Crisis in the trading company BSW Windows. Anti-crisis management Project management during a crisis

Are you here: Healthy Recipes

Interest in the application of project management methods in recent years has shown rapid growth, and in all sectors of the economy. In the course of the “growing up” of Russian project management, the forms of interest changed, and after them, the configuration of consulting services. Project management in a crisis is very different from project management in "fat" years.

Even 10 years ago, project management issues were considered more like a fashion or even a kind of "fetish" of individual managers. The very inclusion of the words “project”, “project management” into the managerial lexicon was considered useful. But by the end of this period, the level of general theoretical knowledge became higher and the demand for project management services became more concrete. The tasks of project management began to be tied to the current processes of companies, organizational structures, and development strategies.

Many Russian companies, following the Western ones, reoriented themselves and instead of large-scale implementation of difficult solutions, which usually drag on for years, they began to choose the solution of selected tasks. Some companies, following the Western trend, decided to completely transfer individual project management functions to the area of responsibility of an external professional team. Outsourcing began to stand out as a separate business line of many consulting companies.

Another feature of the development of project management in Russia in recent years is the increasing attention to this area on the part of public authorities. And not only at the regional, but also at the federal level. And this is understandable, because the implementation of large-scale projects of national importance (PNP, state and targeted programs) requires transparency of management, efficiency and validity of decisions made, and quality of planning. All this is very well manifested in the example of the largest state program of recent years - preparations for the 2014 Olympic Games, in the implementation of which we are directly involved.

But, despite the rapid development, the project management market approached the crisis in a motley manner. Growth problems emerged from globalized customer goals that were not driven by readiness and real needs, from “loose” solutions by a number of contractors that were hastily building control systems due to growing demand.

Difficult present

The global financial crisis has made its own adjustments and changed approaches to project management during the crisis. However, its influence cannot be assessed only as negative. Moreover, according to the observations of our consultants, the crisis has sown the seeds of new interest, new opportunities and new areas of application of project management approaches.

In the second half of 2008, many companies were at a loss and froze their investment budgets. Now the situation is seriously changing. Those companies that turned out to be more efficient than their competitors, whose management was ready not to sit idly by in the face of uncertainty, are now demonstrating their readiness for internal development. More far-sighted management is making efforts to develop the business, aimed at further improving its efficiency.

In addition, right now, when many have gained indispensable experience of surviving during the crisis, there is an increase in investment activity. Companies are looking for new areas for their business, diversifying investments, investing in projects that imply long-term return on investment.

If before the crisis the priority was shifted towards projects designed for endless consumer demand (for example, development projects), now investors are ready to consider the possibility of investing in long-term development projects. The prospects for the creation of new industries, the development of new technologies that will bring profit in the future are considered. This is facilitated by the state, which is increasingly using tools to support such projects.

Naturally, an investor, agreeing to long-term investments, wants to minimize their risks. This can only be achieved by improving the quality of project and program management. That is why - in connection with the growing requirements for the project management system, monitoring and reporting, companies are turning to professionals in this field for such services.

If earlier a lot was built on trust, now the choice of a professional team capable of providing an effective and transparent management system is coming to the fore. Built-in monitoring by the Investor or the Customer is an almost mandatory feature of investment projects - people want to check and control.

In a crisis, the management of state programs does not go unnoticed. The federal authorities, being one of the largest investors in Russia, require the processing of project management “slogans” into working solutions.

The experience of implementing projects during the crisis year shows that development has not stopped. Commercial companies are implementing individual elements of project management systems that lay the foundation for future development. Specialized solutions are being introduced on program-target methods of management in state authorities (in the Ministry Agriculture Russian Federation, in organizations implementing the state program of preparation for the 2014 Olympic Games and many others). The theoretical base of Russian project management is expanding - new national standards are being created in the GOST R system.

Forecasted prospects

According to our analytical research, despite all the current difficulties, project management in Russia is only strengthening its positions, becoming a powerful tool in the struggle for efficiency and competitiveness.

The lull in the market at the end of 2008 and the first half of 2009 is replaced by an increase in the number of “hot” calls and pre-sales. Some of them are characterized by small budgets - companies are in search of a direction for development, points of support in the new conditions. But this is an inevitable reality dictated by the recession.

New value criteria are being formed for project management services: quick and concrete utility, the ability to completely delegate responsibility for blocks of specific work to professionals, providing company management with timely, reliable and sufficient information for decision-making.

The second half of 2009 is characterized by the readiness of the Customers to make decisions on the transition to contractual stages of relationships in consulting, outsourcing and implementation of information systems. The number of ongoing projects has already reached the pre-crisis level.

However, today's demand structure is different from the pre-crisis period. The types of projects being implemented, the services in demand, the requirements for the management system on the part of Customers and Investors have changed. The actual re-profiling of the market, in turn, determined the need for changes in consulting companies as well. Some of them could not adapt to the new requirements and weakened their positions, which led to a redistribution of the burden on stronger market participants.

This trend is felt by the GC "Project PRACTICE". Due to the growing interest in project management, we are considering the possibility of abandoning the previously used anti-crisis discount programs, which, of course, will not affect Customers with whom partnerships have already been established or contracts for the provision of services have been concluded. At the same time, it is not planned to introduce new systems of discounts for consulting and outsourcing services in the near future. The services of real professionals with vast experience in project implementation remain in demand and cannot be cheap.

In general, the forecast for the development of the project management market, according to our specialists, is positive, and it is this market that can turn out to be a lever for overcoming the crisis of the entire Russian economy.

Mikhail Kozodaev, Managing Partner,
Consulting DirectorGK "Project PRACTICE"

A lot has already been written about the crisis, its causes, negative manifestations and ways to overcome it. Among the recommendations there are many that deserve attention and can be used in real practice. But it is very important to understand that the main condition for any successful work is consistency, which in a crisis becomes a critically necessary attribute of business management. An attempt is made below to systematically present all anti-crisis measures. The system is shown in fig. 1, it has the shape of a fish, which is called the Isshikawa diagram.

Rice. one.

Let us give a brief description of each of the factors shown in the general diagram. All of the following is an attempt to systematically integrate an integral set of anti-crisis management measures. This does not mean that all measures must be taken. After reviewing the contents of this paragraph, the manager himself must choose what suits him best and on what he should focus his efforts.

Strategy adjustment. As you know, the fish begins to deteriorate from the head. Therefore, it is necessary to start by adjusting the strategy. Leaving the company's mission unchanged, its vision should be reconsidered, refusing, apparently for a while, from achieving large ambitious goals. Although the conditions of the crisis may provoke the emergence of new ambitious goals, for example, in terms of capturing the market of bankrupt companies or acquiring weaker companies that have little chance of survival. It must be remembered that the crisis creates additional conditions for development, if you correctly use the emerging opportunities.

Reconsider your attitude to the crisis based on the following positive factors:

The crisis stimulates consolidation:
- cheapening of assets will lead to the fact that the weak will die, the strong will become even stronger,
- consolidation will most likely occur in retail grocery and household goods, banks, pharmacies, etc.
Managers will get the practice of managing in a crisis.
There will be a reassessment of the system of risks, which were considered too formally in the last period. After the crisis, risk management will become a more effective management tool.
Several “soap bubbles” are “blown away”, in particular, stock, real estate, oil, metals…
The position of strong domestic players may be strengthened by a possible reduction in competition from imports and additional export opportunities.

The listed factors are named here rather conditionally. They will be positive for those who can dispose of them. And this may be the new strategy of the company.

Productivity increase. In a crisis, the decisive factor in maintaining the effectiveness of the company is speed. It turns out that the well-known formula of general relativity works in business: E=mc2 , however, with some amendments. E is the performance (performance) of the business, m is the mass (volume) of the resource used, and c - the rate at which this resource is used. The whole point here is that the speed is taken in the square, i.e. has an order of magnitude greater impact than the amount of resource used. In the period leading up to the crisis, most of the company, to put it mildly, "relaxed somewhat." The main focus was on mass m , and not at speed: a large “back office” staff was hired, the salaries of key specialists were constantly growing, realizing their importance, key specialists demanded comfortable conditions (expensive personal cars), hospitality expenses were constantly growing, expensive offices were built or rented. This list could be continued. Things got to the point that young graduates of the capital's universities demanded a starting salary of $1,000. At the same time, no one thought about speed.

The crisis came and put everything in its place. There was a rapid reassessment of values. The question was posed point-blank: “Gentlemen, highly paid managers, if you were not able to foresee the crisis and now you cannot overcome its consequences, then why do you receive high remuneration and why do business need you at all. Either turn on the high speed of your activity, or - goodbye, just goodbye, and not goodbye. Only those who can effectively work will remain. But being efficient doesn't mean running fast around the office. It is necessary to quickly and in detail analyze all factors of business productivity growth, if possible, excluding all activities that do not bring value to business processes. This refers to both technological and operational processes. In most cases, it is quite difficult to increase the speed of technological processes, as quality may suffer. At the same time, most organizational processes have huge reserves of acceleration. And here it is not necessary to thoughtlessly reduce staff, saving costs. Usually on the contrary, in order to increase productivity, additional costs must be incurred. At one enterprise well known to the author for the overhaul of gas wells, instead of one operator, at a certain stage of the technological cycle, they began to use two, i.e. increased costs. As a result, equipment downtime has been reduced to zero, and the rate of well workover has increased. And speed, as Einstein's formula says, is squared. In combination with other similar techniques, the amount of work performed by one team during its shift has increased. In the end, it became possible to reduce one of the five permanent teams altogether, without losing the overall turnover. The company's profit increased sharply due to the reduction of fixed costs.

This recipe is not universal - it is useful when production has a large amount of fixed overhead. As the ancient sages said, truth is always concrete. In each case, it is necessary to find those ways of improving productivity that are acceptable for a particular business. And no one, except for the specialists working at the enterprise, can do it better. True, certain tools can be recommended to these specialists.

One such tool is the Theory of Constraints (TOC) proposed by E. Goldratt. Note that this is an integral system of technologies, which in its essence reproduces the model of the weakest link, well known in technology. Suppose we want to strengthen the chain (improve the system). Where would it be most logical to focus your efforts? On the weakest link! Is it worth reinforcing something else, something that is not a limitation? Of course not. The weakest link in the chain will still break, no matter how we strengthen the rest. In other words, the effort put into the constraints will not cause immediate and noticeable improvements in the performance of the system.

Goldratt developed his approach to continuous improvement and called it The Theory of Constraints (TOC). He even described it in novels that demonstrate the use of TOC technology.

Changing attitudes towards marketing. The fears of all marketing agencies in a crisis are justified in the fact that "now all companies will start cutting marketing budgets." Indeed, this is really observed during a crisis: being in a panic, companies begin to reduce what they can temporarily do without. This is, first of all, the cost of training and promotion of products on the market. Such measures look justified only at some, perhaps the very initial stage of the development of the crisis. If this strategy continues in the future, the company may simply lose its competitive advantage. The staff will not be able to solve the tasks that management sets for them, and the market will gradually forget about these competitive advantages.

