Write a peer to peer review on Fixing the Sales Process—based on the case study “Baria Planning Solutions, Inc.: Fixing the Sales Process”

Baria Performance Analysis

Analysis of Baria using the 5-why tools revealed critical information used to develop the cause and effect diagram above. It is imperative to use the categories detected since they provide a holistic understanding of its operations. It is possible to understand the factors limiting success. The study promotes problem-solving, which is essential in understanding how the firm can achieve goals. Study of the president’s email reveals that his main concern is the lack of a proper plan of action to provide customers with the required products and services. It is possible to apply the 5-whys tool to analyze the cause and effect diagram created. This would reveal the underlying causes of issues to develop an effective solution.

Productivity is the main point of analysis of Baria. It is clear that the firm had been suffering since its last report from the 2010 financial analysis. The president’s email addressed that the firm had had a declining win rate due to customers’ demands not getting fulfilled. From the five whys perspective, the question of why an event occurs involves all participants. Baria had missed sales targets which affected its overall capability of gaining significant revenue.

The company’s corporate structure was inappropriately structured which was a major contributor to the lack of meeting deadlines and providing target customers. The initial structure showed promise since the company was able to develop connections with foreign partners. Customers could acquire services effectively, which made the project management team and sales team work independently. The structure seemed highly effective but problems uprooted as a result of missed deadlines.

It was further hard for Baria to operate since it had applied a “hybrid team structure.” This made it difficult for employees to work together and share information promptly. One of the team leaders, Dee, thought that his team could not meet deadlines since other teams did not conduct the required urgency. In providing customers with a robust method of gaining services, Baria’s “solution-selling process” aimed to provide customers with quick and effective services.

The staff at Baria were improperly structured, which led to conflict between team leaders. The other battle occurred due to poor communication in the sales team. The presentations' delay revealed that Baria’s structure was not as effective as it was previously thought. The sales team staff did not apply proper analysis from customers since they knew about their improper operations, yet they did not change.

The company’s procedural approach to management was improper since it is evident that the team leaders knew of barriers to success, yet they continued operating. For instance, when Connor realized that her team might have had few employees, she should have taken the proper restructuring approach. The procedure she applied was to train her staff and other groups so that work would be shared. This was an improper approach that revealed the company’s practices were not correctly aligned with its activities. Incompetent management further occurred when Connor failed to realize an appropriate method of gaining insight into its issues. Baria’s structure produced more issues since the lack of collaboration between different departments made it impossible for the leaders to find effective strategies.

To surmise, troubleshooting in a company is important since it is the primary method of finding underlying issues. Often, the company’s that lack a decision-making team experience the lowest productivity. It is imperative to have a decision-making team that applies the 5-whys tool. This technique provides an exact representation of issues in a company and its effect. The result is an effective environment where different company departments meet to engage in problem-solving.

Reference

Seiter, C. (2018). The 5 Whys Process We Use to Understand the Root of Any Problem. Retrieved 21 November 2020 from https://buffer.com/resources/5-whys-process/

Wheelwright, S., & Schmidt, W. (2011). Baria Planning Solutions, Inc.: Fixing the Sales Process. Harvard Business School Brief Case 114-568 [Ebook].