ITester Inc

CEO Action Plan Times of crisis put leadership to the test. The window for initial action is small – be planful rather than giving in to knee-jerk reactions.

Employees are an organization’s greatest asset. When faced with cost-cutting pressures, look for redeployment opportunities that use talent as a resource to get through hard times before resorting to difficult layoff decisions.

Your Organization Situation

COVID-19 is showing the true impacts that our volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous (VUCA) world can have. The world has been forced to respond, with a pandemic triggering record-breaking market volatility, causing organizations to face very hard decisions. Not knowing what a new day will bring means talent decisions are more difficult than ever.

Your Organization Complications

Reduced infection rates in compromised areas is providing hope that these difficult times will pass. However, organizations are facing harsh realities in real time. With significant reductions in revenue, employers are facing pressure to quickly implement cost-cutting strategies, resulting in mass layoffs of valuable employees.

iTester Solution

Make the most of your workforce in this unprecedented situation by following iTester’s process to initiate redeployment efforts and reduce costs. If all else fails, follow our guidance on planning for layoffs and considerations when doing so.

iTester Inc’s Recommendations

“CIOs should prepare IT systems now to safely and reliably handle a vast increase in remote workers and digital fulfillment of market demand.”

“Pandemic Preparedness Requires Strong Business Continuity Management”

Pandemic Preparedness Strategy Point 1 – Meet with Leadership

Set strategy with senior leadership

Review pandemic impact on organization

Determine the balance between risk and organizational viability

Review cost-cutting measures including redeployment and layoffs

Brainstorm underused and understaffed employee segments and departments

Create a list of employee segments that are underused and have a labor

surplus

Create a list of employee segments that need additional talent resources

Determine approach to redeployments and layoffs

Create a redeployment process for departmental/functional leaders to follow

Create a timeline for redeployment and layoff actions to be taken

Communicate to departmental/functional leaders

Pandemic Preparedness Strategy Point 2 – Plan Individual and Department Redeployment

Collect key information

Identify employees that need to be redeployed

Assess transferrable skills

Prepare and redeploy

Create a high-level action plan

Prepare communication on the initiative

Provide training to redeployed employees

Support employees through the transition

Roll up information across the organization

Communicate all redeployment decisions and actions to executive leadership

Pandemic Preparedness Strategy Point 3 – Plan Individual and Department Layoffs

Plan for Layoff

Review layoff decision and the roles selected

Evaluate layoff costs

Plan layoff logistics

Execute on the Layoff Plan

Review all administrative requirements

Review all obligations under employment regulations

Determine all support available to employees

Communication Plan

Plan for all levels of communication with affected employees

Pandemic Preparedness Strategy Point 4 – Monitor and Manage Departmental Effectiveness

Monitor departmental performance

Review key metrics by department

Determine impacts of redeployments and layoffs

Review organizational performance

Review key organizational metrics

Revisit placement on Risk & Viability Matrix

Revisit threshold for layoffs

Identify areas for potential redeployments

Determine next steps

Decide how to respond to the evolving situation

The novel coronavirus pandemic, or COVID-19 , is predicted to have an impact on the global economy. Where the global real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 2.9 percent in 2019, it is forecasted that COVID-19 will cause the global real GDP growth to decrease by 0.5 percent in 2020 compared to the previous year, to 2.4 percent growth.In the best case scenario in 2020, which is defined as a two month duration of travel bans and a sharp decline in domestic demand, the global Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is expected to decrease by 0.09 percent due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. In a worse case scenario, defined as a six month duration of travel bans, the global GDP is predicted to decrease by 0.4 percent.Final Thoughts

COVID-19 is a catastrophe that keeps on disturbing a huge number of lives. Great leadership is essential and there is maybe one silver coating, which is that this emergency speaks to an open door for pioneers to make more team cohesion and advancement despite difficulty

Link – Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak

During this time of uncertainty, previous arrangements to care for children or an aging parent are may no longer be available due to the closing of schools, daycares, recreation centers, and senior centers, as well as in-home attendants who maybe not be able to work. The unknown timelines connected to the pandemic also make the financial future of organizations less predictable, forcing organizations to take a closer look at how they are managing their finances.

Your ability to develop and set new direction quickly during a pandemic is crucial to instill confidence in your leadership team by your employees.

During uncertainty, employees look to their leaders to provide clear guidance on the unforeseen obstacles that may impact their life at work. This includes being able to navigate and support disruptions to dependent care services that may interrupt employee ability to get work done as they normally would under business-as-usual circumstances.

As senior leaders you must develop and communicate policy and plans for coverage that describes the level of support available to employees while trying to juggle personal needs with that of work commitments. It also should detail revised expectations of performance, responsibilities, attendance, etc., that will help ensure business continuity.

When trying to balance employee personal commitments like child/elder care, you should first execute on the high-level coverage plans that have been set by senior leadership and their working group of key managers. Temporary pandemic coverage levels are set based on available data relating to essential vs. non-essential functions, current coverage needs, skill inventories, and productivity measures, where available.

