DRIVES - a blueprint for change
Just think of one of the most common New Year’s resolutions: to get into shape. First a person evaluates their current level of physical fitness in comparison to where they want to be. They most likely look at athletes who are in peak condition for inspiration. They decide what their goal will be and what they can do to achieve it. Whether they join a gym or team, hire a personal trainer, buy a treadmill or simply don running shoes and head out the door, a plan is made and acted upon. Of course results will be expected and if measurable changes are not seen (looser fitting clothing or more muscle tone for example) then the plan will be tweaked or completely redrawn.
While one’s physical fitness is a completely personal thing, a parallel can drawn between it and the “business fitness” of a company. Often we recognize when changes need to be made in the way we do things but can’t quite see a clear path towards accomplishing them. Where do we start? What factors need to considered? How do we go about achieving new strategic goals in the most straightforward way possible? Believe it or not you can employ the same methodology as the above-mentioned new year’s resolutionist. In applying it in a business situation, we use the acronym “D.R.I.V.E.S.” to outline the steps involved in the process:
Discovery time to get all team players on board
Review as-is process (current state analysis)
Identify best practices
Verify optimal to-be state
Evaluate the change
Start the change
Discovery time
Often change is met by resistance so a discovery phase provides an opportunity for you to open the lines of communication with employees to prepare and energize them for the process ahead. Besides being of benefit to employees, it can also assist management as staff may bring attention to other issues that may have been overlooked but that require consideration in your plans. Active participation and collaboration by all team players ensures you gain a whole picture view before starting the process and gets everyone on the same page. Employee buy-in can make or break the success of any venture. Including them from the very beginning however will help mitigate this and smooth the way ahead.
Review as-is process
In order to get to where you want to go you need to know where you are now so you can determine the best route to your goal. This initial planning step involves the analysis of the specific area(s) you’re hoping to improve. If it’s a process that needs to be streamlined, break it down into its individual steps. Drill down further and determine the number of activities and people involved in each step as well as the technologies and tools that are being utilized. Mapping out the process enables you to gain a detailed understanding of the current state in terms of people, processes, technology and time requirements and helps to pinpoint the areas you need to focus on.
Identify Best Practices
Once you’ve determined what you need to overhaul it’s time to discover the methods you can employ to make the necessary changes. Review external companies and industry best practices. What methods consistently deliver superior results and could they work in your organization? By investigating solutions that are utilized elsewhere you open yourself up to new innovations and efficiencies that you may not have considered before because they were simply beyond your organization’s current processes, people and technology. You’ve already committed to change so are perfectly positioned to implement fresh, new ideas.
Verify Optimal to-be state
Based on what you’ve learned by going through the previous steps you can sift through your options and determine which is the best fit for what you want to achieve. Once the decision is made it’s time to work on a project plan that will enable your organization to realize the goal. As you did in the very first step, map everything out taking the time to thoroughly design this new future state. How does your new plan stand up when you apply techniques such as 5S (sort, straighten, sweep, systematic cleaning, standard, sustaining), 5 whys, workflow leveling and waste analysis? By being rigorous throughout this step you will achieve a complete business plan that takes into consideration personnel and process requirements and a savings forecast.
Evaluate the Change
You’re certain that you’ve hit on the optimal strategy and plan but to confirm this an evaluative stage is key. Development of documentation such as checklists, implementation plans and communication strategies for the transition from current state to future state help track progress and measure the results. This evaluation lays the foundation that will form the communication strategy.
Start the Change
It’s time to see your plan roll out and take flight. Ensure that all employees have a clear understanding of the new structure and processes and how implementation will take place. Once you’ve started, continue evaluating your progress as midcourse corrections may be required.
If you’re successful the optimal state you envisioned is now your current as-is state. Hopefully the changes you’ve made will serve you well for a long period of time. As your business continues to grow and evolve however you may find yourself face to face with new challenges that once again require a change in the way you do things. Instead of wondering where to start and how to adapt to this new landscape, reach into your toolkit and apply the DRIVES blueprint to find your solution.
RSVP for Change: So you think you know what you’re doing but have you ever thought of the individual steps that are involved? Consider something as basic as brushing your teeth. Most of us only think about the process from the moment we step up to the sink but what about the steps that came before? We first needed to purchase a toothbrush and toothpaste. And what about afterwards? Was the brushing sufficient to clean our teeth in the short term and how will our dentist view our efforts over the long term? Suddenly something that seemed very basic seems a little more complicated. We often forget that the completion of a single task requires the execution of several different steps and we also need to consider what occurs before and after. While there’s a lot to gained by being able to see the forest for the trees, you also need to know which trees make up the forest.
Management Insight: Viewing the End to End processes in your organization as you would a runner, do you know the level of their fitness? Are you aware of who’s responsible for the most strategic End to Ends? Does everyone understand their role and are the processes working as efficiently and effectively as possible?
Linda Craig (@LindaCraigRSVP)
More Supply Chain insights at www.Retention.ca
