"If you feel like everything is under control, you're not moving fast enough!" Mario Andretti
Often I will hear a CIO tell me that their organization is not moving fast enough. "How do you know," I'll ask him. Organizations commonly want more speed, but do not have the measurements in place to tell how fast they are moving, or better still, how fast they are moving in the right direction. How quickly are they covering the distance from their goal (or milestone)? What are the alternatives that could enable them to move faster, and is that really desirable from an ROI or cost of other programs denied perspective? Putting metrics in place that give indication of progress and rate of progress are a good first step towards moving "fast enough". The incremental step is to have leading indicators or metrics that are proscriptive in that they give indication of corrective alternative actions/decisions that could increase the speed when it falls below the targeted level.
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Mission Directed or Goal Oriented
Mission Directed vs Goal Oriented Organization.
Many organizations are simply mission directed - they know what they are trying to achieve, but not the strategy and intermediate milestones - namely the goals that need to be achieved in moving towards the achievement of the mission. if the strategy and goals aren't clear, it is likely that the organization will progress towards achieving the mission with less-than-optimal efficiency. Units of the organization will use their own priorities and initiative to take actions that may be at odds with actions taken by other units; likewise opportunities for synergy or actions that leverage other unit's activity will be missed.
For greater efficiency as well as effectiveness, organizations should ensure that not only is the mission clear to all, but also that the strategy and goals are clear. A key element in achieving thi result is the Strategic Plan.
Many organizations are simply mission directed - they know what they are trying to achieve, but not the strategy and intermediate milestones - namely the goals that need to be achieved in moving towards the achievement of the mission. if the strategy and goals aren't clear, it is likely that the organization will progress towards achieving the mission with less-than-optimal efficiency. Units of the organization will use their own priorities and initiative to take actions that may be at odds with actions taken by other units; likewise opportunities for synergy or actions that leverage other unit's activity will be missed.
For greater efficiency as well as effectiveness, organizations should ensure that not only is the mission clear to all, but also that the strategy and goals are clear. A key element in achieving thi result is the Strategic Plan.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Metrics and Scorecards Everywhere
Too many metrics; too many scorecards. Which ones are valuable and which ones are time sinks? Are you living in "Excel Hell" or using your kindergarden skills to make cut/paste powerpoint dashboards?
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