IT has been a few years since I last wrote. However, I feel that business leaders across Jamaica are facing a dynamic landscape. New technologies, evolving customer demands, and global competition now necessitate a modernised approach to organise business operations in Jamaica. I want to take you on a journey of my experiences while practising in Jamaica and possible solutions to modernise your business. Come along, Let’s go for a walk.

Prior experience practising development in Jamaica

Funnily, it all began for me in Jamaica where I was trained as a management analyst and then morphed into an area overseas that I affectionately refer to as “business transformation focusing on organisational transformation, organisational change management, continuous process improvement and technology/automation”. In my days of practising in Jamaica, I would find myself in a pickle as I worked out of a government office. Although my position was focused on organisational transformation and process improvement, I would find myself mapping value streams along with drafting project charters; and the next day would find me restructuring in siloed departmental efforts. However, I was perturbed because I found that the human factors were excluded from management consideration as it relates to business continuity and support. We had a challenge that needed to be solved.

I found that project changes would be initiated from within the project team, or by the sponsors, but excluding the wider organisation that it touches. It was noted that there was no formal change requests process in place to address identified issues. We would debate those changes within the team to assess whether the change request was possible and what the impact would be on other project elements. Every single change should go through similar processes — that is “unless a stakeholder persuades leadership to accept a change without telling anyone else”. This needed to be addressed.

My experience super-sized when I was assigned a project to implement a performance management system that was previously dead in the water for about five years prior to my arrival. Added to this challenge was the fact that it was a policy-based environment, where the folks believed that no one outside of their policy area should lead projects in that environment. I was also completing a major restructuring project which should have aligned well with the performance management system. Sure, along the way we modelled new approaches and processes ultimately introducing new technologies with very little automation to handle increasing work activities. In some cases, the impacts of changes could be modelled by technology to allow for decisions to be made more quickly. But that process of request, analyse, decide, and implement still applies, and was still significantly disruptive to achieve the outcomes of the organisation.

It vaguely occurred to me then how interrelated organisational transformation, organisational change management, continuous process improvement and automation including AI were; the only thing I knew was that if you implement projects without addressing the people factors and improving processes along the way, you will have issues down the road or ultimately abandon or redesign the project in the end. Thus, I started to take notes on how these disciplines affect project outcomes. In addressing these issues. In fact, I wrote my first change management plan coupled with an action plan to link the policies to real SMART objectives. I started figuring out that there would be impacts on aspects of the project should I ignore those areas; in most cases it’s a short delay in achieving outcomes. However, occasionally it would be complex and slowed down the project. Change management was needed to strategically align individuals’ behaviours and communication activities to achieve organisational synergies.

In another scenario, my team was called upon to implement a balance scorecard system in conjunction with an international consultant team streamlining operations and process. This project was not so successful in achieving its outcomes, but what it did was cement my understanding of the interactions the different disciplines to make a project successful. The organisation was not addressing the “people or structure issues”. This negated any possibility of complete project success of delivering all that we knew the project could give to the organisation. We eventually made good progress when we implemented a change initiative that brought the staff onboard and the communication issues along with the integration of technology and improved processes.

Let’s face it, we all cover these areas in business transformation; some more so than others depending on the project area. Think of the introduction of a new computer system being deployed in an organisation in different locations as the centre of the transformation. The processes and functional structure would be aligned to meet the needs of the organisation to achieve company required objectives. The impact of acknowledging what we already practise will reverberate across disciplines. However, it should result in better managed projects.

Addressing modern challenges to successfully transform businesses in Jamaica

I have based my governance model on four pillars. These are all areas that must be monitored when transforming business; especially, with the addition of technology or artificial intelligence where it becomes critical. Digital transformations are steeped in this methodology.

The four pillars of transformation

The framework centres on four core pillars:

1) Organisational change management: This pillar focuses on analysing an organisation’s readiness for change, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, and engaging stakeholders throughout the transformation process.

2) Continuous process improvement: This pillar emphasises systematically identifying and improving existing processes. It leverages digital technologies like automation and analytics to streamline workflows.

3) Organisational transformation: This pillar underscores the importance of strong leadership, a clear vision aligned with modern challenges, and a dedicated team to drive the transformation.

4) Technology/automation: This pillar recognises the value of digital tools in addressing contemporary challenges. It encourages the use of automation, analytics, and even AI to optimise processes and solve business problems.

Benefits for Jamaican businesses

By adopting this framework, Jamaican businesses can expect to achieve:

• Enhanced adaptability: The ability to respond effectively to changing market conditions and new challenges.

• Increased efficiency: Streamlined processes and improved workflows lead to greater efficiency and cost reduction.

• Improved employee engagement: A culture of continuous improvement fosters employee buy-in and a sense of ownership.

• Stronger competitive advantage: Modernised business practices allow Jamaican businesses to compete more effectively on the global stage.

A call to action

I am inviting Jamaican business leaders to embrace this integrated approach to save on cost and improve in efficiencies within their businesses. It emphasises the importance of formalising these practices to unlock the full potential for organisational evolution.

This framework offers a valuable road map for Jamaican businesses seeking to modernise their operations and thrive in the dynamic world of commerce.

Horatio Morgan is a project management professional based out of Atlanta, with extensive experience in Jamaica. He is proposing a novel approach to navigate this changing landscape. His framework is built upon project management principles and emphasises a holistic view of project management that will integrate structure, culture, and strategy within your business. He can be contacted at linkedin.com/in/horatiomorgan/ and morgansigning@yahoo.com.