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The previous issue of Commentary outlined the importance of
having a clearly defined strategy before making significant
changes in your organisation.
This issue of Commentary provides guidelines on how to
bring your strategy to life by developing a supporting
business approach.
What is an approach?
In this context, the business approach details how you intend
to implement the strategy, the risks or issues associated with
the implementation and your timeline or milestones during
the implementation.
Why do you need an approach?
Writing an approach is like creating a storyboard; it helps
those responsible for delivering business change to walk
through and work through the steps to bringing the change
about.
Walking through the steps to bringing about change helps one
to realise what might be required to support changes and the
likely pitfalls much sooner and with more clarity. Equally as
important, a written approach can be used to communicate to
all who need to know exactly what you plan to do, why, when
and how.
Using one of the scenarios introduced previously, the
following should help to provide a clearer picture of how one
might apply an approach to a strategy.
Scenario A
Teams U and V will be merged to one function.
The merged teams will deliver a streamlined service.
To support this, the teams’ business processes will
be re-designed.
Developing an approach
to Scenario A
The approach to merging two business functions might have the
following objectives/headings:
§
Develop
a project plan for implementing the new function.
§
Define the scope of the merged functions.
§
Define
roles and responsibilities within the new function.
§
Re-design
processes to support a single func-tion.
§
Agree
re-designed processes with stake-holders.
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§
Design
training programme.
§
Write
new policies and guidelines.
Supporting each of the above headings you would have a
detailed explanation of how you will meet each objective,
which areas of the business must be involved, the resources
you might need and an estimate of associated cost (where
applicable).
For example, under the heading or objective “Identify
and document current processes”, an approach should
detail:
§
How
you plan to do this
§
Who
you will consult
§
How
the consultation will take place
§
Whether
you need help to do this
§
Whether
you need a budget for this.
§
What
the end product will be.
§
What
the risks to achieving this are.
§
What
the issues and/or dependencies are.
Conclusion
A
business approach must be clear enough so that it can be
understood at all levels of your business.
It must say clearly what your intentions are with regards
to implementing the related strategy.
If
you begin without a detailed and agreed approach, you will find
the business unprepared for you and unclear about exactly what
you need from them and when. This will affect your objectives
and you will not be able to complete your implementation according to your project
plan.
The June
2005 issue of Commentary contains basic guidelines on
structured project or programme planning and covers Step 3:
Develop your detailed plan.
If you would like more advice or guidance, please e-mail info@amosbutler.com
or telephone 0845 125 9612 to speak to a Senior Business
Analysts.
Disclaimer
The information provided above is not comprehensive and
should, therefore, only be used as a guide.
If you would like more detailed guidance or an initial
talk with one of our analyst, please call +44(0) 7960 588 834 or
e-mail info@amosbutler.com.
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