What’s in an oVo®, a Look From the Inside Out ?

I have been working for Reveal for almost seven years.  I joined the team because I loved the Reveal message.  Reveal was a home with a methodology, ongoing Value optimization® (oVo®), around principles I had been living by for years. So, the other day when a colleague asked what I go through when I embark on a new adventure, I thought “what a great blog”.The Reveal Methodology transitions through three steps: assess, transform and sustain.  It is important to start every initiative with the end goal in mind: sustain.  This means, leave the client with a solution they can apply moving forward through their own leadership and teams.  

As a Business Maturity®Advisor (BMA), I typically join the team in the second step, meaning an assessment was completed and the transformation is about to unfold. To prepare, I always review the presentations from the Wellness Assessment; here is where clues to the upcoming interaction lie.  There is a story of the data in SAP and how (even if) the system is utilized.  Next up the statement of work – here is the detail of what Reveal and the client expect from the initiative.  I print it (yes, a little old school), highlight key deliverables, assign owners and begin building the program (I call it, project management 101 on steroids).  Spending time with the assessment team clarifies expectations and highlights potential challenges.  A few simple pre-work assignments are sent to the client, the team is finalized and Prep Week kicks off the transformation.

Prep week, a critical week in the oVo® is one of my favorite weeks.  Of course, it starts with a plan, prep week lasts one week and many activities must be completed.  Monday morning the Reveal team presents to the client leadership team and we are off.  It’s always exciting to present to the client, but I must admit, I still get butterflies in my stomach whenever I present to a new crowd. One key deliverable finalized with the client this week is the overall schedule, a roadmap to a successful oVo®.  It includes the what, when, and who for the next phase, Business Engagement; results from analysis of data in SAP to use in education; a list of participants and their roles; and locations for sessions and preparation.  Outlook invites are sent and we move on to Business Engagement.Now the plan is set and it is time to work the plan.  Business Engagement is a time of learning, we (the Reveal team) learn the client and the client learns standard SAP.  The discoveries are exciting and sometimes frustrating.  Phrases we often hear: “SAP is wrong – I know what we need to make (or buy)”; “we do that in spreadsheets”; “we cannot follow the schedule – we are always missing parts” or my favorite “you’re kidding me, I was told SAP cannot do that”.  From the first session, my mind is on the goal sustainability.  I listen a lot.  I scan the room, I identify the strengths in each participant (again planning for the next phase).  Business Engagement goes fast and, as BMA, my job is to ensure a smooth transition into Realization.  A roadmap to the next phase begins to formulate week one, and by the last week of Business Engagement the plan details out the schedule to start using the new learnings and SAP functionality.The client team now puts the learnings into action in Realization.  As the BMA, I administer a Reveal test to confirm the team’s understanding, scheduling additional sessions or one on ones as required.  Realization applies the “learning by doing” principle daily.  During this time daily habits are formed, targets are set, measures are monitored.  As a team, Reveal ensures the client is ready to sustain the new processes.  Slowly we pass more and more accountability to the client, until the last week when I often say – they won’t even realize we are gone.  The understanding, discipline, and passion are in place to keep moving forward.  Sustainability!And that is a quick view of an oVo® through a BMA’s eyes.