Solutions Business Development

At Solutions BD we have tailored tools and processes which allow quick identification and resolution of issues.

The key lies in having systems that are simple to use and in ensuring everyone uses them.

If these processes are properly utilised you and your team will become more productive and your business will run more smoothly.

To really get control follow these simple steps:-

1) List the issues

2) Rank each

3) Identify the options

4) Select the best options

5) Develop the actions

6) Adopt a Control Process

1) List The Issues.
Some times the best way to look at a problem is to consider how things might look if the problem didn’t exist. For example, if the issue was poor sales how would you describe sales if they were good? 10% better than now? Which target markets would contribute the most to the gain?

By taking time to list the issues in this way you are focussing on where we need to be rather than only focussing on where we are now. Clear measurable outcomes give everyone the chance to deal with issues in their context.

For example getting more sales can be a daunting prospect yet when 10% growth is broken down into say 3 new clients per week it becomes a real prospect.

2) Prioritise
Working out which issues should be dealt with first is important if we want to achieve maximum movement forward for the least commitment of resources.

For this reason two questions need to be asked

Out of 10, how easily can each issue be removed (10 being very easy)? If for example the issue requires a lot of cash to resolve and we are not in a position to commit such funds the rating would be low.

Now out of 10, rate how large would the push forward for the business be if the issue was removed.

Think in terms of the company’s competitive advantage. Would resolution make the business more appealing to the client? For example, you might highly rate the implementation of an improved administrative system if the direct knock on effect was improved customer service. If however the issue being resolved makes life a little easier but doesn’t really impact directly on strengthening the business it would rate lower on the scale.

Issues Matrix

By plotting each issue on the above matrix in accordance with the ratings given you will be able to identify those issues that are easiest to improve and deliver the most assistance in growing the business. These issues will be located in or near the top right quadrant of the matrix.

3) Identify The Options

Once we know which issues to attack the next step lies in developing the strategies for resolving them. This is where your team become most important in the process. By setting up a project team, which is armed with simple planning tools, you are in a position to not only get recommendations on the table but also ‘buy in’ from the team.

The key to success in developing sound strategies and actions to resolve issues lies in using good problem solving tools.

There are many to choose from however Mind mapping and Force Field analysis are the ones our successful clients use the most.

Mind mapping allows all the ideas to be captured as they relate to one another. The example below shows mind mapping in action. In this case the issue is improved sales revenue. Each arm represents ideas from the group.

Mindmap

Once all ideas have been captured apply the Pareto rule. That is, which 20% of the possible options listed in the mind map will potentially give us the best result.

For this example we have chosen the Sales Team option. Problem solving is about breaking down issues into smaller and smaller pieces, which can be managed more easily. To achieve this breakdown still further we can apply the Force field Analysis tool.

4) Select the Best Options

The Force Field is handy as it recognises and deals with the fact that despite our best actions there are always forces acting against us. In the following diagram the Sales team option from the mind map has been considered.

On the top line there is a rating bar, which allows the team to intuitively assess where the sales effort is currently and where it should be, given the time and resources available to us.

Minus 5 means sales are extremely poor while plus five means they are extremely good. Zero is used to indicate average performance. The ratings bar puts the issue in context. For example, if we wish to improve by 4 points our strategies will be different if the gap was say 7.

5) Develop the Actions

After listing all the potential strategies on the left and the potential impediments on the right we can now apply the Pareto rule again.

In this example telephone sales, time management and a focus on improving conversion rates has been selected.

Force Field

What actions in each area now need to be set?

6) The Control Process

Once mastered these simple tools can deliver fast results while illustrating the decision making process along the way.

For managers delegating issue resolution this is a great way of receiving recommendations from staff.

Once the strategies and actions have been decided they can be incorporated into a One Page Plan control document.