Basically, there are two alternative attitudes towards marketing in a company.

Alternative 1. Marketing is the policy of consumers within the company, forcing the company to smoothly change in the direction desired by most consumers. Companies address consumers in the market like this:

"We will give you anything you want if you become our loyal customers."
"We are ready to spend a lot of money, if only you were our customers."

Alternative 2. Marketing must be profitable. In other words, marketing must measure the costs of promoting products with the result that is obtained as a result of numerous marketing programs in terms of understandable economic indicators, such as profit, cash flow, etc.

In a crisis, a shift will occur in the direction of the second alternative. But it can be achieved in different ways. The owner and management of the company can take the first, radical path. It's easy to cut down on the company's marketing staff as much as possible while slashing the budgets of all marketing programs. The problem asks whether there will be an economic effect from this. Undoubtedly yes! The reduction in total costs caused by such a reduction will lead to an increase in profits and cash flow: “Thanks to marketing, it helped us save costs, and, as you know, money saved is wage money.”

The second path within the framework of the profitable marketing alternative involves conscious behavior: 1) we soberly assess the situation, 2) we are looking for new opportunities. What is the first thing to evaluate? Most companies produce several types of products and offer them in different markets. One operating unit can serve several markets at once, with different perspectives. Different operating units may operate in the same demand area. So how many lines of business does the company actually have? Why is it important. The well-known 80/20 rule works here: 80% of the results of any activity are provided by 20% of the efforts. In a crisis, a company cannot afford to scatter resources on non-core (non-profitable) activities. First of all, it is worth focusing the attention of marketers on promising products and activities, focusing all marketing costs on this segment.

Management of economic factors. The main manifestation of the crisis from which business suffers is the lack of money. On fig. 2 is a diagram explaining the causes and manifestation of lack of money.

Rice. 2.

So, there are only three main reasons: 1) the company does not manage to sell a lot, 2) the company incurs high costs, 3) the company does not know how to manage working capital. These three reasons may not appear in standard, non-crisis circumstances, but in crisis conditions they arose due to the unwillingness of management to reorganize to work in new conditions. Worst of all, when all three causes appear at the same time, which most often happens. As you can see from the diagram, the indicators that signal to management that a problem has arisen are profit and cash flow. What should the management team focus on first in order to at least reduce the impact of the lack of money problem - on profits or on cash flow. Profit is a necessary but not sufficient condition for obtaining money. In other words, to ensure the company's ability to generate money, it must make a profit. In standard, non-crisis conditions, this condition is considered unshakable. But in a crisis, you need to generate money in any way, and do it quickly. What happens during a crisis? Sales are falling. This is a deep reason. It is not possible to fix it quickly - the markets are shrinking. Partial compensation for the drop in sales may occur due to cost reduction. This is what companies “know how” to do best. But it is not a fact that cost reduction will not lead to an even greater drop in sales, which will eventually lead to even greater losses. We discussed this possibility when analyzing marketing aspects.

During a crisis, a company needs time to restructure its activities in relation to crisis conditions: shrink, cut some activities, optimize staff. After such a restructuring, the company will learn to live in a new way and make a profit, most likely in smaller volumes, but adequate to shrinking markets. During this restructuring, the company will not be able to live without money. Therefore, money must be made or saved at any cost. So, from the two indicators of the scheme in Fig. 2 more important is the indicator of operating cash flow, rather than profit, at least in the initial stages of the crisis.

And here comes the technology of Total Money Management, or TCM, from the English term Total Cash Management. The essence of TCM is manifested in the practical implementation of the following two fundamental provisions:

simple rules

In many real situations, managers of enterprises in the course of their activities do not realize the exceptional importance of money. They do not understand that money is a completely liquid asset. Having money, an enterprise can solve absolutely all problems, both technological, and marketing, and all the rest. This is especially acute in times of crisis. The pragmatic goal of TCM is to create a system that:

on the one hand, it contributes to the efficient generation of cash flows,
and on the other hand, it contributes to their no less effective use, again with the aim of generating subsequent cash flows.

It is important to understand that TCM does not consist of "Save Money" slogans alone that must be posted throughout the firm in order to succeed. This is far from the case: TCM is, first of all, a system that covers all the activities of the company. The figure shows the main blocks of TCM.

Rice. 3.

The systemic nature of the TCM concept is manifested not only in the fact that each functional unit and even each person plays a role in the implementation of strategic goals, but also in the fact that an additional effect can be created at the junction between units. In other words, improvements in one of the blocks shown in the figure may cause changes in other blocks so that the cumulative effect may be either greater or less than the sum of the two individual effects.

Transformation of investment and financial activities. It is generally accepted that during a crisis, investment activity should be reduced. Real practice proves this, judging by the numerous reports of the suspension or cessation of the construction of new production facilities, the cancellation of earlier decisions taken about investment. The reduction in investment activity is due to the fact that 1) there is simply not enough funds, 2) the prospects for new investment projects are unclear.

At the same time, the crisis provides an opportunity to increase the company's assets and expand the scope of its activities through the absorption of other weaker enterprises. There is no doubt that in a period of crisis there is a redistribution of property - the strong absorb the weak.

So, the transformation of investment activity should be considered from two positions:

In a crisis, the procedures and technologies used for conducting the investment activity itself should be reviewed. Here are typical features of the investment activity of domestic companies:

The task of investment development, which is important for business, is solved through outsourcing (assigned to a consulting company).
Closed software products such as Project Expert are used, which do not provide a transparent idea of the business for the owner and management.
The focus is on cash flow forecasting and calculation of standard indicators (NPV, IRR, DPB) without deep insight into the practical economics of the project. At the same time, the choice of the discount rate does not correspond to the specifics of project financing.
Investment analysis lasts for 2-4 months and ends with a rather cumbersome description containing many unnecessary details.
It is often not possible to trace a direct link between a business idea and/or technological improvement and the economics of the project.

In a crisis, this is not good. The main task of investment design in a crisis environment is as follows:

We do it for ourselves, quickly and without errors.

So, as before, the speed and quality of decisions made. Agree that there is nothing simpler than making a decision to buy companies that are rapidly losing their effectiveness, as a result of which their owners are ready to sell them cheaply. And then what? Resell to someone for a higher price. This is what so-called portfolio investors usually do. It is not certain that this speculative operation will be successful. So, you need to buy, following the strategic goals. During the crisis, the takeover of weak companies will be carried out mainly by a strategic investor. The latter, by definition, will seek to develop the purchased object in order to earn even more money on it.

The strategic investor has two problems. First, you need to act quickly, otherwise another strategic investor will get ahead. Secondly, you cannot make a wrong decision, otherwise the money spent will not be returned. To minimize the risks of these two mistakes, the investment technologies used must meet the following requirements:

The technology must allow quick and correct conclusions about the feasibility of investments.
Technology must be flexible, i.e. able to make multiple recalculations depending on changing conditions.
Technology must be individual, i.e. reflect the features of the existing business and the special requests of the owners and top management.
Technology must be open and transparent: the occurrence of each indicator must be traced ( widely used Project Expert does not meet this requirement).
Technology must be as clear as possible for a possible potential investor: it is enough to show justify marketing forecasts and show financial tables, and the investor is ready to make a decision.

If a company owns such technology, it is able to avoid these mistakes. Otherwise, enterprises with a negative economic result will be bought and resold.

Having problems with money, the head of the company should not “write off” all of them for the crisis. A crisis, even an external one, actually reveals the company's hidden problems. There are three groups of reasons that lead the company to a shortage of money. The first group includes market reasons, which can be both external and internal. These are, first of all, a drop in sales volumes and shortcomings in assortment management. Indeed, sales volumes may fall due to an external cause, i.e. due to market shrinkage, or may be the result of an imperfect marketing strategy of the company. Even if markets shrink, the marketing strategy must find a way to maintain volume. Among the internal causes of the shortage of money is the imperfection of the financial management system, which manifests itself in

lack of management accounting
poor financial planning
low qualification of financial managers,
suboptimal financial management structure,
loss of control over costs.

The emerging external crisis should reveal all internal causes, increasing the perfection of all aspects of the company's activities, in the face of objectively existing external causes.

What to do to reduce the shortage of money. First of all, one should not succumb to panic and systematically present the directions in which it is necessary to act. The system of measures presented in fig. 4 looks very simple.

Rice. 4.

Having built a kind of Procrustean bed of the system, it is necessary to think through the possible ways in detail. These measures will vary from company to company. Below is a list of the most typical measures for each of the groups.

Short-term measures to increase the inflow of money:
- sale or lease of non-current assets,
- rationalization of the product range,
- restructuring of receivables into financial instruments,
- use of partial prepayment,
- development of a system of discounts for buyers,
- attraction of credit sources of short-term financing.
Short-term measures to reduce the outflow of money:
- cost reduction,
- deferment of payments on obligations,
- use of supplier discounts,
- revision of the investment program,
- tax planning,
- bill settlements and offsets.
Long-term measures to increase the flow of money:
- additional issue of shares and bonds,
- restructuring of the company - liquidation or separation into separate business units,
- search for a strategic investor,
- looking for a portfolio investor.
Long-term measures to reduce the outflow of money:
- long-term contracts providing for discounts or deferred payments,
- tax planning.

It is clear that not all of the above measures are equally available in times of crisis; this applies, for example, to the additional issue of shares or bonds. However, a systematic search for financial opportunities should lead to success.

Mega motivational system. This aspect of the overall program for the transformation of the company's activities in a crisis is shown in the diagram in Fig. 1 in the form of a fish tail. As you know, with the help of its tail, the fish increases the speed of its movement. This is the meaning of the mega-motivational system. All of the above factors of restructuring the company's activities should start to work very quickly, as many leaders like to say: "I need to do it yesterday." How to make it all start working as soon as possible? The fundamental answer is simple: it is necessary to put the company's personnel in conditions when they themselves will be interested or forced to do it. I remember a fragment of the film “Peculiarities of the National Hunt”, when a cow was transported in an airplane bomb bay. She could not be ejected from the bomb bay. Then the commander very figuratively put it: “if you want to live, you won’t get so upset.”

This is the fundamental meaning of the term megamotivation. Megomativation can be implemented in two polar ways:

The first way is trivial, but it can be effective. The final effect of this method will be determined by the extent to which the manager correctly “cleanses” the ranks of his staff. If the remaining staff can “spread out” in order for everyone to survive, then the effect is guaranteed. If they start flying out of the bomb bay, it means that they “cleaned out” the wrong ones.

