Are You Working On Your OFIs?
What’s your biggest OFI today? Better yet, what the heck is an OFI?
We first got introduced to the term through conversations on the PENworks Conference planning team at the Performance Excellence Network. Each year, post-conference, we discuss our Opportunities For Improvement… our OFIs.
Our post-conference recap centers on what went well, where we experienced wins, and, most importantly, what could have gone better. By identifying our OFIs, we can start planning for the new year’s conference with new goals in mind that will make the experience more impactful for attendees and presenters. Each group member brings a slightly different perspective, similar to the mastermind concept we unpacked a few weeks ago, and the results are amazing.
How can we apply this in our organizations, the places where we volunteer, and even in our relationships? It starts with having an open mind – being willing to set down our egos and look for gaps, challenges, and broken concepts. If we come into this process defensively, we may as well skip it all together.
With an open mind, here are some simple questions you can ask after any experience…
- What were the most significant obstacles to our success?
- Are there results (good and bad) we can measure based on data?
- Is there external feedback we received that we should consider?
- Were there processes and formulas in place that didn’t work as anticipated?
- Where did we feel stuck?
- What bottlenecks did we experience?
- Are there opportunities to eliminate waste, such as time or resources?
Those questions are a great place to start identifying your opportunities for improvement, but remember this… identifying your OFIs is only the beginning. Creating action plans to address those opportunities and then taking that action is where the real value lies. Without action and changes, just knowing your OFIs isn’t enough.
Call-to-Action
Where would identifying your OFIs be valuable to you? Find that spot, ask the questions above, and then take some action to turn those opportunities into results!
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