Excellence is never an accident

The model for exploring the search for excellence is web development, yet developing a quality web
site is inextricably linked to customer and business goals. Web development is essentially the process
of aligning customer needs with business goals, via web technology within the framework of an
organization’s market identity and vision. In effect, “to [bring] the vision to life, translating it from
good intentions to concrete reality” (Collins & Porras, 1997, p. 221). Though I am not at liberty to
discuss large-scale development, building a user-friendly, profitable web site is unachievable without
clearly defined goals. And professional web development is not inexpensive, and thus a costly way to
discover the effect of unclear goals. However, well defined goals are not sufficient to ensure success:
the design and goals of a web site must be grounded in an organization’s vision and values, because
when problems arise true beliefs are exposed.

The web, like today’s ever-changing business world, is based on relationships, changeable rules, filled
with uncertainty, and open to interpretation: a winning strategy today does not guarantee victory or
survival tomorrow. And project managers are required to plan for and navigate through this maze of
ambiguity and organizational obstacles to meet their objectives. They must find a way to “distinguish
their timeless core values and enduring core purpose (which should never change) from their
operating practices and business strategies (which should be changing constantly in response to a
changing world)” (Collins & Porras, 1997, p. 220). In a fluid world client’s needs change, and
therefore strategies for web development must also change. Yet, immersed in constant change one
can lose sight of the development process and project goals hence, one must stay focused and
practice high intention in the quest for success and excellence.

The practice of high intention refers to the art of being centered and concentrating on the ultimate
purpose of one’s efforts. Thus, project managers must remain centered while enduring and adapting
to multiple scope changes, site redesigns, and other obstacles. For example, in developing a web site
for a large financial corporation, the consumer loan department wants a friendly design with access
to helpful content, where corporate accounts requires a business design with on-line tools relevant to
the business user. It is often left to the developer to balance the divergent business goals. Finding a
balance can be complicated, because an organization’s web site goals are based primarily on their
own needs or perception of customer needs as opposed to the end user or consumer. Hence, a
project manager and project team has to balance project goals, user needs and business unit
requirements in making decisions about site development: a balancing act that requires creativity,
flexibility and determined effort.

The fact that web development is often outsourced introduces an interesting paradox: individuals
external to a client’s organization and industry are tasked to create its most accessible and
personalized communications medium. In fact, the web is one of few marketing tools that can
provide both broadcasting and narrowcasting. The web provides the conduit for organizations to
provide general or personalized information, tools, resources and other marketing messages to an
estimated seventy plus million users. Therefore, it is crucial for organizations to construct “A good
vision [that] builds on the interplay between…complementary yin-and-yang forces: [that] defines ’
what we stand for and why we exist’ that does not change …and sets forth ‘what we aspire to
become, to achieve, to create’…”(Collins & Porras, 1997, p. 221). Otherwise, prospective customers
and competitors alike will receive the wrong message twenty-four hours a day.

To reiterate, in the quest for excellence web site goals must be anchored in an organization’s vision
and values, and project managers must remain centered and determined to balance diverse stakeholder
needs. Yet, there is still more complexity: a project manager may not recognize the organizational
dynamics surrounding a web project. For example: shifts in power based on who will control the
technology, “sacred cows” uncovered during the evaluation phase, resentment stemming from
projects not funded, or the new training required. And though, “…in truly great companies, [where]
change is a constant …” these issues may not be a problem, all companies are not yet great, and thus
may not “understand the differences between what should change and what should be open for
change, between what is truly sacred and what is not” (Collins & Porras, 1997, p. 221). One solution
is to schedule frequent check-ins to evaluate alignment between project goals and the client’s vision
and values: skilled execution.

As stated above, one solution to the problem of misalignment between a client’s core ideology and
project goals is to assess the level of alignment. Yet, the solution is dependent upon the efforts of the
organization to define their vision and core ideology. However, organizations often “…[wait] for the
world to impose the need for change…” (Collins & Porras, 1997, p. 193). Thus, one of the major
obstacles in the quest for excellence is revealed. In effect, what happens to a web site or e-business
project when an organization’s core ideology has not been identified? While, “Core ideology provides
the bonding glue that holds an organization together as it grows, decentralizes, diversifies, expands
globally, and attains diversity within” (Collins & Porras, 1997, p. 221). One can argue that the
opposite is also true: an organization without “bonding glue” subjected to the forces of transformation
and change will come apart.

The reality is “Technological change is…both creative and destructive” (Jones, 1998, p. 532). And as
stated by Rozwell (2001), “As a company transforms into an e-business, it will establish new
relationships with customers, suppliers and partners...” Indeed, it must “… rethink the tax, legal, risk
and compliance, trade and customer protection issues for each relationship.” And “Since e-business is
a new model for doing business, it requires a fundamental reassessment of ‘old’ business issues” (p.
3). Hence, when the disruption of building a large-scale web site or e-business platform collides with
the divergent goals of an organization not bonded by core ideology there is conflict. Although Collins
and Porras advise, “When misalignments crop up you’ve got to kill them as quickly as possible,” they
report “Most managers … fall short…” (p.238). Thus, a quest for excellence can be derailed by a
lack of vision, misalignment, and internal conflict, which is no great mystery because achieving
excellence is never an accident.

References
Collins, J., & Porras, J. (1997). Built To Last. New York: Harper Collins Publishers Inc.
Jones, G. (1998). Organizational Theory. New York: Addison Wesley Longman
Publishing Company, Inc.