Codifying/Indexing Documents

When I deliver ITIL® courses, whilst not on course syllabus, I often stress the need to carefully plan an approach in terms of adopting a naming convention for documents. This is not about just keeping them organised and tracking previous versions but to establish relationships between these documents, and which can be cascaded, typically applying this to database format.

Let me explain,

When a manager is asked about restoring live services, questions such as, how do we go about restoring a live service? When handling service restoration, how do we ensure that we are productive and efficient? And, how do we identify improvements? I have noted from past experience that a typical response is often, "let's grab a coffee and I'll explain," which usually leads to a lengthy and unclear explanation. Ideally, we need someone who will demonstrate this instead of just talking about it.

Some might just…

Management meetings that produce nothing!

Most management meetings don't bring much to the table besides a cup of coffee! So, how can decisions be made if data and information aren't clearly presented/made visible? 

When we ask about matters like our range of competing products and services, or our commitment to enhancing customer value, managers frequently respond with, "let's schedule a meeting to discuss." However, what we need is transparency and visibility rather than just explanations. Without this clarity, how can we be open to audit and measurement? Moreover, such meetings should aim to make progress rather than getting bogged down in determining what is already known.

This lack of visibility often makes management meetings pointless, filled with small talk or theory. Therefore, these meetings are likely to produce:

• Inaccurate communication which can ruin good plans.

• Siloed solutions which can introduce inefficiencies and conflicting goals.

Importance of Communication

I am not sure whether some organisations fully understand the importance of good communication, and the consequences of poor communication. When we question poor performance people are often the underlying cause, "people make things happen, or not!" 

Typically, the reason why people under-perform has nothing to do with their ability, or the lack of desire to perform, it is because of poor communication. In almost every case we design top-down and implement bottom-up, and the key ingredient to realising expectation is down to the quality of communication.

When I hear people say it is difficult to find the time, I don’t always buy into that, generally the truth is we don’t know how to communicate. There are many ways to communicate, one method is by making things visible. Unfortunately, some organisations lack such visibility. 

Managers vs Leaders

"When I recently spoke to a Manager, I got the impression they were important, when I recently spoke to a Leader, I got the impression I was important!"

Do modern-thinking business organisations need Leaders not just Managers?

Some Managers may indeed be natural Leaders however, contrary to what some believe, just because someone wears the label Manager’ does not by default make them a Leader! Good Managers can be terrible Leaders, and equally, good Leaders can be terrible Managers - do some organisations confuse the two?