How things have changed in the last 8 weeks. Many organisations have mothballed their projects due to the impact of Covid-19 on sales, staff and long-term business strategy. As businesses move from initial crisis management mode towards forward thinking and new approached now is the time to use this as a catalyst for rapid change.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” Albert Einstein
As travel restrictions are lifting across Europe and business is slowly picking up, it is time to review and reprioritise what must be done. This is the list of the top projects our clients across sectors are prioritising.
9 in fact – the magic number!
- Remote Working or WFA (Work from Anywhere). Yes – by now all organisations have remote working implemented, but this is not always liked, embraced and effective. Remote working will continue for the long-term. You need the right tech, guidance what to use and when and how to maintain engagement and motivation. Don’t forget workstations (chairs, monitor, kit, etc) and training in HSE, tools, skills and leadership for a semi-remote workforce.
- Ecommerce. A no brainer. This channel will continue to grow and with a fickle customer base the end-to-end transaction must be seamless. Think sales, service and returns. A fully flexible and scalable supply chain is key and projects are focussing on upgrading and fixing where needed.
- RTO. Return to Office. This is a complex programme in its own right and needs to cover detailed planning and governance. New ways of working, technology, health and safety measures, people, comms and change. It has it all, go live date TBD!
- Booking Systems. With social distancing likely to continue for the foreseeable future, office capacity will be restricted. Many organisations are extending their room booking and facilities solutions to allow staff to book desks, parking and bikes spaces in advance.
- PPPM. Project Programme Portfolio Management is the formal term. There is a real drive to standardise the ways projects are run and provide greater transparency and visibility across wider programmes and portfolios to ensure value from delivery. Having it all in one place makes sense. Implementing a PPPM tool is relatively straight forward and doesn’t need to cost a lot – a few of the tools are actually free or part of existing software packages that are often not fully exploited so implementation may be rapid.
- CRM. There are many Customer Relationship Management tools already in use and supporting the traditional ways of selling. The truth now is that the model of sales reps travelling across the country is likely to change for the good. New ways of working, technologies, tools and skills will be required to develop new business and sell. Sales is the lifeblood of business and therefore new CRM is a key priority project for most.
- Communication Platform. An absolute must in current climate and to be frank any climate. This covers internal communications so teams and individuals know what is going, but also external comms to customers, suppliers and partners to ensure businesses can deliver. Many organisations are investing in a single comms platform so it is all in one place, transparent and consistent. There are a lot of ‘add-ons’ available to existing tech, so take a look at your existing applications first before investing in something brand new.
- Digital Signatures. Simple, secure, cost effective and with many tools out there at reasonable price, there is no reason to put this off and extend the use of digital technology and apply to existing processes.
- Data and Management Information. To make the right decisions in such a rapidly changing landscape, leaders will need to have the right information to hand. Accurate, real-time and with the ability to drill down into the detail to understand the actual picture. Many organisations are now looking to improve their MI. Half the battle is identifying what information leaders need to inform decision making, the other half is then building the reports. Power BI seems to be a popular choice of tool, but there are many other cost-effective tools out there that can combine data from different sources.
If you want a chat about any upcoming projects, we would be delighted to share our insight and expertise. Please contact info@ninefeettall.com and we will set up a free consultation with a member of our team.
