Problem solving is a key tool in business improvement. There are many different ‘problem solving’ frameworks which are all pretty much based on total quality management and the ‘Plan Do Check Act’ model. Six Sigma has given us DMAIC – Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control. Here is a simple guide for undertaking problem solving.

Define the problem

This step identifies the customer and the boundaries of problem: Gather together representatives of those who are involved in the process or problem to be fixed. Think of asking the why, when, what, where and how questions at this stage. It is necessary to be clear about what the problem is you want to work on since there may be more than one opportunity for improvement.

• Create a problem statement capturing what the problem is along with its impact on the customer and the business.
• Map out the process involved to understand the scope of the problem and who it impacts

Measure the problem

The next step is to determine the extent of the current situation by collecting data and measuring performance. Gather information on the potential causes of what is going wrong.
• Collect available data on the current process, for example, how often things go wrong, when things go wrong, when things don’t go wrong.
• This will help establish the current performance level of the process and the size of the issue

Analyse the problem

This step is about getting to grips with what the data is telling us; it helps determine the factors causing or influencing the problem. If you imagine, processes should be repeatable – doing the same things to get the same outcome each time with no errors.

The Pareto principle states that 80% of problems are caused by 20% of the issues. It is also known as the 80/20 rule. When you are analysing the problem, look for the few things that make the biggest impact – and aim to fix those first.

Improve by implementing solution(s)

The next step is to eliminate the errors by developing solutions which directly address the key issue. The solution(s) will, of course, have to make sense in terms of the benefits gained against the time, cost and effort of implementing them, so create a list of possible solutions – and work through these to find the one that is best fit to fix the problem. Once the proposed solution has been agreed by all the parties involved, develop an action plan and keep track of your improvement efforts.

Control, monitor and review results

This step is about monitoring to see if the solution has worked and if the problem has been eliminated or reduced sufficiently. It’s also important to check that there haven’t been any unforeseen consequences to ensure the best possible future performance and to prevent any tendency to revert to the previous way of doing things. So let’s consider Step 1 again… Define the problem.

Flexible Working Online Survey – Results Out Now!

We recently ran an online survey on flexible working.  The response rate was 42% with many respondents attaching supporting comments. Thank you very much to those who took part. The results have now been published.

Below is an extract of the results:

While everyone who responded has some form of flexible working in place, just about 75% of those who responded are in the process of exploring ways to introduce more flexible ways of working.

Unsurprisingly the main driver is cost reduction however this is matched directly by a desire to improve employee engagement.  It is reassuring that in times of tough markets and tightened spending the inherent worth of an engaged workforce – a mainly intangible and difficult to measure value – is not being overlooked.  Business continuity came fourth as a driver, over team collaboration, meeting carbon reduction targets and knowledge retention.

The most common barrier to moving forward with a mobile, flexible working strategy appears to be getting to grips with what ‘flexible working’ actually means, with 55% of respondents citing this as the main obstacle.

“Culture and skill’ and ‘technology infrastructure’ were measured at 50% and 30% respectively, which, combined with the  results on the technology enablers provided today, would suggest that culture is a far greater barrier than technology in the businesses represented in the survey.

To receive a copy of the full report click here to contact us

Interesting article from McKinsey

Interesting article – thought I would share it on the role of the CEO in successful business transformation.

“The CEO helps a transformation succeed by communicating its significance, modeling the desired changes, building a strong top team, and getting personally involved.”

McKinsey article

Website Relauch 3.0!

Today, 5th August, at approximately 10pm BST, the latest iteration of our new website went live.

Whats New? Mostly backend improvements – including a complete code-rewrite to improve browser support, speed and efficiency. Plus a few aesthetic changes too!

Please take a look: C-Change UK – See Change Happen!

You must be the change that you want to see in the world – Gandhi

Webmaster

Social Media as “Early Warning Radar” – Using Linkedin to uncover new sales opportunities

A couple of months or so ago, Linkedin launched, with very little fanfare, the “Follow Company” feature. This development is absolutely key. It puts the power of social networking into the hands of a B2B sales exec and brings instant benefits, without changing anything else that you do. And the beauty of it is, once it’s set up, the ongoing benefit in new business development comes with very little additional workload.

Why is this important?

We’ve all experienced those (sadly rare) sales where we happened to be in the right place, at the right time, with the right solution. The dream sale – no competitors, no pricing negotiations, no long, drawn out decisions by committee, and your boss singing your praises to anyone who’s listening.

In our experience of working with some of the most talented sales teams in the business, the best performing sales people somehow manage to capture more of these than anyone else. So how do they do it?

We believe that this kind of sale has a single, common characteristic. A change impacts the prospect’s business, something upsets what was, until this point, the status quo. This could be a change in the market, a change in company plan, a change in personnel or a challenge with a strategic client / supplier, but something propels a particular problem towards the top of senior management’s agenda. The best sales execs have an industry network that gives them visibility of more of these events.

How to use “Follow Company”

LinkedIn’s new “Follow Company” feature helps the canny sales person spot these events as they happen. Once you’re watching a company, Linkedin will tell you:
• When an employee leaves for another employer and updates their profile
• When a new employee updates their profile on joining
• When an employee changes their “headline” (eg promotion, special projects)
• When the company posts a new job advert on Linkedin
• Which other Linkedin Users follow that company
• Which employees in that company are popular results when Linkedin users search
• Which other companies have the most Linkedin connections with the business

By following your key prospects, their customers and their suppliers, as well as your competitors and their relationships with your prospects, you can build a more comprehensive picture of the market landscape. And once you’ve set it up, you’ll receive a daily digest of the changes in this landscape

Few of these emails will contain much information of value, especially when your prospects are large corporates. But every now and again, you’ll see a change that triggers your curiosity, triggers that phone call or e-mail, and you’ll be in front on a new or updated sales opportunity. At the very least, demonstrating you’re “in touch” with what’s important in your contact’s environment brings additional value to your relationship-building strategies.

