Smooth operations depend on having the right people in the right roles, with clear expectations and the right processes, tools, and information to do their job. Our consulting engagements normally start out with an assessment of all of these elements of a company’s operations because operational issues often relate to multiple elements. Here’s an example.
A recent project had a narrow scope that involved selecting and implementing a new project management system for a rapidly growing consulting company. In our brief initial assessment, the client and I agreed that their staff’s processes were generally well-designed, so our focus would be on the system to manage information flow and analysis. The goal was to increase the number of client projects that the staff could handle by using a system to support their work.
As I mapped out the ways that a new system could improve information collection and sharing among the consulting team and management staff, the information fell into several categories:
- Project management information, such as budget, consultant availability, and project timelines
- Quality control information, such as the assigned quality reviewer and timeframe
- Client account management information, such as client satisfaction and scope issues
However, once this information was collected, it wasn’t 100% clear whose job it was to handle the related work of project management, quality control, and client accounts. That’s a role issue, not a systems issue.
As often happens, one person had ended up managing all of this work. That person had become the “go-to” person for any issue involving any project. This is a common situation in rapidly growing companies, because when the company is smaller, it’s practical for one person to serve as the “catch-all” manager. However, as a company grows, it makes more sense to clarify roles and distribute responsibilities to allow each person to focus on specific areas and execute well in those areas.
Having a “catch-all” person is a temporary solution that works while there aren’t many simultaneous issues and one person can manage them. However, in the long run, it’s more effective to have each staff member focus on their strengths, rather than juggling a million unrelated issues – no matter how well they juggle. During the transition period, it’s important to recognize and acknowledge the great work that the catch-all person has done, and help them work through the major adjustment of delegating some of their responsibilities to others and focusing in one area instead of covering all areas. Although it’s a big adjustment, operations will start flowing much more smoothly once everyone gets used to their new roles, enabling further growth.
In this particular project, our work on defining the ways that a new system would be used led us to identify the issue of clarifying roles and distributing responsibilities appropriately. And as the company explores how to split up the responsibilities, they’ll need some good processes for ensuring the various staff collaborate effectively on these closely related responsibilities. Even when you’re working on improvements in one area of operations, it’s valuable to keep an eye out for ways in which people, processes, and systems will all work together for smooth overall operations.
