How can you learn from other organizations to improve business operations?

Absolutely! Before diving into external references for inspiration, it's crucial to have an introspective look at your own organization. The SWOT analysis is a valuable tool for dissecting your internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as recognizing external opportunities and threats. It lays down a comprehensive landscape that shows where you currently stand. Benchmarking, on the other hand, helps you measure your performance against industry standards or competitors. It's like taking the pulse of your market presence. This will give you an idea of whether you're leading the pack or need to catch up.

I have a unique perspective on operations. Though you can see what others are doing or not doing so you can takes parts of what you like and don’t there’s a better way. Each situation is different for every business. You have to start with evaluating what is working and not working and start from there. You can’t fix what you don’t know. You need to see what is missing. Data and analytics, processes and automation are key parts of success but you have to also evaluate each step.

I've been involved with a number of startups aimed to disrupt a stagnant industry. I advised to conduct a thorough SWOT analysis, identifying their strengths and weaknesses, opportunities, and potential threats, which served as a guiding light to illuminate their gaps and goals. They then looked to industry leaders who had navigated similar waters successfully. By studying their strategies, adapting best practices, and seeking mentorship, these startups transformed themselves. The lesson here is simple yet powerful: Know your destination and understand your starting point. By embracing your gaps as opportunities and setting clear goals, you can not only learn from others but also chart a course to thrive, even in uncharted waters.

This is much easier today than it has been in the past 20 years, specifically due to AI adoption to summarise websites, condense content and enable businesses an ability to gain insight faster than before. The caution is don't trust AI output blindly. Do your own analysis. Any publicly listed company will have reports on how they will address challenges, particularly from a macro perspective, along with opportunities that might enable traction in the market space. Podcasts are great for timely trends. Best practices can be gleaned from numerous sources, but again vet how applicable these would be. Networking is really key, as this can lead to insights, trend information, event information, blogs, studies, reports and other material.

With the ever growing technology and the innovative techniques being prepared and implemented, we have no choice but to recognize the ideas and move forward to adapt with the people involved. This can be achieved by sharing the knowledge and experience the process through practical processes and add value to the project.

In a previous role, we aimed to enhance customer support for a tech startup. We tested innovative ideas from industry leaders through a pilot programme, rolling it out with loyal customers, often for free if we received their feedback. Monitoring KPIs, we found what worked and what didn't. We adapted successful elements to our workflow, while discarding or modifying the rest. Team involvement and feedback were crucial. The result was a more efficient and customer-centric approach, fostering a culture of improvement. This taught us the power of practical testing and adaptation in driving positive change while minimizing risks. Customer success is inherently important to grow any business today. Listen to your customers for feedback.

Change management, transformational management, project and program management are all subtle variants of the same goal to achieve milestones and deliver results to improve a business. We implemented a new management system based on best practices. We communicated the changes clearly to our team and stakeholders. Using KPIs and feedback, we monitored the impact on project timelines and efficiency. Our regular PDCA cycle reviews allowed us to make real-time adjustments and improvements, ensuring the system aligned perfectly with our evolving needs. This iterative approach led to smoother workflows and better project outcomes. Continuous improvement, with regular updates, helped to improve the overall change and its acceptance by everyone.

Utilizing insights from other organizations is crucial for enhancing operations. Implementing and monitoring changes are essential steps in this process. Implementing Changes: Integrate the ADKAR methodology seamlessly into your change plan, ensuring each phase is meticulously aligned with the Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement stages. Employ effective change management techniques to foster seamless integration and secure unwavering stakeholder commitment. Monitoring Progress: Establish robust monitoring systems, employ KPIs for measurement, consistently review processes, gather feedback, and adapt strategies for continual improvement and alignment with objectives.

To improve business operations, you can: It’s better to compare processes with leading organizations and learn from successful practices .In Addition, participation in Events.Stay updated about industry &reseach.

After implementing changes, we evaluated the outcomes meticulously. We analysed what succeeded, what could have been improved, and the reasons behind both. We documented these results along with valuable insights and recommendations. Our team and stakeholders received this information through detailed reports and presentations, enabling everyone to understand the impact and take away key learnings. We also shared our experiences through forums and discussions, fostering an environment of knowledge exchange and collaboration with other organisations. This collective learning allowed us to continuously improve and adapt, driving positive change across the business. Failure only applies if one does not learn from mistakes.