2008
September: Weathering the Changes
09/30/08 11:45 AM Filed in: Processes
Back to school. Crispness in the air. September reminds us that change is at hand. It's time to reassess our goals for the current year, reevaluate the productivity of our routines, and make positive moves toward profitable change--regardless of politics and quixotic turns in the economy. This last fiscal quarter of 2008 provides a prime opportunity to finish the year on a high note, given the proper insight and planning.
First, it is important to identify both the resources you have on hand and those you need to outsource. This simple task will provide a true assessment of your fiscal assets and burdens, ultimately helping you minimize costs and optimize efficiency. Good questions to ask include:
Next, take a look at the type of outcomes or goals you are trying to achieve:
Divide the goals into distinct categories; personnel, revenue, projects, training, company-wide, or department-focused.
Finally, determine the best way to accomplish your goals and achieve the best results with the resources you have (ie, time, money, people). Again, remember that utilizing both internal and outsourced resources can make all the difference. For example, an internal liaison can provide content while an outsourced vendor can provide expert, efficient editing or design. You may also find that in many cases, outsourcing an entire project can free up in-house personnel, saving you valuable time and resources.
In the end, we all want to be prepared to weather changes and nurture positive outcomes. Revisiting our resources and confirming the process we use to track our goals is a great way to maintain focus and establish a new level of success.
First, it is important to identify both the resources you have on hand and those you need to outsource. This simple task will provide a true assessment of your fiscal assets and burdens, ultimately helping you minimize costs and optimize efficiency. Good questions to ask include:
- When was the last time you assessed the overall needs of your department or your position?
- Are there gaps or holes that you can fill from internal and external sources?
- With reduced resources, how can you creatively fill these deficiencies without compromising outcomes?
Next, take a look at the type of outcomes or goals you are trying to achieve:
Divide the goals into distinct categories; personnel, revenue, projects, training, company-wide, or department-focused.
- Prioritize each goal to ensure that the focus and timeline are consistent with current company directives.
- Move or delete any item that has been put on hold or moved to 2009.
- Determine if multiple target audiences might benefit from your project. If so, you may be able to tap into a partnering group’s budget and resources or even allocate funds from a company-wide allowance. Sharing resources—including valuable personnel talent—offers the promise of successful collaboration, as well as reduced costs for partnering parties.
Finally, determine the best way to accomplish your goals and achieve the best results with the resources you have (ie, time, money, people). Again, remember that utilizing both internal and outsourced resources can make all the difference. For example, an internal liaison can provide content while an outsourced vendor can provide expert, efficient editing or design. You may also find that in many cases, outsourcing an entire project can free up in-house personnel, saving you valuable time and resources.
In the end, we all want to be prepared to weather changes and nurture positive outcomes. Revisiting our resources and confirming the process we use to track our goals is a great way to maintain focus and establish a new level of success.
A Locus blog?
09/30/08 11:45 AM
After much consideration and with the support from our clients and industry partners, we’re ready to take the plunge and premiere the Locus blog.
We hope this discussion forum will help us stay connected, give us the opportunity to drop some potentially useful tips, and even offer helpful suggestions to apply in your organization. We’re not sure how frequently we’ll update the blog, so please feel free to use the RSS feed in the sidebar to ensure you receive update notifications. If you don’t have a feedreader, you may want to consider downloading one to make keeping current easy and painless.
Enjoy the blog and drop us a line to let us know of any specific topics of interest.
We hope this discussion forum will help us stay connected, give us the opportunity to drop some potentially useful tips, and even offer helpful suggestions to apply in your organization. We’re not sure how frequently we’ll update the blog, so please feel free to use the RSS feed in the sidebar to ensure you receive update notifications. If you don’t have a feedreader, you may want to consider downloading one to make keeping current easy and painless.
Enjoy the blog and drop us a line to let us know of any specific topics of interest.