How can you ensure your administrative team is considering external factors?

1 Assess the current situation

The first step is to evaluate the current state of your administrative processes and systems, and how they align with the external environment. You can use tools such as SWOT analysis, PESTLE analysis, or benchmarking to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of your administrative functions, and how they relate to the political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental factors that impact your organization. This will help you understand the gaps and areas for improvement in your administrative performance.

3 Implement and monitor

The third step is to implement and monitor the changes and improvements that you and your team have agreed on to address the external factors. You can use tools such as action plans, SMART goals, KPIs, or dashboards to define the specific actions, outcomes, indicators, and timelines for your administrative projects and initiatives. You can also use methods such as feedback loops, progress reports, or audits to track and measure the results and impact of your administrative actions, and adjust them as needed.

4 Learn and improve

The fourth step is to learn and improve from your experiences and outcomes of your administrative projects and initiatives. You can use tools such as after-action reviews, lessons learned, or best practices to capture and document the successes, challenges, and learnings of your administrative team. You can also use methods such as recognition, rewards, or training to celebrate and acknowledge the achievements of your team members, and provide them with opportunities for further development and growth.

5 Anticipate and prepare

The fifth step is to anticipate and prepare for the future external factors that may affect your administrative team and organization. You can use tools such as scenarios, forecasts, or contingency plans to envision and analyze the possible changes and uncertainties in the external environment, and how they may impact your administrative functions and goals. You can also use methods such as risk management, crisis management, or change management to identify and mitigate the potential threats and challenges, and facilitate the transition and adaptation of your administrative team.

6 Review and update

The sixth step is to review and update your administrative processes and systems regularly to ensure they are aligned with the external factors and the needs of your organization. You can use tools such as audits, evaluations, or feedback surveys to assess the effectiveness and efficiency of your administrative functions, and how they meet the expectations and satisfaction of your customers, stakeholders, and regulators. You can also use methods such as continuous improvement, quality management, or innovation management to identify and implement the best practices and solutions for your administrative team.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?