A command center, sometimes referred to as a war room, can be a competitive differentiator for a business, non-profit or other organization. The key elements for any command center are: centralized location, key personnel, time frames (project, crisis or on-going), mission definition, primary activities and finally, resources as related to organizational commitment. Each on of these points will be outlined below to better portray whether an organization does in fact need a command center
Location. There are two schools of thought in this area. One is that the command center should be near the hub of action such as the corporate, non-profit or other organizational headquarters. The other is that the command center should be at a remote location and not co-located with the headquarters to keep it safe and to avoid too much executive interference in its workings. If the command center is to serve as an executive “dog and pony” or show facility, then it should be at headquarters. It is then convenience for both executives and for other visiting dignitaries. If the goal is a critical information hub, then the command center can be anywhere. Ideally, not in or even near the headquarters facility.
Personnel. The kinds of people who are best for a command center are not necessarily the movers and shakers on their way up in any organization. There are three categories of people who are valuable in the command center environment. The first is the candid veteran leaders or manager. This individual must be fully committed to the center and willing to tell it like it is regardless of the consequences. The second is the expert. There need to be functional experts – the top in their areas – in each of the primary functional areas that the command center supports for the corporation or organization. The third category is the technical guru. Given the importance of communications, systems and tools to the command center, only the best technical gurus can meet the needs of the facility, even if that means they wait in the wings for problems to occur.
Time frames. Some command centers are designed to monitor day-to-day activity on-going. Other command centers are initiated for a specific project, initiative or program. While the underpinnings of both are the same, the project specific command centers tend to be more effective due to their limited scope and duration. In that project specific command centers are temporary, they tend to exhibit a higher energy level and greater innovation. Once command centers become “permanent”, the energy levels and the amount of innovation decline due to the long term institutional effects.
Mission definition. In other words why does the command center exist? What is its primary role in the business, organization or non-profit? This is different from what it does and how it does it. Some examples are: “to intercept all information on competitors”, “to track all bids and sales”, “to track and monitor the launch of the XYZ (new) product” or “track and monitor all media coverage on (you name it…). Additional missions can relate to tracking, monitoring and controlling activities related to: natural disasters (for business and civil use), peak volume periods (hotel chain activity for a tourist season), events such as a convention or an annual meeting or conference or finally, for large sporting or media events.
Primary activities. The command center should not be a catch-all. The primary activities are very clear. These should include: collection and collation of market information, collection and collation of competitive information, collection and collation of customer information, collection and collation of sales information (bids open, bids closed), new product launch data collections and other real time information such as contractors or logistics performance. Other types of information that may be tracked and collated by a command center include: special project statistics, media events updates, event data by time and location against project plan (think of a convention) and monitoring real time visual data for an event of function (such as traffic and buildings for a visiting dignitary or other public official). The key point is that the command center is for collecting, collating and disseminating information to critical decision makers in a timely fashion for the duration of the project, program or event.
Resources. There is a tendency for organizations to count the pennies and waste the dollars. This could be no more than in the case of the command center. The appropriate amount of money needs to be spent on the location, people and technology to make the command center effective. This does not mean it is a palace. Having the right people and technology are much more important than a fancy location with new furniture. Additionally, the resources go beyond dollars and cents. The time and attention of leadership are critical to insuring that the command center has the ability to deliver on the mission for which it was commissioned.
War room. Command center. Control center. Mission control. These are all terms that have been used to monitor, track and report on events, projects, programs, events and occurrences. While the names differ, the overall purpose and structure are the same. By adopting and following the points outlined above, any organization – public or private – can make their command center an effective asset for a specific mission for a limited period of time.
George F. Franks, III is the founder and CEO of Franks Consulting Group, a Bethesda, Maryland based management consulting and leadership coaching practice. George is a member of the Institute of Management Consultants (USA) and the International Coach Federation. George can be contacted at gfranks@franksconsultinggroup.com Franks Consulting Group is on the web at: http://franksconsultinggroup.com/ George's weblog is: http://consultingandcoaching.blogspot.com/
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