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A
process improvement or
process re-design programme cannot succeed without real and
comprehensive support at senior level. Senior in this context
does not mean Project Manager; unless the Project Manager is a
senior executive and a major budget holder
the project is doomed to failure.
It is my experience that unless
there is real authority backed up by sufficient funds in the
kitty, the project will wither and die one third of the way
through, resulting in increased frustration, cynicism, and
apathy, not to mention money down the drain.
Later on the blaming
begins, promotions are jeopardised and bonuses are lost. Later
still, those affected will not want to know when some brave soul
steps forward to try and resurrect what was on paper a sound
idea and in reality critical to the long-term success of the organisation.
You probably recognise
this scenario.
Making no apologies for
the cliché; for any project to be successfully implemented it must
begin on a sound foundation.
Pre-programme
planning
Identify a senior
executive within the organisation who is most likely to benefit
from the proposed project. Ideally this should not be someone who
is known to be within a year of leaving the company or division;
projects often founder when a key sponsor leaves.
Hopefully you
will have identified someone with the power and the will to make
things happen; that
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"real authority" mentioned earlier.
With the foundations laid, your project is more likely to run to
completion.
Prepare
the organisation for change
For the project to be an
overall success, however, it must include a plan for managing the
way in which it's implementation will impact the wider
organisation.
Another scenario you might be familiar with is the
e-mail or company magazine announcement of a new tool, system or
process being implemented in a month's time with no
explanation of why it's being implemented, who will need to
use it and, oh yes, the critical how it should be used.
This is
usually followed by ripples of alarm and people starting in
different directions in an attempt to find answers to the
questions: "how will this affect me and what must I do to
prepare for it".
A month later the project
goes live. The project team spend the next 3 months trying to
manage the impact of the implementation. This is change
management in retrospect; the saying about the cart before the horse might spring to
mind. Then we are back to increased frustration, jeopardised
promotions and money down the drain. Not to mention a great deal
of resistance "because I wasn't consulted in the first
place".
Any organisation that is
planning a change in policy, systems, technology or staff
structure must include in it's top-level strategy a programme for
managing the way in which the change will impact the organisation
or department as a whole.
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If you would like to know
more about running process improvement or change programmes or you would like
general advice on programme planning, please e-mail info@amosbutler.com
or telephone 0845 125 9612.
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Disclaimer
These are brief guidelines on the basics of
programme planning. It
is not comprehensive and should, therefore, only be used as a guide to
what might be required. If you
would like more detailed guidance or an initial talk with one of our
advisers, please e-mail info@amosbutler.com
or telephone +44(0) 7960 588 834.
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A
process - a sequence of events or activities used
to complete a task. A process requires involvement from more than
one person or team. Click here for a more
detailed definition. Change
management - this simply means consulting and preparing your
organisation ( employees, systems, customers) when
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noticeable changes to the way your employees do
their jobs. Click here for a more
detailed definition.
Process
improvement - changing an existing process for the better, perhaps,
for example, to standardise the way teams work internally or interact with
other teams. |