In this sense, the second way more insured against mistakes. The company's staff is far from homogeneous in terms of their managerial skills and ability to work in crisis conditions. Since no one has experience of working in the difficult conditions of a crisis, management skills should manifest themselves (or appear) in the process of the crisis itself. This won't happen to everyone. But the owner or manager must create conditions for the personnel that will allow the employees to understand for themselves whether their abilities and skills correspond to the tasks set. This can be done by creating a motivational system that minimizes the fixed part of the reward and fundamentally increases the variable part, which will be determined by the achieved result. Under such conditions, incapable workers will leave on their own, as they will not be able to solve their goals and earn decent money. This approach can be formalized using KPIs, which quantitatively describe the task assigned to the employee. The technology for determining the variable part is described using fig. 5.

Rice. 5.

As follows from the diagram of the figure, if the employee reaches the planned KPI value, he receives the planned reward. The amount of remuneration decreases proportionally with a decrease in the actually achieved KPI and becomes zero if the achieved KPI becomes less than a certain minimum value (point min in the figure). If the actually achieved KPI becomes higher than the planned value, then the premium increases, but not indefinitely, but up to a certain number (max point in the figure). The last feature of this algorithm insures the manager against understating the planned KPI value. During a crisis, the whole picture shifts to the right, setting higher goals for the employee and allowing him to earn more. If in such a situation the permanent part of earnings is made very small, for example, at the level of the living wage accepted in the country, the worker will be forced to do everything possible and impossible to survive. And it again resembles a cow in a bomb bay.

The listed approaches are a motivational technology for individual managers, a kind of bonus tool. If the owner and manager thinks strategically, he must understand that this tool alone is not enough. He must analyze not only the current problems and how the company will live after the crisis. A strategically thinking leader must understand that he alone is not able to bring the company out of the crisis. To work in a crisis, having or building a team is critical. Only a strong team is able not only to withstand the crisis, but also to gain new advantages. You need to analyze who is on your team. What features and personal traits are characteristic of team members, and what tasks they solve.

Vladimir Savchuk Chapter from the book "Strategy + Finance: Basic Knowledge for a Manager"
Publishing house "BINOM, Laboratory of Knowledge"

A lot has already been written about the crisis, its causes, negative manifestations and ways to overcome it. Among the recommendations there are many that deserve attention and can be used in real practice. But it is very important to understand that the main condition for any successful work is consistency, which in a crisis becomes a critical attribute of business management. An attempt is made below to systematically present all anti-crisis measures. The system is shown in fig. 1, it has the shape of a fish, which is called the Isshikawa diagram.

Rice. 1. System of anti-crisis measures

Strategy adjustment. As you know, the fish begins to deteriorate from the head. Therefore, it is necessary to start by adjusting the strategy. Leaving the company's mission unchanged, its vision should be reconsidered, refusing, apparently for a while, from achieving large ambitious goals. Although the conditions of the crisis may provoke the emergence of new ambitious goals, for example, in terms of capturing the market of bankrupt companies or acquiring weaker companies that have little chance of survival. It must be remembered that the crisis creates additional conditions for development, if you correctly use the emerging opportunities.

Reconsider your attitude to the crisis based on the following positive factors:

The crisis stimulates consolidation:

cheapening of assets will lead to the fact that the weak will die, the strong will become even stronger,
consolidation will most likely occur in the retail of food and household goods, banks, pharmacies, etc.

Managers will get the practice of managing in a crisis.

There will be a reassessment of the system of risks, which were considered too formally in the last period. After the crisis, risk management will become a more effective management tool.

4. Several “soap bubbles” are “blown away”, in particular stock, real estate, oil, metals ...

5. The position of strong domestic players may be strengthened by a possible reduction in competition from imports and additional export opportunities.

The listed factors are named here rather conditionally. They will be positive for those who can dispose of them. And this may be the new strategy of the company.

Productivity increase. In times of crisis, the decisive factor in maintaining the performance of the company is speed. It turns out that the well-known formula of general relativity works in business: E=mc2 , however, with some amendments. E is the performance (performance) of the business, m is the mass (volume) of the resource used, and c - the rate at which this resource is used. The whole point here is that the speed is taken in the square, i.e. has an order of magnitude greater impact than the amount of resource used. In the period leading up to the crisis, most of the company, to put it mildly, "relaxed somewhat." The main focus was on mass m , and not at speed: a large “back office” staff was hired, the salaries of key specialists were constantly growing, realizing their importance, key specialists demanded comfortable conditions (expensive personal cars), hospitality expenses were constantly growing, expensive offices were built or rented. This list could be continued. Things got to the point that young graduates of the capital's universities demanded a starting salary of $1,000. At the same time, no one thought about speed.

Goldratt developed his approach to continuous improvement and called it The Theory of Constraints (TOC). He even described it in the novels "The Goal" (The Goal) and "Goal 2: It's not Luck" (It's not Luck!), which demonstrates the use of TOC technology. that will allow the fastest possible transformation of the entire system.

Step 1. Find the system limit. Which element of the system contains the weakest link? Is it physical or organizational in nature?

Step 2. Weaken the influence of the system limitation. In other words, to answer the question: “How to squeeze the maximum out of the limiting element without significant additional costs and thereby weaken the negative impact of the restriction on the operation of the entire system?”

Step 3. Focus all efforts on the system limiter. Once the constraint has been found (Step 1) and a decision has been made on what to do with it (Step 2), we tune the entire system so that the constraint works as efficiently as possible. We may have to slow down some parts of the system and speed up others. Then we will analyze the results of our actions: find out if this limitation is still delaying the operation of the entire system? If not, we get rid of it and proceed to step 5. If yes, then the constraint still exists and we proceed to step 4.

Step 4. Remove the restriction. If steps 2 and 3 are not enough to eliminate the restriction, then more drastic measures are needed. At this stage, some investment of time, effort, money and other resources may be required, so we must be sure that there is no way to get rid of the restriction in the first three steps. Removing the restriction implies that we will resort to any measures to remove this restriction. As a result, the limiting element will definitely be removed.

Step 5. Return to the first step, remembering the inertia of thinking. If the restriction is lifted in steps 3 or 4, we must go back to step 1 and start the cycle again. Our task is to determine the next element that constrains the operation of the system.

The five guiding steps are directly related to the three questions about change: 1) what to change, 2) what to change for, 3) how to effect the change. To understand what exactly to change, we are looking for a constraint (step 1). To figure out what changes are needed, we decide how best to loosen the limiter. We subordinate the operation of the entire system to our decision (steps 2 and 3). If this does not help, increase the bandwidth of the weak link and completely remove the restriction (step 4). In steps 3 and 4, we also flesh out "how to make change."

But, as before, "truth is always concrete." No one can point out the limitation of the system better than the experts working in the enterprise. So the challenge is, using the above formal procedure, to find a way to increase productivity by focusing on the weakest link.

The current reality tree starts with the present adverse events (ADEs) in the system and helps you get to the root cause or the single key issue that caused all the adverse events. The key problem is usually the constraint that gets "handled" using the above five-step procedure.

If the current situation, which is described using the current reality tree, does not suit the company's management, they resort to building the so-called future reality tree, which is built according to the same rules. This tool serves two purposes: firstly, it allows us to make sure that the action that the management team is about to take will actually lead to the desired results, and secondly, this diagram makes it possible to determine what negative consequences the action we have planned can cause. This allows you to logically "test" the effectiveness of the proposed actions before spending time, effort or resources on them. In this way, the worsening of the situation can be avoided.

Finally, when the decision on the course of action is made, another tree appears, namely the transition tree, which helps to implement this decision. It defines what can hinder the actions of the management team and how best to overcome these obstacles. It also allows you to set the sequence of actions necessary to achieve the goal. This diagram half answers the question "how to make change?"

The effectiveness of the mentioned tools is in their graphic clarity (in combination with the tree construction algorithm). Indeed, often the problem that the management team must solve does not have an unambiguous interpretation. Then it's worth getting together and modeling using graphical diagrams: 1) what is happening and why we are not satisfied with it (for example, insufficient performance), 2) what should be and 3) how to achieve this. The theory of constraints can serve as a convenient assistant for this.

Basically, there are two alternative attitudes towards marketing in a company.

Alternative 1. Marketing is the policy of consumers within the company, forcing the company to smoothly change in the direction desired by the majority of consumers. Companies address consumers in the market like this:

- "We will give you everything you want if you become our loyal customers."

- "We are ready to spend a lot of money, if only you were our customers."

There is another focus of preference. The totality of all marketing activities is divided into two areas: let's call them a short and a long wave of the value (performance) of marketing programs. Short wave marketing activity involves a quick market response to the marketing costs incurred. The "long wave" should provide a lasting effect, aimed primarily at strengthening the strength of the brand. From the point of view of financial management and management accounting, the money spent for the "short wave" is directly included in the costs of the period in which they are incurred. And the result should be an increase in operating profit, i.е. EBITDA. In the case of a "long wave", the costs incurred should be expected to pay off over a longer period, perhaps a year or two. From the point of view of financial management, cash flow will decrease significantly, but operating profit may increase. This will happen due to the fact that not all the money spent on marketing will be included in the costs of the period, but only some of it. Sales growth can offset this portion of the extra cost of the period so that profits can increase.

In a crisis, preference for marketing activities should be focused on the "short wave". And not only because there are no sufficient funds for this. In a crisis, the situation changes very often, and it is impossible to predict many manifestations of the crisis. To a greater extent, this applies to long-term forecasts. It is clear that investing in long-term marketing programs seems dubious - money can be spent in vain ...

Rice. 2. Reasons and indicators explaining the lack of money

So, there are only three main reasons: 1) the company does not manage to sell a lot, 2) the company incurs high costs, 3) the company does not know how to manage working capital. These three reasons may not appear in standard, non-crisis circumstances, but in crisis conditions they arose due to the unwillingness of management to reorganize to work in new conditions. Worst of all, when all three causes appear at the same time, which most often happens. As you can see from the diagram, the indicators that signal to management that a problem has arisen are profit and cash flow. What should the management team focus on first in order to at least reduce the impact of the lack of money problem - on profits or on cash flow. Profit is a necessary but not sufficient condition for obtaining money. In other words, to ensure the company's ability to generate money, it must make a profit. In standard, non-crisis conditions, this condition is considered unshakable. But in a crisis, you need to generate money in any way, and do it quickly. What happens during a crisis? Sales are falling. This is a deep reason. It is not possible to fix it quickly - the markets are shrinking. Partial compensation for the drop in sales may occur due to cost reduction. This is what companies “know how” to do best. But it is not a fact that cost reduction will not lead to more about a greater drop in sales, which will eventually lead to more about more losses. We discussed this possibility when analyzing marketing aspects.

And here comes the technology of Total Money Management, or TCM, from the English term Total Cash Management. The essence of TCM is manifested in the practical implementation of the following two fundamental provisions:

1) all aspects of the enterprise's activities must involve available or fundamentally available financial resources,

2) each employee of the enterprise can influence the state of financial resources by applying some simple rules every day.

on the one hand, it contributes to the efficient generation of cash flows,
on the other hand, it contributes to their no less effective use, again with the aim of generating subsequent cash flows.

