Building an innovative firm can be challenging if you're not using project management that properly fits your organization. Industry leaders David Capece and Doug Pace created the Agile Management System (AMS) as a tool to help professional service executives manage and scale their growth. The AMS is a five-phase framework that maps out the natural progression of team-building, and includes the necessary tools and strategies to ensure long-term success.
Before diving into the AMS, it is important to consider what stage of growth your company is in.The size of your team dictates your organizational priorities and is the root of the challenges you are facing, which stem from either people, profit, or process. Keep in mind that no two paths to success are the same, but all companies can benefit from using the right project management sys
tem.
Unify
The first phase of the AMS starts with defining a purpose. Before you can grow, you need to define your mission and set goals for your organization so you know what you are aiming for. You will also need to identify opportunities and create a plan for how you will reach your goals, complete with individual steps and checkpoints for the entire operation. And like any beginning phase, you need to have a clearly defined strategy to ensure that everything is aligned with these goals.
If this step looks easy, think again. While this phase may seem unnecessary for organizations who are further in their growth, it is important to continue unifying your team as you bring on more employees. Creating the perfect culture in your organization cannot happen overnight; instead, it has to be nurtured over time to be sustainable. This is often overlooked by larger companies who are too focused on profit, and is the reason they are unable to reach their full potential.
Create
Building the future you envision for your company requires that you go through the process of organizing your resources. Clients should have clear expectations of the services you offer, how they are delivered, and how responsibilities are divided up amongst all stakeholders. Once you have established a successful design of processes and timelines, it should be replicated so that new team members can be trained to produce similar outcomes.
By activating the strategy map created in your initial phases of growth, you will begin to create your sales pipeline and repeatable models. This is how you will scale your business and track the way work is distributed to your team. In this phase you should also evaluate how roles and responsibilities are implemented as new employees join your organization and you continue to grow.
Operate
The daily operations of your organization will be proof of how strong your strategy and system are. In this phase, you will submit deliverables based on the standards you created, and begin to develop a model for managing your organization. Ideally, there will be weekly scorecard reviews to align day-to-day operations with strategic objectives. You should also make sure your success is sustainable over a long period of time, rather than shooting for a short term profit or a quick rise to popularity.
Though it will be challenging, resist the urge to change or start over if you do not immediately see results. Instead, continue to analyze reports and give the process time so that you have meaningful insights to work with. One day’s data cannot speak for an entire year of performance, and the same can be said for new operation techniques.
Automate
Work smarter, not harder. If you want to build a lasting framework for automation in your organization, start with standardizing your process. Having tools like project templates, style guides, and a standardized delivery system will set you up for continued success and efficiency. Not only will this make life as a project manager easier, but it will also allow you to take on more clients and expand your capabilities. Keep in mind that not all processes can be simplified down to a few steps, so establishing automation may require some trial and error.
This is also where you will assess which technology will allow your team to succeed. Creating a centralized location for tools like project templates, style guides, and delivery instructions will set your entire team up for continued success and efficiency. Streamline your processes so you can stand out from the competition.
Accelerate
The last phase of the AMS is all about evaluating and optimizing for growth. Now you have all the tools you need to succeed, and everything in your organization is set up efficiently. At this point your priority should be to strategize for the future and what your next steps toward growth will be. Take the time to recognize where you have been successful, and determine where you want to improve as a company. As your industry evolves, strategize ways you can innovate as a team to become a group of leaders who are able to trend ahead of the curve. Growth always involves risk, but with the right tools and planning you can master the art of pivoting.
David Capece is an innovative leader who founded the award-winning digital agency Sparxoo. He is the founder and CEO of CROOW, a platform designed to help companies unify teams, automate processes, and deliver profitable work.
Doug Pace is a transformative leader who is the founder and CEO of the nationally ranked strategy consultancy Stonehill. His work has provided process and structure to small organizations allowing them to accelerate their growth.
Their combined business expertise led them to publishing their project management and growth tips. If you want to learn more about the Agile Management System, download their free ebook, Level Up.
Before diving into the AMS, it is important to consider what stage of growth your company is in.The size of your team dictates your organizational priorities and is the root of the challenges you are facing, which stem from either people, profit, or process. Keep in mind that no two paths to success are the same, but all companies can benefit from using the right project management sys
tem.
Unify
The first phase of the AMS starts with defining a purpose. Before you can grow, you need to define your mission and set goals for your organization so you know what you are aiming for. You will also need to identify opportunities and create a plan for how you will reach your goals, complete with individual steps and checkpoints for the entire operation. And like any beginning phase, you need to have a clearly defined strategy to ensure that everything is aligned with these goals.
If this step looks easy, think again. While this phase may seem unnecessary for organizations who are further in their growth, it is important to continue unifying your team as you bring on more employees. Creating the perfect culture in your organization cannot happen overnight; instead, it has to be nurtured over time to be sustainable. This is often overlooked by larger companies who are too focused on profit, and is the reason they are unable to reach their full potential.
Create
Building the future you envision for your company requires that you go through the process of organizing your resources. Clients should have clear expectations of the services you offer, how they are delivered, and how responsibilities are divided up amongst all stakeholders. Once you have established a successful design of processes and timelines, it should be replicated so that new team members can be trained to produce similar outcomes.
By activating the strategy map created in your initial phases of growth, you will begin to create your sales pipeline and repeatable models. This is how you will scale your business and track the way work is distributed to your team. In this phase you should also evaluate how roles and responsibilities are implemented as new employees join your organization and you continue to grow.
Operate
The daily operations of your organization will be proof of how strong your strategy and system are. In this phase, you will submit deliverables based on the standards you created, and begin to develop a model for managing your organization. Ideally, there will be weekly scorecard reviews to align day-to-day operations with strategic objectives. You should also make sure your success is sustainable over a long period of time, rather than shooting for a short term profit or a quick rise to popularity.
Though it will be challenging, resist the urge to change or start over if you do not immediately see results. Instead, continue to analyze reports and give the process time so that you have meaningful insights to work with. One day’s data cannot speak for an entire year of performance, and the same can be said for new operation techniques.
Automate
Work smarter, not harder. If you want to build a lasting framework for automation in your organization, start with standardizing your process. Having tools like project templates, style guides, and a standardized delivery system will set you up for continued success and efficiency. Not only will this make life as a project manager easier, but it will also allow you to take on more clients and expand your capabilities. Keep in mind that not all processes can be simplified down to a few steps, so establishing automation may require some trial and error.
This is also where you will assess which technology will allow your team to succeed. Creating a centralized location for tools like project templates, style guides, and delivery instructions will set your entire team up for continued success and efficiency. Streamline your processes so you can stand out from the competition.
Accelerate
The last phase of the AMS is all about evaluating and optimizing for growth. Now you have all the tools you need to succeed, and everything in your organization is set up efficiently. At this point your priority should be to strategize for the future and what your next steps toward growth will be. Take the time to recognize where you have been successful, and determine where you want to improve as a company. As your industry evolves, strategize ways you can innovate as a team to become a group of leaders who are able to trend ahead of the curve. Growth always involves risk, but with the right tools and planning you can master the art of pivoting.
David Capece is an innovative leader who founded the award-winning digital agency Sparxoo. He is the founder and CEO of CROOW, a platform designed to help companies unify teams, automate processes, and deliver profitable work.
Doug Pace is a transformative leader who is the founder and CEO of the nationally ranked strategy consultancy Stonehill. His work has provided process and structure to small organizations allowing them to accelerate their growth.
Their combined business expertise led them to publishing their project management and growth tips. If you want to learn more about the Agile Management System, download their free ebook, Level Up.
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