The Essence Of A System's Lifecycle

You may recall in a previous post that we have been watching the back catalogue of Ally McBeal.

We have finally got through all episodes (over 100 in total) and it has been fascinating to watch the series "evolve".

I am not talking about the storyline evolving here - I am talking about the "system's lifecycle" of the series itself.

Let me explain - the concept of a system's lifecycle is relatively easy to understand - any system is basically created, grows, matures, then "dies".

Using business as an example, you create a business, then it grows (usually rapidly) in the early days as you drive it to greater success, it then matures, or "levels out" (in the case of well established businesses) and it eventually "dies" (it is closed down, sold, or goes broke because it competes poorly in the marketplace) unless you are constantly innovating to drive it to its next level of success.

I recall vividly being most surprised when I first heard that the Ally McBeal series was finishing, because I had watched it on and off for several years and thought it would go on forever, but after watching all series basically in one "sitting" I see why it came to an end.

It basically ran out of air!!!

This got me thinking about business system's lifecycles and the importance of constantly innovating to keep your business moving forward.

Technology changes, your business environment changes, the challenges you face change, so if you are not constantly updating your business processes to keep "ahead of the pack" you can very quickly find yourself chasing your competitor's with a "flat tyre" in the form of outdated work practises.

Are you continually reviewing your business processes to ensure that your competitors are using your business as the benchmark for their success?