J&P BMCG – Business Management Consulting Group

Subsections:

 

“Amateurs talk strategy. Professionals talk logistics.”, General Omar Bradley, during Second World War according to claims [google]

 

Working from Home, Hybrid

Working from home: The 12 new rules for getting it right
From video-conference etiquette to triple-checking your emails, here are some do’s and dont’s to help you navigate the new digital workplace.
2020-09-01
https://www.zdnet.com/article/working-from-home-the-12-new-rules-for-getting-it-right

  1. Don’t always jump onto video meetings
  2. Do prepare an appropriate environment for video calls
  3. Don’t think switching your video on is a must-do
  4. Don’t do things you wouldn’t do during a face-to-face meeting
  5. Do make calls as short as they possibly can be
  6. Do make sure you use the right platform for the right message
  7. Do triple check your messages before sending them
  8. Do keep high performance standards
  9. Do hold on to the water-cooler chat moments
  10. Do expect increased casual communication with your manager
  11. Do prepare to interact with unexpected colleagues
  12. Do keep an eye on your e-reputation

Some Terminology

OKRs – Objectives and Key Results

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OKR

From The Power Workbook for Setting Employee Goals and OKRs by Quantum Workplace:

Objectives are…

    • Ambitious and Inspiring
    • Qualitative or Subjective
    • Time-Bound
    • Actionable

Key Results are…

    • Concrete
    • Specific
    • Measurable or Quantifiable
    • Binary (Done or Undone)
    • Difficult But Not Impossible

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Management_by_objectives

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OGSM

RACI – Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, and Informed

google.com/search?q=raci

The acronym RACI stands for responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed. This is how each of the 4 components is defined: Responsible: a manager or team member who is directly responsible for successfully completing a project task.Feb 1, 2022

SMART – Specific, Measurable, Assignable, Realistic, Time-related

S.M.A.R.T. is a mnemonic acronym, giving criteria to guide in the setting of goals and objectives for better results, for example in project management, employee-performance management and personal development. The term was first proposed by George T. Doran in the November 1981 issue of Management Review.[1] He suggested that goals should be SMART (specificmeasurable, assignable, realistic and time-related).” [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMART_criteria]

Ideally speaking, each corporate, department, and section objective should be:

  • Specific – target a specific area for improvement.
  • Measurable – quantify or at least suggest an indicator of progress.
  • Assignable – specify who will do it.
  • Realistic – state what results can realistically be achieved, given available resources.
  • Time-related – specify when the result(s) can be achieved.

(This is the original description, from 1981. See below for more variants.)

More

“Alternative” Interpretations of SMART Acronym

  • blog.inspiresoftware.com/smart-okr-goal-structure-guide – has a slightly different SMART interpretation:
    • Specific
      ‘Instead of “Increase Traffic” try “Increase new user traffic on the homepage by 25% by October 30th”. Vague goals can cause harmful consequences and misunderstandings.’
    • Motivating
      ‘Motivation should be focus around whether or not the employee has autonomy or control over the goal. Is it aligned with meaningful values for that individual? Does it contribute to something greater? Does it provide opportunities for growth? The motivation an employee has to complete a goal will stem from these factors.’
    • Attainable
      ‘If you make goals unattainable, expect to have a discouraged and disengaged team. If the goal outpaces the team’s standard growth or productivity (without any increase in manpower or budget) then you should retool it to be a little more attainable.’
    • Relevant –
      ‘Any goal you set at work should be relevant. However, sometimes managers feel the need to weigh-in with goals that are more about appearances than actual productivity. Before setting a goal that focuses on behavior rather than results, question whether it’s relevant to the task at hand.’ .. (more)
    • Trackable
      ‘Before putting a goal in place for yourself, an individual, or a team, make sure you’ve identified the baseline and put in consistent ways to track it.’
  •  
  • Specific Measurable Assignable Realistic Time-related
  • Specific Motivating Attainable Relevant Trackable
  • From mindtools.com/pages/article/smart-goals.htm:

    To make sure your goals are clear and reachable, each one should be:
    • Specific (simple, sensible, significant).
    • Measurable (meaningful, motivating).
    • Achievable (agreed, attainable).
    • Relevant (reasonable, realistic and resourced, results-based).
    • Time bound (time-based, time limited, time/cost limited, timely, time-sensitive).

    Professor Rubin also notes that the definition of the SMART acronym may need updating to reflect the importance of efficacy and feedback. However, some authors have expanded it to include extra focus areas; SMARTER, for example, includes Evaluated and Reviewed.

  • How to make your SMART goals even SMARTER. 0
    quantumworkplace.com/podcast/how-to-make-your-smart-goals-even-smarter
    1. Specific 
    2. Measurable 
    3. Achievable 
    4. Relevant 
    5. Timely
    6. Evaluated – 
      ‘The sixth aspect of SMARTER goal setting is that goals should be evaluated. This is where we move beyond goal characteristics and into goal interaction. Evaluation is about reviewing and reflecting. What’s working, what’s not. What’s gone well, what hasn’t. What’s gotten in your way, and what’s been helpful along the way.’ (more)
    7. Revised
      ‘The final aspect of SMARTER goal setting is that goals can be revised. Notice that I said can be revised, not should be revised. If the goals are SMART and you’re evaluating them with your team member regularly, then you may not have to revise anything. But goals aren’t perfect, and neither are situations. Stuff comes up. A life event, a change in the industry, downsizing in your company, a change in materials or distributors for things that you might sell. A lot can happen. So you, and especially organizational leadership, shouldn’t act as though goals are 100 percent set in stone.

      Revision happens during evaluation, so these two stages go hand-in-hand. As you evaluate in general, you need to evaluate whether goals should be revised. What should we change about upcoming goals and what should we keep the same? How can we ensure better results than last time? Are there different metrics we can track that better represent performance? Do other or additional people need to be included on these goals?’

      more

 

old…

Lots of content still over at old.jandp.biz/bmcg/

What makes a partnership work?

“Partnerships are fragile. First, two parties must have a common goal that can be met by their joining together. Each must benefit from the cooperative arrangement and not feel burdened by demands for frequent compromise. Second, regular and meaningful communication is essential for keeping the relationship strong. Finally, the partners must trust each other to make sure decisions are not second-guessed at every step.

Legal documents don’t make partnerships work; people do. But the art of carefully weaving together the needs and desires of two people – or two companies – is never simple. If it were, there would be far fewer failed mergers (and failed marriages). But when a partnership succeeds, the results are worth the effort.”

[Wise words, that never hurts to be reminded of from time to the other. From CIO Insight, Oct 2005, pg 90]