Depending on the duration of pandemic measures and length of time employees may need to integrate caring for dependents with work, there may be instances where the established coverage plans do not work for them.

In this scenario it is important to work with the employee to identify if there are flexible work arrangements that can be put in place at the individual level that will help them continue to work productively while juggling other personal priorities. After a brief period of working under a temporary alternate work measure, it’s important to revisit it to ensure it is meeting the needs of both the operation and the employee.

Link – Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak

Deliver messages that convey calm and are transparent and tailored to your audience

.

iTester Inc. has surveyed hundreds of companies about their experience of the COVID-19 pandemic. Discover how the people who help you deliver value — arguably your most critical asset — are experiencing this state of potential anxiety.

Pay special attention to the 3i’s; this is the most critical principle as it promotes a channel for two-way feedback and allows employees to feel heard in a time of crisis.

Inform, Interact & Involve: Conduct check-ins beyond initial communications to ensure key messages are being understood and identify areas for improvement. Follow iTester’s 3i’s of engaging leadership to ensure effective two-way communication.

Commitment to health and safety: Your organization is nothing without your employees. Highlight your commitment to your employees’ physical, mental, financial, and social well-being.

Business continuity plan: Offer clear and straightforward information. Share a summary of your BCP, including key actions and oversight. Be sure to include some of the other best practices listed below.

Transparency: Given the evolving nature of the COVID-19 situation it is best to be transparent in communications about what is known that could affect employees.

Audiences: COVID-19’s impact will differ based on a variety of factors and this means there is a need for different communications. Segment messages and approaches by employee type and/or geography and work environment.

Channel/Medium: Differing audiences will be receptive to different channels, mediums, and language. Ensure communication methods align with the message being communicated and who it is being communicated to.

Authentic: Write messages in a way that embodies the personality of the deliverer and shows the human aspect of the message. Don’t spin information; position it with empathy within the wider organizational context.

Timely: With the situation evolving hourly and daily, manage expectations of when new updates can be expected and stick to them, for example, set expectations that a COVID-19 update can be expected at the beginning of each day

Clear ownership: With key actions and resources changing daily, make sure to clarify ownership of BCP actions in the communication to avoid a bottleneck of questions for one person or department.

Resources: Provide employees with key resources (such as EAPs) all in one location (such as an intranet) to make it easier for both employees and resource providers.

iTester recommends segmenting into three to five internal audiences to start, typically by level of management: employees, managers, and senior leaders. Alternatively, segment by geography, department, or work environment, or some combination of the three

Geography Employees from different locations may share similar business objectives depending on the department they are in, but the extent of the crisis may vary by location in severity, and therefore, need different communications.

Department Different departments may have a similar culture, but different business continuity plans in the face of the crisis. Segment communication to ensure departments get the right information. This approach is best used in organizations where departments have distinct functions.

Work Environment Work environment may affect several things: the communication channels audiences have access to, the amount of time available to consume information, or the ability to direct contact the audience. Depending on the severity of the crisis, work environments may change without notice. Ensure your communication matches the channels and mediums employees have access to.

Draft a plan

Establish and share consistent protocols that leadership and employees can rely on for information involving business continuity.

Example of protocols:

All messages concerning business closures will come from senior leadership.

Any messages concerning working from home will come from your team lead.

Direct all questions concerning time off and resources to HR.

Make sure to include a mechanism for two-way feedback in your protocols to ensure any questions that may be helpful for everyone are being shared upwardly.

Assign accountability

Determine who will oversee delivering messages at the organizational level, department level, and team level.

Set timelines

While crisis situations operate in uncertainty, it’s important to be as transparent and as consistent as possible when delivering communications.

Key messages that may need to be segmented, given work environments and employee level, include:

Office closures

Work-from-home policies

Resources available

Timelines

iTester Inc has created a Leadership Crisis Communications Guide Template is to provide communicators (i.e. anyone writing or sharing communications) across the organization with guidance on how to communicate effectively. It is meant to be customized by the communicator and should be used in conjunction with iTester’s Crisis Communication Guide for Leadership.

Contact us today.

https://www.itester.com/contact

Why Digital Marketing ?

An increasing number of businesses are going to focus and invest on their online marketing strategies, given the unprecedented global impact of the COVID-19 crisis. In most cases, this could well be the differentiation between businesses that are able to ride the storm successfully and the ones that do not.

The decrease in face-to-face interactions, conferences, meetings, and live events pose a significant challenge for most businesses irrespective of their standing in the industry.

A swanky website with just the right visuals and content in addition to a great sales team and

a perfect business strategy may not be enough to generate leads and revenue in the current and post COVID-19 era. Small businesses that have so far relied on their offline reputation and word-of-mouth referrals will also need to take stock of how they approach digital marketing.

