DL Structure Benchmarks

STRUCTURE - BENCHMARKS

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Structure - Benchmarks Structure, is the quantitative characteristics of the organisation.

Its focus is on four different areas: 1. The categories we can impact and influence 2. The infrastructure we can access 3. The strategies we could and should be applying 4. The benchmarks for all actions

Whilst this is a little simplistic, it’s a great starting point for this discussion.

The structure is the content we can impact.

It’s the things we have access to. The infrastructure.

IT INCLUDES (AND IS NOT LIMITED TO):  The divisions of the business  The departments within a business  The infrastructure  The physical environment  The equipment  The systems  The operations manuals  The checklists  The templates  The procedures  The policies  The plans  The best practices  The benchmarks we are striving to achieve  The Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s)

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The Four Categories The categories we can impact and influence 

The divisions of the business

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The departments within a business

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The areas of impact within a department

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The areas of impact within an operations manual

The infrastructure we can access 

The infrastructure

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The physical environment

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The equipment

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The systems

The strategies we could and should be applying 

The operations manuals



The checklists



The templates



The procedures



The policies



The plans

The benchmarks for all actions

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The best practices

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The benchmarks we are striving to achieve

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The Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s)

Benchmarks The benchmarks for all actions  The best practices  The benchmarks we are striving to achieve  The Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) Benchmarks are one of my passions and obsessions.

If we don’t know what we’re aiming to achieve, how do we know when we’ve achieved it?

Benchmarking needs to be standard practice, and transparent, so everyone knows how they’re tracking with what they do.

It’s not enough that something was done. It’s was it done in a way that caused the achievement of the desired outcome?

Communication is Always a Benchmark Importantly, was it achieved in such a way that it was communicated to whom it impacts, so they know, and can respond and do what they need to do with this information and outcome?

So often, one task has an impact and a flow on effect to another person, and to another task. Or someone is simply waiting to know if it was done so they can do their piece of it.

Communication of the completion should be a standard benchmark, because so often the simple courtesy of telling someone it’s there for them is enough for them to feel acknowledged and important.

Not doing this simple courtesy is why people feel disconnected and excluded from a company vision. We can talk vision, but if we don’t communicate the things that impact directly on individuals, we’ve failed in the vision.

The last step of any strategy should include communication to whom it impacts, as a major benchmark.

At TCI, we say the only value is perceived value. If it’s not communicated, we don’t consider it done at all.

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Maintenance is Always a Benchmark Maintenance of what needs to be repeatedly done is a vital benchmark. The simple act of it being done without having to be asked is the standard. The moment you have follow up on something it’s no longer a system-issue, it’s a people issue.

The goal is that the strategy is so well documented, trained, communicated, benchmarked and measurable that the person who has to do it, can succeed with no excuses.

If they still don’t do it, the questions to ask are. (1) are you able to do it? (2) is this you not wanting to do it?

I’s establishing if it’s a competence issue or a bad-attitude issue. If it’s competence, we retrain or figure out if they’re better suited somewhere else.

If it’s a bad-attitude issue, feedback is given and they either begin to perform or they are managed out of the business.

Completion is Always a Benchmark One of things I’ve noticed is that many people are great at getting started on something, but not so great at maintaining and completing something.

Starting something is fun, because it’s new.

Completing something takes a lot more effort. Especially when it has to be done again and again.

Most of business success should come from boring repetition. If success comes in spurts from unexpected places, it’s too stressful and too unpredictable.

Better to have predictable profits, any day.

So put systems in place that are benchmarked on completion, so you know that as much of the business is possible is documented.

Excellence is Always a Benchmark There is always a reason to not deliver at a level of excellence. We are busy. We have lots to think about. We have other priorities.

Excellence is not a lucky coincidence, it’s a discipline.

This links back to the culture – the environment.

If we have a culture that values getting by, getting it done and getting out of here, we’re not going to achieve excellence and benchmarking it is going to be an exercise in futility.

We must focus on how our environment is shaping what happens in our structure.

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Excellence cannot be compromised. It’s a consistent hum of expectation. (Again, in environment, we talk about standards and expectations of ourselves and others.)

The benchmark is never to ‘get it done’. That won’t build a high performing culture. It’s to get it done in a way that links to our higher purpose.

Nothing can ever be a box ticking exercise.

Processes have to be done, and not everything is worthy of a parade. I get it. But there’s a difference between ‘going through the motions’ and bringing home a process so it achieves an outstanding outcome.

Repeated moments of ‘going through the motions’ make for a dull work environment.

Doing things with care, and attention, and by thinking it through, makes the culture stay innovative and filled with energy.

Thinking is Always a Benchmark You can’t measure thinking. I wish we could.

You can notice, however, if someone is going through the motions, versus thinking about what they’re doing and improving it as they go.

You can notice that someone has improved an operations manual.

You can notice when someone notices a mistake and rectifies it.

You can acknowledge when someone sees something is missing in an operations manual and adds it in.

We constantly look for thinkers to bring into our teams.

Most people don’t even know that they don’t think. They think getting it done is the point.

They don’t even know how to look at a document to determine if something is missing.

They don’t know how to improve on a status quo.

Our education system is excellent at producing people who aim to get it right, and don’t know how to challenge what they’ve been told to do.

I spend a lot of my days getting people to unlearn old habits like that.

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HERE’S AN EXAMPLE OF HOW A PROCESS MAY BE PUT TOGETHER:

CATEGORY

DESIRED OUTCOME

SUMMARY DOCUMENT OF PURPOSE OF THE OPERATION

STEP INVOLVED

DESIRED OUTCOME FOR THAT STEP (EVIDENCE BASED AND MEASURABLE)

STEP INVOLVED

DESIRED OUTCOME FOR THAT STEP (EVIDENCE BASED AND MEASURABLE)

STEP INVOLVED

DESIRED OUTCOME FOR THAT STEP (EVIDENCE BASED AND MEASURABLE)

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Each step has a benchmark next to it that is evidence based and measurable.

You may have someone complete a form as they complete each step, or enter something into an online system.

Ideally, you would have a summary document showing the success of these processes over time. I am looking for trends. Improvements. Stagnation. Setbacks.

I’s asking myself what is causing the fluctuations and do I need to do something or say something, or let it run its course.

As a leader, I’m looking for data to tell me how things are progressing. If I can receive a summary of progress, I can make decisions faster than if I have to look at all the steps and all the benchmarks for each step.

Whenever someone does something, I’m checking in on the achievement of the above benchmarks.

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