5 Ways to Improve the Implementation of Any Corporate Initiative
November 26 2019 - Every growing company should try to use planned initiatives in order to address shortcomings and capitalize
on available opportunities strategically. However, coming up with an idea for an initiative and actually following through with it can be difficult,
especially if this is something you’ve never done before or have very little experience with. Luckily, with a bit of research and due diligence, you
can keep yourself from wasting time on failed attempts and focus instead on the techniques that will usher your company towards the fulfilment of its
short-term goals. With that said, here are 5 ways to improve your chances of generating desirable results in any corporate initiative:
1. Understand the Difference Between an Initiative and a Project
A project and an initiative are often confused for one another because of their similarities, but there are some distinct differences
to consider. This comparison of Initiative vs Project from Kanbanize breaks down exactly what these differences are. An initiative can consist of
multiple projects running concurrently and is generally a more holistic approach than trying to handle all of a company’s problems or goals within a
single linear project.
You create the initiative first (which should be in the form of a bigger, strategic goal for the company), and then you design projects
that eventually lead to the realization of that initiative. Unfortunately, many business owners do the complete opposite – they launch projects which
are often not aligned with what the company aims to achieve at the strategic level. At the end of the day, your projects should be serving your
initiatives as well as be directly linked to them.
2. Hire the Right People and Assemble the Right Teams
If your initiatives aren’t being carried out by the right employees, you’ll be missing out on the full impact that you could be
creating for your company. Start by looking at the strengths of your in-house employees and then consider the option of outsourcing some of the work
to freelancers or even hiring new team members if necessary.
In the end, it’s going to come down to the people who are responsible for executing the plan, not the plan itself. There’s no sense
in spending all that time and effort designing an initiative, only to put it into the hands of people who simply aren’t competent or motivated
enough to follow through with it.
3. Manage Your Efforts in a Software Interface
Many business owners are still caught in the old-fashioned way of keeping a business journal or written schedule, or printing out
schedules and agendas and then hanging them on a whiteboard. You can continue to use those methods if you’d like, but also having everything
centralized and organized inside of a software will help to keep your entire team on the same page at all times.
A project management interface would be the ideal kind of platform to use, but there are many corporate tools that will make your
job as a manager easier. Having a way to view progress, share files, hold conference chats, and monitor employee performance will help to keep your
mind at ease instead of giving you the overwhelming sense that you’re having to keep track of more than you can handle.
4. Hold Daily and Weekly Recap Meetings
Holding routine meetings is the best way to make sure progress is coming along at an acceptable pace. Getting into this practice will
also allow you to make adjustments to alter the responsive and flexible approach that involves all of your key players. This will help you avoid the
common mistake of having “corporate tunnel vision” in which you lock onto a goal that you think is the best course of action without factoring in
other possibilities as they arise. Try to use these meetings as a platform for your employees to discuss what they’ve done through the delivery of
reports and presentations.
5. Collect Feedback from Many Sources
As you proceed with the initiative and make changes in the way your company operates, try to collect feedback from your employees,
customers, clients, partners, investors, associates, consultants, and anyone else who might be able to give you some constructive criticism or
guidance. You can even conduct public marketing surveys to get a feel for what a market thinks about your initiative idea before you even launch it.
Collecting pre-emptive feedback through surveys also helps you establish proof of concept. Generally, the more feedback you collect, the more
suggestions and angles you’ll have to work with as you participate in your team brainstorming sessions.
Set Goals Optimistically but Prepare Pessimistically
In closing, it’s important to remember that aiming for the best but preparing for the worst is always the best strategy when it
comes to mitigating risk and maximizing productivity. Develop initiatives that will have your team pushing towards their maximum possible daily
output and you’ll be more satisfied with the results even if they fall short. At the same time, have measures in place to serve as contingency
plans in the event that your initiatives don’t play out as panned.
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