Later, back in the deskbound analytical world, I realized that getting things done efficiently in an enterprise only occurs when the enterprise has been intentionally designed for efficiency. By definition, an enterprise exists to make efficient use of its components. The components must communicate with each other, provide timely information and analysis for wide consumption, and create data-driven decision products for leadership. An effective enterprise is designed from the ground up to achieve maximum efficiency and output.
Too often, however, an “enterprise” acquires that label after unplanned evolution cobbles together myriad, unrelated systems. The zigzag of evolution occurs for predictable reasons—reorganizations, mergers, acquisitions, budgets, new technologies, changes in leadership––but because the original enterprise was not rooted in design, the inevitable outcome is bureaucracy, lack of coordination, and lack of transparency across the organization.
The people who must work within the enterprise seriously want to do well. But often they can’t—because “the system” has evolved to the point of becoming a cumbersome, inefficient master. Thus, despite best intentions, minutely populated data resources, and scads of available technology, enormous amounts of money are wasted every year due to the enterprise’s inefficient functioning. Let me be clear: when an enterprise can’t function smartly the way it is meant to, money falls right through the cracks.
And this really annoys me! Because an enterprise does not have to be a de facto money waster, where everyone shrugs and says “What can we do?” It’s entirely possible to make modest changes to business process designs so the system can achieve its most efficient potential. Elements of proper design include turning stovepipes into shared access, installing an outcome-based decision support process, and ensuring that the enterprise will serve its users, not the other way around.
Through years of observation and analysis, I learned how to think about enterprise structure and why it succeeds or fails. I’ve put those lessons to use and built a business around them. And that is why Veracity is here: I want to help customers stop wasting money. I want to help you run the most efficient decision-making process possible, with every precious dollar making its most meaningful contribution.