We're delighted to welcome Simon Shorthose, MD Readsoft UK, as a guest contributor
If you had to choose one overarching theme that sums up business in recent years it would be the focus on cost reduction. And rightly so, cutting the flab and improving the bottom line, makes sound business sense, and there are many tools in the market that have helped organisations become leaner and more cost effective.
The problem is that whilst achieving cost reduction is a valuable activity in the short term, it invariably fails to quantify original costs or provide the capability to conduct on-going monitoring of processes or give a route to future growth. This is why operational feedback on how a business is performing is so important if a company is to keep ‘on track’ and become smarter, more agile and better aligned with strategies that drive improved business practice, customer relationships and profit.