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Dylan de Blaquiere | Measuring the Success of an Organisation

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  Dylan de Blaquiere | Organisations only exist to achieve something that individuals can't achieve alone. This involves coordinated, cooperative effort. In 1938, Chester Barnard, author of The Functions of the Executive, wrote "the only measure of a cooperative system is its capacity to survive". Despite its vintage, that seems like a valuable insight at the moment with the demise of so many household names over the last decade and many more to come during the current economic turmoil.   But how to measure an organisation's capacity to survive? Is it the age of the organisation? But that only measures historical capability to survive, not necessarily the current and future capacity. Is it a measure of vitality - like a doctor measuring vital signs: heart rate, blood pressure, blood composition, immune system, etc.? Measuring liquidity, cashflow, and any number of financial ratios are useful metrics. But, continuing the medical analogy, measuring vital signs help

Dylan de Blaquiere | Project Risk Management and Assurance

  Dylan de Blaquiere   | Why do so many organisations embark on high-risk projects without demanding robust project assurance? Projects fail for many reasons. Recent global studies indicate that inadequate risk management is a common cause. Successful project managers aim to resolve high levels of exposure before they occur, via systematic risk management processes. Many projects are inherently exposed to myriad risks and are often significant in scale, complexity and ambition. Delivering large-scale projects can often be adversely impacted by a bias towards being over-optimistic. Imperfect, insufficient or inadequate data increases exposure that often results in over-estimating benefits and under-estimating costs. Managing macro and micro-level events related to achieving project deliverables, whilst balancing the needs of many stakeholders, has become increasingly important. Assessing risks at both portfolio and work-stream levels helps increase confidence that risks are

Dylan de Blaquiere | Why Are Business Relationships So Important?

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  Dylan de Blaquiere   | The truth is, relationships are so imperative in business that without them you will not be able to create a profit.   You'll need to build relationships with many different types of people. Relationships with vendors, contractors, employees, clients and customers are all part of doing business. In fact, some will argue that relationships are one of your most important assets in your business. They Build Trust Relationships give you time to build and develop trust so that a business deal can be made without worry. That doesn't mean you don't still make contracts, but it does mean that you have some assurance based on the relationship that the contract will be honored. Strong Connections Predict Success Studies show that people who develop community connections and strong relationships tend to have a better quality of life, and become more successful than those who don't connect with others. Managing Relationships Takes Skill Th

Dylan de Blaquiere | Ten Important Questions About an Organization's Work

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  Dylan de Blaquiere | Management consultant and Continuous Improvement pioneer Bill Conway often said, "The most important business decision people make every day, is deciding what to work on. It's all about the work"   This perspective has proved to be true in much of the consulting work our firm has done. In fact, we've found that working on the right things comprises at least half of project improvement or continuous improvement! But once people know what to work on, there are ten critical questions to consider, the answers to which will lead the way toward building a high-performance culture of continuously improving an organization's work. These ten questions are: What processes should we use to identify the best opportunities for improvement; the work processes that, if improved, can make the biggest impact on the bottom line? How will we prioritize the opportunities? How can we ensure or increase alignment? How will we identify desired ou

How to Create a Financial Plan for Your Business? – Dylan de Blaquiere

If you are planning to apply for a business financing, such as taking a loan, then the lender will most likely ask you to show a detailed financial plan before finally agreeing to issue the loan. Or, if you are planning to grow your business, and would like to scale the growth and set future goals, then a detailed financial plan might help you make more solid decisions.  Dylan de Blaquiere explains that in both cases, having a detailed financial plan is the key. A detailed financial plan can become an important report for your business and can help your business grow much faster.  If you are wondering how to make a financial plan for your business, then sweat not. In this article, Dylan de Blaquiere explains how to create a financial plan for your business.  Creating a Financial Plan  According to Dylan de Blaquiere , regardless of the type of business you have, there are three major components you will need to create a strong and precise financial plan. These are:  Balance Sheet Cash

Dylan de Blaquiere | Business Success Guarantees Business Longevity

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  Dylan de Blaquiere | The most important tool I use in building my businesses is my intuition. I've discovered that when I trust my feelings and intuition more, I'm more able to see opportunities that others are missing. This is important as it allows me to make decisions and take action faster. Here are a few tips on using your intuition to propel your business forward:   Focus: When you're not focused, your intuition is not going to give you the insights that you need. You need to be clearly defined in your thinking, which will in turn allow you to use your intuition. Once I've found my focus, I trust them to provide the clarity I need. Sometimes I need to readjust my thinking and sometimes an idea just comes into my mind - I know they're good ones so I trust them to keep me focused. Trust: I'm not talking about trusting someone with your money, but trusting your intuition. Trusting those people who are providing you with information has some value in