential vendors, you must evaluate them. This includes reviewing their submissions, checking their references, and conducting other necessary due diligence. You should also consider the vendors' technical qualifications, experience, and other factors to ensure they can provide what you require. Negotiate contracts. Once you select a vendor, you must negotiate a contract. This is an important step, protecting your interests and ensuring the vendor meets its obligations. The contract should include details like the scope of work, payment terms, and any other necessary requirements. This is also a good time to negotiate pricing, deadlines, and other details to ensure the contract meets your expectations. You should also include provisions for changes and termination in case things don't go as planned. Vendor selection management is an important process that can significantly impact your organization. By following the steps above, you can increase your chances of finding the best vendors for your needs. Here are a few tips to help you successfully manage the vendor selection process: Start early. The vendor selection process can take time, so starting early is important. This will give you enough time to develop your criteria, create your RFP, and evaluate proposals. Be clear about your needs. When developing your vendor selection criteria, be clear about your requirements. This will help you to evaluate proposals and select the best vendors for your organization. Do your research. Before you select a vendor, it's important to do your research. This includes checking their references, reviewing their financial statements, and conducting other necessary due diligence. Negotiate contracts. Once you select a vendor, you must negotiate a contract. This is an important step, protecting your interests and ensuring the vendor meets its obligations. Monitor performance. Once you have selected a vendor, monitoring their performance is important. This will help you to ensure that they are meeting your expectations and that you are getting the best value for your money. Vendor selection management is a crucial process that can determine the success or failure of your organization. It involves developing vendor selection criteria, creating a request for proposal (RFP), evaluating vendor responses, and negotiating contracts. By carefully selecting vendors that provide the best value for your organization, you can save time and money while increasing the quality of the goods or services provided. It is important to start the process early, be clear about your needs, do your research, negotiate contracts, and monitor performance to ensure that the relationship with the vendor is beneficial for both parties. Effective vendor selection management can lead to long-term partnerships with reliable vendors that can help your organization achieve its goals. If you need help with vendor selection management, our MSSBTA team of experts is here to guide you through the process. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you make the best decisions for your organization.

Working with a strategic advisor can provide invaluable benefits to companies, including objective perspective, industry expertise, access to networks, accountability, and mentorship. Indeed, many successful CEOs have worked with strategic advisors to develop their businesses and achieve their goals faster and more effectively. In this article we will explore the various advantages of working with an expert strategic advisor as well as look at some examples of CEO's who have benefited from doing so. Objective perspective: A strategic advisor can provide an outside perspective that is not influenced by internal biases or groupthink, allowing for more objective decision-making. Industry expertise: A strategic advisor can bring deep industry knowledge and experience, providing insights into trends, best practices, and emerging opportunities. Access to networks: A strategic advisor can provide access to valuable networks and resources, including potential partners, investors, and customers. Accountability: A strategic advisor can help to hold the company accountable for executing its strategic plan and achieving its goals. Mentorship: A strategic advisor can provide mentorship, coaching, and guidance to the CEO and other team leaders, helping them to develop their skills and achieve their potential. Efficiency and Speed: According to an article in Forbes, working with a strategic advisor can help companies achieve their goals faster and more effectively by providing "a roadmap, an expert guide, and the inspiration to push you further than you would go alone" (Friedman, 2019). Renowned business leaders have turned to strategic advisors for invaluable guidance. Strategic advisors bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in various industries, helping CEOs make informed decisions that will benefit their organization in the long run. Jeff Bezos, founder, and former CEO of Amazon, worked with Ram Charan, a renowned business consultant and author, who helped him to develop Amazon's long-term strategy and grow the company into a global powerhouse (Charan, 2018). Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, has worked with James Cash, a former Harvard Business School professor and expert in strategy and innovation, who has provided guidance on Apple's approach to innovation and product development (Eadicicco, 2018). Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, has worked with Carol Dweck, a renowned psychologist and expert on growth mindset, who has helped to shape Microsoft's culture and approach to learning and development (Dweck, 2021). Many of today's successful CEOs have benefited from working with strategic advisors to help them develop and refine their company's long-term strategies. These examples illustrate the value of having a knowledgeable, experienced advisor by your side when it comes to making important decisions about business growth and development. With the right guidance, you too can create an effective strategy for success and take your business to new heights. So don't hesitate - start looking for a trusted advisor who can provide valuable insights into how best to move forward in achieving your goals! Free PDF download: 6 Advantages of Working with a Strategic Advisor References: Charan, R. (2018). How Amazon's Jeff Bezos uses strategic thinking. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2018/03/how-amazons-jeff-bezos-uses-strategic-thinking Eadicicco, L. (2018). How Apple CEO Tim Cook works with a 'coach' to manage his time. Business Insider. Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-ceo-tim-cook-coach-manage-time-harvard-2018-4 Dweck, C. (2021). The Growth Mindset at Work (and in the Classroom). Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2021/03/the-growth-mindset-at-work-and-in-the-classroom Friedman, D. (2019). Why every business leader should work with a strategic advisor. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2019/08/08/why-every-business-leader-should-work-with-a-strategic-advisor/?sh=78c5312741d7 eleaders, helping them to develop their skills and achieve their potential. According to an article in Forbes, working with a strategic advisor can help companies to achieve their goals faster and more effectively by providing "a roadmap, an expert guide, and the inspiration to push you further than you would go alone" (Friedman, 2019).

The current elephant in every boardroom is ChatGPT, the large language model trained by OpenAI. Many people already recognize its value as an evolved search engine that digests information and returns conversational answers rather than pages of links with matching key words. However, it also has the potential to transform the way businesses operate. With its ability to understand natural language and provide personalized responses, ChatGPT can revolutionize the way businesses perform some of their most vital activities. Here are three ways ChatGPT can transform your business right now: ChatGPT can enhance customer service. ChatGPT can be integrated into a company's website or social media platforms to provide instant responses to customer inquiries, 24/7. Think for a moment about the way your company currently responds to these inquiries and the amount of unavoidable waste that exists within the process. Time spent waiting for inquiries to be seen and responded to, time spent waiting for a customer response after they’ve left the website, inconsistent or incorrect responses from staff who have received an unfamiliar inquiry, hiring and training new personnel to keep up with an increase in customer inquiries; these are all sources of waste for your business. ChatGPT can respond immediately at any time with questions and answers specific to each individual inquiry. It can also learn from past interactions to improve its responses over time, providing a consistent knowledge base for every conversation and an even more personalized and accurate experience for customers. ChatGPT allows your company to accomplish this higher level of customer service without the need for any additional staff. ChatGPT can automate processes. By using Natural Language Processing, ChatGPT can automate certain tasks that help optimize departments such as Human Resources and Marketing. Remove the time wasted by HR staff on piles of resumes belonging to candidates who won’t come close to an interview. Let ChatGPT pre-screen candidates based on job description and specific criteria, allowing your staff to focus 100% of their energy on legitimate prospects. Let your Marketing team focus more on creating campaigns and content they love, and less on constructing and editing the mundane social media captions or product descriptions that go along with that content. It may seem like a small activity, but an effective Instagram caption can take up to an hour of wordsmithing and editing. If a 2-month campaign calls for 5 Instagram posts a week, your company could be paying an entire week’s salary for caption writing in that time. ChatGPT can analyze the campaign information, content objectives, and even the voice of the existing captions on your company’s Instagram page and produce these in seconds. ChatGPT can gather and analyze data. Data is one of the most valuable resources a company runs on. ChatGPT can gather unstructured data in real-time from various sources such as social media, customer reviews, customer service inquiries, and online forums. Once gathered, data is automatically categorized by topic, keyword, and theme. Using machine learning algorithms and sentiment analysis, ChatGPT can identify everything from patterns, trends, and correlations to emotional tone of customer feedback. With this information it can then generate forecasts of future trends and behaviors. If you need this data in a more palatable format that can be presented to a group, ChatGPT can even create data visualizations such as graphs, charts, and heat maps to help your business gain valuable insights into customer preferences, pain points, and opportunities. ChatGPT has become a game-changer with the potential to revolutionize the way businesses operate. By leveraging its abilities, businesses can enhance customer service, automate certain processes, gather, and analyze data, and so much more. Artificial Intelligence as a whole, is here to stay. It is time for businesses to put some serious thought into the best way they can utilize it to reach a new level of efficiency and success.

