Our recent webinar discussed the importance of synergy to support business innovation and success to continue to evolve. This synergy applies to business strategies, goals, staff and projects but also the software and platforms that are being used across the business.
For us to understand the current environment for evolving businesses, we need to understand the background and change over previous years. As we look back at the challenges that businesses have faced over the years, we see a common issue, barriers for continued growth due to a lack of cohesion and communication. Prior to a world filled with technological answers and solutions, we demanded an advanced way to align projects, management and delivery. The introduction of technology and the subsequent rapid expansion of offerings has solved many previous issues. Firstly, being able to simply communicate with colleagues and stakeholders is now commonplace and instant. Second, monitoring and managing our sales funnels and projects in real-time is a necessary functionality for businesses to operate. Third, capturing and reporting data and results are now readily accessed from a suite of platforms at different levels of detail.
However, with so many different resolutions in the form of different platforms, pieces of software and other tech functionalities, we today face a new problem. No matter your industry or business function, the bloat of our tech stack, though advancing our capabilities, is often causing our efficiency and evolution to slow down. With the overwhelming number of platforms and programmes, we are using day-to-day, the lack of communication between them is resulting in delays which can lead to redundant results.
“With one of our clients here at PPS, prior to working with us, they were finding that extracting data, interpreting, analysing and presenting it in the required format for a variety of audiences took around 6 weeks. By which point, an additional 6 weeks’ worth of data had been generated and would need evaluating and this could influence the interpretation of the previous data set. It just wasn’t sustainable and a solution was required to ensure the business was harnessing information promptly in order to act and evolve, whilst minimising administrative effort.” Andrew Gerrish, Head of Consulting at Project Plan Services.
We, therefore, need a better understanding of the work that is being undertaken within the organisation, the platforms and software that are being used and where the disconnect lies. A 2017 Gartner study saw that the composition of work in today’s businesses is split between structured and unstructured work.*
It was noted that 40% of work is classified as structured, clearly defined, routine work with prescriptive processes that naturally fit into a transactional system. Whereas the remaining 60% of work is considered unstructured and dynamic. Despite the usual negative connotation of the term ‘unstructured’, this 60% is made up of the creative, non-routine, cognitive work. This creative and dynamic work often requires collaboration with others and has traditionally been managed using generic productivity tools like email, calendars, docs, and spreadsheets. It is in this creative space that innovation happens.
However, this innovation is stunted when structure and unstructured work do not align, especially after the seismic shift into flexible and remote working in recent years. The use and reliance on day-to-day user platforms has dramatically increased however this doesn’t make up for an already disrupted working environment caused by the global pandemic. Lack of connection and integration forces companies and users to improvise, creating confusion and complexity as opposed to driving innovation, growth and evolution within businesses. Therefore, highlighting the need for structured work using systems of record platforms and dynamic day-to-day user platforms marrying up and aligning.
So what is the answer? Finding a solution to solve all our problems feels like a daily battle, however with this demand for dynamic work comes a platform made just for that. The use of a Dynamic Work Platform implements a business-wide tool to support all existing platforms and beyond. Realigning how we use systems of record and day-to-day user platforms with a Dynamic Work Platform at the centre, creates a seamless composition of work. Providing an end-to-end platform, unifies people, processes and technology to meet changing demand.
As Platinum Smartsheet Partners, we know how important it is to find the right platform for you and your organisational requirements. Whilst Smartsheet provides a home for the essential day-to-day data, reports and real-time project management it also connects to your existing platforms to support growth and innovation. Feeding in additional results and metrics from your other platforms means you gain a holistic and well-rounded picture. This, therefore, allows you to build solutions that address your organisation’s unique needs and challenges, whilst future-proofing strategic decisions that ensure you have room to grow and create additional solutions without limitations.
If you are interested in a tailored demonstration of Smartsheet including Smartsheet Advance capabilities like Control Center and the Salesforce Connector, then get in touch with the PPS team to schedule a call.
Watch the full webinar now, which includes a visual end-to-end demo of Smartsheet and its integrations and connections.
*Source: Gartner, Inc., Effortless Visibility Is Key to Managing Empowered Workers Without Losing Control, March 30, 2017