The questionnaire is the form “Are you a sensitive lover” which are found in Mens magazines.  At the end you can add up your scores and based on the answer we’ve suggested some things to think about.

Try our simple quiz to find out if you are really ready for it by answering our multiple-choice questions and then totting up your score…

NEED - Do I need this… some typical signs?

Q1. Do we have one or more business transformation initiatives?
a. Yes, they are coordinated by a Programme Office with a shared business model
b. No, but there is one major initiative across the company
c. Yes, but we seem to have difficulty coordinating the results
d. I’ve no idea. Each department does their own thing

Q2: Are the following initiatives company – enterprise application implementation (ERP, CRM, Supply Chain), 6 Sigma, Business Process Reengineering, Sarbanes Oxley, M&A integration, outsourcing/shared services, launching new operations…..):
a. 1 or less
b. 2-4
c. More than 4
d. Probably all of them

Q3: We only get a percentage of the benefits stated in the business case.  This typically get:
a.  75-100%
b.  50-75%
c.  Less than 50%
d.  We don’t ever measure the benefits

DESIRE – Is there a strong enough desire to follow through?

Q4: Our positioning vs. the competition is best described:
a. We are setting the pace of change for others to follow
b. We are able respond to change and are able to stay competitive
c. We able respond to change but at a huge cost
d. We are unable to respond quickly enough

Q5: Our ability to stay alive requires us to transform the business:
a. No – we need some small course corrections
b. Yes – but it is limited to one business unit-
c. Yes – we recognize that changes are required
d. Yes – we require a radical overhaul of the business model

Q6:  The top team and managers recognize the benefits of moving to a process-focused approach
a. We have aligned our org chart to the cross-functional processes
b. We have process owners and a functional org chart
c. Work is organized in line with functional organization
d. Getting managers in different departments to talk would be a first

Q7: Which of these statements best reflects your attitude to compliance?
a. My company has to achieve the highest levels of compliance.
b. It’s a necessary evil.
c. It can sometimes get in the way of business.
d. I wonder who will get found out next?
OPPORTUNITY – Are there initiatives where this could be applied now?

Q8: I can see an initiative where we could apply these principles
a. We are already have a central source of information reused by all initiatives
b. We have a perfect initiative starting in the next month – the business case is being presented at the next Board meeting
c. I can see an opportunity in the next 3-6 months
d. I’d need the management team and project managers to read this book before I’d get them to adopt these ideas

Q9: We can mandate this approach on our external consultants
a. We mandate a process focused approach in all projects
b. We have a good relationship and the consultants are open to new ideas
c. We would need to convince the consultants of the benefits of this approach
d. We have fixed price contracts and they will fleece us if we try to change

Q10: How much is the business controlled by regulatory bodies
a. Very little - thankfully
b.  As we have a US parent we need to comply with Sarbanes Oxley
c. We need to comply with our industry regulations (is FSA for Financial Services, FDA for Pharmaceuticals)
d. You name it  - we’ve got it. It seems like we work for the compliance offices.

CAPABILITY – Do we have the technical infrastructure and the skills?

Q11: How well connected is the organization?
a. All our offices are connected by a single intranet and many of our staff have full access to servers and systems from home
b. All our offices are connected by a single intranet
c. We have separate intranets for each country
d.  We are thinking of outsourcing this area of IT

Q12: How long does it take to get a new software application installed?
a. With a business sponsor, less than 1 month.  That is the IT dept’s SLA
b. Less than a month on a test server, and less than 3 months into production
c. It varies a lot based IT’s priorities – you put it in the queue and wait
d. We’ve outsourced IT to XXX so it is now impossible

Q13: What experience is there of running process-focused projects?
a. We are currently running all projects using the principles in this book
b.  We have a project manager who has the skills and a small team of analysts
c. We have strong project skills, but would need coaching and support
d. This would be a first.  We would be dependent on external consultants

LEADERSHIP – Is there support at senior management to become process-focused?

Q14: Do you have a single strategy in place which aligns the top team?
a)    Yes. We couldn’t perform without it.
b)    Yes. We reached agreement on a strategy in the end.
c)    Yes. I think so.
d)    Yes. In fact we have several of them and we’ll probably have a new one next week).

Q15: How many of the top team would openly endorse the principles in the book?
a . Virtually all of them.  A couple of them could have written the book
b. Certainly the operational side – the finance guys have a numbers basis
c. Very few, but after they’ve read it they would be open to the approach
d. Forget it.  They are too busy fighting turf-wars

Q16: What chance is there of changing the organization structure around the end to end processes ?
a. We’re nearly there
b. We’d be more comfortable with a matrix organization reconciling functions with processes
c. We’ve a strong functional organization and we’d need to be convinced of the benefits
d. Didn’t you see my answer to Q15 .  No way.

Q17: If you were to receive an award for your desk, which one of these phrases would be engraved:
a. ‘The buck stops here’
b. ‘Executive of the year’
c. ‘It was like that when I found it’
d. ‘Gone for lunch – back in 2008”.

 
Interpreting your score

Now simply add up your scores (with or without the help of your accountant, as necessary).
For every a) you score 10 points; every b) = 8 points; every c) = 5 points; every d) = 0 points.  How have you done? How ready are you for it?

Over 120 points:
Great – you’re red-hot. Give me a call because I’d love to profile your success story on our website and in the next book. 

80-120 points:
You’re nearly ready to take the plunge, but there are still a few things you need to sort out. At least you are aware of that some things need to change. Think through all of the issues raised in this book and, once you’ve done that, you can leap right in.

30-80 points:
Unless you get a lot more buy-in for the principles any initiative is likely to fail. It sounds like you need a bulk order of the book so you can distribute it more widely – or get the top team to attend one of our seminars.

0–30 points:
You’re clearly passionate about the process-focused approach or you wouldn’t have read this far, but you’re clearly in the wrong company.  Come and talk to us, because we know some companies that need you.  At the very least get out now before the excitement in you dies.