What is needed in the current environment is building and maintaining a strong online presence. That is where Digital Transformation and Marketing Services come into picture.

So what exactly is Digital Marketing ?

In simple terms, Digital Marketing is the use of online resources to reach highly targeted audience for your business and thereby increasing conversion rates. Targeting just the right people for your business , increasing your Digital presence and thereby building your brand loyalty - is what Digital Marketing is all about.

And how does Digital Marketing work to attract the right customers to your business?

There are various Digital Marketing strategies that work in tandem with each other to grow your company’s digital presence and reach high value customers for prospective leads.

Search engine optimization (SEO)

SEO is a digital marketing strategy that focuses on a website’s presence in search results on search engines like Google, bringing organic traffic to the website.

Pay-Per-Click (PPC) advertising

Pay-per-click (PPC) is an internet advertising model used to drive traffic to websites, in which an advertiser pays a publisher (typically a search engine, website owner, or a network of websites) when the ad is clicked.

Social Media Marketing

Social Media Marketing involves promoting your content and engaging with your target audience on Social Media channels like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Pinterest. This tactic is used in digital marketing to help businesses increase brand awareness, generate more leads, improve customer engagement, and increase sales.

Email Marketing

Email marketing is a form of direct marketing approach that uses email to promote your business's products or services and nurturing potential and existing clients.

Native Advertising

Native advertising is the use of paid ads that match the look, feel and function of the media format in which they appear. Native ads are often found in social media feeds, or as recommended content on a web page. Unlike display ads or banner ads, native ads don't really look like ads.

Google’s KP

Knowledge panels are information boxes that appear on Google when you search for entities (people, places, organizations, things) that are in the Knowledge Graph. They are meant to help you get a quick snapshot of information on a topic based on Google's understanding of available content on the web.

Irrespective of the size of your organization, Digital Marketing can work for any business in any industry. Regardless of what your company sells, digital marketing still involves building out buyer personas to identify your audience's needs and creating valuable online content.

The Software industry, like the human species, has undergone certain evolutionary changes to figure out what is most suitable for them. The challenges, and limitations of the traditional Waterfall methodology in a traditional SDLC pushed the developers to learn from their grueling experiences and move on to the much efficient Agile model.

Not only did Agile save teams from major development pitfalls, but it also helped in achieving immense business value. However, soon it was realized that the charms of the revolutionary Agile model had drained out too. In the rapidly evolving digital world with cut-throat competition, this was certainly inevitable.

To constantly push new features into the hands of their customers, companies are compelled to deliver code much faster and speed up the software release process. A blend of contemporary delivery approaches - DevOps, CD (Continuous Development), CI (Continuous Integration), and CD (Continuous Delivery) has enabled the Software Industry to deploy code to production and release it to users multiple times a day.

“Companies that can successfully implement Continuous Development throughout their organization often find dramatic strategic benefits.” - Harvard Business Review.

Continuous Development (CD) involves testing, updating, releasing, and measuring applications in a continual fashion as they are under development. In simple terms, CD, “like agile, began as a software development methodology. Rather than improving software in one large batch, updates are made continuously, piece-by-piece, enabling software code to be delivered to customers as soon as it is completed and tested.”

CD empowers a rapid software release schedules that iterative programming models like Agile and DevOps methods require for modern SaaS development.

Author Tim O’Reilly asserts that delivering software as a service (SaaS) using an “iterative, user-centered, data-driven development” approach is one of the core contributions to the modern approach. Users play a critical role in the popularity of continuous software development, acting as beta-testers who contribute to the evolution of a product by giving feedback through interaction with a web-based application.

Companies that develop software as an asset must continuously find ways to create value for their customers and competitive advantages for their business processes. Continuous iteration of your product and features helps you win in the marketplace, as does the actionable feedback that results from implementing continuous software development practices like CD. With continuous delivery, your software is in a state of readiness, so you manually control the timing of the final deployment to a production environment. Proceeding in this manner is as much a business decision as it is a technical strategy.

For example, product development teams at Amazon monitor an application under development in the user environment (in real time), measure what is working and what could be improved, and inform future development with continuous feedback from the system. To perform this work and deploy software thousands of times a day, Amazon uses iterative programming models, like Agile software development and Kanban, DevOps organizational methods, and technical practices like continuous integration, continuous delivery, and continuous deployment.

Former Netflix engineer and cloud architect Adrian Cockcroft is an advocate of the continuous delivery model. In 2009, Netflix adopted CD and the use of microservices architecture to develop and deploy applications. Microservices refers to developing small, reusable building blocks of code to ensure that the application under development is not affected by the increase in the velocity of deployments. The goal is to shorten the time it takes to deploy changes in code or configuration.

Organizations that can deliver innovative software changes to their end customers swiftly have a competitive edge over the others. Correspondingly, it becomes essential to enhance the rate of innovation and ensure that all the hurdles in SDLC are properly mitigated.