Imagine trying to get 10 people that speak 10 different languages to work together and achieve a complex task. It would be extremely difficult no matter how intelligent the people were. This is how we have to think of our organizations...of intelligent people who aren't accustomed to speaking the language of business, or more specifically, the language of performance management.
Imagine trying to get 10 people that speak 10 different languages to work together and achieve a complex task. It would be extremely difficult no matter how intelligent the people were. This is how we have to think of our organizations...of intelligent people who aren't accustomed to speaking the language of business, or more specifically, the language of performance management.
If you've ever had to managed a project you know the importance of eliminating assumptions and making sure that all key stakeholders are looking through the same lens as to how the project will be carried out. In order to achieve this the first thing you did was document the project scope. Well, a performance initiative shouldn't be any different. Before you even think about implementing a performance program, you must first define the scope of your performance initiative.
The performance scope sets the boundaries for the performance management team. The performance scope defines the high level processes for how the performance management team will approach divisions, support teams and individuals to begin aligning performance to business objectives. Many times there is confusion about what falls inside the boundary of the performance initiative and what does not. Who all will be involved? What groups will be affected? Which groups will be excluded? The project scope ensures that everyone is viewing the initiative the same. Defining a solid scope and socializing it with the performance team, various project managers and key stakeholders is critical. Research has shown that defining scope and objectives are among the most important start-up activities to a successful performance initiative.
A common mistake made by organizations is not defining and communicating the scope of the performance initiative or only defining the initiative in general terms. This lack of definition causes managers and key stakeholders throughout the organization to make assumptions related to their own involvement to the initiative. As performance experts, our goal is to alleviate assumptions by clarifying roles, processes, and expectations. On large scale performance initiatives there is often push back from teams and individuals within the organization. Some even feel threatened (this is discussed in more detail in the 'Gaining Employee Acceptance' blog tip). A well communicated performance scope will help alleviate the politics that could slow down progress.
Performance management scopes are not a common process yet; therefore it may be a good idea for a consultant or a performance manager in charge of the performance implementation to put together a scope on their own to increase the odds of cooperation from the parties being evaluated.
Here are 8 high level steps for establishing your performance scope in a way that will minimize problems:
1. Define the outcome
2. Document assumptions
3. Define the scope of your performance initiative
4. Define deliverables
5. Define functionality
6. Define data
7. Define technical structure definition
8. Define enterprise/organizational structure
Learn more about the processes for defining a successful performance scope in the Lifecycle Performance Management Kit. If you are REALLY serious about developing a winning performance plan, my Organizational Performance and Best Practices Analysis will help you plan and implement a successful performance initiative from start to finish.
How to Gain Employee Acceptance and Get Them Into a High Performance Mindset
Have you ever been involved in a performance initiative where employees asked "why are we doing this?" Or they were apprehensive and you received strong push back. Or even worse, they flat out refused to cooperate altogether? To say this is a common occurrence in enterprise performance management would be an understatement. Creating a high performing organization involves numerous requirements, perhaps none more important than gaining employee acceptance.
Secrets of Developing Simple, Powerful Performance Measures That Drive Organizational Success
In this economic, fiscal crisis it is critical that organizations understand what drives their success and how to measure it. Performance metrics tell us how good we are at doing what we do and help us reach goals on time and on budget. But in order for them to be truly effective; they must be fully understood and properly applied.
How to Evaluate Organizational Performance in Economic Hard Times
Likewise, businesses often don't capitalize on available data to get them through difficult times. With a new year beginning and growing concerns of our economic future, now is a good time to evaluate our current environments and identify our organizational strengths, weaknesses and areas for improvements and cost savings. This article discusses the value of baselining organizational performance, different baselining approaches your organization can, and overcoming variables that add complexity to your performance baselines.
