Business Value - Again

I have blogged on this subject a nmber of times already, and I will no doubt return to it many times in the future. The thing is, it is the whole point of what we do.

The trigger this time is a short but memorable book that I picked up in Marylebone station on the way home last week. Entitled "How to be Brilliant" by Michael Heppell and published by Prentice Hall, it is one of the modern self improvement classics. Although it deals with people and how they can improve their personal performance, it is relevant to business operations. The core message of this book is that knowledge is good, but nothing changes until and unless it is put into action. This sounds remarkably like my definition of Business Value which I defined in a post last June as:

BV = Capability x Usage

Heppel recommends setting goals, identifying the key inhibitors, and then doing something about that one big issue, all inside 90 days. In the world of outsourcing, this sounds just like SLA's, root cause analysis in the event of failure, and then setting up a corrective action plan.

Heppel's other key recommendation is also relevant - when you decide to do something - take Massive Action in order to get things going. I like this concept - don't do something half heartedly, if you are going to do it, do it properly and get noticed for it.

My message this time can be summarised as follows:

For Customers: You have the Capability - are you getting the Business Value ? If not, what Massive Action can you take to deliver the usage ?

For Service providers: If your customer is not satisfied, what Massvie Actions can you take to shift that perception by the end of the next 90 days ?

Conclusion: The Nike ad's got it right - Just Do It !