Business Assessment: examples

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Core – what defines you?
What is the common ground you share, such as industry and location?
What is special about your people, products & services, or markets?
What binds you together, such as vision, mission, or values?
What success do you seek as an organisation?
How do you respond to change and to new ideas?

Coherence – a focused beam
How do potential clients etc. find out about your ‘core’?
How do you ensure staff assimilate and represent it well?
is everyone clear about what services are being offered and to whom?
How do you continue to ensure that this is so?

Credibility – you don’t expect a plumber to arrive in a business suit!
Do you look the part?
Do you build rapport well?
Do you sound like someone who does good work, as you listen and talk?
Do your existing clients want to recommend you to others?
How are your web site and other publicity or advertising materials?

Culture (or Character) – “people buy people”
What qualities do you seek to encourage?
Do your people respect one another?
Do they value others’ strengths, personalities, and viewpoints?
Do your people trust and support one another?
How do people handle mistakes or failure and dissent?
Will people “go the extra mile” to meet a customers’ requests?
Are you optimistic, diligent and persevering?

Connectedness – relating your needs and resources to others
How well do you communicate your Unique Selling Point (USP)?
How well do you understand potential customers’ needs and how you might help them?
How well do you engage with all stakeholders, including employees, the local community, and the environment?
How well do you create collaborative relationships with other organisations?

Competence – doing a good job
How do you ensure that customers’ orders are understood and agreed – and not just by the sales team but by those doing the work?
How do you map organisational needs and the development of individual staff?
How do you provide training and other support?
How do you build quality assurance into your processes?
To what extent do you help people to achieve recognised qualifications?
How do your review these things with staff, e.g. through an annual appraisal?

Capacity – you need to be able to deliver the work you promise!
Do you have the right people in place, as employees or contractors?
Do you have the premises and equipment that are needed?
Do you have finances in place, including working capital?
How do you plan to change capacity in an appropriate way?

Consistency – staying great
How do you assess needs for staff training and development?
How effective are your processes to maintain premises and equipment?
How do you gain feedback from customers?
Do you see mistakes and customer complaints as gifts to learn from?
How else do you involve outsiders to gain an objective review?

Compliance
This is intentionally at the end of the list, because if there is a good attitude towards staff, customers, and other stakeholders much of the legal compliance should not be onerous, but then again most of us don’t enjoy this necessity!

This is a work in progress: comments are welcome.

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