onestepright™
Menu

Move guide

Map the work as business functions

Your report suggested a move on this practice:

  • whether the work of the business is mapped as functions, with where and by whom each is done.

This move guide lists the work of the business as a handful of functions, and splits each one level down. It cuts the business by the work done, not by who reports to whom. Every later step uses the map.

1. When it applies

Use this move guide if your report placed this practice in the lowest two stages.

Practice Where it may sit today Where this move guide aims
Whether the work of the business is mapped as functions, with where and by whom each is done Lagging: "Nobody has listed the work the business does; the org chart is the only map, and it shows who reports to whom."
Basic: "The functions are known by name, but nobody has written down where each is done, by whom, or what it costs."		 Competent: "The work is listed as a short set of functions, each with where it is done, who does it and what it costs."

If it already sits at the middle stage or higher, skip this move guide.

It needs the criteria from setting the criteria. The map is what they are applied to.

2. What to do

Four steps, in two to three weeks.

  1. List the core functions in the order value is made. Source, make, market, and sell and serve. Then list the support functions beneath them.
  2. Split each function one level down, and number the parts. 1.1, 1.2 and so on. Operating model work is done at this level.
  3. Build the map from what people do. Use the payroll and job titles. The org chart only shows who reports to whom.
  4. Have each function's head check their part. Agree the map before anything is counted.
The work of a manufacturer, as business functions Illustrative

  1. 1. Sell and serve

    1. 1.1 Sales by segment
    2. 1.2 Key accounts
    3. 1.3 Customer service

  2. 2. Market and price

    1. 2.1 Brand
    2. 2.2 Product management
    3. 2.3 Pricing

  3. 3. Make

    1. 3.1 Production
    2. 3.2 Maintenance
    3. 3.3 Quality

  4. 4. Source and move

    1. 4.1 Planning and stock
    2. 4.2 Transport
    3. 4.3 Procurement

  1. 5. Safety and environment

    1. 5.1 Safety
    2. 5.2 Environment

  2. 6. Strategy and change

    1. 6.1 Strategy
    2. 6.2 Programme delivery

  3. 7. Corporate services

    1. 7.1 Finance
    2. 7.2 People
    3. 7.3 Technology

For each numbered box, the next move guide works out three numbers: the volume of work, the people (FTE) and the cost a year.

Level 1 functions, numbered, each holding its level 2 sub-functions. Operating model work is done at level 2.

Table A below holds the level 1 functions on one page.

The free worksheet splits each function and records where, who and cost:

3. What to produce

One table, plus the worksheet above.

Table A. The level 1 functions

No. Function Core or support Sub-functions (count) Head of the function Checked
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

A map drawn from the org chart is the org chart again.

4. A worked example

Illustrative. Written for this move guide. It describes no client.

A food processor runs three plants and sells to supermarkets and food service. Its org chart has a general manager for each plant and a national sales team.

The first map.

  • The leadership team began with the org chart. Each plant became a function, and planning, quality and procurement appeared three times.

The rewrite.

  • The map was rebuilt from the payroll. It now has four core functions (source, make, market, sell) and three support functions. Each splits into three to five sub-functions.

The check.

  • Each function head checked their part. Two jobs turned up that nobody had placed: allergen control and customer claims.
Three weeks on Illustrative
  • 7 functions at level 1, numbered
  • 26 sub-functions at level 2
  • 2 jobs found that nobody had placed

On a retake, the practice could be answered at the middle stage once the next move guide adds the cost of each.

What it looked like in our work

From our own work. Described in words.

For a building-materials manufacturer, we cut the work into a handful of functions at level 1 and several dozen at level 2. For each one, the team wrote the role of the centre and the role of each unit. The structure was discussed only after that.

5. Effort and dependencies

Who
  • Chief operating officerOwns the map and agrees it with the function heads.
  • Function headsCheck their own function and its sub-functions.
  • AnalystBuilds the map from the payroll and job titles.

What you need

  • The payroll with job titles, and the cost centres in the ledger.
  • The criteria from step 1.

How long

  • Two to three weeks.

What gets in the way.

  • Mapping the reporting lines. A map built from the org chart repeats the same work under each unit. It hides the duplication that later steps need to see.

6. How will you know it worked?

The test is whether the next step can count each sub-function's people and cost. Retake the check after step 3. This should be true when you answer:

Practice You can answer Competent when A document alone does not count if
Whether the work of the business is mapped as functions, with where and by whom each is done Every sub-function is numbered, checked by its head, and has where, who and cost against it. The map lists the functions, and none has a cost against it.

The worked example is illustrative.

Start the check

Think we've used your work without proper credit? Tell us and we'll fix it.

Map the work as business functions · onestepright