If you are looking for practical operational improvement, take the time out to define success in the form of a Business Objective Map. A Business Objective Map (BOM) is a succinct one page view of the organisations goals, broken down to the point where day to day activities are visibly linked to the strategic goal. The BOM performs two key functions, it communicates what the organisation requires in plain terms and it becomes the yard stick for measuring progress towards the objective. Our experience with improvement programs leads us to suggest the following factors are critical.<table cellspacing='10' class='content_table'><tr class='content_row'><td valign='top' width='6%'><img src='/images/button_red.jpg' /></td><td valign='top' width='94%'><div class='content_text'>Start by defining success in concrete terms that are observable from the outside. </div></td></tr><tr class='content_row'><td valign='top' width='6%'><img src='/images/button_yellow.jpg' /></td><td valign='top' width='94%'><div class='content_text'>Keep the language straightforward and avoid jargon.</div></td></tr><tr class='content_row'><td valign='top' width='6%'><img src='/images/button_red.jpg' /></td><td valign='top' width='94%'><div class='content_text'>Be clear on what is really important, don't forget to state the obvious. </div></td></tr></table> If everyone new exactly what the top twenty five items were for your organisation and could explain why they were important and what needs to be done about them , would that give you a greater chance of success? <strong>Get The Big Things Right By Doing The Right Little Things.</strong> 2009-04-23T04:48:00Z Driving Without a Map? 7 If you are looking for practical operational improvement, take the time out to define success in the form of a Business Objective Map. 2009-07-28T05:18:52Z