In today's hyper-competitive marketplace, customers have more choices than ever before, and they are increasingly demanding when it comes to the experiences they expect from brands. With almost everything an easy delivery away, companies can no longer expect to build a brand on the shoulders of their product alone. From the moment a customer discovers your brand, every interaction they have, or don’t have, with your company will either strengthen their loyalty or push them toward a competitor. Customer loyalty is crucial to the growth and success of a business. It not only provides a reliable source of revenue, but also helps to build a positive reputation and competitive advantage in the marketplace. Regardless of your industry, product, or service there are a few key steps any company can take to maximize the value of their Customer Experience. Map the entire current state of your customer journey: This involves highlighting the various touchpoints that customers have with the brand, from initial awareness and consideration to purchase and post-purchase support. By understanding the current state of the customer journey, organizations can identify opportunities to improve the experience at each touchpoint. These opportunities can be related to several factors including service gaps, cost constraints, business processes, and systems architecture. Create a customer-centric culture: This means putting the customer at the center of everything the organization does, from product development to customer service to daily operations. It is important to remember that what your customers experience is a result of what your company does every day. If your company culture is centered around ruthless cost cutting, that will be reflected in the experience of your customer. Likewise, if your company culture is centered around adding value to your customer, that will also be reflected in their experience. Instilling a customer-centric culture involves empowering employees to take ownership of the customer experience and providing them with the tools and resources they need to deliver exceptional service. Measure and track the effectiveness of your customer experience strategy: This involves setting clear metrics and KPIs related to customer satisfaction and loyalty. If the KPIs your company is tracking only go as deep as sales numbers and product-based measurements you’re missing an important part of the picture. You might be selling a ton of products but are you creating one-time purchasers or lifelong customers? Your product might have five stars, but do people feel the same way about your website, or your returns process? An effective Customer Experience is always evolving, making it vital to have these measures in place so you know where improvements are necessary. Mapping your current state, creating a customer centric culture, and measuring the effectiveness of your strategy allows you to understand what your customers experience now, and work toward improving their experience where it’s needed most in the future. The work is never finished when it comes to your Customer Experience, but if you start with these three keys, you will be well on your way to using it to your advantage to drive loyalty and growth for your business.

The Client: The client handles support of Arizona public programs by maximizing the organization’s net revenue. Their Challenge: The client was using a 30-year-old IBM AS400 system to manage the back-office functions of the organization including Billing and Claims, Customer Service, and others. They looked to replace the AS400 and business applications with a scalable, best-in-class technology suite. The client engaged MSS Business Transformation Advisory (MSSBTA) to document their current technical state and design the organization’s desired future state. MSSBTA was also charged with documenting business requirements, documenting current technical architecture, designing the future architecture. Finally, MSSBTA was to lead the identification of competent vendors, manage the vendor selection process, and make a final recommendation to the client for the selection of the most qualified vendor. Due to the age of the existing system, system knowledge was limited to and managed by a small group of tenured employees who were heavily relied on to supply insight to current state processes and design. Our Solution: MSSBTA supplied an objective assessment of the organization’s current state, led the design of a best-in-class future technology vision. Any gaps were managed with the development of a clear road map to the future state. The final design was defined by using technology to enable this future state vision, with a clear path to the transition from the dated legacy system to a contemporary, scalable, and stable cloud-based technology suite. MSSBTA defined and managed the selection of a new vendor to partner with the client in the implementation of the new vision. Their Results: The client was open and adaptable while taking part in this project. The client team had not experienced a transition of this size and were dependent on MSSBTA to guide them throughout. With the structured processes and success of the selection work, the client was satisfied with the results. MSSBTA provided clear and consistent communication and active engagement with client leadership, easing the engagement of the client team. The work has been rewarded with added engagements overseeing the implementation of the selected system, and to supply oversight for many of their ongoing, critical strategic initiatives. Deliverables: Documentation of current technology architecture Business requirements for architecture and business applications Vendor selection request for proposal Management of selection process Final vendor recommendation Technology roadmap from current to future state

