Complexity and uncertainty exists to some extent in most organisations. We often find small businesses have similar levels of complexity to that of much larger organisations. Our own business (Realising-Potential) is a prime example.
Most organisations face varying levels of uncertainty in some shape or form be it sales, funding, or market development. In addition, the current global economic uncertainty impacts most businesses.
To help manage complexity and uncertainty a business needs to identify and understand its key drivers. Management teams should use the understanding of these drivers to develop and manage strategic objectives and outcomes.
Do you know what the key drivers are for your organisation?
Drivers can vary depending on industry and organisational structures. Here are some you may want to consider:
- Political.
- Market.
- Location/Geography.
- Strategy.
- Compliance.
- Risk.
- Finance and Funding.
- Production.
- Partners and Alliances.
Applications such as Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Business Intelligence (BI) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) are often implemented with a view to providing information on selected drivers. If these applications are not integrated and the operational processes and resource allocation optimised, the results will be at best disappointing and at worst, time consuming and expensive. This lack of integration and optimisation often leads to silo based information that adds little or no value to the organisation and results in most instances in a poor return on investment.
How well do your systems and processes rate? This is the time to determine how you obtain information on your key drivers.