Rice. 3. The structure of the total money management system

Our next task is to give a brief description of each individual block.

Money management in marketing. In a complex business system, marketing and sales services are rightfully considered the first among equals because they bring in money. We list the main tasks and problem areas of using TCM in marketing:

discounts depending on the volume of sales of finished products;
discounts depending on the terms of payment for shipped products;
inventory volume as a competitive marketing tool;
provision of risky commodity loans;
time management of sales to equalize production volumes;
increasing sales with the help of TCM;
creating an adequate reaction of competitors.

Let us dwell on some provisions, considering most of them obvious.

First of all, we note that here and below the provisions listed are more likely to be problematic areas, i.e. an indication of a set of issues that are implied to be solved, and not final technologies. In particular, speaking of discounts depending on the volume of sales and terms of payment for shipped products, we emphasize that this issue should not be left to chance. It is necessary to develop a technology for estimating the allowable size of the discount according to the criterion of the maximum final cash flow, to test it in the course of practical activities and then make it an internal standard.

"The volume of stocks as a competitive property of marketing" is manifested in particular in the fact that the desire to fully satisfy the needs of customers, enterprises invariably increase the volume of stocks. At the same time, this “freezes” money, which can lead to a shortage of money and the inability to make another profitable purchase of goods, which is designed to replenish stocks. It is clear that some optimum must be found.

Consider another rather “subtle” problematic issue from the list above: “creating an adequate reaction of competitors for our company”. An adequate reaction here is understood as a competitor's panic in connection with the actions of a firm practicing SCI. Let the main competitor does not follow TCM. This means that he measures the effectiveness of his activities using a monthly or quarterly income statement. Our company is starting to make a price discount on the market, while reducing the period of deferred payment. It is clear that the turnover of money in this case increases, although the net (accrued) profit falls. The competitor is also forced to make price discounts. But since the criterion for him is the profit for the month, he is naturally in a panic, as the profit falls. A competitor can do a lot of stupid things, for example, inadequately reduce costs at the expense of salaries of managers, and thus come into a state of crisis. Our firm has peace of mind because it hasn't lost any money and doesn't need to take a pay cut for its managers.

What can be used as a technology for evaluating the effectiveness of a particular SCI technique. The answer is simple enough. The financial manager sits down at the table, turns on the computer, opens a program that simulates a monthly or quarterly budget, and starts playing with numbers, building all sorts of scenarios. Moreover, these scenarios should pursue a specific goal. In the example just considered, the goal is to choose the ratio of the price discount and the grace period in such a way as to prevent a decrease in cash flow over the analyzed period. And do not be afraid of a temporary decrease in net profit. Within TCM, this is less important. So, here, as well as in almost all similar situations, the main decision-making technology is the budgeting program, which allows you to evaluate the monetary consequences of any managerial step.

Inventory management to save money. Almost all managers complain about excess inventory and sub-optimal inventory. This is especially true in times of crisis.

Here is a list of the main problematic issues that the TCM system should solve in terms of reducing stocks:

resolving trade-offs between inventory levels and customer service levels;
optimization of the purchase volume of a batch of goods;
implementation of an inventory accounting and control system that works in real time and real value;
continuous assessment of the real value of stocks in the warehouse;
getting rid of obsolete goods in warehouses by selling at large discounts or simply writing off;
control of costs associated with inventory;
optimization of the volume of spare parts for production equipment;
optimization of the product range in terms of inventory reduction.

The fact is that stocks fundamentally tend to grow. This is the law of business. But this growth can only be justified by an adequate increase in sales volumes so that inventory turnover does not decrease.

Collection of receivables. This type of activity is a thankless job. In a crisis, the main reason for non-payments is that the client has little money - they are not enough to fulfill all obligations. Considering overdue debt from a financial point of view, it should be emphasized that for the client it is a significant source of financial resources, especially in conditions of high interest rates. Therefore, the client will adhere to this rule with all his might. The main task of TCM in terms of ensuring the collection of receivables is to carefully analyze all clients and find out the reasons for late payment of the company's bills.

We list the main problematic issues of collecting receivables:

systematization and analysis of information on all clients of the company, including potential customers;
establishment of a system of discounts in case of early payment of company bills;
development of a system of legal measures to “intimidate” unscrupulous clients;
filing applications with the arbitration court to declare the client bankrupt;
the use of factoring in order to obtain a part of receivables outstanding on time;
introduction of a system of responsibility of sales managers for late payment of company invoices by their clients;
refusal to serve clients who are weak in terms of money.

An important of the factors listed above is the personal responsibility of managers for debt collection. This responsibility should be shared between account managers and sales managers. The former are responsible for the timely delivery of information that the payment period has expired. The latter manage the work and are directly involved in the collection of receivables.

Day to day money management. TCM is a permanent process. But the most constant of all the SCI blocks is the daily routine of money management. This is the prerogative of the financial director, who instructs the accounting department to transfer money to the appropriate account of a counterparty. The importance of a balanced day to day money management cannot be overestimated. Distortions in one (aggressive) or other (sluggish, inert) direction can cause negative consequences for the company as a whole.

Below are the main tasks and problematic issues that represent the content of everyday money management:

operational budgeting of daily payments;
daily cash reports;
rational repayment of accounts payable;
payment of wages and other remuneration to employees;
reimbursement of expenses (travel, representation, etc.);
use of the electronic transfer system;
use of credit cards.

In the process of establishing day-to-day money management, it is important to observe two principles:

1) at the beginning of each day it is necessary to know exactly who and for what will have to pay, and at the end of each day it is no less firm to know to whom and for what the money was actually paid;

2) try to avoid making transactions with cash.

The operational daily budget is not detailed and exhaustive. This is a budget for cash payments only, which compares all cash receipts and payments that are planned for the current day.

Speaking about the system of repayment of accounts payable, it should be understood that the true art of financial management of accounts payable is to select the "right" creditor and pay him, and delay the "wrong" creditor for a while, and maybe not pay him at all . Such activity from the standpoint of the TCM is not contrary to its basic principles. It would be strange to expect TCM to be based on biblical principles.

Now let's briefly dwell on the second principle of everyday money management - avoiding the use of cash whenever possible. It seems that this principle is obvious, unless, of course, we keep in mind the tasks that an enterprise sets itself, at least partially operating “in the shadows”. Many domestic enterprises, especially from the category of large ones, are gradually switching to paying wages using deposit cards. Banks strongly recommend corporate deposit and credit cards for reimbursement of hospitality and travel expenses. The use of the "card" settlement system allows you to significantly save time and effort of employees in the process of daily money management.

Choosing a bank and working with it. There are two complementary goals in working with a bank (or banks). The first goal is to provide ourselves with the necessary quality and qualified service. In this regard, the company must choose a bank for itself, the service of which would meet its requirements in terms of convenience. The second goal is the constancy of access to short-term loans. There is a famous joke: banks are always ready to lend you money, except when you really need it. In modern conditions of general distrust (the bank to the client, and the client to the bank), it is quite difficult to expect to have a permanent source of credit to cover the short-term budget deficit. This is especially evident in times of crisis. In the system of work with banks within the TCM, the following problem areas can be considered:

establishing the criteria by which a bank is selected;
constant monitoring of the state of the bank, in order to detect possible negative aspects of its activities, for example, a decrease in liquidity;
reducing the cost of banking services;
conducting periodic reconciliations of bank accounts;
obtaining a credit line and maintaining it.

Despite the versatility of the relationship between the firm and the bank, the main purpose of the TCM system is to cover the temporary shortage of money, as well as the search for a successful placement of temporarily free cash.

Cost management and control. It is cost management, and not cost reduction, that is the content of TCM. According to their behavior, costs are divided into variable and fixed. The former change in proportion to the change in sales volume, the latter remain unchanged. In a crisis, everyone rushes to urgently reduce costs. These are fixed costs that do not depend on the volume of production and sales. And this is justified, since in a crisis, when sales are falling, fixed costs are “dead weight” on the enterprise. Variable costs (the cost of raw materials, process energy, direct piecework) automatically decrease as sales decrease.

Reducing fixed costs should be treated selectively. Do not thoughtlessly cut costs. Laying off house cleaners and switching to cheaper toilet paper for the office won't save the business. In a panic, company management typically makes two mistakes:

Small but noticeable items of expenditure are reduced, for example, of a fashioning nature, which immediately sends a negative signal to the market about the state of the company.

Thoughtless cost control can be detrimental to the business itself, in particular, the dismissal of key employees can lead to a loss in the quality of products or services.

One of the measures to reduce costs can be the conversion of some fixed costs into variables. Specifically, this can manifest itself in two cases. The first is related to the transfer of payment for managers' remuneration, mainly depending on the result obtained, as they say, success fee. Instead of dismissing the manager, which objectively reduces costs, he is given an insignificant fixed part of the salary (fixed fee), and the rest of his remuneration will depend on the result he receives. We will develop this topic at the end of this paragraph, when we talk about megamotivation.

The second way to convert fixed costs into variables is through outsourcing. This can be done in many areas of companies. Let's give just one example. Many domestic manufacturers and distributors of consumer goods have their own resources to promote their products. In standard times, this was considered a manifestation of the strength of the company. In conditions of contracting markets, this becomes unprofitable. Here you can use the services of specialized marketing agencies. At the same time, it becomes costly for marketing agencies to have logistics units that provide them with the storage and distribution of goods in the system necessary for promotional campaigns. Distribution companies with strong logistics capabilities could approach marketing agencies to actively outsource their logistics. As a result, the necessary functions will be performed on both sides, and the amount of the resource involved will decrease.

If the question is correctly posed, it should be about profit management mechanisms, including through cost reduction, rather than cost reduction as an end in itself.

Transformation of investment and financial activities. It is generally accepted that during a crisis, investment activity should be reduced. Real practice proves this, judging by the numerous reports of the suspension or termination of the construction of new production facilities, the cancellation of earlier decisions on investment. The reduction in investment activity is due to the fact that 1) there is simply not enough funds, 2) the prospects for new investment projects are unclear.

At the same time, the crisis provides an opportunity to increase the company's assets and expand the scope of its activities through the acquisition of other weaker enterprises. There is no doubt that in a period of crisis there is a redistribution of property - the strong absorb the weak.

So, the transformation of investment activity should be considered from two positions:

1) developing an attitude towards investment decisions made before the crisis,

2) analysis of opportunities to increase investment activity by acquiring new assets, using a probable decrease in their price.

In a crisis, the procedures and technologies used for conducting the investment activity itself should be reviewed. Here are typical features of the investment activity of domestic companies:

The task of investment development, which is important for business, is solved through outsourcing (assigned to a consulting company).
Closed software products are used that do not provide a transparent idea of the business for the owner and management.
The focus is on cash flow forecasting and calculation of standard indicators (NPV, IRR, DPB) without deep insight into the practical economics of the project. At the same time, the choice of the discount rate does not correspond to the specifics of project financing.
Investment analysis lasts for 2-4 months and ends with a rather cumbersome description containing many unnecessary details.
It is often not possible to trace a direct link between a business idea and/or technological improvement and the economics of the project.