"Strategic planning is vital for the long-term health of any organization. It helps companies stay relevant and competitive, and it ensures that all employees are working towards a common goal." - Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook. A Strategic Plan is a comprehensive document that outlines a company's long-term goals and the steps it intends to take to achieve them. A well-structured plan is essential for any company to stay on track, achieve its objectives, and remain competitive. The team can use a strategic plan checklist to ensure that the plan covers all the essential elements and is structured in a way that allows it to be effectively executed. Here is a checklist of key elements that should be included in a Business Strategic Plan: Mission Statement: A mission statement is a brief, concise statement that defines a company's values, purpose, and what it stands for. It should be clear, concise, and aligned with the company's values and culture. Goals and Objectives: A strategic plan should outline the company's goals and objectives in a clear, measurable, and achievable manner. The goals should be specific, time-bound, and aligned with the company's mission statement. SWOT Analysis: A SWOT analysis is a tool used to evaluate a company's strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. It is essential to understand the company's internal and external environment and can help identify areas for improvement. Market Analysis: A market analysis should provide an overview of the company's target market, the competition, and the company's position within the market. This information can be used to develop a marketing strategy to help the company achieve its goals. Marketing Strategy: A marketing strategy should outline the company's plan for promoting its products or services and reaching its target market. The marketing strategy should align with the company's goals and objectives and include a plan for measuring its effectiveness. Financial Plan: A financial plan should outline the company's financial objectives and projections, including its revenue and expenses. The financial plan should include a budget, cash flow projections, and a plan for managing risk. Operations Plan: An operations plan should outline the company's plan for managing its day-to-day operations and ensuring that it operates efficiently and effectively. The operations plan should include managing resources, such as employees, technology, and equipment. Risk Management Plan: A risk management plan should outline the company's plan for identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks. The risk management plan should include a plan for managing risk in all business areas, including financial, operational, and legal risks. Implementation Plan: An implementation plan should outline the company's steps to implement its strategic plan. The implementation plan should include a timeline, a budget, and a plan for measuring the success of the implementation. Performance Metrics: Define how progress will be tracked and measured. Budget: Allocate resources and create a financial plan to support the strategic plan. Implementation: Assign responsibilities and establish a timeline for implementing the plan. Review and Evaluation: A strategic plan should include a plan for regularly reviewing and evaluating the plan's effectiveness. The review and evaluation process should consist of a review of the company's goals and objectives, its financial performance, and the success of its marketing and operations strategies. It is important to note that this checklist is a general guide, and the specific elements of a strategic plan will vary depending on the company and industry. It's always best to consult with a business strategist or professional such as MSS Business Transformation Advisory, for industry-specific guidance. Download a copy of The Key Element Strategic Plan Checklist References: Strategic Planning: A Ten-Step Guide, Harvard Business Review, https://hbr.org/2017/01/strategic-planning-a-ten-step-guide The Importance of Strategic Planning, Forbes, https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesbusinesscouncil/2018/08/27/the-importance-of-strategic-planning/?sh=5d5d5b5c2f2f

One of the greatest challenges of helping organizations with Change Management is that they often believe they are already doing it. After all, if you have a good leadership team that communicates with employees, they must be capable of leading change. But when you dig down and ask the leaders what they are doing to ensure their organization is prepared for and executing change strategies, we often find clear indications either they do not truly grasp Change Management, they do not understand the risks, or their program is not robust enough to handle the change. Here are some of the top red flags that indicate a poor application of Change Management: Red Flag #1 – We are doing Change Management, we have a communications plan. One of the most common red flags, this answer is indicative of two potential issues. The organization may be mistaking communications for Change Management. True, communications is a primary output (and input) to the process but it does not stand alone. A lot has to happen to ensure it is effective. Perhaps more importantly, a Change Management communications plan is vastly different than what most communication departments are used to creating. Communications departments, often part of marketing or public