Most studies concerning Organizational Readiness address an organization's ability to deal with transformations to the organization, to corporate strategy, or revamping major processes

Most studies concerning Organizational Readiness address an organization's ability to deal with transformations to the organization, to corporate strategy, or revamping major processes. We will address readiness in the context of the organization's ability to execute on specified objectives, whether they be internal or externally focused. It is not unusual for the best laid plans of an objective to be diminished by internal dissension, lack of resources, budget or corporate commitment. It is not unusual for an organization to embark on a challenging mission while at the same time not adequately addressing and answering all of the issues or details that can contribute or detract from success. Sometimes enthusiasm for the project overshadows the challenges that must be addressed up front as opposed to on the fly. Please contribute your own experiences in this regard. In my experience, organizational readiness to undertake a new development or piece of business can be defined as follows, among other things. 1. Do we have absolute consensus from senior management that this is a worthwhile pursuit? Are we chasing a shiny object and letting that cloud our judgement as to the wisdom of committing to a challenging or stressful delivery? 2. Does the project satisfy either a financial or a strategic objective? Is it worth the effort given what is already on our plate? 3. What will the impact of this project have on the budget and resources that are already committed to other endeavors? Are we stretching our capability and capacity and chasing business that will have a net negative impact on existing commitments to customers? 4. Do we really understand the customer requirements and have they been adequately analyzed so that we know the technical, financial and timeframe implications? 5. Do we have the skill sets necessary to achieve the objectives or are we going to be forced to seek those skills elsewhere?