Welcome To Business Transformation Accelerator

Strange though it may seem, in 100% of cases when organisations embark on dealing with a complex problem they NEVER get it right first time. So we spend time making sure you know what the problems really are, their causes and who owns them.

Experience shows that time spent in this stage is never wasted. Yet you may already be under pressure to move forwards. So this module looks closely at what is going on and helps you to trust the process you will be going through. No matter what excuses people give, their situation isn’t *special* and these things apply universally.

You will:

• Have clarity of the vision on why you are embarking on this transformation – have a vision of what the future holds
• Know what it means to have the right key people in place
• Know to trust the process you are going to be using – it DOES work for everyone, you are no different

This is an introduction to a well-tested method of managing your way through problem-solving. Every business change has its foundation in trying to solve a problem of some sort and therefore knowing how to control progress through the stages is crucial.

In this module you will get hands-on with Problem Exploration techniques and how to refine exactly what it is you are dealing with. That can also help to break down highly complex and very large problems into components that you can then tackle.

You will:

• Understand how to break down complex problems
• Be able to plan the process you need to go through to do this
• Have experienced some useful techniques to get things out in the open
• Truly know what the root of the problem is, its causes and what impacts it is having
• Have a really good definition of the Problem / Group of connected problems that you are going to tackle

One of the principal reasons why people don’t do what is right is a lack of challenge. Just because someone at the top says something doesn’t mean they are right. So remember, when it comes to dealing with business change it can be dangerous to assume they are. This module looks at how you can become open to challenge and encourage your people to challenge the givens.

Our experience shows that it is only when this occurs regularly that organisations truly start to move forward. The alternative is to remain stuck doing the same old things over and over. Instead we show how to learn from mistakes and encourage the use of mentors.

You will:

• Learn how to trust your people
• Let go of the reins a bit
• Know how to accept mistakes and learn from them
• Know how to use a mentor

It is important to make sure that the teams tackling your change projects are effective and contain a good mix of styles and attributes. This module therefore looks at ways of understanding those same people and how to get the best out of a diverse team. It will help people to understand themselves better and know how best they can contribute.

In addition it also looks at the communication factors that need to be considered – in particular how to share a common vision of where things are going.

You will:

• Have good understanding of why diverse teams work better
• Know how you and your team can gain insights into personal styles that will help everyone work together better
• Understand the key factors of communications that will make things flow smoothly

Many people find the notion of creativity when dealing with business problems a bit strange. However this module explains why it is important to be creative and why that generally leads to much better solutions. It will take you through a series of techniques you can use and show where you can find even more.

Importantly this will be tied into the Design Phase of the cycle and will take you through how to use techniques that are appropriate to your situation. So as you go through you can start applying them to the challenge you are dealing with.

You will:

• Know why “crazy” ideas lead to much better solutions
• Become familiar with a range of creativity techniques to devise solutions
• Know how to make sure they are appropriate for the circumstances, number of people, scale of problem
• Have a clear understanding of the facilitator role
• Understand the Solution Design phase of CPS
• Know when/how to validate ideas
• Have a grounding in Wynectics and why it is such a powerful suite of techniques to develop ideas

The module tackles how to bring quality to the fore even when other constraints are bearing down on what you can actually do. Surprisingly few organisations or even accredited project managers actually plan for certainty. Instead they plan from the certainty of today into an increasingly uncertain future. In contrast, this will show you how to plan “from right to left” with the starting point being the very clearly-defined destination you want to arrive at.

You will go through how to use very simple techniques to build a visual plan that is instantly understandable by everyone. Then we’ll show you the steps to go through and the tools you can use that don’t require huge expertise to deliver the plan.

You will:

• Fully grasp the need to plan Right to Left
• Understand how to plan first for quality THEN deal with time / resource constraints
• Understand good ways to get dependencies in regular review. This will have your people on their toes and making sure they have got this covered
• Know how to estimate accurately using the Monte Carlo Box method
• Understand the 3 levels of confidence that will affect contingency
• Use appropriate tools to document the planning process
• Have a visual of your Plan

Keeping control of what is actually going on is crucial. You need to stop other agendas taking over your resources or bringing in other things that were not part of the designed solution. To do this we take you through a variety of processes that show how you can control your investment in the change that is underway.

It will cover decision points, resource allocation and taking back unused contingency. As a result you should not end up with scope creep.

You will:

• Know how to use governance to prevent “extras” creeping in all over
• Have an outline of how you authorise each stage of execution / implementation for your desired transformation
• Understand how to manage resource allocation / contingency at each stage
• Be able to “run the timetable”

How to use a 3-step approach to every stage of your programme. Check that you are actually on track and use that information to stay in control.

Also how to deal with risk that emerges from the creative design process and what that means for your overall project. This includes the importance of checking back to the Problem and your designed Solution.

Working through this module you will be able to answer the questions. Who should be responsible? Who accountable? Who needs to be consulted and who needs to be informed?

You will:

• Know how to keep everything on track by using a 3-step approach to EVERY stage
• Know how to check that you are actually on-track without having to wait until the end
• Know how to use Recognition Events to manage the process
• Know how to categorise and have a clear distinction between RISK and ISSUE
• Keep the aims visible to all

Generally this is an area where large organisations fail dismally. So in this part you will go through the steps to make sure that any third parties you involve in your transformation project actually deliver what you need. You will work out what their dependencies are and be able to set clear outcomes and measures that will govern how and when you pay them.

You will:

• Understand the reasons why offshoring / outsourcing cause problems
• Make conscious decisions about using Third Parties
• Know how to frame what they are accountable for and how that ties in to your overall Vision / Plan
• Pay for outcomes not time
• Know how to monitor third party activity

Alongside much of what you do there needs to be measurement. How else are you going to know if you have got what you expected? So this section introduces the concept of Recognition Events, what they are and how to define them.

It will also give you tools to involve other areas of your business like finance or sales and give visibility to what you are doing.

You will:

• Know how to measure indirectly if you are on track
• Be able to put metrics on Recognition Events and let appropriate people like the Accounts Department or Sales Team know what to look out for
• Know WHEN you expect the first signs of progress to appear

The final section of the programme deals with reviewing where you have got to and how you can now move forward.  By this stage you should have a good grasp of the things needed to complete your business transformation successfully.

Once you have finished you will be invited to join our exclusive Transformation Network.