relations, are most often used to communicate broad corporate messaging. Change Management is about driving communications to the individual level. This means coordinating across possibly large numbers of divisions, groups, and functions and rallying the management to aid in the process while ensuring that feedback is being collected and reported back to the Change Management team. This is a plan that communications departments are not typically prepared to develop or staffed to carry out. Red Flag #2 – We are doing Change Management, we have a training plan. Another common red flag that will often turn up and indicates the potential for two more issues: Here again, we have an indication that leadership is mistaking training for Change Management. Training is a part of the process to ensure that people have the knowledge they need to make a change. That does not mean they have agreed to the change or have adopted the change. Change management ensures that people not only are capable of making a change but willing. Another issue is that the organization is relying on the Change Management team to deliver training. This is a common error that can be catastrophic. In most cases, an SME on the change should deliver the content and ensure it is understood. The role of the change manager is to make sure the training is delivered well, that logistics are managed, and that the training has been effective. Relying on Change Management to be experts in the specific change is too much to ask (unless the change is implementing Change Management). Red Flag #3 – We have hired a change manager. This is typically a good sign that shows some enlightenment from leadership, but it also rings a major alarm bell that requires several follow up questions: Is the change manager experienced? Often, we will find that the change manager is a person who has been reassigned from a department without training or previous experience. This means a huge ramp-up time and a lot of mistakes that could be avoided by hiring an experienced person or consultant. Is the change manager also the project manager? These are different disciplines requiring different skill sets and with potentially competing aims. Each is also a large amount of work. Only a rare person can manage both simultaneously. Is the change manager solely responsible for executing Change Management or do they have the authority and resources to implement throughout the organization? If by having a change manager, we think the process is covered, we have a major problem. How many changes is this change manager in charge of? Often this becomes a role that is quickly overwhelmed and ends up managing reporting rather than actually implementing Change Management. The result is reporting failure to make changes. All of the above are at issue: This is so often the case and indicates a looming catastrophe. Red Flag #4 – We have Change Management as part of our project team. This is not necessarily a problem. It depends on the structure. If the Change Management is subservient to a project leader, then the messages that need to be heard by leadership are often suppressed or watered down. Ideally, Change Management is at least at the same level as the project lead and has direct access to the leadership. The change manager’s role is to ensure that leadership knows the issues and helps coach them on how to mitigate them. They cannot be required to work through a funnel and expected to achieve results. Free infographic download: 10 Red Flags Your Change Management Program is Poor Red Flag #5 – Change Management is part of Human Resources (or any functional area). Where the Change Management function lies is not necessarily the issue here. Since Change Management focuses on the people side of change, HR may seem like a logical fit. It may also be in operations, innovation, or other change related areas where people are the focus. What we would seek to understand is whether the function Change Management reports to is also integral to the part of the organization where the change is happening. Is the functional area engaged in the project planning and implementation, do they have change management training, and do they have access direct to leadership that is sponsoring the change? If the answer to any of these questions is “no” then the structure needs to be reassessed. Red Flag #6 – Everyone supports the change. This one always makes me shake my head because it is never true. I remember a particular client who announced that they were doing a system upgrade at their global meeting and the announcement received a standing ovation. The reaction convinced them that everyone was on board. “We don’t need a lot of Change Management,” they said, “Everyone supports the change.” Two years later they were staring at major implementation issues due to resistance, low adoption, low utilization, and short timelines. Even assuming that people are genuine in their initial support for a future state, resistance can grow over time as people learn more and are affected by the change. Anticipating and monitoring resistance is a key activity of Change Management to make sure that support is maintained. Red Flag #7 – The change is a small one, we don’t need Change Management. This can be true if the change is entirely seamless, and no people are affected. In any other case, it is worth the investment even on small changes to assess the change implications, how disruptive it is, and where resistance may occur to scale your change management efforts accordingly. The organization is making an investment and such an assessment is good due diligence. Red Flag #8 – We have assigned a sponsor. This answer