Making long-term decisions

How can you make long-term decisions when so much is constantly changing?

The answer is to initially focus on getting all the basics right. Clarify your proposition to customers. Make it as easy as possible to deliver on it. Get the right people and equipment.

If you were a farmer you'd want to get the soil and seedlings and inputs right. If you were a builder you'd want to get the plans approved and the foundations solid. You have to get the basics right. Once there, you're free to be as creative as you want.

How does this apply to project-based businesses? There are fundamentals you need to be focusing on, no matter what happens to the economy or whether you’re a digital agency or an engineering consultancy:

Checklist of fundamentals

• You need up-to-the-minute visibility on the progress of projects.
• You need to be able to see and easily manipulate the availability of your resources each day.
• You need to know the profitability of your projects, and intelligent information on which areas deliver most for you.
• You need to end data silos. Have one system containing all the essentials that the team accesses as one.
• You need tools to help you drive efficiencies, so you get rid of waste.
• You need a business system that will safely grow with you.

Get those right, and you’re in with a shot no matter which speciality you choose.