Baseline7

We believe that what separates good from great projects is not that much dependent on the used methodology itself anymore. It’s not about the amount of control and oversight what we see increasing as soon as projects start to go off the tracks. It’s not about having the best-written and best-formulated processes and procedures. It’s not only about having the right PM certification, although it’s definitely a good foundation. You can have all of that and still miserably fail in the delivery of a project.

What you need is… the right people in leadership positions with the right mindset. What we see these people do successfully is:

1. Invest wisely
2. Focus diligently
3. Engage relentlessly
4. Measure continuously

We have institutionalized these in four guiding principles. Without these principles our methodology would just be another methodology. With these principles, we put the focus back on that what really makes the difference… the people.   Of course, good leadership alone will not result in success. However, the lack of good leadership will most likely lead to disappointment.

At Baseline7 we truly care about our people. Many companies say that, but we believe we have the model to support it. Baseline7 is a so called ‘Semco Style’ company. Per the Semco Style Institute, these companies “organize around people instead of structures and procedures. They treat adults as adults, put people above organizational modes, and see freedom and self-interest as the basis for collective alignment”.

Semco Style builds on five principles:

• Trust [read more…]
• Reducing control [read more…]
• Self-management [read more…]
• Extreme stakeholder alignment [read more…]
• Creative innovation [read more…]

Everyone at Baseline7 is basically a partner in the company. We are organized in ‘self-managing’ teams that consist of up to 10 people and are centered around industries and disciplines. As such, each individual has a strong ‘home base’ while working on assignments with and for our Customers. These teams provide ongoing support and guidance to each individual in the team and as a collective work to improve the service for their Customers.

The ‘Semco Style’ philosophy is followed by Baseline7 internally and it does not mean that we manage our Customer’s initiatives similarly. During assignments, we follow the processes and procedures as agreed upon with our Customers. What our Customers will notice is that we have very motivated people with a tremendous support base to get through the biggest challenges.