Readiness

Readiness iѕ thе state оf рrераrеdnеѕѕ of an individual, team, or organization in terms of personnel, resources, ѕуѕtеmѕ, and processes, and sufficient plans to execute on a specific goal. Within the Performance Pyramid, the goal could be considered a project or mission that is specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and time-bound; often referred to as the SMART process or goal. Only when a goal is clear, can the state of readiness be determined. Some other sub-factors of Readiness include:

• Leadership’s ability to make decisions and provide clarity when required
  
• Organizational communication to relay decisions and clarifications
• Role clarity to ensure understanding of an individual’s responsibilities and levels of autonomy

What Supports Readiness

  Readiness can only be determined when the goal is known, and the variables have been identified beyond the behaviors and capabilities of the individuals involved. The readiness of each factor supports overall readiness with some factors having greater impact and greater risk than others.
  The behaviors and capabilities of an individual indicate their readiness. Team readiness is supported by the behaviors and capabilities of the respective members of the team to provide the coverage required for the tasks that have to be managed to execute the goal. Organizational readiness is understood by understanding the readiness of individuals, teams, resources, plans, systems, processes, communications, and leadership.

Assessing Readiness

  As Readiness deals with an individual, team, or organization’s readiness as a particular time to achieve a specific goal, there are numerous factors to be considered. As an example, someone might have the capability to perform a task, but a recent project has left them exhausted and so they won’t be ready to take on tasks associated with the current or new goal. In some organizations, it is fair to assume that someone’s previously demonstrated capabilities will be available to support the current goal and the same can be said with behaviors. However, with other more unique or life-threatening activities impacting the individual or team, behaviors and capabilities might need to be reassessed.

  As numerous factors and sub-factors are in play, decisions have to be made as to which factors need to be assessed. If we assume that there are only six factors in play (situation, behaviors, capabilities, environment, resources, ѕуѕtеmѕ, and processes) and we measure each factor on a scale of six there would be a scale from zero – 36, however, the potential patterns of outcomes would be up to 46,656 patterns of readiness. If you weight factors as having more impact than other factors, and you use the factors for each individual, or each resource, etc., the potential number of patterns grows exponentially.

Improving Readiness

  Simulations of the expected and unexpected events are often used as a method to measure and enhance readiness. When a gap has been detected between what is required and what is evidence, these gaps will be filled and will improve the supporting Factors (Behaviors and Capabilities), or will improve the sub-factors such as resource allocation, ѕуѕtеmѕ, processes, plans, role clarity, and communications.