In this Issue

	Welcome to The Advisor from Dedication Group
	Post-Mortems for the Living
	Did you know?
	Customer Care Tip

Dedication Group

Dedication Group are business technology advisors.

Do you require impartial technology direction? Are you planning to implement systems into your business but don't know where to start? Do you have an IT Strategy to complement your Business Strategy?

Contact us today to find out how we can help!

Flying Solo

Greg Pritchard is a Featured Contributor for Flying Solo; the online magazine for solo and small business owners www.flyingsolo.com.au

Did you know?

Traditionally the rate of unemployment lags other economic recovery indicators. This means that, even with signs of a recovery from the GFC, we're still going to see job losses and higher unemployment well into 2010.

According to a Computer Economics study; the number of companies looking to cut positions is going to increase this year. See CIO Magazine for more info

The Advisor from Dedication Group for July 2009

Hi,

Welcome to The Advisor from Dedication Group. We've all watched Duckie go through the motions in NCIS or CSI; disecting victims to discover what really happened. This month we discuss the need for businesses of all sizes to post-mortem their projects to learn what went wrong and what could be done better next time. Hopefully though, for your project post-mortems, you won't need to don latex gloves!

Make sure you check out Nathan Williams' tip on Bullet Proofing your Business. We hope you enjoy the read.

'Til next time!

Greg Pritchard
Managing Director, Dedication Group

Post Mortems for the Living

Project Post-Mortems or Post-Project Reviews are an invaluable tool for improving organisational competency; but only if done right. This article describes how to undertake a review once the dust settles on your project:

When to Review

One of the biggest derailments of undertaking a project review is working out when to actually do it. We have found the most effective trigger events for a project post-mortem are:

1. once the critical bugs or issues have been addressed post-launch; but before the project team has dispersed onto other endeavours
2. when a significant change or shock to the project has occurred; such as losing a major contractor or an adverse environmental factor (say, a change in regulations)
3. for longer running projects, undertaking a review after a significant milestone is a great way to take stock and improve for the next phase of the project. You don't need to leave it to the end of the project to go through the review process

Often the project review is left too late to be effective. With new projects starting and the team re-organising; recognise that people may not only have moved on physically, but also mentally.

Important Questions to Ask

1. What did we do well? - its important to lead with this question as a way of promoting a positive approach to the post-mortem. Keep the responses to this question positive and on-track
2. What did we do poorly? - this is a way of understanding the issues, not a blamefest
3. What didn't we see coming? - identify the issues that weren't apparent until they arose
4. What did we learn as a result of the project? - use the group to strategise how things could be done differently next time

Feedback Channels

1. Roundtable discussion:- do this first. Get everyone in the room with an independent arbiter and work through the review questions. Don't be afraid to bring the discussion back on topic and ensure the discussion doesn't get personal
2. One-on-one Interviews:- personal interviews give people the opportunity to speak freely outside of the group and their peers
3. Anonymous Channel:- especially where the project was not considered a success and to cater for different personality types; provide a channel for completely anonymous feedback without the fear of recrimination

Don't Learn Lessons Twice

1. modify hiring standards and selection criteria to ensure candidates possess the skills, attitudes and experience required for your project types
2. establish ongoing performance monitoring, coaching and training to ensure expectations of behaviour are met and deviations are addressed quickly and in context
3. put lessons learned into the project planning process; such as including whatever delayed this project into future project plans and considerations
4. where team conflicts arose; establish expectations of behaviour upfront, and set out conflict resolution guidelines for if flashpoints occur
5. formulate a way of scoring the complexity and scope of future projects as a way of establishing appropriate planning, governance and control structures

Most importantly; whether the changes required as a result of this project are people- or process-oriented, ensure improvement strategies are realised through a combination of follow-up's and re-evaluations in the next project post-mortem

Remember, when faced with the excuse "we don't have time for a project review" - its quicker and more cost effective to learn the lessons now, rather than making the same mistakes twice.

Customer Care Tip: Bullet Proof your Business

As your competitors pick up the phone and call your clients in an effort to win new business, your client retention may be affected. If you're not talking to your customers, then someone else is! Here are some useful client retention tips:

1. Do you have an effective client retention and development strategy, or is your database 'leaking money'?

Most businesses focus on new business, yet it's up to nine times more profitable to deal with existing clients. You get the concept....but do you know how to develop your client relationships, so they buy more from you and start promoting your business to others? The opportunity is already in your database.

2. Why are you missing out on business, and why are some of your clients now inactive or not referring you business?

Only 4% of people will, on average, tell you the truth about what they think of your business - hence the 'Customer Complaint Iceberg. Unless you can find a way to get the truth from your prospects and clients, you are operating with a blindfold on, leading to missed sales. How could you get the truth from prospects and clients?

3. Can you prove how (independently) good your service is?

Customers are now more choosy than ever. Any independent proof about how good your level of client loyalty is (testimonials have little impact now), will help separate you from the herd. You need a compelling reason for people to buy from you.

4. What your clients say about you is your brand!

Prospects are cynical....they rarely believe what your brochures say. Prospects are far more likely to listen to what other prospects and customers say about a business. How do you proactively find out what prospects and existing customers say about your business?

Special Offer: Until August 30, 2009 Nathan is prepared to offer the first five readers to call, a complimentary Client Relationship Audit valued at $500

Any questions, please contact Nathan Williams on 0410 471 200 or email nwilliams@customercaregroup.com