In a crisis, this is not good. The main task of investment design in a crisis environment is as follows :

We do it for ourselves, quickly and without errors.

So, as before, the speed and quality of decisions made . Agree that there is nothing simpler than making a decision to buy companies that are rapidly losing their effectiveness, as a result of which their owners are ready to sell them cheaply. And then what? Resell to someone for a higher price. This is what so-called portfolio investors usually do. It is not certain that this speculative operation will be successful. So, you need to buy, following the strategic goals. During the crisis, the takeover of weak companies will be carried out mainly by a strategic investor. The latter, by definition, will seek to develop the purchased object in order to earn even more money on it.

The technology must allow quick and correct conclusions about the feasibility of investments.
Technology must be flexible , i.e. able to make multiple recalculations depending on changing conditions.
Technology must be individual , i.e. reflect the features of the existing business and the special requests of the owners and top management.
Technology must be open and transparent : the occurrence of each indicator must be traced ( widely used Project Expert does not meet this requirement).
Technology must be as clear as possible for a possible potential investor : it is enough to show justify marketing forecasts and show financial tables, and the investor is ready to make a decision.

If a company owns such technology, it is able to avoid these mistakes. Otherwise, enterprises with a negative economic result will be bought and resold.

What about already launched investment projects. In principle, three outcomes are possible: 1) stop, 2) suspend, 3) continue. In each outcome, all possible consequences should be calculated. The first decision is the most painful for the business and for the owner. In essence, the money spent has every chance of not being returned, but if an unpromising project is continued, then some more amount of money will be wasted, i.e. losses will increase. Of two evils, usually choose the lesser. The second outcome essentially postpones the moment of making a decision, the owner temporarily calms down and is satisfied that some part investment money will be spent in the near (or far) future, and now you can save on it, providing current liquidity. Finally, the third solution is the most daring and, perhaps, desperate. Despite everything, the company continues the investment project. The adoption of such a decision should take place outside the emotional plane. It is necessary to thoroughly calculate the changed market prospects and analyze the risks investment project in changed conditions.

Financial activities companies in a crisis occurs in the most stressful conditions. In essence, all enterprises are moving to a starvation financial ration. This primarily concerns credit sources of financing. At the initial stages of the crisis, the banking system decides to limit or completely eliminate lending. Banks, as you know, have two sources of income: 1) through active lending operations and 2) trade and commission income, which is obtained as a result of interbank sales / purchases of financial resources and numerous commissions for the services they provide to their customers. So the banks decide: no new loans and continuation of old loans, focus on trade and commission income, with which we will cover our reduced operating costs (banks also reduce their fixed costs). In other words, banks are completely giving up profits in an attempt to maintain their liquidity.

This situation cannot continue for a long time - the rejection of profit means, in essence, the rejection of business. After partial restoration of the financial system, banks will resume lending. The problem asks which enterprises will be able to become their clients for lending in the first place? Now many are thinking about those industries that will be less affected during the crisis. It turns out that such industries, in fact, do not exist. Banks will become more selective in finding clients for lending. As selection criteria, banks will take into account not the solidity of the client (the crisis showed that solid clients go bankrupt in the first place) and not collateral (it will be impossible to sell the property of a bankrupt borrower), but the company's ability to withstand the crisis. With regard to the content of this paragraph, the ability of an enterprise to obtain a loan will be determined by its ability to implement the program presented in Fig. 1. Credit expertise of banks will become more focused on the analysis of the real economy of borrowing enterprises, rather than formal financial indicators. In other words, the prospects for financial performance of companies in a crisis will be determined by their ability to withstand the devastating effects of the crisis.

Lack of management accounting

Weak financial planning

Low qualification of financial managers,

Suboptimal financial management structure,

Loss of control over costs.

The external causes of the shortage of money include:

nonpayment crisis,
competition from other manufacturers,
rising energy prices,
export losses due to an undervalued exchange rate,
losses from imports due to an overvalued exchange rate,
tax pressure,
high cost of borrowing,
inflation pressure.

The emerging external crisis should reveal all internal causes, increasing the perfection of all aspects of the company's activities, in the face of objectively existing external causes.

Fig.4. System of measures to reduce the shortage of money

1. Short-term measures to increase the inflow of money:

Sale or lease of non-current assets,

Rationalization of the product range,

Restructuring of receivables into financial instruments,

Using partial prepayment,

Development of a system of discounts for buyers,

Attraction of credit sources of short-term financing.

2. Short-term measures to reduce the outflow of money:

Cost reduction,

Postponement of payments on obligations,

Using supplier discounts,

Revision of the investment program,

tax planning,

Bill settlements and offsets.

3. Long-term measures to increase the flow of money:

Additional issue of shares and bonds,

Company restructuring - liquidation or separation into separate business units,

Search for a strategic investor,

Search for a portfolio investor.

4. Long-term measures to reduce the outflow of money:

Long-term contracts providing for discounts or deferred payments,

Tax planning.

This is the fundamental meaning of the term megamotivation. Megomativation can be implemented in two polar ways:

1) reduce N% of the staff, motivating the rest with the opportunity to continue working,

2) switch to pay-by-result, giving people the opportunity to earn by achieving higher goals that appear as a result of the crisis.

In this sense, the second method is more insured against errors. The company's staff is far from homogeneous in terms of their managerial skills and ability to work in crisis conditions. Since no one has experience of working in the difficult conditions of a crisis, management skills should manifest themselves (or appear) in the process of the crisis itself. This won't happen to everyone. But the owner or manager must create conditions for the personnel that will allow the employees to understand for themselves whether their abilities and skills correspond to the tasks set. This can be done by creating a motivational system that minimizes the fixed part of the reward and fundamentally increases the variable part, which will be determined by the achieved result. Under such conditions, incapable workers will leave on their own, as they will not be able to solve their goals and earn decent money. This approach can be formalized using KPIs, which quantitatively describe the task assigned to the employee. The technology for determining the variable part is described using Fig.5.

Rice. 5. Technology for assessing the variable part of remuneration

Rice. 6. Classification of motivational states

We can recommend each leader to analyze the state of his key players and draw appropriate conclusions. First of all, unnecessary tasks should be eliminated, and thus sleeping and freelance artists should leave the team. "Katorga" and "Drive" are categories that are fundamentally necessary for the company. You can offer a free artist to go to the "Drive" category, and a sleeping one - to the "penal servitude" category. And here the motivational system proposed above can help. But, as the Russian proverb says, “no matter how much you feed a wolf, he still looks into the forest.” A freelance artist is always inclined to find an interesting and equally unnecessary task for the company. The KPI system designed for such an employee should not allow him to return to his favorite category.

The rest of the team should form the general motivational principles. For this, the following procedure may be recommended.

Step 1. Determine the main goals of the company as a whole, for example, power and influence, growth through acquisition, high profits.

Step 2 State the motivations of the company as a whole and publicize them (this will help you attract the right team members), such as market dominance, ambitious financial goals, excellence in key processes.

Step 3 Develop an adequate system of team incentives for the implementation of motives. The system of material incentives should be built on KPI. But don't limit yourself to financial incentives. The number of non-material incentives can include: career growth, personal growth, status (formal and real), participation in important matters, authority (regardless of status).

In conclusion, we note that a team and a team again is the key to success in overcoming any crisis, no matter how destructive it may be for the country's economy as a whole.

1. Count money, not profit:

In a slowing economy, estimating and managing an enterprise's Cash Flow is of particular importance. You should focus on Cash, not on the profit margins of the enterprise.

2. Try to increase the productivity of the company:

Analyze the possibility of accelerating technological processes.

Minimize all activities that do not add value to the process.

Find critical bottlenecks in your processes and try to eliminate them.

3. Be ruthless in cost control:

Cut costs to a minimum and hold executives accountable for any spending.

Hide your emotions and focus on reducing the main cost item: staff. But explain your decisions to employees and motivate those who stay after layoffs.

Don't automatically cut your marketing spend: it's very easy to do, but it will be hard for you to win back your market share when the market stabilizes.

Remember that there are many competitors around, and cost cutting should not be about reducing the company's brand presence in the market.

4. Evaluate customers and suppliers:

Study any financial information about clients. Double-check the information, even if the counterparty looks “financially healthy”.

Every time you sign a new contract, ask yourself the question: what will happen to my business if the counterparty goes bankrupt tomorrow?

5. Review your fixed investment plan:

Investing in new assets can deprive you of funds at the most inopportune moment.

If the investment is not critical for the company in terms of the business mission, put it aside.

6. Befriend banks

Treat your bank as a strategic partner.

Give him the most complete information about your affairs and the state of the business: banks make money on what they lend, so it is important for them to see that you are prospering and your business is stable in order to give you a loan.

7. Consider Alternative Funding Options

In the current situation, you need to clearly understand the action plan in case of problems with you or your bank.

It is necessary to look for sources that go beyond bank financing:

conclusion of contracts with suppliers with deferred payment,
the use of tolling (the return to the time of tolling schemes is not excluded),
factoring schemes.

8. Watch out for companies that have problems and may be of your strategic interest:

Many companies on the brink of bankruptcy will seek a strategic investor.

But don't make acquisitions just because you can afford it.

You should be especially concerned about proposals in which business owners seek to get rid of their offspring as soon as possible, instead of developing a strategy to get out of the current situation.

9. Protect personal wealth

You may not really like the idea of letting a few more owners into your business, but bringing them in will allow the business to survive.

However, if you do choose to borrow, make sure that your personal guarantees do not undermine your personal wealth outside of the business. Losing a roof over your head is much worse than losing a business.

10. Think Worst-Case Scenarios

No panic. You are not alone - the crisis has affected all industries and almost all companies.

What needs to be done is to carefully consider the options for the development of the situation.

Does it make sense to sell part of the business?
What will attract additional funding?

Just don't wait until your company is out of money.

In conclusion, it is worth making one more recommendation, which is of an organizational nature. It is necessary to create a working group (it can include both third-party specialists and employees of the company), which is endowed with special powers. The group must collect the necessary information about the state of the company and develop a plan of anti-crisis measures. The plan must be discussed in detail among the owners of the enterprise, top managers, the working group and specialists competent in this matter. Depending on the causes and depth of the crisis, the plan may include various measures, up to the liquidation or sale of the business. However, this most drastic measure should be recommended as a last resort. The first task that the leader of the working group should set is to find ways to use the crisis to increase efficiency.

The global financial crisis, the recession of the global economy, the fall in prices for the main Russian export goods created serious difficulties for the state budget and many domestic enterprises in financing not only development, but also current activities, due to a reduction in business volumes and the number of personnel. The crisis makes you think about change, and the use of modern project management methods is the best and proven way to quickly, transparently and cost-effectively implement changes. The main thing in change is a firm intention to implement them, understanding and determination to use the approaches offered by modern project management. At the beginning of 2009, a number of events of SOVNET special interest groups were devoted to this topical topic, on the basis of which this article was prepared.

