Identify where you are and plan where you are going. Key questions to target growth and stay on track with the annual strategic plan

1. QUARTER 1 - IN FRONT, BEHIND OR ON TRACK?
WRITTEN BY JONATHAN HARTLEY 04/2016

2. TIME WAITS FOR NO ONE AND WITH THE 1ST
QUARTER OF 2016 BEHIND US, THE FOCUS ON
THE REMAINING 3 IS VERY APPARENT.
Now is a critical time for businesses and imperative that all stakeholders within
them take stock of what has been achieved, addressing what is still required.
Consultation within internal staff and the teams is required to establish where you
are and where you are going, based on the last 3 months performance.
What is certain is that the invoiced performance holds the detail around all future
achievement, measured by the trend line it is already projecting.

3. CONSULTATION - WITH WHO?
 External and Internal Sales teams
 Finance and Credit team
 Logistics and Operations team
 Marketing and Online teams
 Senior Management teams
 The Board of director

4. FEEDBACK
 The necessity to receive feedback and cross
departmental input from these is primary in
understanding what is working, what is not and where
changes need to be made. Such changes are required to
ensure improved performance, sales profitability whilst
maintaining service levels internally and externally.

5. EVALUATE WHAT?
 Sales Performance v planned budgets
 Individual performance v personal budgets
 Profitability v Company planned return
 Product Range profit return by category
 Departmental cost v budgets
 Staff resources v revenue returned and profit
 Aged Debt from customers returned or outstanding
 Quarter 1 performance v Company Strategy and Goals

6. ON COURSE?
 Once evaluation has taken place and information has been
captured, assessed and laid out, then a clear understanding and
picture will be visible as to what direction the business is going in,
versus the strategic aims that it has set out to achieve.
 The relevance of all departments engaging in the evaluation is
two fold:
i. Maintaining open lines of communication, ensuring that
breakdown in functionality of these departments does not happen,
as well as SILOS not being able to form.
ii. Including all of the departments and staff in what is a TEAM target
and therefore a TEAM responsibility.

7. WHAT ARE THE MEASURES?
 What is the performance against the KPI's for Quarter 1?
 Who is ahead of their KPI's? (Individuals and departments)
 Who is behind on their KPI's? (Why? What support is required to get back on track?)
 Which products are ahead of the curve after Quarter 1?(Market trends or spikes in that have caused
this?)
 Which categories are ahead of performance KPI's? (Profit and Revenue)
 Which products and categories are behind KPI ( Why? What can be done & which departments can
support?)
 Which departments are over budgeted spend for Quarter 1?
 Which marketing investment has seen the best return?

8. WHAT CHANGES ARE REQUIRED?
Now that all of the information has been established and time is still on your side
with 3 full quarters still to play out, now is the time to make any changes, should
they be required.
It may be the case that you are happy with the performance and the direction
that the business is tracking.
The focus in this case is more of the same and ways that can improve and
streamline the current activity, ensuring the team and the business stay on track.

9.  If you are off the pace and recognise that areas of development need to be worked
on, then establishing what to change and how severe those changes need to be is
paramount to the remaining year.
 It's a tough call for some to accept that the plan is failing, or that everything seemed
focussed on achievement over the last 3 months, only for results not to be secured
against performance.
Throw 100 balls in the air and you won't catch all in your hands, work with
99 people to make the impossible become the possible.

10. CHANGE WHAT?
 The changes that are made are of course subject to the business, the strategic
direction and the performance of the business, which is relevant to specifics,
therefore my suggestions are just that, suggestions.
 Fine tuning, industry specific and strategy related obviously needs to be adopted.

11. QUESTIONS TO CONCLUDE
 Have you set to many KPI's to be achieved, diluting the impact of focus?
 Do the staff/team's fully understand the strategy and their impact?
 Are the targets realistic related to forecasts and market opportunities?
 Can the staff in the departments struggling be trained?
 Are any departments under or over resourced?
 Focus more on what's worked than what's not?
 Is it the people or the tools they have that are not adequate for the job?

12.  Is the profit being affected at sell price or at cost price increases?
 Are credits and returns higher than average against last year?
 Is ROI being achieved on last 6 months investments?
 How are customers performing against last year?
 Have you noticed that you've lost share?
 Has the ATV on products decreased with clients?

13.  Are the incentives for the team's strong enough and achievable?
 Are departments 'joined up' and promotions working?
 What's the staff morale like after 3 months, positive?
 Are the customers receiving improved or agreed service levels still?
 Has the competitions offer changed or improved?
 Are you just selling to the wrong customer's?

14. This is just a snapshot of things that I have used and
experienced in my career so far as a Strategic People Manager.
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Jonathan Hartley