Policy Implementation

Business cases are a justification for a proposed program, project or undertaking. Whilst most people can create a few reasons and cost a proposal in a business case for the desired outcome, DTD’s approach is to systematically quantify the proposal’s contribution to improving the effectiveness of each KPI and PI at particular points in time.  Specific implementation initiatives are developed (SMARTs) to understand any transactional costs. An optimisation strategy is then adopted to develop a range of implementation solutions. These often have different risk profiles and these need to be endorsed by the enterprise risk owners.

Governance is a performance framework nested in a coherent system to deliver results. Delegations empower individual responsibilities that contribute to the outcome. DTD establishes PI’s initially and then aggregates within like functions to create KPI’s. Once established delegation instruments are provided based around the risk consequence dimension and tolerances. Committees and workflow endorsements are established for co-mingled risks. Finally an assurance regime is established. DTD then provides ongoing coaching, mentoring, peer review or advisory services.

Most people have a basic understanding of risk. At DTD we integrate up and downside risk with business-as-usual, in-year continuous improvement initiatives and stepwise changes to create risk culture improvements. These productivity measures reduce organisational risk profiles, develop measures for cascading risks, delegation instruments for portfolio, program and project risk including upside (opportunity). The integration measures consist of a double improvement loop comprising: working IN the business; and working ON the business. Most change management engagements have a component of risk and opportunity that improves ‘ON’ the business activities. This integration reduces duplication and redundant measures to create more productive outcomes.

Integrated change control plans are a key feature of policy implementation. Acknowledging that during change, performance is usually disrupted. Experience is normally a poor judge of an appropriate performance during change as few people experience excellence. At DTD we develop integrated control plans based on the causal drivers for individual initiatives and these are aggregated around workflows. Following an iterative process of planning against the forecast model/s an integrated change control plan is approved by the Board or executive management.

Planning is about a desired outcome. Planning often fails as the individuals do not have holistic control of all interactions. Forecasting is a method for predicting alternate outcomes with sufficient accuracy  given the uncertainty of empirical evidence. The key to forecasting is developing a set of principles  (causal relationships, rules etc) relevant to the situation and combining them in the right combination. The KPI’s and PI’s provide touchstones. SMARTs provide, for example,  truncation, regression or boundary conditions for a model. Common models include:

• Role playing
• Intentions
• Expert opinions
• Conjoint Analysis
• Analogies
• Extrapolation
• Rules Based Forecasting
• Expert Systems
• Econometric models

Key Performance Indicator (KPI) is a measurable value that demonstrates how effectively an organisation is achieving its strategy and business outcomes. Performance Indicator (PI) is a sub-set of a KPI and are normally clustered based upon common critical success factors. Finally SMARTs (Specific Measurable Attributable Realistic Timebound) are tasks that are delegated to individuals and are necessary to achieve a component of the strategy. DTD’s key skill is pragmatically integrating these requirements to create productive solutions. Whilst expert opinion is a good first step (and if data is poor), client’s often require more sophisticated models that have a higher integration of statistical and judgement with a combination of leading indicators with a sufficient time horizon to enable timely decisions. Delegations are proposed  and workflow requirements are developed to adjust the organisations neural pathways.

Process definition and improvement is a systematic approach to closing performance gaps through streamlining and reducing variability, cycle reduction times etc. DTD is focused on creating double improvement loops. The first loop is normally understood through management (process of controlling people or activities). The second loop is focused on governance and enables cohesive portfolio strategy. Initially DTD assists organisations in understanding whether it is a management or governance responsibility. For managers coaching is often required to understand a trigger for governance. Failed understanding is often identified through delayed implementation of a strategy, cognitive dissonance (persons belief contrary to evidence) where they may create irrelevant relationships or inconsistent actions. DTD often undertakes desktop audits of organisations to understand how the organisation views process definition and improvement. It then assists individuals to understand their attitudes through examination of evidence they have produced.        

Sponsors normally have overall accountability of a program or project to deliver the portfolio or business outcomes.  In providing the link between the business and the  initiative they are often required to be a champion. DTD works with sponsors to help them understand the boundary conditions they need to establish, tasks outside the Implementation Manager’s responsibility  and create a personal work plan.  At a basic level this is often the reporting structure, roles, responsibilities.  At a more sophisticated level we support sponsors in understanding how and when the initiative changes risk culture, organisational maturity, triggers for consequential initiatives etc based upon objective leading indicators.