The crisis is both a source of damage and an opportunity for renewal. It performs such important socio-economic functions, such as revealing hidden conflicts and disproportions, identifying the most powerful owners, restoring the adequacy of socio-economic conditions, updating elites, etc. . From the point of view of project management (PM) practice, a crisis is a shortage of any resource that does not allow continuing and completing a project (stage, project work) on acceptable terms. If all the conditions are met, but the project still “does not go”, then there is a shortage of managerial resources.

The results of 2008 and the first quarter of 2009 do not inspire optimism. However, the crisis began much earlier, its harbingers were talked about so often that they simply stopped paying attention to it. “The current financial crisis is distinguished by both depth and scope - it is perhaps the first time since the Great Depression that it has swept the whole world. The “trigger” that triggered the crisis mechanism was problems in the US mortgage lending market. However, the crisis is based on more fundamental reasons: macroeconomic, microeconomic and institutional. A key role in the development of the current crisis was played by the asymmetry of information1. The structure of derivative financial instruments has become so complex and opaque that it has become almost impossible to assess the real value of portfolios of financial companies... Credit market. went into paralysis. The development of the situation in the financial sector has also seriously affected the real sector of the economy.

In addition to upset American finances, there are other global problems. Even a simplified picture of their basic relationships is striking in its complexity. The solution of these problems requires joint, and considerable, efforts of many states, because each of them (nuclear weapons, greenhouse effect, acid rains, etc.) can become active at any moment and give rise to such a crisis, in comparison with which the current one may seem like happiness.

There is a heated discussion in the world press about who is to blame for today's economic difficulties. 76% of US residents blame banks and financial companies for what is happening, 58% consider the main culprits of the collapse of obviously insolvent home buyers, etc.

We single out two main aspects of today's crisis.

1. Its generally recognized main beneficiary is the overheated American economy, which needs a decent reason to “deflate financial bubbles”.

2. Officially named culprits are actually invulnerable.

Meanwhile, the excessive dependence of many countries of the world on the American economy makes the United States the main "exporter" of domestic problems.

Often the Russian economy is presented as a victim of the global crisis, but in fact it is not. Long before 2008, many experts warned that the key indicators of the state of the financial, economic and social sphere of the Russian Federation were not only alarming, but had a clear tendency to increase the mismatch of the entire system and reduce its stability. Growing financial difficulties demonstrate Russia's dependence both on the state of affairs in the global economy and on unresolved problems of governance within the country. After a series of international high-level meetings, it became clear that it is extremely difficult to work out a single solution to combat the crisis, and the reason for this is global geopolitical contradictions, which are very difficult to overcome.

In Russia, by far the most complete and objective open document is the Expert Report, in the development of which the authors of the article took part. An analysis of the existing doctrinal documents of the Russian Federation shows that today there is no scientifically based strategy, methodology for its development and appropriate project management tools for effectively solving the problem of domestic enterprises getting out of the crisis and switching to an innovative development path.

2. SYSTEMIC APPROACH

“Crises are an integral part of living systems. This theoretically understandable reasoning is taken painfully when we are faced with a crisis in practice. Especially when the crisis goes beyond the system that we are able to manage personally. To successfully overcome the crisis, among other things, it is necessary to maintain a certain level of diversity in the system. Changing the conditions of activity in difficult times and after requires new settings, projects, and sometimes lines of activity (types of business) from any business entity. If a system does not have a margin of diversity or readiness for change, it may not survive a crisis. In this regard, the development of such alternative projects as the "Project Russia" is very timely. The systematic approach is widely used in project management, which means that it is necessary to use it to analyze the current financial and economic situation and ways out of it.

The statistics of the use of the word "crisis" in classical documents on PM is interesting. It is never mentioned in the PMI PMBOK® Guide - only issues and conflicts in relation to organizational process assets and project team management. Document

IPMAICB 3.0 this word occurs very often, but it is used in a narrow sense. There is a special competency element "Conflicts and Crises", but it "covers ways of overcoming conflicts and crises that may arise between individuals and parties involved in a project or program". We are not talking about an external systemic crisis. This situation is surprising, given that there is a very large section of general management dedicated to crisis management and with significant features.

We were convinced that “in the USA and Western Europe, crisis management is being actively introduced into banking as an important and necessary element for the successful functioning of financial institutions. Moreover, crisis management has become an attributive part of the entire spectrum of business, financial and organizational infrastructure of market relations. Companies that manage risks at the required level receive certain benefits from the state and additional discounts for insurance. Crisis management is a comprehensive program that reduces the consequences of risk realization in the worst-case scenario in a deep economic recession.

Unlike risk management, crisis management is a completely independent field of activity, the purpose of which is to reduce the consequences of a crisis, and not to eliminate its causes. In stable years, this worked successfully, but 2008 again showed that the optimization of individual, i.e. American, elements of the world financial and economic system does not mean its optimization as a whole.

For a better understanding of the mechanism of action of various crisis forces, the scientific results of the theory of catastrophes can be used. This theory studies the general laws, principles and approaches to various catastrophic situations and is one of the parts of a more general theory of complex systems. The global systemic crisis has become the main topic today, so the relevant competency requirements, models, and processes should be integrated into PM systems as soon as possible. The authors of this article started this already in the fall of 2008, using the Eurasian Project Management Standard (ESPM) as the basis of their work as a logical development of the ideas of ICB (IPMA), NTK (SOVNET), a set of PMI standards, past and modern developments of the Russian PM, CIS and leading Asian countries. The section “Peculiarities of project management in times of crisis” of the new edition of the STC SOVNET includes a number of provisions also proposed by the authors.

It is widely believed that the Chinese write the word "crisis" with two hieroglyphs denoting the words "danger" and "opportunity", i.e. for them, in any difficult situation, in addition to problems, there is also potential. Not everyone agrees with this interpretation, but the current state of affairs shows that even in difficult conditions, the Chinese school of state, economic and project management uses the available opportunities effectively and all prospects are open for the PRC.

out of the crisis among the first. “Today, the Chinese economy has become the third largest in the world, surpassing the German one ... At the same time, many experts prefer to compare the economies of different countries to calculate GDP at purchasing power parity, which takes into account the difference in prices. On this indicator, China has been in second place for several years, with a significant lead over Japan, which occupies the third position.

The crisis in Russia has its own characteristics, so mindless copying of other people's measures is unacceptable. The global systemic crisis is global, but most of the anti-crisis measures, unfortunately, do not pursue the goal of protection, prosperity and prosperity for everyone at the same time. IMF specialists also speak about the dangers of blind copying. “Emerging economies have been hit harder than developed economies. This is due to the sharp outflow of capital, and the reduction in demand for export products from developed markets, and the fall in prices for raw materials ... They will not be even worse off if they start copying the anti-crisis policy of developed countries. Developing countries must deal with the crisis in their own way, the fund's experts believe. Russian anti-crisis policy is generally similar to what the IMF recommends. But for some reason, the results are far from brilliant: in the first quarter of 2009, GDP collapsed by 9%, industrial production - by 14.3%, and the manufacturing industry collapsed by 20.8%. Unemployment rose by 34.4%. Is this a bad prescription, a misuse of the medicine, or is it just a recovery yet to come?” .

There is no unified anti-crisis strategy equally beneficial for all countries, just as there are no universal models of anti-crisis project management. That is why, on the basis of the ESUP, the Eurasian standard for anti-crisis project management was developed as a solution that integrates world experience and the national interests of Russia and other Eurasian countries. This approach does not negate other models and standards, but clearly distinguishes their market segments of application and gravitates towards the IPMA ideology as originally multicultural.

In our practice, we use the following system of definitions.

1.Positioning the crisis (Fig. 2).

■Crisis in the external environment of the project:

Systemic crisis in the external environment of the project;

Local crisis in the external environment of the project.

■Crisis in the internal environment of the project:

Systemic crisis in the internal environment of the project;

Local crisis in the internal environment of the project:

a) a crisis in the subject area of the project;

b) crisis in project management;

c) crisis in other functional areas of the project.

2. The source of the crisis.

■External in relation to the project (imposed from outside).

■Internal in relation to the project (initiated from within).

Rice. 2. Positioning the crisis

3. Relations "subject - object".

■The crisis develops under the influence of factors beyond the control of the project manager.

■ The project manager organizes and manages the crisis for his own benefit.

4.Nature of activity, team, manager.

■Offensive, i.e. active use of the crisis to improve the conditions and opportunities for solving the problems of the project.

■ Defense, i.e. carrying out protective measures to preserve, as far as possible, the conditions and possibilities for solving the problems of the project.

Based on the above systematic approach, we distinguish two areas:

1) anti-crisis project management (combating the consequences of an uncontrollable crisis);

2) crisis management of the project (solution of management tasks by organizing deliberate managed crises).

Anti-crisis project management(AKPM) is a synthesis of anti-crisis management, project management, risk management and management of crisis-affected functional areas (“bringing a ship out of stormy waters into calm ones”). Crisis project management is a standard tool of many stakeholders and project participants, used consciously or unconsciously to cover up the achievement of their goals to the detriment of others (“make the water muddy”, “fish in troubled waters”).

What is essential for any application of these approaches is that a systemic crisis cannot be avoided and cannot be prepared for.

In this difficult time, one should not be afraid of losses, the main goal of the organization (and its projects) should be to increase its own efficiency. Moreover, the systemic crisis cannot be overcome within the framework of a separate project; a way out of it is possible only through the joint efforts of all subjects that form the structures of a new development cycle.

In the field of PM there is also a crisis of management models. The current crisis in Russia is looking more and more like a catastrophe, it has engulfed the real sector of the economy and has become a serious problem for company and project managers. Do they have the ability to deal with the current situation? Yes, because the world models of PM have summarized the best accumulated experience. No, because the crisis that broke out is unprecedented in scale, it already exists, and PM models for overcoming it will not be developed until a few years later. Was it possible to introduce management technologies into these models in a crisis of this magnitude? Apparently, it is impossible, because the following axioms are embedded in the widespread Western standards by default:

■optimization of management for a stable prosperous economy, sophisticated business processes and management competencies;

■ focusing on the interests of the project or corporation;

■Eurocentrism and the superiority of Western management culture.

If you have a sufficient understanding of the integration of your projects into large systems, then you can continue to work as before. If not, then it's time to decide and amend the management system, use more dynamic corporate project management models, which are distinguished by the following features:

■open format, fixation not on the subtle nuances of the methodology, but on goal setting;

■initial localization, organic connection with the mentality, language, business practices;

■proximity to control facilities;

■minimum response time to changing conditions;

■orientation to regional and national needs.

An example of the implementation of this approach is the AKPM system (Fig. 3), developed for the following areas of application of the project, business: liquidation, conservation, conservation; merger, reprofiling, development; reduction of production, personnel; restructuring of the financial portfolio, portfolio of projects; introduction of new technologies, change of strategy.

