Executing Change

Last week I wrote about the need to inventory your organization to prepare for change. I also wrote about benchmarking and communicating change. In a brief snapshot of all things change, the three previous articles have all to do with preparing yourself and your organization for the change. Think of the opposite of not being prepared.  An unprepared organization in the midst of change is a terrible place to be, however if you do your homework, gotten your numbers and prepared everyone for the upcoming change the next step, execution, should be easy.

I remember talking to an attorney friend of mine at the beach a few years ago. My sister-in-law told him that she was interested in becoming a lawyer because she was really into Law and Order the TV show.  After my attorney friend stopped laughing he simply said…. “it is nothing like TV”. Then he went on to explain the amount of work he and his team put into a case. He ended with something I have heard many times…. “we will win and lose the case before we ever go to trial”. The same is true with automation change in accounting. Having done hundreds of implementations the difference in the well executed and the poorly executed is the preparation. However know this; one of the things to prepare for in your inventory and benchmarking is the need to stay agile.  I try to stay away from sports analogies, but this one I just can’t help. A good team will come into a game with a plan that is based on research and study. In the middle of the game when opportunities present themselves the game plan will be altered, changed or completely scrapped. That is the good thing about doing your homework… the more prepared you are the greater chances you have of capitalizing on opportunities during execution.

I will write more about that tomorrow.

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