BSBIMN501A QUEENSLAND INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ACADEMY

3.3 Make recommendations for improvements to system, policy or work practices.

 The reason we include recommendations in the system's report about strengths and limitations is so that readers can understand what can be improved and why.  We also want to persuade them that we need to take action so that those improvements can be made.  Persuasion in this case usually involves highlighting what benefits the improvements would give for the future and also what would happen if the system remained in its current state.

 The reason we include recommendations in the system's report about strengths and limitations is so that readers can understand what can be improved and why.  We also want to persuade them that we need to take action so that those improvements can be made.  Persuasion in this case usually involves highlighting what benefits the improvements would give for the future and also what would happen if the system remained in its current state.

 Recommendations for improving the system, its policies and work practices are written for workers who have been assigned specific responsibilities, and other stakeholders who have an interest in the system.  When it comes to improving a workplace information or knowledge management system, different groups need to be involved so that they can give their input from the perspective of their organisational responsibilities and needs.

 Your recommendations should therefore be targeted to those workers and stakeholders with interest in the system.  Consequently, you need to have a clear idea of who they are before you can begin planning and writing the recommendations component of your report.

 Ask yourself these questions:  Who will read your recommendations?  What aspects of the information system are they most interested in?  How much do they already know about the information system?  What don't they need to know?  What will they do with your recommendations once they receive them?

 Given the complexity of information and knowledge management systems, workers and stakeholders are likely to come from many different areas of the organisation.

 Here are some likely candidates for readers of your report:  managers and supervisors  organisational policy and procedure personnel customers and service providers  data processors

 Talking to workers and stakeholders about the system  Get into pairs. One person in each pair plays the role of a manager recommending improvements to a customer information system.  The other person plays the role of a worker or stakeholder- you can choose who you want to be.  As the person making recommendations for improvement, you need to persuade your colleague of the benefits of the recommendations.

 It is not always easy to come up with effective solutions for improvements to the system.  One good way to find solutions is to have small groups generating ideas and working towards problem-solving tasks together.

 Bear in mind that ideas develop exponentially. That is, the more ideas you have, the more you will generate.  Finding ways of coming up with ideas is therefore crucial to unearthing solutions.

 One of the most popular methods for generating new ideas in business is 'brainstorming'.  Brainstorming is based on the principle that the more ideas you have to select from, the more likely you will come up with a great one  Brainstorming sessions involve a group of people getting together and voicing their ideas.

 For the most creative thinking to occur, there are some rules to follow:  Don't criticise-suspend judgements at this stage.  Be as extreme or silly as you like. The crazier the idea, the better- it is easier to tone down an idea than to talk it up.  Come up with as many ideas as you can-quantity breeds quality.  Build on the ideas of others-combine your idea with another person's dto create a better one.

 Once a list of ideas is generated, it is usual for a smaller designated group to evaluate them and decide which ones are worth pursuing.

 Mind mapping is similar to brainstorming. Where brainstorming can be done with a large group of people, mind mapping requires smaller groups of three or four.

 The mind-mapping session proceeds as follows:  Each group takes a large sheet of paper or a whiteboard.  Each group member takes a different coloured marker.  In the middle of the paper or board, group members write down the focus of the challenge and then circle it. This is the 'central thought'.

 Members then draw lines coming out from the central thought and write down anything that relates to that thought. They then circle each new thought. These are the 'sub-thoughts'.  More ideas and thoughts can branch off the central thought or sub-thoughts until a network of ideas begins to develop.  If any of the sub-thoughts can be connected with other sub-thoughts, members draw a line between them.

 The first sub-thoughts are usually the obvious ideas that relate to the challenge. It is the thoughts that branch off the first sub-thoughts that are the innovative ones.  Once the process of drawing mind maps is complete, a spokesperson from each group presents their group's mind map. The spokesperson also discusses how the ideas might be implemented.

 When all the groups have presented their mind maps, commonly occurring topics and effective ideas are highlighted.  As with brainstorming, a smaller group of people is usually involved in analysing the results and choosing appropriate actions.

 If you already have an idea and you want to refine it, the SWOT analysis can help.  SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.  For a SWOT analysis to be effective, it needs to begin by defining a desired objective.  Once the objective has been defined, a group of people collaborate to make a list of each of the following:

 Strengths:  attributes ofthe system that help to achieve organisational objectives.  Weaknesses:  attributes of the system that hinder an organisation's ability to achieve objectives.  Opportunities:  attributes external to the system that help an organisation to achieve objectives.  Threats:  attributes external to the system that hinder an organisation's ability to achieve objectives.

 Once the above lists have been compiled, each item on each list is considered in the following way:  How can we use each strength?  How can we prevent each weakness?  How can we take advantage of each opportunity?  How can we protect against each threat?

 These questions and their answers are designed to generate strategies for reaching the given objective.  One of the limitations of the SWOT analysis is that it does not put the lists in an order of priority.  This means that potentially, a weaker strength could be pitched against a strong weakness and that would result in an imbalanced perspective.

 Appreciative enquiry is a method of solving problems that focuses on the positive aspects surrounding a problem and then builds on them.  By recognising and valuing the qualities and contributions of the people involved with the situation and seeking to discover how to make the most of them, we can better understand the possibilities for effective solutions.

 This technique works the best when a team of people contribute to the enquiry.  There are five 'D' phases to this problem- solving technique  Phase 1: Define the problem  Phase 2: Discover  Phase 3: Dream  Phase 4: Design  Phase 5: Deliver

 The recommendations component of your report on the strengths and limitations of the system is critical for proposing alternative approaches or solutions to the limitations, as well as the policies and work practices associated with the system.  In other words, recommendations take stock of your analysis and suggest actions based on your findings.

 In addition to knowing who will be reading your report, you must also have a thorough understanding of your objectives for improving the information or knowledge management system.

 To sharpen your focus, write your objectives down in a statement and then structure your report, making sure that it covers the:  current status of the system  problems with the current status of the system  options available for improving the current status system  benefits of the proposed improvements and why they are the best solution.