Achieving Best Business Practice - Top Tips

							?There is an increasing array of Best Practice Guidance, Qualifications and Training.?
It covers everything from very specific skill sets? (eg ISEB Software Testing),
through to management methodologies (eg PRINCE2 Project Management) and
Personal Skills (eg ILM Coaching & Mentoring).?
The Credit Crunch and its fallout will prompt fundamental reviews of how
organisations operate.? Terms such as "Best Practice" and "World Class" will come to
the fore over the coming months?as organisations seek to ensure they are working in
the most efficient way - and that they are adhering to appropriate standards of
management and governance.
For individuals, maintaining and developing?qualifications has a major impact on job
prospects.? In this period of uncertainty and change it's the right time to invest in Best
Practice skills training.

Businesses

1. Don't Re-invent the Wheel

Just 10 years ago most project based businesses had developed in-house
methodologies for project management - drawing on their own experience of
successful and unsuccessful projects.? Many have now switched to a methodology
based on a generic standard such as PRINCE2.?Many of the core governance and
planning processes will be similar.? However the advantages of a technique such as
PRINCE2 are compelling:
- It draws on the experiences of many more projects and businesses and is regularly
updated
- There is a large pool of project managers familiar with the approach
- There is a widely available training and certification scheme??

2. Concentrate on Business Critical

There are many aspects of management and individual performance that could be
targeted for Best Practice approaches.? At time of limited resources make sure that
training and development funds are concentrated on areas which are essential:
- Project & Programme Management where effective delivery of benefits to time and
budget is essential
- IT Service Management which forms the backbone of most modern organisations
- IT Technical training which is essential to deployment of new technologies which
will differentiate your business

3. Ensure Critical Mass

Best practice approaches depend on significant teams (or the whole organisation)
working in a co-ordinated way.? There is limited value in an isolated group of 3 or 4
project managers working to a PRINCE2 methodology if other project team members
are not briefed and if senior managers do not understand their role within the wider
process.

Individuals

1. Understand where you are going

There are different reasons you may choose to follow Best Practice approaches:
- Extend your range of skills to enhance career/job prospects
- Obtain certification for existing skills (to strengthen your CV and personal
credibility)
- Enhance your personal efficiency and provide a shared team approach and language

Where do you want to be in 12 month's time?? What training or qualifications will
help you get there?? If you have been a project manager with a long-term employer
but want to be able to prove yourself to new employers then obtaining PRINCE2
certification may be a very wise move.? If formal recognition of existing skills is less
important then broaden your horizons: an IT specialist might develop ITIL skills as a
route to broader business management responsibilities.
?
2. Prove You Can Put it into Practice

Attending a course and passing an exam is only the first step.?Your current or future
employer will be?much more interested in how you have been able to take the
principles learned and use them to deliver benefits for your organisation.

 3. Refresh and Extend

The business environment is constantly changing and skills learnt?5 years ago will be
of limited use today.? Keep refreshing and extending your Best Practice skills both
through Prince2 Training and practical application.? Increasingly there is linkage
between the Best Practice approaches which makes this easier.? For instance ITIL
approaches underpin the ISO20000 certification for service management quality.?
Likewise there is increasing commonality between PRINCE2, MSP (Managing
Successful Programmes) and M_o_R (Management of Risk).