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Services  |  F.A.S.T.  |  Industry Focus  |  Back-2-Basics  |  Management Team

Back to Basics

Relationship Management

Implementation Management

Strategic Alignment

Knowledge Management

Standards Compliance

 

 

The basics and concepts from years past, still apply to today's initiatives. It's the tools and implementations that have changed - and how we apply them.

 

Relationship Management
Systems Thinking LLC, has one guiding principle with respect to relationship management…"People do business with people they like." A company's capabilities, background, experience, etc. mean nothing should a mutually rewarding relationship not exist between the customer and service provider.

We begin the relationship management process at the initial point of contact, whether it be a phone call, email, or face-to-face meeting. Flexibility is key and it's important to understand the varying personalities that are represented by our customers. While we don't compromise our values, our project teams make every effort to develop and maintain our customer relationships. Extensive internal training in relationship management, cultural diversity, and interpersonal skills, all contribute to insure we can adapt to multiple personality types and different cultural disciplines. This has proved to be a key attribute for our work in the United States, as well as, Korea, Japan, Australia, Brazil, and throughout Europe.

The relationship management process extends throughout the client's business enterprise and at all levels of the organization. White collar or blue collar, executive management or staff level…these all represent people who play a specific role in executing a company's day-to-day business operations. Systems Thinking LLC, works with these individuals at all levels of an organization and together form a mutually exclusive relationship that is structured for success.

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Implementation Management

How a project or program is actually implemented can mean the difference between success or failure. At Systems Thinking LLC, our project teams are consistent with developing an implementation plan that is first and foremost - aligned with the customers strategic intent and direction, provides the expected deliverables outlined in the scope, and is implemented at a pace which parallels the company's ability to change.

Once again, managing an implementation is not a stand-alone effort. Much effort is exercised during scope design and planning to best structure the implementation plan. Stakeholders are identified, sponsors are selected, teams are assembled, reward/recognition plans are put in place, the project team room is equipped, and team norming in conducted.

Implementation is "…a BIG event" for most company's. Our project teams are uniquely qualified to develop and structure an implementation plan that considers an organizations people, it's processes, and it's technology. These are all integrated to insure the implementation is not a "one-sided" effort. Systems Thinking LLC manages the implementation to properly sequence the people, process, and technology improvements to insure the scope deliverables are achieved in a timely and efficient fashion

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Strategic Alignment and Scope Management

One of Systems Thinking LLC's first priorities when engaging in an improvement initiative is to completely understand the scope of the effort and how it aligns with the customers strategic direction. Our project managers are highly skilled in scope management and prior to any project kick-off, spend extensive time in reviewing the scope statement, listing any questions and concerns, and meeting with the appropriate stakeholders to validate and clarify any discrepancies.

In parallel with scope validation, we also make every effort to understand the strategic direction of the customer's business. Alignment of the strategic direction with the project scope statement of work insures the project team and the company, are both moving in the same direction.

When we encounter initiatives that are deficient with respect to scope, we recommend and facilitate the scope definition, scope planning, and scope development process. This results in generating a scope statement of work, which is mutually agreed upon by the project team, sponsors, and all stakeholders.

Systems Thinking LLC's, project managers do not deviate from the scope unless directed by the customer through their appropriate change control process and procedures. This is essential in order to insure the project team does not engage in "scope creep" which can have a significant impact on the outcome of the project schedule, deliverables, and success.

Once again, speed is a factor today and by exercising expert scope management practices, our project teams can provide the expected project deliverables in a concise and efficient fashion.

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Knowledge Management

This is an area that we find is quite commonly overlooked on most projects. How are processes, techniques, lessons learned, and "…the information that resides in people's heads" captured?

This is critical to company's engaging in several initiatives and/or those with a program management office (PMO) in place. As projects' start-up and close down, it becomes imperative to have a "knowledge" repository in place that can be accessed by all project stakeholders.

Systems Thinking LLC, highly recommends the establishment of a knowledge management system which can support all initiatives within a company. Particularly in the wake of the "New Economy", where most organizations's are engaged in some type of continuous improvement initiative. As workers leave the work force and/or switch employers they take the "knowledge" with them. Unless the knowledge is captured, each subsequent project team is basically forced to "start over."

Our project managers are required to capture the "knowledge" from each initiative and, in turn, becomes a "value add" dimension to each customer and initiative we undertake.

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Standards Compliance

Depending on the company and industry, there are specific standards and procedures that must be complied with. Systems Thinking LLC, works with the customer to fully understand all standard and procedure requirements and insure they are completely incorporated into all initiatives as needed.

Systems Thinking LLC, project managers are required to work with the project stakeholders to research and identify any specific government standards or federal specifications that may apply to the initiative. In tandem, they also review any company internal standards and procedures to insure the initiative complies with these as well.

We also understand the importance of ISO certification and work with company stakeholders to position the initiative in a fashion that complies, or will comply, with ISO certification requirements.

Systems Thinking LLC, requires our project teams to conduct up-front research relative to standards and procedures associated with a particular company and/or industry. This is accomplished prior to and during the initiative to further increase the rate of success of the project.

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Systems Thinking, LLC
49 Macomb Place, Suite 13  ·  Mt. Clemens, MI,  48043
586.468.6595  ·  Fax:  586.468.7054
Info@SysThinking.com

© 2003 Systems Thinking, LLC.. All rights reserved.