is one of the scariest I get. There is a lot of research that shows that without proper sponsorship changes will fail to meet objectives. Often, we will find that the leader who conceived of the change is not the sponsor but rather has assigned an underling. This is major red flag for several reasons: The leader may have decided to distance himself from the change and created an option not to be responsible for results. Even if this is not the case, the perception can be devastating to the process. The person assigned may not have the traits (influence, knowledge, skills, commitment, etc.) to be a good sponsor. This means a major learning curve is in front of her. The person assigned must have the standing to lead the change particularly with other leadership, the authority to remove roadblocks to the change, and to adapt the strategy as necessary. If not, the resistance they encounter may be insurmountable. Red Flag #9 – We have several sponsors. Oi… this is even worse than assigning a sponsor. Now we assume that a group is leading the change and is cohesive in their level of agreement and approach. While there are strong cases for a coalition of sponsors, driving a change without a primary sponsor, leads down long winding roads of dysfunction, finger pointing, miscommunication and passive resistance. Red Flag #10 – We will focus on Sustainability at a later stage. Many practitioners of change will still look at the process as linear and consider how to sustain the change only after the initial phases or even toward the end of the project. Sustainability starts at the outset when creating the change strategy or early in the development of the future state itself. Determining expected outcomes, understanding how to measure against those outcomes, developing how to report progress to the organization, and identifying the meaning of outcomes at the individuals at all levels are all items that should occur at or near the beginning and should be carried out throughout the change process. If your team has not thought about sustainability early, this is a huge red flag that they do not have a proper understanding of Change Management. Over the last decade or so, Change Management as a discipline has become an expectation of organizations that want to succeed with their investments. That does not mean, however, that everyone has an equal understanding of how it should be implemented. By understanding the red flags, leaders can identify if they need specialized or outside assistance from people who have experience driving the change process. Leaders can also look at what they expect of themselves. If you are leading an organizational change and one or more of these red flags rings true to you, it makes sense to take a step back and do a quick assessment of your efforts. The organization is making an investment in the project you are leading. It is your responsibility to see that every effort is made to see the return on investment is realized. This article was originally published in 2019. Note: This article focuses on Change Management for a single intervention. All trends indicate that change is now constant and that a sustainable competitive advantage can be had for organizations that make leading change part of their DNA.

Client Detail: The client is a Fortune 500 company specializing in waste materials management. Headquartered in Phoenix, AZ, MSS Business Transformation Advisory (MSSBTA) has worked closely with the client, with projects spanning the past 3 decades. The Challenge: The client had been in the middle of significant efforts for improving its customer satisfaction, retention, engagement, and overall “zeal”, in support of metrics like NPS scores across their customer portfolios. As part of these efforts, the organization launched targeted activities to better understand, define, and manage customers and their experiences with the company. Our Solution: In support of these efforts, MSSBTA was brought in to assist in understanding how the organization currently interacts with customers, as well as laying the foundation to redesign their business and technical processes to improve customer interactions. Specifically, this consisted of interviewing nine separate business stakeholder groups to understand and document current state business processes, focusing through the lens of interactions with customer contact information. These documented processes and key findings were then validated by the business stakeholders and updated for accuracy/completeness. Their Results: Based on this discovery process, key insights and business user perspectives were shared with team members and key stakeholders to socialize the current state and complexities faced by the business users. This information will then be used as the foundational components of future efforts to holistically develop the future state business and technical processes for improving interactions with customers. Deliverables: Business Process Analysis and Documentation Facilitation of Data and Process Discovery Sessions

