We are often tempted to rush into the new year without first formally closing out the previous year. No other year carries that temptation as much as 2020 does. However, great process makes for great progress. In particular, this time of the year provides us with an opportunity to assess the year’s performance and plan for another successful year. Your end-of-the-year process can impact the tenor of the next twelve months. At GoComputek, our year-end process includes
- Celebrating victories
- Assessing performance
- Locating technology gaps
- Setting goals and creating a roadmap
Celebration
Celebrating victories is an essential part of ending the year well. Celebration gives everyone in the organization a chance to be grateful for their victories and remember that the struggles in the process were not for nothing. Moreover, celebration also gives each employee a chance to be recognized for their contributions to the success of an organization. Above all, year-end and quarterly reviews should be a time to look back, highlight the good, and congratulate each person for their hard work.
Assessing Performance
The other side of celebration is noting areas for growth. What were some of the deficits you encountered throughout the year? Were there goals you set out to reach and did not quite hit? What prevented the team from accomplishing these goals? Asking these questions as you get closer to the end of the year is vital for starting off the next year well. Once you and your team have had a chance to assess your deficits, you can start working on ways to improve your sales, marketing, and production process.
In addition, noticing areas for growth should not be a blame game. In the same way that celebration is a means to acknowledge everyone’s contributions to success, noting areas for growth is an acknowledgment that everyone on the team has room for development. For instance, sometimes enhancing productivity means more continuing education for your employees. Similarly, at other times it means updating your onboarding procedure and better training for new hires. Whatever shape that progress takes, the point is that all parties are contributing to betterment of the company in a meaningful way.
Locating Technology Gaps
As an IT company, we know the absolute necessity of updating your systems, software, and peripheral devices in order to optimize every aspect of your business. The end of the year is a great time to look at where IT is hindering or helping you to achieve your goals. Is it time for a new server? What legacy hardware needs to be replaced? What processes need automating? Are you using the latest version of the software that you need? Is your security protocol up to date with current threats or compliance mandates? Sit down with your IT department or MSP and ask all these questions.
In addition to answering those questions, look at the helpdesk tickets you’ve put in throughout the year. How many of these are for the same or similar issues? Do they have permanent solutions? Pinpointing these issues will help your team move into the new year with a strategy for improvement.
Setting Goals and Creating a Roadmap
After assessing your performance deficits and technology gaps, you will have a much better idea of what goals are within your reach and which ones will require more time. It is important to set reachable goals and create a framework for accomplishing those goals. The key is to build a simple, yet comprehensive roadmap to help get you there. In short, a good roadmap is one that is specific, includes a system of accountability, and has a built-in timeline The idea is to provide a direction, a plan, and a pace that all can follow and ultimately rally behind. People create the success of a company. If they believe in the vision, they can work toward it confidently.
Conclusion
It’s as easy to dwell on the past as it to want to throw it away. Having a growth mindset only works if you allow yourself to move past previous mistakes. After celebrating your victories, assessing your areas for growth, and making a plan to move forward, take time to say goodbye to 2020 and leave it in the past.
If your company needs help closing any technology gaps, give us a call. We’ve been helping our customers manage their systems for the last 15 years. It would be our privilege to set you up for success in the new year.
