Got Distractions?

GOT DISTRACTIONS?Our model to keep you focused on what’s really important so you can get sh*t done.

We believe that all organizations hold great potential that can be realized through their performance.

But only if they don’t have so many distractions holding them back.

We believe that all organizations hold great potential that can be realized through their performance.

Potential – Distraction = PerformanceIt’s that simple.

We’ve seen time and again that when organizations remove distractions and interferences in the key areas of Planning, People and Processes they are primed for success because they have the clarity to focus on what really matters.

When an organization is confident in their Planning, People, Processes, they have the ability to grow, innovate and prosper.

THE DELTA P4Our Model for Removing Distractions

It is a comprehensive methodology for improving performance by balancing Planning, People and Processes.

Visually, it consists of four triangles.

The central triangle represents Performance in an organization.

Surrounding this are three additional triangles – Planning, People and Processes. Each one of these elements contributes to the changes in an organization’s performance.

Surrounding this are three additional triangles – Planning, People and Processes. Each one of these elements contributes to the changes in an organization’s performance.

The triangle is a Greek sign ‘Delta’, meaning “a change in.” Through the inclusion of Planning, People and Processes, there is a change in the Performance of the organization.

1. PlanningBefore an organization can evolve it must understand what it wants to be in the future, its possibilities and how to get there.

PLANNING

Until this area is clear and free of distractions, it is difficult to move forward.

PLANNING

It is important to have a clear plan that sets the direction for your organization. This plan is achieved through vision, strategy and actions.

PLANNING

Only with clear objectives for your future direction can people be committed to working towards them and processes be developed to drive you to new performance.

PLANNING

The three stages of Planning:

PLANNING

The three stages of Planning:

VisionPlanning what the future looks like, how it develops in the future and what could be stopping you from achieving that vision.

PLANNING

The three stages of Planning:

VisionPlanning what the future looks like, how it develops in the future and what could be stopping you from achieving that vision.

StrategyOnce the vision has been established, the work of developing the strategy begins. The purpose of the strategy is to begin mapping out the “how’s” of reaching the vision and identifying how to proceed with the least amount of distractions and interferences.

PLANNING

The three stages of Planning:

VisionPlanning what the future looks like, how it develops in the future and what could be stopping you from achieving that vision.

StrategyOnce the vision has been established, the work of developing the strategy begins. The purpose of the strategy is to begin mapping out the “how’s” of reaching the vision and identifying how to proceed with the least amount of distractions and interferences.

ActionThe final task of the planning stage is determining the actions that are required to make the vision and strategy a reality. These actions must be more than just notes on a page, they must be actions that can be assigned, and where teams and people can be held accountable.

PLANNING

Without a vision and strategy firmly in place and actions to move it forward, there will be no focus on what is really important.

PLANNING

2. PeopleIt takes people to carry the charge for your organization; individuals who are fully prepared to be both responsive and responsible to meeting the needs of your clients and organization.

PEOPLE

It is vital that the people in your organization be fully engaged. This means not only engaged with the mission, goals and direction, but also enabled with the proper tools, resources, skills, knowledge and training, and energized through a healthy corporate culture, team environment and personal development.

PEOPLE

When we remove distractions in the People area of organizations, we are generally looking at sustainable employee engagement, implementing solutions that create the right working environments and cultures so that employees have the confidence to do their jobs to the best of their abilities and organizations have the direction and clarity they need to succeed.

PEOPLE

Sustainable employee engagement focuses on three factors:

PEOPLE

Sustainable employee engagement focuses on three factors:

Traditional EngagementEmployees understand and believe in organizational goals and objectives. They have an emotional connection (often pride) with the organization and are willing to give extra effort.

PEOPLE

Sustainable employee engagement focuses on three factors:

Traditional EngagementEmployees understand and believe in organizational goals and objectives. They have an emotional connection (often pride) with the organization and are willing to give extra effort.

EnablementEmployees skills are matched to their tasks, and their abilities are used optimally. As well, they have access to the resources they need to do their jobs –information, technology, tools and equipment, training and financial support.

PEOPLE

Sustainable employee engagement focuses on three factors:

Traditional EngagementEmployees understand and believe in organizational goals and objectives. They have an emotional connection (often pride) with the organization and are willing to give extra effort.

EnablementEmployees skills are matched to their tasks, and their abilities are used optimally. As well, they have access to the resources they need to do their jobs –information, technology, tools and equipment, training and financial support.

EnergyThe organization creates an environment that focuses on the physical, emotional and social well-being of employees where they feel cared about as individuals.

PEOPLE

When the right people are in the right positions and have the right tools, support and environment to work in, performance is easy to achieve.

PEOPLE

3. ProcessesThe right processes must be in place to help the people in your organization deliver on the plan.

PROCESSES

You can develop endless processes, but if they are not easily understood and repeatable by the people in charge of carrying them out, they will be ineffective and reduce productivity. They must be efficient, but more importantly, they must be the right processes for the people who need to use them.

PROCESSES

Not having the right processes in place can cause frustration and confusion in organizations. Processes must be developed to support the objectives and goals identified in the Planning stage.

