A capacity review is a tool and process to help managers understand and communicate workforce capacity. It involves a dialogue between supervisors and team members on how they can best contribute to company goals, while also getting the resources they need to get the right things done.

However, it is important to note what a capacity review is not. It is not a time sheet or a way for supervisors to scrutinize every employee activity and minute spent. It is also not about squeezing more “work” out of employees or getting more things done. Instead, it is a tool to help managers support their team members in achieving their goals and contributing to the company’s overall success.

What is the process for conducting a capacity review?

1. To conduct a capacity review, the employee should fill out a template listing their activities and rating how important they are. Include a space in the template for the employee to list where they think there could be efficiencies as well as development that they feel will help them be better at their job. Emphasize it is a conversation about what they are doing and how they can better tie into company priorities.
2. The supervisor pulls out the employee’s job description and that role’s key initiatives or critical projects.
3. The pair then engages in a dialogue to eliminate, streamline, or delegate activities.
4. The supervisor can then emphasize the more important activities that should be added in. The employee can see how their role ties in with the company’s priorities and strategy.
5. The manager can offer the resources available to help as well as development or training to support the employee.
6. The result is an action plan for both the supervisor and employee on shifts to the activities. Ideally the pair should check back in to note any progress or adjustments needed.

Why should you care? What are the benefits?

For the manager, the Capacity Review is an important tool for employee engagement and helps managers balance workloads and manage underperformers out. It also helps managers delegate, manage team scope, and leverage resources. It also ties younger members of the workforce to the company’s mission, making you look like an awesome leader!

To be most effective, a capacity review should be adopted by the entire company at all levels of the organization. When starting at the top, the Capacity Review models a commitment to the company’s strategy and employees. While it takes planning and consideration up front, the benefits are significant in terms of productivity, alignment, and employee goodwill.

In this article, we’ll explore what advisory boards are, how they work, and the benefits they can provide to your business.

What is an Advisory Board?

An advisory board is a group of individuals who provide non-binding strategic advice and guidance to a company’s management team. These individuals typically have expertise in a specific industry or area of business and are brought on board to help the company navigate challenges and make informed decisions.

Unlike a board of directors, advisory boards do not have the authority to make binding decisions for the company. Instead, they offer recommendations and advice based on their collective knowledge and experience.

How Do Advisory Boards Work?

Advisory boards can take many forms depending on the needs and goals of the company. In some cases, they may be composed of a small group of individuals who meet regularly with the company’s management team to discuss specific issues or opportunities. In other cases, they may be more formalized with a designated chairperson and regular meetings.

Regardless of their structure, the role of an advisory board is to provide insight and guidance to the company’s leadership. This may include reviewing financial reports, analyzing market trends, providing feedback on new products or services, and offering strategic advice on business operations.

Benefits of an Advisory Board

The benefits of having an advisory board are numerous. Here are just a few of the key advantages they can provide to your business:

Expertise: By bringing together a group of individuals with diverse skills and experience, an advisory board can provide valuable insight and expertise that may not be available within your company. Some advisory board members may act as mentors or coaches, strengthening the CEO and leadership team

Strategic Guidance: Advisory boards can help your company develop and implement effective strategies for growth and success.

Networking: Members of an advisory board may have connections and relationships that can help your company build partnerships and expand its reach. They can also be a recruitment tool for top talent.

Accountability: An advisory board can provide a level of accountability and oversight for your company’s management team, ensuring that decisions are made in the best interest of the company and its stakeholders. They can hold the organization accountable for tough decisions, staying with strategic plan, and avoiding mission creep.

Flexibility: Unlike a board of directors, advisory boards can be structured in a way that is flexible and tailored to your company’s specific needs.

Recruiting Advisory Board members

After determining your main objectives in having an advisory board, you can begin to recruit members. In addition to specific expertise, you may want to also consider those with the following qualities:

• Believe in the mission of your organization and are emotionally and professionally invested (not driven by a self-focused agenda)
• Generosity of spirit, Trustworthy, Honest
• Good chemistry with CEO
• Good thought leaders: Recognized, experienced expert with professional success in strategic areas for your company
• Well-connected
• Works well with others
• Has the availability and reliability to be able to regularly participate as needed
• Committed to the long-term value of organization
• Good mentors for the CEO and leadership team
• Diversity of ages, gender, location, point of view, etc.

Success Tips

Forming an advisory board is a real commitment of time and energy. To ensure that your advisory board is effective, it’s important to think through your upfront goals and needs.

Additionally, having a formal Advisory Board agreement with clear expectations is essential. It’s important to have a process in place for removing board members if needed, and to regularly report back on progress to ensure members feel vested. Remember that you don’t need to implement every suggestion, but you should follow up on every action item to ensure that your advisory board is a valuable resource for your business.

If you’re looking for ways to take your business to the next level, consider forming an advisory board. By tapping into the expertise and experience of a group of knowledgeable individuals, you can gain valuable insights and guidance that can help you navigate the complex challenges of running a successful business.

Simply stated Voice of Customer (or VoC as it is often abbreviated) is capturing authentic feedback in the customer’s own voice.  Good VoC should be “listening posts” that are unobtrusive, confidential, and consistent.  Most important they should make customers feel you really care and that their opinions are helpful (meaning they help drive decisions).

Levels and Types of VoC

VoC can take many forms. Ideally your company should have a strategic approach to using client data in driving decisions throughout the organization. The most important consideration is to upfront determine what feedback is being requested and how you will respond to this feedback.

• Tactical Feedback provides details on the experience the customer is having in the moment. The purpose of feedback at this level is to improve client satisfaction and retention. While your Customer Service team should respond and handle any customer complaints, it is also important to have a system to log and aggregate this feedback for use in decisions at the next two higher levels.
• Service Direction is focused feedback on new products and services. The use of exit surveys can also assist in prioritizing product enhancements.
• Voice of Customer is perhaps most critical in helping guide the company’s strategic direction.

The following chart illustrates several types and uses of VoC.