The goals of ACPM are achieved through the organization of protective and regulatory measures in three areas: external environment, internal environment, management system. A feature of AKPM is a prompt response to changes both outside the enterprise and within it. In such a situation, the need to analyze the prospects of the enterprise as a whole, to develop a strategy for its further development, increases many times over. Only having decided on long-term goals, having developed criteria for evaluating the result, it is possible to help the enterprise in solving problems. The AKPM model is aimed at revealing the hidden potential for the development of the enterprise and helping the leaders of the enterprise at all levels. ACPM is a systematic application of methods and tools for managing various functional areas of projects, portfolios and programs in order to obtain the desired results in a crisis of society, national economy, industry, project.

4. PRACTICE ON ANTI-CRISIS PROJECT MANAGEMENT

What actions need to be taken?

■Enhanced monitoring of the situation in all areas important for business.

■System analysis of the collected information according to a standard scheme or in an anti-crisis mode.

■Analysis of the position of an enterprise or project on the market, clarification of the strategy.

■Scenario planning.

■Harmonization of the project with the external environment during the crisis.

■Maintaining a clear view and sober thinking.

What tools will you need?

■ A structured list of global projects is used to identify the connection of a project with environment. This list should include the projects of the company's counterparties, the industry in which it operates,

national economy, interstate structures.

■Set of strategic analysis tools.

4.2. Put things in order in the internal environment

The internal environment of the company and the project is completely in your hands. The level of instability does not have to match the state of the market.

Actions (in this case, they should essentially be similar to the actions taken by the ship’s crew in a difficult situation: “Crew emergency!”, “Clothes for the first term!”, “Remove sails, excess cargo overboard, nose downwind!”:

■ activate the anti-crisis mode of the management system, which provides increased control, reduced response time, unnecessary risks and costs;

■ get rid of unnecessary projects, works, resources;

■strengthen control of the most important parameters;

■ tell the team the truth - this will build trust and support the initiative;

■ Make changes vigorously and systematically.

As tools in this case you can use the following.

■Structured list of enterprise projects. It is completely in your hands.

Update it, analyze the project portfolio, make financially sound decisions on the composition, relationships and order of projects, rational allocation of resources. You must decide whether to continue the project as it is, change it, postpone it, terminate it, outsource it, collaborate with other businesses, or create a new project. The use of AKPM involves turning to tools that are less expensive, simple and quick to use, as well as changing the personnel policy.

■Implementation of core values: adherence to the anti-crisis strategy; effective program and portfolio management; rational goal setting; exploiting the possibilities of competition.

■Designing success after the crisis. The sharper the competition, the more powerful tools it requires, so AKPM is the right choice for vigorous action in times of crisis and beyond.

4.3 Set up the control system

Actions. The main thing in this case should be the formation of a management system, and it is necessary to initially build it with a margin of safety, since business in Russia is a constant crisis.

Instruments.

■In managing a company and its projects during a crisis, it is recommended to use a dynamic model that reflects not only the current state of affairs, but also future changes.

■A dynamic enterprise management model is implemented with project portfolio management solutions that allow you to quickly respond to changing conditions and achieve strategic goals with minimal resources.

Do not look for a ready-made anti-crisis system, create it according to your own needs. A crisis - this is a chance for the development of production, innovative technologies, an opportunity to strengthen positions through mergers and acquisitions and the use of assets and labor that have fallen sharply in price.

We offer the following.

■Set yourself up for a long and difficult exit from the crisis.

■Rely only on your own strength.

■Move from process models to competency models.

■Develop anti-crisis models.

■Share projects, reduce costs and risks.

■Develop portfolio management.

■ And most importantly: teach PM "in a real way"!

5. PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT AND INNOVATION IN A CRISIS

Today, it is imperative to take into account the peculiarities of the crisis, as well as the development of project management, the emergence of new methodologies and the change in the scope of their application. Crisis implies instability, so it is necessary to abandon the temptation to use a mechanistic approach and apply a dynamic model for managing enterprise project portfolios (Fig. 4), which provides continuous feedback and monitoring, a constant assessment of the significance of all projects and business lines.

In crisis conditions, the importance of certain areas of project management changes.

In practice, this means that corporate solutions for project and program portfolio management are coming to the fore. It is these solutions that provide real-time analysis of all project activities within the enterprise. At the same time, you are able to see the whole situation as a whole, from the standpoint of various criteria and parameters and the experience of project managers, analysts and experts. The ability to analyze various scenarios for the development of events is especially relevant in difficult conditions. Risk management is of great importance, and it is during a crisis that the harmonization of corporate systems for risk management and project portfolio management systems is necessary. For the last component, three main tasks will be relevant:

1) determination of demand and supply of resources for early detection of their redundancy or insufficiency;

2) optimization of query planning and resource allocation using scenario analysis methods;

3) global distribution of resources according to various criteria, assignments in real time.

Financial management is of particular importance in a crisis. The Corporate Portfolio Management System (CPMS) makes the company's financial flows transparent for managers. The crisis inevitably leads to the depreciation of assets, so the tasks of managing them in accordance with strategic goals should also be addressed within the framework of CPMS. Innovations are of particular relevance at this time. Unfortunately, right now, many enterprises find it difficult to find opportunities for innovative development.

With the transition of the Russian Federation to a liberal market model, the Comprehensive Program of Scientific and Technological Progress and its Social and Economic Consequences, which existed in the USSR until 1990, was curtailed, and domestic achievements in the field of innovative development were lost along with it. At the same time, the concept of domestic managerial and social innovations was also destroyed, without which all new developments will gradually go to those countries where they will be in demand. Nevertheless, even under such conditions, an effective innovation project management model can yield very positive results.

Today, crises are perceived as a natural property of biological, social, financial and economic systems. Specialists must be able to work, no matter what happens, therefore, in difficult economic conditions, the value of professional project management increases even more. Competently carry out measures directed against the crisis,

to form a portfolio of projects to successfully overcome it and, more importantly, to prepare for innovative development after stabilization of the situation - this is the basis for success.

SOURCES

1. The Chinese economy has reached the third place in the world. - http://www.argumenti.ru/news/news/8062.

2. Glushchenko V.V. Introduction to Crisisology. Financial crisisology. Crisis management. - M.: IP Glushchenko V.V., 2008.

3. State economic policy and economic doctrine of Russia. Toward a smart and moral economy. - M.: Scientific expert, 2008.

4. Eurasian standard for anti-crisis project management, version 1.2, ETsUP, InnIT 2008. - http://www.epmc.ru/docs/ESUP_K_AKPM_090321_01.pdf, http://www.rpm-consult.ru/pdf/ESUP_K_090321_01. pdf.

5. Eurasian project management standard, version 1.2, ECUP 2009. - http://www.epmc.ru/docs/ESUP_K_090321_01.pdf.

6.Eurasian project management standard. Extension for innovation projects, version 1. http://www.rpm-consult.ru/pdf/ESUP_K_Innovation_080922.pdf.

7. Karlinskaya E.V. "Innovative Challenges of Modernity and Russian Doctrine Documents on Innovation in Crisis: Utopia or Reality?" http://www.rpm-consult.ru/pdf/article15.pdf, 2009.

8. Karlinskaya E.V. Application of project methodologies for innovation management in modern world: Report at the SU-HSE Scientific Conference "Modern Management: Problems, Hypotheses, Research". November 20-21, 2008 - http://www.rpm-con-sult.ru/pdf/article22.pdf.

9. Karlinskaya E.V. Standards, methodologies and tools for managing innovations of domestic enterprises in a crisis: Proceedings of the International Conference of the X Anniversary International Forum "High Technologies of the XXI Century". - M., 2009.

10. Karlinskaya E.V., Katansky V.B. Project management at enterprises in a crisis in Russia: models, methods, applications. - http://www.rpm-consult.ru/pdf/article13.pdf.

11. Kudrin A.L. The global financial crisis and its impact on Russia // Questions of Economics. - 2009. - No. 1.

13.Eurasian way of project management.- http://www.epmc.ru/docs/report_080725.html.

14. Palagin V.S. Project management in the system of high humanitarian technologies. - http://www.zpu-joumal.ru/e-zpu/2008/8Z Palagin/.

15. Palagin V.S. High Humanitarian Technologies of Russian Project Management: Proceedings of the International Conference of the X Anniversary International Forum "High Technologies of the 21st Century". - M., 2009.

16. Palagin V.S. Instrumentalization of the Constitution and doctrines of Russia in national project management. - http://www.epmc.ru/docs/Report%20KDR.pdf.

17. Palagin V.S. Corporate standard for project management in 2009. - http://www.epmc.ru/EPMC_4_Information%20Sources. html#publ.

18. Palagin V.S. World standards of project management and geopolitics // Management of the company. - 2008. - No. 5.

19. Palagin V.S. Strategy for the Development of National Models of Project Management for Russia: Proceedings of the IX International Scientific Conference "Russia: Key Problems and Solutions". - M., 2008.

20. Palagin V.S. Territorial development of Russia and a systematic approach to the application of world standards of project management. - http://www.uniip.ru/index.php?id=6.

21. Palagin V.S., Belyaev M.V. The System of National Interests and National Strategic Design: Proceedings of the IX International Scientific Conference "Russia: Key Problems and Solutions". - M., 2008.

22. Palagin V.S., Karlinskaya E.V. Our response to the Manifesto. - http://www.epmc.ru/EPMC_4_Information%20Sources.html#publ.

23. Palagin V.S., Karlinskaya E.V., Chukhlebov V.V. Financial crisis: time to manage projects. - http://www.epmc.ru/docs/Fincrisis2008.pdf.

24. Kovalev A. Topical issues of banking crisis management // Financial Director. - 2007. - No. 11. - http://www.gaap.ru/biblio/management/strategic/074.asp

25.ICB - IPMA Competence Baseline, Version 3.0. (2006). International Project Management Association, Van Haren Publishing, Zaltbommel, NL.

26.A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge: PMBOK® Guide. 4th edition. (2008). Project Management Institute, Pennsylvania, USA.

27. With the crisis you! // Expert. - 2009. - No. 1.

Palagin Vladimir Sergeevich - Ph.D. PhD, Associate Professor, CPM, PMP, General Director of the Eurasian Project Management Center (Moscow)

Karlinskaya Elena Viktorovna - General Director of InnIT LLC (Moscow)

Journal PROJECT AND PROGRAM MANAGEMENT ■ 03(19)2009

What are the mechanisms and methods of anti-crisis management? How is anti-crisis management of the enterprise carried out? Where to order the services of an anti-crisis manager?

Here is a very typical situation for you. Another financial year has come to an end. The reporting of the enterprise is formed and submitted. However, the problems did not decrease after that, but on the contrary.

