Sustainable process improvements that will have a positive impact on your organization begin by aligning tactical projects with strategic objectives. Those projects must start with an accurate diagnosis of the sources of pain, and then resolve with the appropriate intervention.
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Solve4x follows the ADSIMA path to generate success.
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A - Analyze the current situation and identify opportunities for improvement.
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D - Diagnose real root causes, not just symptoms or by-products.
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S - Solve it! Eliminate, minimize, or mitigate the impact of those root causes.
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I - Implement the solutions with effective change management and stakeholder agreement.
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M - Monitor the updated process to ensure assumptions match reality.
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A - Analyze again the new state and look for additional opportunities to make the process better.
Solve4x Toolkit
Strategic Planning
Whether you manage your organization using a balanced scorecard; mission, vision, and values statements; an X-matrix; or any other set of tools that works for you, it is important to refine your goals and align everyone's focus. Solve4x will meet you wherever you are in your journey towards excellence and help you develop the next set of plans to get you there.
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A quick Google search for "strategic plan consultant" yields millions of results. Many businesses have retained the services of one of those firms only to find the binder they create sitting unread on a shelf months and years later. A few million Google results are also found for "why do strategic plans fail." Studies reveal that most plans fail because of a variety of reasons including, an inability to change, a lack of dedication to executing the plan, or not having the right people involved.
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In short, a proper strategy is nothing without the appropriate tactics for implementation. The Solve4x process identifies the true culprit that is keeping your company from moving forward. Solve4x then provides tactical solutions. Our team will work right alongside yours, leaving behind the completed project as well as the knowledge for your team to handle similar tasks in the future.
SMART Goal Setting & Project Planning
To build a successful organization, every department, team, contributor, and project should have goals that align with strategic objectives. SMART goals are:
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Specific - Pointed at a known target, not vague or loose.
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Measurable - If you cannot measure performance, it is difficult to know if it gets any better.
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Attainable - Not impossible, and sometimes a step toward a larger goal.
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Relevant - It is a goal for you and your department, not for somebody else outside your control.
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Time Bound - Not floating, tracked with milestones and aware of dependencies.
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Solve4x will help ensure your team's activities are aligned in 360 degrees around your organization's philosophy and core values.
SWOT Analysis / TOWS Matrix
As part of your strategic planning, it is smart to regularly conduct a SWOT analysis. As your business changes so does the environment in which you operate (economy, competition, new technology, and changing consumer behavior, among others). A proper SWOT analysis helps you to understand these changes.
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S - What can you do to maximize your internal strengths?
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W - How do you mitigate or circumvent your internal weaknesses?
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O - What needs to be done in order to capitalize on market (external) opportunities?
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T - How do you overcome and manage external threats?
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We take this traditional approach a step further with a TOWS Matrix. Strategic options will be generated for each quadrant of the Matrix:
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SO - Strategies with this combination maximize opportunities by applying strengths.
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ST - This combination uses strengths to mitigate threats.
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WO - A strategy that takes advantage of opportunities can minimize weaknesses.
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WT - This approach minimizes weaknesses and avoids threats.
Automation Software
Within Microsoft Excel is a programming language called Visual Basic for Applications (VBA). It is useful for automating repetitive or tedius tasks, increasing efficiency, reducing errors, and can transform Excel from an ordinary spreadsheet program into a custom designed application.
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Solve4x has used VBA to create:
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database applications,
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inventory management systems,
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a statistical model to automate inventory purchases,
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tools to accelerate accounting processes, and
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highly dynamic dashboards.
5 Whys
Proper diagnosis of a problem doesn't end when the first question is answered. A root cause analysis must dig deeper into underlying causes, some of which may be organizational or systematic, but most of which must deal directly with the problem you are analyzing.
The 5 Whys technique is very useful at all levels of an organization, and the Solve4x version adds techniques that will help you avoid common 5 Why traps.
Process Mapping
Everyone sees the work that is on this desk or in this queue, but how well do those who perform your important work know how their jobs interact with those upstream and downstream from them? Mapping a process serves not only to visualize the alignment of all parts of a work process, it also starts the discussion to identify opportunities for improvement, both short and long-term.
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Solve4x will conduct a detailed process mapping exercise with your team to uncover hidden problems and put them through our ADSIMA approach to sustainable improvements.
Innovation Exercises
In addition to one of our favorite tools, Speedboat, Solve4x offers many other idea generation games and activities. No matter what size group you want to engage, we will pull the greatest possible value from whatever time period is available, and the results of these exercises will help to point you toward your next generation of products, services, and work processes.
Dashboard & Data Management
Information relevant to a company's internal processes, market, and competition is critical to successful operations. Solve4x helps its clients gather and analyze data for decision-making and executing strategies related to market opportunity, market penetration, and market development. Competitive analysis, business development planning, market research, statistical analysis, and database development and management are services available to our clients.
Prototyping Development
If you are developing new software or have a process that would benefit from a software solution, our team can create and document the requirements, map the logic flow, test and refine the algorithm logic, create a features matrix, prepare user manuals, and develop the prototype code. If you need software created beyond the prototype stage, Solve4x has partners available to take your project to that final stage.
The Mastermind
Most consulting firms are only able to provide expertise in one or a few functional areas. While it is sometimes necessary to bring in those who are strictly experts in one single aspect of business, many problems require a much broader and complete variety of skills in order to create the proper and complete solution.
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With the Solve4x Mastermind model, your problems will be faced by a team representing all functional areas. The strength of the Solve4x approach is rooted in diversity of thought.
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The Mastermind experience involves a group of individuals offering potential solutions based on their varied vantage points. The solutions build upon one another until a complete list is generated.
The result is a collection of potential solutions that are as varied as the team that created them. From that point, we apply our other tools and processes to implement the optimal solution.
