Common factors that cause delays in business and ways to boost efficiency
Delays in business projects are never desirable, but they are not always avoidable either. It is true that with proper planning and collaboration, project delays can be significantly reduced and even eliminated completely at times. However, in the case of complicated, multilevel, large-scale business projects, not even the most well-equipped and experienced team can guarantee that there won’t be any delays.
Bigger, more complex projects will have far too many variables for the associated teams to predict all issues accurately and prepare for each future bottleneck in advance. Nevertheless, the delay caused by new, unexpected problems can still be accommodated within the expected timeline of a project by boosting efficiency elsewhere. On that note, let’s get started by looking at some of the most common delays that can be expected.
Request for unplanned scope changes and/or additions from the client
There is always a chance that the client will want some changes that deviate from the original plan. Accommodating additional elements that were not a part of the original plan, for example, will inevitably raise costs and set the original date of delivery back significantly. Even a complete revaluation and replanning are not out of the question, which could be a big problem if the project was already close to completion.
The best way to avoid this is to have both parties sign a detailed contract where all details of the project are clearly written down in no uncertain terms. While most companies will accommodate client requests to a reasonable degree, it is also important to retain your power to diplomatically refuse unreasonable demands. However, if a client is reasonable enough to wait longer and pay more for the newly expanded scope of the project, even last-minute changes can be negotiated.
Inadequate or outdated enterprise management system (EMS)
Both productive capacity and speed will suffer if the EMS is not up to date with the latest automation features that are present in industry leading enterprise management systems such as the Dynamics 365 Business Central, better known as Microsoft Dynamics Business Central. For example, Microsoft Business Central 365 is powered by a business AI algorithm which constantly analyses all relevant and available data. One of Dynamics 365 Business Central System’s many features is that of providing personalised, real-time suggestions/guidelines to employees on how they can improve their present workflow, boost productivity and complete tasks faster.
Microsoft Business Central can also be used to completely automate several time-consuming, repetitive business processes. This allows the employees to focus a greater portion of their time on more complicated aspects of the project. There is still a lot more that Microsoft Windows Central can do to boost work efficiency of course, since this was only a barebone introduction to get the main idea across.
If you have a small to medium scale company of your own and you would like to know more about how Dynamics 365 Business Central can boost productive efficiency and mitigate delays, contact Sci-Net about Microsoft Dynamics Business Central 365 Essentials. The Microsoft Gold Partner will first arrange for a demo at your convenience to directly showcase how Microsoft Dynamics Business Central software tools can be used by your own company to achieve better results.
Poor post-execution phase planning
The post-execution phase or the closing step of a business project is often ignored, unfortunately. Despite what a company may believe, poor attitude towards properly carrying out the post-execution phase can lead to some of the longest and most frustrating delays in the long run. There is also the risk of overrunning costs and generating bad reputation within the industry. To avoid such problems, ensuring the following aspects of the post-execution phase holds critical importance.
Complete order fulfilment – Full completion is what the client expects and that is what the company should always aim to deliver. It is better to discuss scope adjustment with the client than to deliver “almost finished” products.
Detailed documentation – Every step and minute detail of the project throughout its lifecycle should be documented in an organised, accessible structure. Without the detailed documentation, improving the product or building a new product based on the original will take far longer than it should.
Payment closure – After a product has been delivered successfully, and all vendors and/or contracted parties are paid out in full, that is when the system for that project can be truly closed. This should not take any longer than absolutely necessary to avoid litigation and bad reputation. Not to mention the fact that the company will not be able to close the project unless all due payments are made.
These are some of the most common reasons why business projects take more time than they should, although they are certainly not the only ones. Although a project review is not exactly a part of the project itself, it should be included as a post completion step. A project review aims to identify all key positive and negative points of the closed project in an effort to improve them for even faster, better work the next time around.
