If you’ve been following along, you’ll know that Convergence Networks has been implementing the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). As a company with the primary goal to become North America’s first people-first managed service provider (MSP), it became essential for us to have a system and framework for our growing team to follow. It was clear to us that EOS was the right framework for us, and for how we work with our clients. We are confident believers in this system and are set out to help our clients (and future clients) use the EOS tools with their MSP.
Understanding the Vision Traction Organizer
One of the most foundational tools within EOS is the Vision Traction Organizer, or the V/TO. The VTO allows your company to simplify your planning process and document the vision you have for your company. It focuses on these core topics:
- What are your core values?
- What is your core focus?
- What is your 10-year target?
- What is your marketing strategy?
- What is your 3-year picture?
- What is your 1-year plan?
- What are your quarterly rocks?
- What is on your issues list?
It is important for your leadership team to fully understand and agree on the direction and vision of the company. Not having leadership buy-in can be disruptive to the whole organization. Once you have your V/TO defined, share it with your whole team. By doing this, your team will feel included on your journey. Better yet, share this with your MSP to find out how they can help drive your company forward.
Using the V/TO with your MSP
Sharing your V/TO with your MSP can help them define technology milestones that will support your 10-year target, 3-year picture and 1 year plan. For many companies looking to upgrade technology, it often cannot be done in a month or even a year. Which is why a technology roadmap is so important.
When we create technology roadmaps for our clients, we focus on these eight questions listed above. Why does your MSP need to know your core values, marketing strategy and core focus? Well, first off, you will want to make sure that your core values align with your MSP’s. We have learned from experience that when your core values are not aligned, troubled waters are looming on the horizon. When you share similar core values, you will find that your working relationship has a greater level of respect and understanding.
By sharing your core focus with your MSP, they will have a better sense of what niche you are in. It can help them understand how technology can be used to support your passion and purpose. The same goes for your marketing strategy. Technology and marketing can be so closely intertwined. With digital marketing as a primary marketing method for most companies, it is important for your MSP to help guide your company through the ever-changing waves of marketing.
How your MSP can help drive your 10-year target, 3-year plan and 1-year picture.
As we eluded earlier, upgrading and enhancing how your company uses technology may not happen in a month or even a year. Implementing new technologies takes time to plan, source, train and implement. Your technology roadmap will be designed with each of these milestone targets in mind.
For example, manufacturing companies can be one of the hardest industries to implement new technologies primarily because they have expensive machinery and equipment that relies on specific software to operate. Some software requires and older operating system like Windows XP. From a technology standpoint, you cannot just update the operating system because then the machine will not work. In this case, the MSP will need to work with the company to create a timeline, budget, and roadmap for how they can upgrade their technology without negatively impacting production and maintaining your cybersecurity posture.
In some sense, just as you would create a 10-year target, 3-year plan and 1-year picture for the business, your MSP should do the same for your technology plan. When technology is so heavily relied on within a company, organization and planning is key to making it a successful implementation.
If your MSP is only looking at annual goals and business drivers, it might be time to consider working with an MSP that can look years down the road and embrace the bigger picture.
For more information on how Convergence Networks uses the V/TO with our clients, schedule a Needs Review conversation!
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