Taxes have to be paid, accounts payable are growing, delinquencies on bank loans have begun to appear, staff salaries are below the industry average, suppliers are refusing to defer payments. The picture, frankly, is sad, there is a crisis.

But there are no hopeless situations. The most important thing is to find the right solution in time!

I, Alla Prosyukova, will tell you about one thing today. efficient way overcoming all these problems in the company - crisis management.

Even if your company has no problems, the business is thriving, the basics of crisis management will not hurt. As they say: "Forewarned is forearmed"!

So let's get started!

1. What is crisis management and what is it aimed at

I propose to define the main concept of the topic from the very beginning.

Procedures aimed at improving the financial and economic activities of the company, allowing it to get out of the crisis.

The main tasks of such management are:

prevention of negative situations at the enterprise;
crisis recognition;
overcoming their consequences;
mitigation of crisis processes.

Anti-crisis management is in demand both during a crisis and for preventive purposes.

Prevention includes:

monitoring of the company's activities;
timely detection of negative processes;
assessment of the work of the company's divisions;
development of a set of measures to prevent crisis phenomena.

Crisis management involves:

stabilization of the financial condition of the enterprise;
increase in sales volume;
optimization of the company's expenses;
increase in profits;
resolving internal conflicts.

2. What are the methods of anti-crisis management - 5 main methods

Any management involves the use of a whole range of different procedures. Anti-crisis is no exception.

I propose to get acquainted with the most popular methods.

Method 1: Cost reduction

During a crisis, the company, as a rule, experiences financial difficulties. In this case, the use of such a method of anti-crisis management as cost reduction is justified.

Costs are reduced by eliminating expenses that are not related to the core business of the company, optimizing personnel costs, etc.

Example
A prime example of this method would be the 2009 crisis at Ford. The automaker's problems at that time were observed on all fronts.
The most important were:
systemic economic crisis;
repurchase of shares by competitors;
internal conflicts;
decrease in consumer confidence.

The main ones were associated with strikes by staff demanding a 30% increase in wages. The company could not afford its growth even by 15%.
At this point, the management was faced with the task of reducing the costs of the enterprise, including personnel costs.
The management made the following decisions: reduce the number of employees by 1,200 people, cut the bonus fund, reduce payments to shareholders.
Such measures, in combination with the reduction of the model range of cars produced, made it possible to successfully overcome the crisis.
Method 2: Create optimal reporting
For the activities of a crisis enterprise, the formation of optimal reporting is of particular importance, that is, capable of objectively reflecting the state of affairs of the company.
It is based on the analysis of cash flow and profitability of the troubled firm.
Method 3. Reorganization of the company structure
Crisis management uses the reorganization of firms in the form of separation and / or separation. This method allows you to financially stabilize the position of the company, prevent the loss of its market value, diversify capital.
Method 4. Increasing cash flow
The increase in funds makes it possible to carry out anti-crisis measures. Here it is important to correctly determine the priority ways to increase the cash flow of the enterprise.
The choice of methods is quite wide, we will consider them in more detail below.
Method 5. Determination of the organization's development strategy
An analysis of the activity of a crisis firm serves as the basis for the development of an anti-crisis strategy. This strategy changes under the influence of many factors of the internal and external environment of the enterprise.
It is important to consider all of them. Only with this approach, anti-crisis management will be effective.
The definition of an anti-crisis strategy can be conditionally divided into 3 stages:
Comprehensive company diagnostics;
Adjustment of the goals and mission of the company based on the results obtained.
The choice of an alternative strategy that can bring the company out of a crisis situation.

3. How to get the company out of the crisis - 6 important steps
The difficult situation in the economy, international sanctions, high exchange rates complicate the activities of almost any Russian enterprise.
In order to prevent the development of the crisis, it is necessary to know the main stages of the company's withdrawal from the current situation.
Stage 1. Determination of the crisis epicenter
The conclusion of the company from the crisis must begin with the definition of a site in its activities, which has become the starting point. This may be an uncontrolled increase in production costs, deterioration in product quality, non-compliance with contractual relations, an increase in receivables, etc.
Only an accurate definition of the epicenter of the crisis will allow us to develop effective anti-crisis measures.
Stage 2. Work with personnel
Personnel management in conditions financial difficulties for the company - the most important component of anti-crisis management.
In such a situation, it is necessary to carry out the actions presented in the table:
№ Event Content
1 Optimization of the number and structure of personnel Revision of the staffing table, formation of new job descriptions, refusal of the services of employees performing minor operations (duties), working part-time, etc.
2 Information Support The team must be aware of the real state of affairs in the company - the lack of information gives rise to rumors and destabilizes the situation
3 Creating a favorable microclimate in the team Eliminate misunderstandings, disagreements in the team and any other situations that can lead to conflicts
4 Training Retraining of employees in accordance with the new crisis conditions and requirements
Practice shows that such actions are able to set up the team to solve new strategic tasks.
Stage 3. Cost reduction
Cost reduction must be reasonable. It is very bad when this procedure negatively affects the quality of products and services provided.
Typically, cost reduction is achieved through:
reducing material costs (buying cheaper raw materials and components, using resource-saving technologies, concluding contracts with local suppliers);
reduction of funding for research and development;
wage cuts;
assortment regulation;
expenses for administrative and economic needs, etc.

With the help of a professional, it is necessary to analyze all costs item by item. There will definitely be positions that can be reduced or optimized.
Stage 4. Sales promotion
There are many ways to stimulate sales. Concrete Choice depends on the type of activity of the company.
So, if it is necessary to stimulate sales at trading enterprises, then sales, promotions are applicable.
If we stimulate the sales of a manufacturing enterprise, then this is the distribution of commercial offers to the database of potential customers, discount cards, integrated customer service solutions, the use of CRM systems for processing customer applications.
Stage 5. Cash flow optimization
The company optimizes cash flows through a range of activities.
Here are some of them:
daily reconciliation of the balance of availability of funds;
formation of the register of payments;
increase in non-operating income through the sale of unused equipment, materials, etc.;
discounts for customers who purchase products for cash;
reduction of the term of trade credit;
increase in sales;
conservation of unused fixed assets (will reduce property tax).

Stage 6. Restructuring of accounts payable
One of the important stages of anti-crisis management is the restructuring of existing debt to creditors.
This can be done by assigning your receivables to the company's creditors. The advantage of this method is the reduction in the cost of servicing creditors, while there is no need to divert funds.
Also used:
installment;
exchange of debt for securities;
debt cancellation.

4. Who provides crisis management services - an overview of the TOP-3 companies
Crisis management is a complex process. Efficiency strongly depends on the specialists involved in the development and implementation of the necessary procedures and processes.
I propose to get acquainted with a selection of companies professionally engaged in anti-crisis management.
The Moscow company "Navigator-Consult", founded in 2003, specializes in three areas: audit, consulting and evaluation.
Details of the main activities of Navigator-Consult LLC are presented in the table:
All auditors and appraisers of the company have qualification certificates and certificates, extensive specialized experience. The professional liability of employees is insured by Alfa Insurance.
The company specializes in restaurant consulting.
Main services:
support for the activities of institutions;
design;
design and construction;
crisis management;
audit of restaurants;
brokerage services.

Based on a deep, comprehensive analysis, the professional RESTCONSALT team is able to develop a strategy that increases the efficiency and profitability of any catering establishment.
BusinessHelper provides its clients with business assistance and offers management consulting services. The company operates in all regions of the Russian Federation.
Company advantages:
works for the result;
individual solutions for each client;
deep diagnostics of the organization, taking into account specific features;
All employees are practitioners with extensive experience in their field.

5. How to increase the resilience of an enterprise to a crisis - 3 useful tips
The disease is easier to prevent than to cure. This common truth is known to all. It is also relevant for the "health" of enterprises and organizations. After all, the crisis of the company is also a kind of disease. And, therefore, it is necessary to carry out preventive measures to prevent its development.
How to do it? Read my advice.
Tip 1. Periodically diagnose crisis phenomena at the enterprise
Due to my main profession, I often have to deal with the documentation of various companies. So for many, management reporting is in a deplorable state.
Even if it is conducted, its data are not analyzed, or are analyzed superficially. A similar situation develops with accounting. Naturally, in such a situation, important signs of a brewing crisis are missed.
My advice: do not neglect the analysis of all types of reporting! This will make it possible to diagnose the crisis phenomena of the enterprise in advance, and take the necessary measures in a timely manner.

Tip 2. Use the services of a crisis manager
If a crisis is on the threshold, then it is better not to try to deal with it alone. Invite a specialist - an anti-crisis manager. His services are useful not only at the peak of the crisis, but also at the first sign of tension in the company.
The manager will conduct a comprehensive SWOT analysis, develop an action plan to avoid cataclysm and major losses, optimize cash flows and costs.
Tip 3. Do not delay using anti-crisis mechanisms
At the first symptoms of a coming crisis, anti-crisis measures should be taken immediately. You shouldn't expect that "will dissolve on its own".
Remember, if the boat has cracked, and it is not repaired in time, then it will sink. So do not bring the matter to disaster!

Editor's Choice

What year was Bonnie and Clyde

Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were famous American robbers active during the...

Cancer man - how to understand that he is in love

4.3 / 5 ( 30 votes ) Of all the existing signs of the zodiac, the most mysterious is Cancer. If a guy is passionate, then he changes ...

Karina Barbie - biography, personal life and interesting facts

A childhood memory - the song *White Roses* and the super-popular group *Tender May*, which blew up the post-Soviet stage and collected ...

Breaking bad: Anastasia Zavorotnyuk was carried away by anti-aging operations

No one wants to grow old and see ugly wrinkles on their face, indicating that age is inexorably increasing, ...

What does it mean to drop soap in prison?

A Russian prison is not the most rosy place, where strict local rules and the provisions of the criminal code apply. But not...

Aphorisms about learning History proverbs age live age learn

Live a century, learn a century Live a century, learn a century - completely the phrase of the Roman philosopher and statesman Lucius Annaeus Seneca (4 BC - ...

The most powerful female bodybuilders in the world (15 photos)

I present to you the TOP 15 female bodybuilders Brooke Holladay, a blonde with blue eyes, was also involved in dancing and ...

Cartoon cat names

A cat is a real member of the family, so it must have a name. How to choose nicknames from cartoons for cats, what names are the most ...

The most famous heroes of fairy tales and cartoons in the world

For most of us, childhood is still associated with the heroes of these cartoons ... Only here is the insidious censorship and the imagination of translators ...

New

Popular

№	Event	Content
1	Optimization of the number and structure of personnel	Revision of the staffing table, formation of new job descriptions, refusal of the services of employees performing minor operations (duties), working part-time, etc.
2	Information Support	The team must be aware of the real state of affairs in the company - the lack of information gives rise to rumors and destabilizes the situation
3	Creating a favorable microclimate in the team	Eliminate misunderstandings, disagreements in the team and any other situations that can lead to conflicts
4	Training	Retraining of employees in accordance with the new crisis conditions and requirements