PROCESSES

These processes need to be balanced between the goals and objectives that have been established. Focusing only on one objective may result in the processes actually undermining the organization’s performance.

PROCESSES

The three key areas to streamlining processes:

PROCESSES

The three key areas to streamlining processes:

AlignmentThe processes that are developed must align with your organization’s goals and objectives. They must also be aligned with the strategies that were laid out in the Planning stage. Only when alignment is in place can the processes contribute to the organization’s development and performance. Often processes need to be re-designed to meet the evolving needs of an organization or new objectives.

PROCESSES

The three key areas to streamlining processes:

AlignmentThe processes that are developed must align with your organization’s goals and objectives. They must also be aligned with the strategies that were laid out in the Planning stage. Only when alignment is in place can the processes contribute to the organization’s development and performance. Often processes need to be re-designed to meet the evolving needs of an organization or new objectives.

EfficiencyThere’s nothing more distracting and harmful to productivity than a process that is inefficient. Processes must produce the desired result in the most efficient manner. At the same time, the process must maintain the quality of the result.

PROCESSES

The three key areas to streamlining processes:

AlignmentThe processes that are developed must align with your organization’s goals and objectives. They must also be aligned with the strategies that were laid out in the Planning stage. Only when alignment is in place can the processes contribute to the organization’s development and performance. Often processes need to be re-designed to meet the evolving needs of an organization or new objectives.

EfficiencyThere’s nothing more distracting and harmful to productivity than a process that is inefficient. Processes must produce the desired result in the most efficient manner. At the same time, the process must maintain the quality of the result.

UsabilityProcesses must be stable. If processes are in a state of flux, efficiency cannot be maintained. Processes must be refined and developed so that they are repeatable. Ensuring that your processes are measurable and regularly collecting data on them will help you ensure that they are usable and will help you achieve your vision. The processes must be adoptable by the people that need to perform them. If a process requires a certain skill level, it must be designed at a level that allows the workforce to be trained to perform it. People must understand not only how to perform the processes, but also understand how it is vital to the organization’s objectives and goals.

PROCESSES

True performance requires all three elements – People, Planning and Performance – to work

Look at it this way, you can have a great plan, but without the right people and processes in place to execute it, it means

You can have streamlined and efficient processes, but if they don’t align with the plan, they are, at best, little help, and, at worst, a distraction from more important work. Or if the people who need to use them aren’t trained in the right skills; or the processes weren’t designed to fit in with their work in a seamless way, they won’t use them.

And people without a plan to follow or the right processes to utilize are never going to reach their peak performance, no matter how confident, competent and motivated they are.

And the backbone of this whole setup is data. Only by having the right information connected to specific business requirements can you implement the changes in these areas that you can be confident will improve performance. Weaved throughout Planning, People and Processes data plays an integral role, from using it to make evidence-based decisions in the planning phase, to making sure your people have the right information to do their work, to creating metrics in order to refine processes and make them more efficient and useable. Data is everywhere.

We believe all organizations should be able to measure their performance and decisions should always be backed by evidence.

Not only is it desirable to run an organization based on solid information, but it is the only way to reach your true potential.

Not only is it desirable to run an organization based on solid information, but it is the only way to reach your true potential.

Poor data, confusing data or not enough data is a huge distraction for organizations.

Just as frustrating is having data, but not knowing how to connect it to business requirements to move forward.

Data isn’t just for IT people.

It’s for everyone.

People and organizations are far more successful when they have the right tools in their hands and know how to use them versus merely using intuition or watching what the next guy is doing.

YOU NEED TO HAVE THE RIGHT DATA AND KNOW HOW TO USE IT.

When these four triangles are combined, a fifth triangle emerges, embracing all of them. This triangle embodies the organization.

Management

Client

Traditionally, the organizational structure places management at the top making decisions that filter downwards and culminate in the product or service that client receives at the bottom.

However, through the Delta P4 Model of integrating the four elements, the organizational structure becomes inverted, placing the client on top. Thus, it is the client who communicates their needs to the frontline staff and drives the direction of the organization.

Management

Client

Senior leadership must then create a plan to meet these needs, ensure their people are engaged with the plan and responsive to meet the needs of the client and have the right processes in place to fulfill the plan.

Along this route they must make sure that the right data is being collected to measure the key performance indicators so adjustments can be made if necessary. Only through evidence-based decisions will they be able to make certain that the needs of the client are being fully met and the organization is growing in the right direction.

In the end, everything comes full circle. By setting forth to change performance, your organization focuses on improving its three core areas, measuring your progress through data. By doing so, you change the very set-up of the organization – listening and communicating to the client more and therefore discovering what you must accomplish in order to meet their needs. By knowing these needs you can more efficiently and effectively meet them, and therefore improve performance.

And the entire model scales. Not only is it true at an organizational level, but at a departmental one and down to individual projects. Every project has Planning, People and Processes associated with it. And if you ignore any of these – if you don’t remove the distractions and interferences in each area and optimize the ability to take advantage of opportunities in each one – the project will never meet its maximum potential.

Contact us today to see how we can use this model to remove your distractions and help you focus on what really matters.