On-Line Business Diagnostic Tools for Business Advisers & Management Consultants

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Introduction to Diagnostic Business tools

A Business Diagnostic tool is to help Consultants and Advisers to work with a client to develop strategies for improvement. They are used by both internal and external consultants and advisers.

Identifying change & growth using diagnostic tools

All organizations, large and small, are facing increasing pressure for higher levels of productivity, return on investment, shareholder value and other measures of performance.

These sometimes conflicting pressures create increasingly complex demands for decision making – the number of choices are high, and so are the risks of getting it wrong. To help navigate the way, many organizations use simple tools that help to generate knowledge, develop understanding and identify action.

That’s where the RapidBI Business Improvement Review (BIR) comes in.

The BIR is a simple diagnostic business tool that adds value by taking stock of the current situation, identifying future needs and helping to identify the gaps between the two contexts. This provides a focus for effective decision making to be applied on high value areas.

Purpose of diagnostic business tools

The Business Improvement Review (BIR) from RapidBI provides Business Advisers and Client Organizations with a robust added value business diagnostic that drives business improvement, through ownership and simple change management approaches.

Helping to identify the business critical issues through a proven process, field-tested with more than 400 organizations, the tool provides a basis for focused interventions that address the needs of the client.

By concentrating on the ‘vital few’ issues that really make a difference energy and effort are harnessed to bring about effective change. A business diagnostic tool can help identify the vital few for a given organization.

In fact more than 80% of organizations that have participated have introduced beneficial change. An important feature of the tool is its flexibility. It can be administered via the web or paper based depending on the needs and choice of the client.

Unique to the BIR process is the concept of change management. The facilitated process translates data, gathered from multiple sources, to action addressing key concerns. Using a broadly based business model enables effective decision making by placing data into context of a complete view of the organization. Once the organization has started the BIR diagnostic process the change has begun. The very act of asking the people in the organization questions about what is effective and ineffective is in itself a driver for change.

Perceptions of a wide audience, including third parties such as customers and suppliers, can be contrasted giving additional perspectives that can endorse or challenge the prevailing view of the business. Business diagnostic tools provide a basis for taking a ‘reality check’ and establishing clarity between stakeholders.

Some business diagnostic tools offer the ability to graphically compare a business diagnostic process taken one year, with another and the ability to measure progress.  From a change point of view this is helpful as change to many organizations often feels relentless with little or no visible progress.

Benefits of using the BIR

• Credibility – 80% have implemented improvement action
• Cost effective
• Enables inclusion of third party feedback
• Structured around business purpose -provides solid view using established business model
• Engages participation, active and pragmatic not academic
• Field developed and field proven with over 400 SMEs
• Choice of approach to suit the business context
• Builds adviser and client relationships
• Develops a shared context for understanding the business
• Involves co-creation of business solutions & leads to more effective interventions
• Positions advisers as strategic partners
• Develops a platform for longer-term strategic involvement
• Builds credibility and is seen as adding real value
• Provides a clear focus on business improvement and sets the agenda for change
• Ability to compare progress since the last company survey – internal and external benchmarking.

On-line or off-line diagnostic business tools?

When the BIR was first used, there was little choice, it had to be run in pen and paper form. It is not that the technology was not available to run the product online – it was, but clients did not have access to the technology as readily as now. Off-line business diagnostic processes have the advantage of requiring good rapport with the client. Both the traditional ‘pen and paper’ diagnostic approach and the online diagnostic approach are valid – it is about selecting the right tool for the right situation and business culture.

Advantages of on-line diagnostic tools:

• quick to do
• does not require the key decision makers in one place at one time
• consistent
• no need to replicate data
• facilitator does not need to visit the client

Disadvantages of on-line diagnostic tools:

• facilitator does not need to visit the client
• lack of rapport with client
• some answers will be politically correct rather than what the individual feels – they have time to think

For more information on the BIR business diagnostic tool set see our products page or the BIR micro site.