Monday, July 8, 2013

Building a case for change- why change systems


Decisions are made every day in our lives sometimes others make decisions for us and other times we make our own decisions.
The need to make a change is not always clear and in many cases the old adage of making a change for change sake appears to be the main instigator, the question is why.

Perhaps it's a human trait we all have, wanting to be stimulated by something new, something different, keeping things fresh and whilst this may apply in our personal lives should this also apply in business?

 What?, applying personal choice and opinion in business, surely not after all decision making in business is a based on black and white principles, either we need it or we don't, right?

 
Let us not be fooled into thinking that decisions in business are robotic and unemotional, they are not!

 If anything people make decisions in business everyday with passion, self-interest and with a determination to make their vision and goals a reality.

 Decisions made in business are no different than decisions we make in our personal lives with one main difference, typically the stakes are higher and can involve people who rely on the outcomes to the decisions we make, which leads to a very important point.

 

 


 






 
Who should I involve in the decision making process?
 
Making a decision on changing your business software typically stems from an obvious need and is usually conveyed by someone in your business who is dealing with an ongoing set of business needs, perhaps processes which they must undertake and which the current system cannot cater for.


 

 
Think about this, if one person in your business comes to you with what is a clear issue, how many more people in your business might also be facing the same daily frustration.

This brings us back to the earlier statement, decisions in business are made on a personal level, not on the basic principles of black or white, the yes or no.

So who do we involve?

Everyone in our business, after all we are building a case here and without canvassing those that the decision will impact is tantamount to making a case without substance and that can't be good in business or in a personal sense.

 

Let’s Build the Case
 
So let’s build a case, here are some basic tools and guides that can assist in building your case for change

 
1.      Ask the question- Prepare a set of basic questions, in a survey format, which will be provided to your staff, this should be presented to staff on a suggested quarterly basis and should deal with general questions on areas where they feel the execution of processes undertaken in their job is either not being supported or in fact being hampered by the current system


 2.  Conduct a review of submitted surveys- An executive team of senior staff will be involved in evaluating the various responses, with the outcome of the review to provide a rating to each of the responses.
 
3. Assessment mark- Now that all surveys have been assessed and rated, an overall mark can be ascertained, this will form the basis for escalation

 
4. Escalation plan- On the basis of the overall rating, if the mark dictates escalation, a committee will need to be formed, this will be a cross section of staff who will be charged with the responsibility to undertake the following:-

 

·        Frame the terms of reference for the engagement of a software vendor

·        Seek expressions of interest

·        Execute requirements plan

·        Follow plan to conclusion

 

5- Final outcome (Decision to proceed)

At this stage all that could be taken into account has been, the making of the case for change has been either made or not and therefore acted upon or not.




 
Return on Effort

Let’s recap on what we have undertaken and achieved through adopting the activities and processes involved in building a case for change.

 After all, everyone wants a return on effort, the justification for making the decision and ultimately reaping the rewards for a well-considered and executed plan.
 
Inclusiveness- By involving employees in the process of review and decision making, provides individuals with a sense of inclusion in the decision making process, a feeling of respect and worth to the business.

 








Understanding what we do- We all undertake multiple processes and activities every day, many of which are either handed down from one person to another without so much as a consideration, the outcome from building a case is a high level understanding of what tasks are undertaken and why.





This in itself may raise more questions than anticipated, in many cases it has provided a real and tangible justification for the change.

 
    
                

“I knew it seemed to take me a long time, however I didn’t realise I was actually having to undertake so many steps to get this job done”

 
Provides a solid grounding- The analysis gained through building the case can be used in many ways, regardless of the decision and as to whether a decision to seek a new system has been executed.
The intelligence on processes, where issues have been identified or where the operating procedures are not effective will be documented, allow the business to address and rectify inefficient practices.