Organizational Tools
Components of a Successful Business Plan
This tool details the content of a successful business plan. It provides a valuable checklist of information that you will need to gather – and poses questions that savvy investors will ask.
Creating a Business Interruption Plan
A business interruption plan prepares an organization for an unexpected interruption of services. This tool contains a detailed outline to use in preparing a business interruption plan.
Developing Management Standards
Leaders and managers need to take the time to articulate and implement a consistent set of management standards for themselves and every manager and supervisor in the company. This checklist should detail the specific practices expected of every manager and supervisor. For example, it should clarify how managers assign decision-making responsibilities, how often they meet with staff, how they set performance expectations, and how often they provide performance feedback.
Five Keys to Building A Successful Organization
This tool lists five keys to building a successful organization, based on research into what successful leaders do. Leaders can use this as a checklist to make sure they have considered all the crucial questions in building and managing their business.
This tool defines the life cycles of organizations and illustrates the key hurdles that all companies face. It’s used by leaders to assess the obstacles their companies will face from start-up to maturity. For example, a typical start-up hits a hurdle at 3-4 years when it’s forced to decide whether its products and/or services have gained sufficient market validation to warrant further investment.
What are the signs that an organization is in trouble? What are the symptoms of a company that has lost its way? Based on the ideas of W. Edwards Deming, "The Seven Deadly Diseases" are the things you need to look for – whether you’re managing a company – or simply investing in it.