Structure, systems and reusable practice

This area is particularly relevant when:

• good initiatives require a lot of manual work every time
• experience is not captured systematically
• new employees or elected representatives take a long time to get going
• quality varies from one time to the next
• the organisation wants to scale activities without wearing people out

These are typical challenges in membership organisations, project environments and businesses with limited resources.

I start by understanding how the work actually happens today, not as it is described on paper. Then I work in a structured way to:

• map activities and workflow
• identify what works, and why
• develop simple and clear delivery models
• create templates, checklists and supporting documentation
• build structures that are easy to adopt and easy to carry on

The work is adapted to the organisation's maturity and capacity. The systems should adapt to the people who use them.

The result is often:

• clear and reusable set-ups for activities and processes
• better quality and predictability
• faster onboarding of new participants
• less dependence on individuals
• more room for development and improvement

A good system is recognised by being easy to use, also for those who were not involved in making it.

This can be:

• delivery models for meetings, seminars or dialogue processes
• templates for planning, evaluation and learning
• structures for cooperation between the administration, the board and the members
• documentation that is actually used in practice

The form is adapted to the organisation. What counts is that the structure is used after I have left.

Sometimes structure stalls because the tool is missing. Then I build it:

• mapping the process as it actually happens
• specifying and developing a working solution, not a requirements specification
• handover so that the business owns the solution itself

I replaced BPO Consulting's own client system with a purpose-built CRM covering contacts, companies, projects, deals, time tracking and lookups against the Norwegian Central Coordinating Register for Legal Entities. The advantage is that the person who understands the process also builds the tool, so nothing is lost in the handover between adviser and developer. Solutions are normally delivered with handover. Ongoing operation is agreed separately.

In this kind of work I act as:

• builder of structure
• systematising adviser
• translator of experience into practice

I do not deliver ready-made packages, but solutions that can be developed further and owned by the organisation itself.

Many start with a simple thought: this ought to be easier than it is. That is often a very good place to begin.