As business leaders, we seek to enhance the performance of our bottom line by elevating teams and technology. The dreamy outcome is that they are doing the right things and doing the right things well (we call this effectiveness and efficiency).
Ouchies.
If you are reading this, I know you are one of many leaders haunted by issues within your operations. You need help with client acquisition, service differentiation, process optimization, and sustainable scaling. These issues can feel elusive and highly symptomatic. Yet, their root cause in the business ecosystem remains invisible. Like a mischievous force moving your wallet around so that by morning, you are running around (while running behind the rest) feeling frustrated despite your persistence in solving this problem.
Goals.
If you’re reading this, I also know that you are curious about improving systems, developing happier teams, satisfying your clients so that they stay and tell the world about your business while achieving and maintaining process clarity, and ultimately solving the ever-increasing issue of “work about work” – a lot of meetings and emails, yet not much doing and solving. All of these leave us feeling stuck working IN the business, rather than ON the business – barely keeping afloat like Captain Ahab about to be swallowed by the ever-metaphorical Moby Dick. But in this case, this is business, and it is swim or… watch your market share get swallowed up by the competition.
What’s next?
You are not stuck or doomed. You need to ask for help from the right people who can give you clarity, control, and an actionable plan designed to realize value and deliver success.
Here is the business case.
We’ve talked about the ouchies and goals; now let’s get into the how, how much time, who, and how much money, the process, and the reason you will say yes: the outcomes.
How?
These issues are effectively solved by addressing operations visibility (with a whole new tool kit) and planning & prioritizing your strategic project portfolio (in a way no PM has ever done for you before).
How much?
It depends on whether you have more issues than Vogue – however – it won’t be close to a hefty four price. Projects like these typically range in price and depend on the size and complexity of your business. A Big Four consultant would charge you hundreds of thousands for less effort. The price is modest; the value saves businesses millions from waste and risk.
Who can help?
The work is done by a fractional consultant who holds their DAVSC and can talk to people – a unicorn. They consult at the C-suite level as a supporting player in driving operational success with client value at the core of their efforts – this value umbrella includes you/your business, and your clients. Many consultants do not have a process nailed down; they are an operational feather in the wind, promising 3 months to success based purely on “getting to know your unique business issues” without a tactical strategy to address your unique business issues – so get to know their process before saying “yes.” Make sure it is a fit.
How much time?
Again, how much like Vogue are you? Getting to the final goal of operations clarity and a strategically prioritized list of transformative projects takes 4 months. The project delivery depends on the change and your priority. Project delivery planning and budgeting are added benefits that save time and effort. Transformation projects can only be included in the pre-transformation price if you have a crystal ball – then I am game.
The Process:
When we leverage current state mapping to “look under the hood” and run some diagnostics, we, the very experts on our businesses, learn something new.
When we examine the diagnostics and decide what must stay and what must go – we inform our strategic vision and lay the foundation for a renewed strategy.
When we translate these learnings into a desired state map, we inform our portfolio objectives for change, from which businesses can actually realize the value. It’s not just another million-dollar business case that needs to deliver real impact – because it met the iron triangle requirements of a project but never delivered real value that drove client acquisition or productivity.
With the desired state in hand, we can create a strategically aligned portfolio for the projects needed to achieve your goals and solve your business’s most pertinent operational challenges related to client acquisition, service differentiation, process optimization, and sustainable scaling. Giving you improved systems, happier teams, raving fans that stay and tell the world about your business, and jobs designed to deliver value daily, ultimately solving the issue of “work about work.” It is crucial to give yourself a leg up, prioritize those strategic business transformation projects, and plan the play so that these efforts have a highly relevant, meaningful, and valuable impact on your organization.
The Outcomes
You will be positioned to work on the business, rather than in the industry, with the right people in the right roles who know how their efforts align with the strategic goals.
Your people will have more fulfilling, purpose-driven careers, and their days will be more productive if you eliminate “Work about work” and replace redundancy with value-focused efforts.
Your clients will become raving fans – because your processes will be clear and compelling, and that value delivery engine will run smoothly without the bottlenecks.
Your processes will follow the value chain and not the hierarchy. They lead to better-served clients and customers, rooted in teams built with purpose and high customer centricity.
Your business will gain agility, making sustainable scaling and service differentiation accessible and actionable.
Who knew that client acquisition, service differentiation, process optimization, and sustainable scaling could be effectively addressed through business process mapping, value chain analyses, and strategic portfolio management?
