Operational Resilience
The operational resilience cycle is an ongoing quality management initiative that companies can use to shore up their business foundations and explore pathways to greater success. This is a transformation process that ensures the business is well-positioned to meet the scrutiny of prospective customers, investors and partners. The cycle establishes data and processes that are required for any mature and efficient operation to succeed through best practice. This service is especially valuable if you are planning for due diligence and acquisition - maximising your sale value while minimising risks and complications in the negotiations.
Operational resilience begins and ends with a clear vision statement. This can involve creating a new statement or re-evaluating an existing one. With the vision established, specific objectives must be identified and reviewed before we delve into the detailed analysis of the core operations. Consider the principles that guide your decision-making and define your company culture. Identify values that resonate with your business experience. Understand the company’s purpose, ask yourself why your company exists beyond making a profit. What is the long-term impact you want to make in your industry and your community? We return to this process and reconfirm and commit to the vision at the end of the cycle. After the project, all these phases should be revisited over the years to keep the focus on strategy, vision and success.
SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) encourages key stakeholders to systematically evaluate their strengths and weaknesses and develop strategies to maximize strengths while mitigating weaknesses.
Process flow workshops enhance employees’ understanding of their roles and of the business itself. Comprehensive documentation of workflows will be created for all key processes that manage system data and business operations. This phase aims to clarify the operational structure of the business and pinpoint opportunities for efficiency improvements.
Assessment of key financial metrics such as revenue, margin, cash flow and return on investment. Assistance with financial forecast modelling and preparation for due diligence by prospective investors.
A comprehensive review of assets including the document library, financial systems and communication platforms to identify areas for improvement. Along with phase 6, targeted enhancements will be implemented as part of the project. This phase will ensure commercial coverage for all work-in-progress (WIP) and related operations.
An analysis of IT systems to assess their effectiveness and cost efficiency. In some cases, simple spreadsheet-based solutions may be implemented to automate or streamline data management. Reorganization of your cloud document library into an intuitive, professional structure that will save staff time and enhance information integrity and validity by reducing duplication and version errors.
A workshop will evaluate the risks that could jeopardize business success, leading to a comprehensive, documented plan outlining responses to potential adverse events. The key deliverable for this phase will be a business continuity and disaster recovery plan, detailing strategies for addressing system failures, cyberattacks, physical property damage, and the departure of key personnel.
Review all key roles, departmental structures and reporting lines. Assess potential improvements and opportunities for professional development. Identify opportunities to provide training and guidance including burnout prevention and technical tips and tricks on basic business tools such as spreadsheets.
Conclude the SWOT analysis by reviewing all the opportunities and threats identified throughout the resilience cycle. This process brings us full circle, prompting a revisit of the vision statement to either refine, rework, or reaffirm its alignment with the business’s strategic direction.