Jit ,
Hi again --- I was waiting seeing if anyone else was going to advise on this one, as to give a ‘good’ answer is extremely difficult. I know little of your current Sales Division:-
For example, lets take a Sales Division in its possible ‘maximum size’ by sub- functions, that is encompassing Marketing; Account and even Programme Management; Telephone Sales; External Sales Force; Bid Managers/Technical; Bid Team Costing; and Sales Order Admin.
The Division looks Functionally Structured and Managed and functionally may work well together but their links to/from other parts of the Company might be too narrow, knowledge retaining rather than sharing, going in at the wrong level to either be passed up or down to the right place. “We have our Procedures and follow them the rest of the company have theirs but do not always” stance. Information is not shared, mistakes are made through lack of knowledge, value not added at the correct time etc.
On the other hand its possible that though it may appear or seem a ‘Functional Operation’, underneath it might be operating in a near ‘Process based approach’. When the value needs adding to ‘the job to be done’, without perhaps instructions or procedures, the people themselves from their own initiative ‘team up together’ with equally motivated people in other Divisions to get the job done. In effect joining up to make a near Seamless Process(s)
Yourself or others reading this may identify with Companies where some of these functions have always been, or have moved, to within another Division, e.g. Bid Team Costing in a Finance Department working closely with both Sales, Business Unit and a company Financial Controller. Account and/or Programme Management moved to the Business Unit ‘delivering’ the goods or services.
Equally moving to a Process Based Approach could lead to strong arguments for reshaping Divisions to suit the Processes to better serve Customers etc.
So here is a quick list of suggestions viewed from a current ISO 9001 : 1994 environment (appreciate not all may be applicable and some you may have done).
1) Establish Sales current internal procedures and if they are followed? Are procedures more insular or do they extensively encompass other Departments? If they are Insular do staff naturally, as mentioned above, Team up with other Departments?
2) What are the most major problems facing the Sales Director, Sales Staff at all levels? Note both outward an inward facing problems.
3) What problems do those that have to work with or interface with Sales perceive are caused by Sales?
4) Does Sales consider other departments when changing Sales procedures or does it merely update the ‘interface agreements’ to compensate if problems arise? How are they consulted re other Divisions planned changes?
5) What measures do Sales have in place to monitor performance ---is it in real time or retrospectively applied at period end?
The skill is then to see how many identified problems could be resolved or reduced by integrating Sales seamlessly into shared processes with other Departments with Sales staff at the right level directly involved without having to go up or down.
If you can do this you can sell some real benefits to Management. Shorten pipelines, run events where possible more in parallel rather than serial through increased communications and knowledge sharing.
If you peruse ISO 9000/9001/9004 you will read of some of the Management Theoretical benefits of ‘Process Based’ and Systems Approach ----- Yeah, Yeah etc, but if you can talk the Benefits in terms of Business problems that can be resolved or minimised your Directors may more readily afford you time and listen.
Sorry about the length of this--- it’s hard to get across in written words.
Good Luck
Brian Hartley