An Agile System is Your Defense Against Uncertainty

Uncertainty has been around for as long as mankind can remember, yet we act like we are owed certainty. That’s vanity talking. Accepting the brutal facts of uncertainty means we can create a response, rather than pretending the facts don’t exist. Thus, having to live in a confused state where we feel as if we have no control.

The story of mankind has been the story of adaptability and a bigger brain that allowed us to imagine and improve our tools. From the time we climbed out of the trees to present day, we have relied on our capacity to respond to changing environments. We found a way to survive and thrive as a species.

Agility is unequalled as a response to uncertainty

The proper response to doing business in a fast-moving digital world is an integrated digital platform. This platform provides a foundation of getting work done faster. Paradoxically, that same system offers plasticity. It soothes the sting of uncertainty. This agile platform (not be confused with agile methodology) empowers us to convert a surprise situation into new tools and answers. Without a quick and meaningful response, we allow problems to disproportionately disrupt a company. In short, an agile platform reinforces your company’s resiliency and competencies as a problem-solver. We ignore the call for agility at our peril.

It is likely you have heard of root-cause analysis to find the cause of a problem. Within the context of workflows, have you considered root-workflow analysis to get to the heart of your company’s performance? Have you thought about legacy workflows across your enterprise and how institutionalized design that lacks integration is a barrier to performance and satisfaction?

Digital workflows free users from the slog of low-value work. Time is the asset we cannot replace, yet with inferior workflows, we ask employees to use valuable think-time to perform routine work. The value of a digital workflow is its ability to be applied quickly, feel effortless, and provide immediate benefits. Moreover, it can be shaped to a more perfect design through iterations.

Poor customer experiences put revenue at risk

When we ask customers to kayak through a poor workflow, we ask them to use their time on their dime. Wasting the customer’s time is a dreadful argument for loyalty. Poor workflows can put you and your customer in a dysfunctional relationship. Your stakeholders (including your shareholders) expect you to raise the customer experience to stay competitive. Digital workflows are a meaningful contributor to this goal of improving the customer’s experience which, in our digital world, is your brand.

If I am a customer and your customer experience does not meet my expectations, I will eventually take action and find a replacement. Remember, the customer does not choose Amazon. What is being chosen is a customer and logistics experience no one else seems to be offering. An experience Amazon invests in to ensure the buying experience is fast and effortless. That’s the brand promise and Amazon has a strong history of anticipating what is required to delight the customer who is constantly shifting their expectations. This experience is a core driver to their valuation, which is well over $1 trillion

Agile Platform + Guidance = Leadership

A powerful and flexible workflow platform can help your company keep up and thrive if you bring in expertise and execute a holistic plan. You can have a unified and integrated system of action giving your organization the foundational and agile system it requires to elevate performance and flexibility in a digital world.

You can frustrate the common enemy of uncertainty and perhaps set yourself apart. To be clear, we are not chasing perfection. Rather, we are pursuing a more adaptable system where agility and responsiveness are core business defenses against uncertainty. If in two years, your organization is stranded because these investments were not made now, today’s leaders will have an uncomfortable legacy.

Corporate, social, and world history has shown us that when leaders kick the problem down the road, they create bigger problems. When we ignore the need for agility, we push our future into dead ends. In the graphic below, you’ll see how a different approach leaves you with a different portfolio of options.

Image 1: An Agile Platform Delivers Options

The good news is that many companies all over the world are creating modern workflows for a brighter future. This direction is being accomplished through technology, expertise, and forward-thinking leadership. We don’t have to be the pioneer. We can quickly benefit from experts who have optimized a workflow platform for other companies.

Uncertainty is for certain, leadership is not

To be ready for anything, we need to expect uncertainty, have an agile workflow system, believe in a holistic plan, and champion leadership across our company.

It is far better to have agility and not need it than needing options and not having them.