Forthcoming blogs

We’re planning another blog post soon on how you can bring Twitter into your “Early Warning Radar” system, which will bring you a regular feed of “stuff that’s captured your prospect’s attention”.  Please let us know if you have any comments or suggestions.

Further reading & acknowledgements:

Linkedin have a dedicated “How to use Follow Company” page, have a look here

So far, most of the excitement about this has been in the job hunting market.
But then, given Linkedin’s business model, perhaps it’s unsurprising.  Many thanks to Mark Williams (otherwise known as Mr Linkedin).  Seeing him speak back in June was what originally sparked off my thoughts on this subject.

If you have any comments / suggestions, please visit our web site or mail us on info at c-changeuk dot com

Making Flexible Team Working Work…

Great teams don’t just happen; they are the result of hard work, trust and a common agreement to a single team purpose. Within the team every individual really has to decide that they will be active members of the team to achieve the purpose and goals the business expects.

Working flexibly puts more pressure on the team’s ability to perform but with effort and focus – the investment will pay off. To be really successful the individuals in teams should agree how they will operate and how everyone will contribute to the overall team success. To do this well the team, even if you are a virtual team, needs to invest planning time to talk about and to understand each other’s skills, experience and capabilities.

The team should work together to agree the goals and a set of team rules underpinned by how often the team wants to and needs to meet up. Everyone needs to accept responsibility for the team objectives and accountability for achieving them.

But most importantly the team needs to have some fun together – taking the time to celebrate successes. Individuals should take the time to recognise each other’s achievements and be ready and willing to rally round when times are difficult.

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Just started working flexibly? Ten ideas on how to make it successful

1. Time management:  working flexibly needs a bit more planning.   Think of the tools that can help you make the most of your time.

2.  Keep in touch with your team; avoid becoming isolated -  share calendars and agree in advance how you will all keep in touch and provide each other support.

 3.  New team member?  Make sure someone is around to welcome them and show them the ropes.  Perhaps have a buddy system and plan their induction beforehand.

4.  Take the opportunity to talk to people you wouldn’t normally meet.   Learn a bit more about the business and improve your network at the same time!!!

5.  Have you considered where you work and your well being?  Make sure that when you’re in or out of the office you comply with health and safety guidance.

6.  Look after the tools – keep your laptop safe, never leave it in the back of the car where it may prove to be too much of a temptation.  Consider if you need to use encryption software. 

7.  Avoid paper.  Rather than lugging around huge documents – use a memory stick

8.  When in the office if you work at a shared workstation, make sure you tidy up when you are finished so that someone else can easily use the space after you have gone.

9.  Respect others.  Noise can distract and upset your colleagues.   So if you are collaborating on a great new project or taking a phone call, be considerate of the impact you are having on those around you.

10.  If you need help – ask for it!  Talk to your boss and the rest of your team.  If working flexibly is not as easy as you thought it would be chances are you are not alone.  To work out why, use the rest of your team to help you find the solution.

Business Improvement – Change Happens

It may be helpful to think about change in terms of time, impact on the business, resources and budget.  Here is a simple diagram that may clarify scale and scope.

Click Image to enlarge

Strategic change – developed as an integral part of a business plan that fundamentally changes the way a business does what it does.  It takes time and money to deliver and can include the implementation of a new system or be the result of M&A activity or involve integrating teams; processes, systems and organisation structure.

Cross functional change – is generally quicker and cheaper to address but will typically involve teams across more than one business function, and need the collaboration of more than one Director.

Tactical change – is the bread and butter of change improvement activity to keep businesses sharp and running at optimal performance.   Small projects, with teams pulling together to develop solutions that simply make delivering the product or service to a customer work as well as it can.  It can typically take from a few days up to 6 months.

Benefits of Mobile & Flexible Working

Mobile & Flexible Working when planned and thought through can benefit both the business and employees.    Here the possible benefits are classed into two categories – those for the business and those for the employee.

Benefits the Business Like:

• Reduced property costs.
• Reduced carbon footprint.
• Improved employee engagement and satisfaction.
• Helps business continuity planning.
• Reduced staff turnover and associated benefits

Benefits the Employees Like:

• Commuting time and costs reduced
• Choice of where and when to work
• Better work life balance
• Easier project collaboration
• Makes it possible to have a job and care for a sick or elderly family member.

Commoditisation & the Nature of Selling

Research shows that the way B2B customers buy has been polarising the marketplace into “consultative” customers and “transactional” customers, with very few occupying the middle ground.

It wasn’t that long ago that buyers often relied on a meeting with a sales exec to obtain information on the technical and commercial fit of the solution.  The role of the sales team was communicating value – articulating the USP, the company’s added value, and building trust through personal relationships.

Increased information transparency, global competition and reduced barriers to entry have all changed buyer behaviour.  The 80% of customers that used to buy on added value are leaving the middle ground, to one end of the spectrum or the other, and there are now few left in the middle.

This shift means that there are now two types of customers with distinct needs and behaviours.  Is it possible for one business to successfully engage both?