Problems That Are Stalling the Success of Can-Go - Essay Example

Running Head: CONSULTATION S Problems that are stalling the success of Can-Go Problems that are stalling the success of Can-Go List of Six Problems 1. The head of the company doesn’t have a clear picture of how her company developed. Without understanding where she has come from, she will have a very difficult time in creating a strategic plan for management. 2. Can-Go has no business plan. Without a good business plan, it is difficult for a business to focus in a consistent direction. Meandering into directions that are off mission and outside of the vision of the future will create a chaotic and disorganized business with no real strategy for the future. 3. Goals are not specifically outlined. Without coherent and specific goals, the task of accomplishing anything within the company cannot be done with efficiency, if completed at all. 4. Presents ideas with no financial projection. Ideas are being presented to the team without a clear financial plan or projection that supports the potential for the idea. 5. When ideas are presented they are not complete and members of the team cannot make informed choices. Without clear goals or a financial projection, the ideas are being tossed at the team who is left feeling vulnerable and without direction. 6. Team members do not know how to organize and create strategy. It is clear that the basic tools of strategic management are outside of the knowledge of most of the team. This means that a part of the team is not working up to their potential, decreasing the efficiency with which goals are met. Problem 1 The head of the company is unaware of the steps that were taken to create the success that she has achieved. The problem with this lack of understanding is that she is unable to create a future without having a clear picture of the past. Understanding the importance of the past is the first step in creating a strategic methodology for continuing into the future. Charting how the company was built, all the milestones and the ways in which they were achieved would allow for Elizabeth to create a clearer picture of how her company evolved. Recognizing how she was prepared for opportunities and how she utilized those opportunities would give her a better grasp of her current success. In addition, she needs to look for lost opportunities and how she can be better prepared from them in the future. Once this understanding has been developed, she can move forward to create the business plan that she needs to continue her success. Problem 2 In order to address the problem of a business plan, Elizabeth needs to establish what her company stands for in regard to its mission and goals. This development of a business plan will provide a framework for expansion as new markets are examined for potential benefit. Through a clear statement of who the business and how it operates, she can better establish a strategic plan towards the future. The business plan needs to be built upon the establishment of a mission statement. A mission statement will help to define the business so that it can stay on target without meandering into areas that will throw the business off track. Through defining why the company exists and what the company does to fulfill its purpose, the company can focus on what is important to the continued success of the firm. Once the ‘why’ of the company is established, the vision statement can be constructed to understand how the future of the company will fit into the mission that has been established. Once the business plan has been constructed, which includes the structure of the company both present and future, the company can proceed forward towards developing a strategic plan for managing for goals and expectations. Problem 3 While ideas seem to be plentiful, none of them appear to be presented with clear goals. The discussions that have taken place with Warren have appeared to be based on his bringing an idea to the table, but having done no foundational research on why the idea should be used by the company. This problem is the core of the rest of the problems that are being experienced. In order to create a better and more productive work space, Warren needs to define goals that are associated with the ideas that are presented. When going to his employees, it is crucial to already have a timeline set with specific goals for each team member that can contribute to the overall success of each of the operations that he wants to set into motion. The group feeling vulnerable and without clear direction when Warren throws an idea at them that has no foundation for success. Even though ideas need to be further examined by each member of the group in regard to their position within the company, clear instructions based on preliminary knowledge that is passed onto each member will provide the group with a stronger position from which to work towards the decision making process. Problem 4 Warren has presented the idea for on-line gaming without having done any financial planning to support the business wisdom of making this move into a new market. While the group must be given clear goals in order to begin working on the project, the fears that are associated with the financial benefits of the project should be addressed before utilizing the time of the team towards the implementation of the project. While creating clear goals for the team is more important than providing fully developed financial projections, the projections are vital in creating the proper environment for the team to pursue those goals. Without a belief in the success of the project and without understanding the potential, the pursuit of the goals cannot be done with efficiency. While creating a financial projection will take time, it is important when presenting ideas to the team that they understand that the company will see benefit. If it is necessary to collaborate with another team member to gather the appropriate information, then Warren should find someone who has the skills to calculate the appropriate information. In creating this collaboration Warren will have created a relationship within the team that will help to strengthen his position while promoting ideas to the team. Once a sense of the future potential is established, goals will be achieved with the support of those who were in on the initial collaborations, creating a firmer foundation for the success of new ventures. Problem 5 Problem 5 relates specifically to the organization that is accomplished in problem three and four. Through the development of a plan of action that includes the appropriate information to support ideas that are brought to the team, the goals of the team can be more quickly accomplished. When ideas are thrown to the team with no foundational information, the team members must assess for themselves where they fit into the implementation of the idea, what decisions fall on their shoulders, and how they must organize and prioritize goals. If Warren goes into a meeting with the team with a clear idea that is supported by financial information, some preliminary marketing research that directly relates to the idea, and a set of preliminary tasks towards the decision making process, the team would have an idea how to start looking into the potential project. Problem 6 The last problem on this list is an essential component to providing for all of the other goals towards solving problems within Can-Go. It is essential that all members of the team are taught how to organize their goals so that they are accomplished through comparable strategies. Without everyone having similar methods, some areas will be less fully developed than others. Just as Debbie has taken the time to show Nick how to prioritize and chart his goals, all of the team members must use similar methods so that when the progress is assessed, it can be easily accessible to all members of the team. Part of the business plan should include a section on how goals and tasks are organized for team efficiency. Choices on types of charts such as SWOT and Ghant charts for the purpose of congruent work product should be used so that all members of the team can be on the same page and understand where each team member is in regard to the goals that have been established. Timelines, prioritized lists, and detailed organization from the beginning will save a lot of time in the beginning. Having all members of the team create the same kind of organization will help to create stronger team communication. This will also create better work production from each member of the team. The time it takes to create a process and educate the team on how to use the process will be gained back as projects are created with greater efficiency. The overall focus of the problems that Can-Go is experiencing lies in the lack of strategy and organization from within the company. Read More