Before the year is rounded off, now is a good time to review the operations strategy you implemented in January and compare it to what you have actually achieved. Also, is there an opportunity to finish strong and start 2019 with a bang?
Past, Present and Future
Undertaking a review now will give you a head-start on 2019 and provide an opportunity to clear the decks of any incomplete items.
Operational metrics give you the ability to examine performance so the first thing you might do is inspect your operational numbers. If your systems can’t provide you with the information you’d like, now may be the time to start looking for one that does? If you do have that have that visibility, how does 2018 performance measure up to forecast? Another aspect you might consider is how your strategy and performance relates to the needs of your customers?
Whilst clairvoyance may not feature amongst your skills, the ability to spot trends and identify disruptors will help you to predict what could be happening in 2019 and
quality assurance programs will help in this area, as will market research.
Nuts and bolts
Now is the perfect time to review the condition of your equipment and assets, the performance and expectations of your staff, the requirements of your customers and the business challenges ahead.
This year saw the introduction of GDPR so is your data security up to scratch in terms of equipment and process? If not, again you might need to look around for the tools you need to make sure that you are up to speed in 2019.
How long does it take your equipment to boot up in the morning? Do you have regular maintenance scheduled? Tools like CCleaner are free and can help speed up your machine. Have your servers been tidied / cleaned and prepped for optimum performance?
Throughput shows how much data has gone through a database, web server or application server. Has your throughput gone up this year, will it continue to rise? If so, what’s the plan for either the slow down when you hit capacity or, better, to increase your capabilities.
Staff
How does your team view the business? Will they be looking for change in the New Year? Now is the time when people conduct their own career reviews. Taking time to allow staff to provide management with honest feedback and can be a great source of inspiration for you and them.
Customers
Customers are your life blood and CES and NPS programs can give you an idea of what your customers think about the way you interact with them; are you going to have promoters or detractors? What do you have to do to improve in 2019?
It’s industry award season again so why not have a look at who entered what, who won and why? What could you be in the running for in 2019?
2019
Now is the time to ask what it is you want to achieve in 2019 and to make sure that the business is ready for the journey
