Completion of the first Health Check
2018.03.28
With great pleasure I can announce the completion of the very first Health Check I have performed as independent consultant. Having visited, investigated and interviewed Cyso, a Dutch internet company, I have presented my findings to the board of directors. The findings created discussions that could one day lead to serious changes. They are based on my insights backed by experience at countless organisations across the world and supporting literature. It's now the time for the directors to decide how to go forward.
In January 2018, I contacted my friends Tjebbe de Winter and Sven Visser, two of the three owners of Cyso since our time at the University of Amsterdam. While I was hopping from one company to the next, he and his 2 friends had been building up a company from nothing and were now an established name in The Netherlands with 50 employees. When their humongous bill board rose up next to Amsterdam Airport to be seen by all the highway traffic, I told them how happy I was for them about the growth and the company that they had made.
I proposed a Health Check, to investigate what things could be found that they hadn't thought of, given that their experience is purely based on studying and running a company. In order for them to understand what this would entail, I presented the concept and the process at their office. After this presentation, they readily accepted so we started the process.
The first step was to spend one day at the office going through the documentation, mostly on the computer of course. This desktop research is a non-invasive step to get to know the administrative organisation. Because of the size of the organisation, one day was enough. For an organisation twice their size, I would have spent two days. The larger the organisation, the more administration is needed to get all the information in the right place.
The next step was another day on site, this time to interview various employees. This helps to offset what is on paper with what happens in reality. The interviews are completely confidential and none of the information is shared with the directors. That is, unless there is some quote that is worth sharing and the employee agrees. Cyso is an open, sober organisation with motivated people and there were definitely quotes to be shared.
The research topics and findings were all grouped into the domain components of the Zachmann model. This helps to make sure all the relevant questions are asked, and to give an overview of the entire organisation. Some additional topics were added that do not fit this model.
All of the information found was then transformed into a detailed report. Whatever the finding, it would be supported by explanations and/or literary references. The findings were put in a spreadsheet formated around the 6 by 6 Zachmann model. For the presentation, the highlights were grouped into a presentation file.
Though I requested to find a date where all 3 owners could be together for the presentation, this turned out not to be possible. At any time, one of the directors would be busy in meetings, site visits, holidays or other engagements. Presenting to the entire board is essential because change is a process that requires certain experiences. I was aiming to have all 3 owners in one room for the presentation to take them through all my experiences and insights and have them discuss these while there. That is also why I requested for 2 full hours. There is just no quick and easy alternative to discussing sensitive topics that could significantly change the direction of an entire organisation. Still, with 2 out of 3 present, there was room for discussing some serious topics.
This presentation also helped them to give me feedback about how they experienced my work. They helped me to some wonderful quick wins that I will introduce in my material and process immediately.
We closed with a toast, champagne glasses filled with fizzy apple juice, to celebrate the closing of the project and to invite in the next phase, where the directors will mull over the findings and decide what to do with them. I am looking forward to hearing about their next steps.