As a CEO, running a successful business often entails developing and implementing strategic plans. However, simply having a strategy isn't enough to ensure success; you must also have the proficiency for innovation and use effective implementation tactics in order to achieve your desired outcomes. In this blog post, we'll discuss why these three elements - strategy, innovation and effective implementation - are critical components to efficient operations as a CEO. Strategy CEOs must have a clear and effective strategy to guide their company's direction and make informed decisions. A strategy provides a roadmap for the organization, outlining its goals and objectives and the tactics and actions that will be taken to achieve them. Without a well-defined strategy, your company is likely to lack direction and may struggle to achieve its goals. Innovation Innovation is also important for CEOs, as it allows a company to stay competitive and adapt to changes in the market. A Harvard Business Review article states, "Innovation is the only way to sustain long-term growth." CEOS need to encourage and support a culture of innovation within the organization by providing resources and opportunities for employees to experiment and take risks. As a great CEO, you should always be looking for new opportunities in the market and seeking to implement new ideas and technologies to drive growth. Effective Implementation Implementation is the process of turning strategy and innovation into action. It's about ensuring that the tactics and actions outlined in the strategy are being executed effectively and efficiently with a long-term vision for how it positively affects the customers, employees, and, ultimately, company profit. This requires strong leadership and management to execute 1-, 3-, and 5-year goals and clear communication and coordination among teams. According to a McKinsey report, "Effective implementation is essential to achieving desired outcomes and delivering value." One example of a CEO who has exemplified the importance of strategy, innovation, and implementation is Jeff Bezos, the founder, and CEO of Amazon. Jeff Bezos consistently emphasizes long-term strategy and a customer-centricity approach. He has been quoted as saying, "If you're competitor-focused, you have to wait until a competitor is doing something. Being customer-focused allows you to be more pioneering." "If you're competitor-focused, you have to wait until a competitor is doing something. Being customer-focused allows you to be more pioneering." Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO Strategy, Innovation, and Implementation are essential for CEOs to navigate a company toward sustainable growth and success. The CEO plays a critical role in shaping the direction and success of an organization through effective strategies, fostering a culture of innovation, and ensuring the effective implementation of these strategies and ideas with regular metrics and governance. Sources: "Why Innovation Is the Only Way to Sustain Long-Term Growth" Harvard Business Review "Effective implementation: Delivering value through execution" McKinsey & Company

Have you ever seen the start of the day for delivery drivers? Imagine a warehouse with 50 trucks inside. I am talking about rows of 17-foot delivery trucks. Pallets are moving; drivers are rearranging their loads; preventive maintenance and paperwork are ready. In short, total chaos. Several years ago, a potential client asked me to meet him at his warehouse at 6 am, which I gladly accepted. He wanted to have outside eyes evaluate his operation. We picked Wednesday because it was a relatively quiet day for deliveries. I arrived at the warehouse promptly at 6 am. My client was waiting for me, and without any formality, took me to the warehouse and asked, “What do you see?” I walked around for about 45 minutes before heading back to his office. He was anxious to hear what I saw and had to say. My first response was, “It is a little bit chaotic.” I started to list what I saw, and he agreed. The third shift wasn’t done loading some of the trucks and left a mess on the warehouse floor. Drivers scurried right and left to get equipment and finish loading. The client told me drivers were allotted 20 minutes in the warehouse each morning, but they were spending an average of 35 minutes. Then, when they were ready to leave, the delivery trucks had to wait in line to get through the bottleneck at the exit. I confidently told him that all this chaos was easily resolved. He couldn’t wait to hear the solution! Stagger the start time into three groups. Drivers with a long drive out would be the first group, in at 6:00 am and out by 6:20 am Drivers with a medium drive out would be the second group, in at 6:15 am and out by 6:35 am Drivers with a short drive out would be the third group, starting at 6:30 am and out by 6:50 am The third shift would load trucks by order of start time, giving the warehouse workers more time to load the last group It was a simple solution that would save 15 minutes per driver in the morning. A total of 12.5 hours per day, 62.5 hours per week, and 3,250 hours per year. At an average of $17 per hour, it was an annual saving of $55,250. My client was ecstatic. So simple, and yet, he did not think of it. I also told him the savings were even more significant because the return time at the warehouse would also be staggered, and there would be no bottleneck at the door. That was my first recommendation to advise this client, and a lot more followed. The client had five warehouses in Southern California, and we were able to replicate the process in all of them. The annual cost saving was about $200,000 per year. I tell you this story to tell you it was not about a warehouse and delivery trucks. When you look deeper, you’ll see that this client’s story was successful because he sought advice from an outside advisor, acted on it, and followed through. At MSSBTA, we can help you experience similar success because our expert advisors are specialists in specific disciplines across multiple industries. We have a wealth of knowledge and can provide a fresh perspective on your business. As advisors we provide actionable insights to improve your organization’s efficiency, saving you time and money.