A study on the stakeholders of Fast Forward company has revealed that a review of its continuous improvement policy and procedure is necessary. The following is the proposed strategy for the company to enhance its policy that aims at directing its practices to increase the organization’s productivity to restore its image and reputation.
Fast Forward’s Continuous Improvement Policy and Procedure
Fast Forward bases its operations on its mission, goals and values. All its activities are aimed at providing their clients with the effective and efficient service, while ensuring that all the stakeholders are contented (Stromei, 2006, p. 44).
To ensure it, the company carries out continuous improvements in all its activities to guarantee clients’ and stakeholders’ satisfaction. Continuous quality control and evaluation are undertaken by the company to ensure maintenance of standard and appropriate operations to the expectations of clients and staff.
Continuous Improvement Processes
Fast Forward uses the following strategies and procedures to improve on its performance, gaining clients’ and stakeholders’ satisfaction. First, the clients’ satisfaction surveys, such as questionnaires and interviews, state that customers have a right to receive the best service from the business.
Therefore, surveys will be carried periodically to establish clients’ satisfaction on the services offered by the company by analyzing the feedback got from surveys. Secondly, changes in the policies and procedures of the business must be communicated to clients as they occur.
Since the business values its clients, it communicates to them directly and clarifies all the questions if necessary. The communication can be in the form of meetings, sending letters and making phone calls (Drew, 2004, p.13) Successful implementations of policies and procedures are also appreciated and communicated to clients through rewards and bonuses.
Employee Feedback and Communication
The case study shows that the company has put communication facilities, such as suggestion and complaint boxes, because it values its employees. In addition, it carries out periodical surveys to ensure its employees are satisfied. The company communicates to employees whenever there are any changes in policy and organizational procedures.
The strategies to ensure effective communication and improve employee output state that there should be monthly meetings for employees to be aware of new processes and strategies (Daft, 2009, p. 81). Moreover, the employees’ opinions are also taken into account before making crucial decisions by the company. This ensures employee participation in the decision making process.
Employee training is also carried out to familiarize them with new processes and strategies. Finally, successful implementations of policies and procedures are communicated to the employees during the monthly meetings where outstanding employees are rewarded with promotions and bonuses.
Management
The management of the company has set up an independent office to review and deal with the feedback obtained from clients and employees. The office reviews all complaints and suggestions and makes recommendations to management on which changes to implement.
A review of the management systems is carried out periodically if it is necessary to update formal policies and procedures as the business expands. This ensures that management responds to arising issues in the company appropriately and timely (Page, 2002, p. 59). The management also welcomes unsolicited feedback from the clients and other stakeholders to improve the policies and procedures of the company.
Mentoring and Coaching
The work of a mentor involves giving advice on career objectives execution of opportunities and even counseling employees. On the other hand, a coach is more of a tutor who observes work and actions and then gives comments and recommendations (Stettinus, 2007, p. 215). The coach also teaches employees the skills that they may be lacking for.
The mentor should possess the following characteristics to effectively perform his or her duties. First, a mentor should be a senior manager in the company with a rich experience so as to be respected by the employees.
A coach, on the other hand, should be a colleague, a manager, an employee or a consultant hired by the company. Likewise, to earn employees’ respect, he or she must have vast experience on company’s operations (Jarm, 1977, p. 99).
To build a mentoring and coaching process, I will recommend the following procedures. First of all, establish the goals and objectives of the mentoring or coaching process along with the type, goal and time line of the process. Second, design the program and establish the way it is to be carried out.
Third, implement the program, measure its effectiveness in achieving the organization’s goals and objectives. In addition, make changes to the program where necessary; and finally, look for the ways to expand it and consider the steps towards making the program permanent (Stettinus, 2007, p. 98).
Quality Monitoring Strategy
The company should devise the following strategies to ensure that all systems and processes are used to monitor operational changes and customer service and also help it in planning and decision making. To begin with, there should be frequent examination of the current procedures in the company, and examination of the works assigned to employees should be carried out to establish the completion rate and customers’ complaints.
Secondly, the management should identify the problems occurring and get more facts about each of them. This includes identifying additional resources which can improve the quality control process or an overhaul of the method is needed (Stromel, 2006, p. 133). Thirdly, they should remove the errors occurring and variations from the expected outcome to develop an improved method for completing tasks in the organization.
Communication Strategy to Stakeholders
To inform employees, clients and other stakeholders of the changes in the monitoring of the company’s operations to ensure their quality, Page (2002, p.12) argues that communication should be done in the following ways. First, clients should be aware of the changes in the monitoring process through direct meetings, sending letters, making phone calls and performing other forms of communication within the company.
The clients should be informed regarding the advantages of the change in strategy (Jarm, 1977, p. 142). Support should also be availed to ensure the clients understand and conform to the monitoring process. Secondly, the employees will be notified of the benefits in the change in the monitoring process in the monthly meetings.
They will also undertake a training program to ensure they gain the necessary knowledge about the process. Lastly, management will be informed of the change in the quality monitoring process in their weekly management meetings. Likewise, they will also be advised to go through a training program to ensure they gain know the process.
Planning Strategy in the Company
Planning is a vital tool in every business (Stettinus, 2007, p. 123). Therefore, to ensure planning takes an important place in Fast Forward, the following strategies should be implemented. First of all, there must be a regular examination of the marketing strategies and other policies of the company to ensure it is still appealing to potential customers.
Secondly, regular surveys will be carried out on employees to ensure that they are up to date with operational processes and policies in the company (Roggenhoffer, 2004, p. 142). Employees’ satisfaction and output should be analyzed on a regular basis too.
Thirdly, regular analysis of clients’ and employees’ feedback will be done to make sure that their complaints and suggestions are taken into consideration to reflect in the future planning and decision making.
References
Daft, S 2009, Fundamentals of Management, Cengage, Singapore.
Jarm, K 1977, Policy and Procedure, University of Michigan Press, Michigan.
Page, SB, 2002, Establishing a System and Procidures for Printed Online and Web Manuals, Adventure Works Press, Westerville Ohio.
Roggenhoffer, DJ 2004, Journey to Lean; Making operational Change Stick, Palgrave Macmillan, New York.
Stettinus, W 2007, How to Plan and Excute Strategy: 24 Steps to Implement any Corporate Strategy Successfully, McGraw-Hill Press, New York.
Stromel, L 2006, Creating Mentoring and Coaching programs, American Society for Training and Development Press, New York.