LIFE and death are certain on this earth. Success and failure are also certain for humans and organisations. Many organisations have successes and, likewise, failures. There are various reasons organisations fail, but failure may not be the final destination. Some people settle for this uncomfortable position of failure, while others view it as a temporary state that allows for reevaluation and ultimately leads to a change in course, resulting in success.

CORPORATE LEVEL
Success can be possible for all organisations. However, each organisation must plan for success. An organisation can plan for success by establishing its vision and mission.
Small organisations often do not develop vision and mission statements, but medium- and large-sized organisations should establish these statements. The vision and mission statements should provide room for flexibility and encompass the entire organisation. Strategically placing these statements in areas visible to employees will help them become familiar with the organisation’s direction. On some occasions, it will be advisable to discuss with or educate employees about the direction and intention of the organisation.
When an organisation establishes its vision and mission statements, it must disaggregate functional policies, structures, and product output so that workable guidelines for its employees can aid in the accomplishment of definable goals.
The organisation must establish goals and make provisions to give guidance to its employees. These goals should be further disaggregated into objectives that provide measurable indicators, allowing employees to know what they are working towards. When employees are cognisant of an entity’s objectives, they can align their efforts with the organisation’s definition of success.
The management of the organisation must develop plans that are most suited to meeting the established goals and objectives. When management ensures that its key success factors are known and readily available, then it has another resource that will help the organisation become a winner.
Threats and opportunities must be carefully analysed and capitalised on – they must not be ignored. An organisation must also know if it is making the best financial decision. This information should be made available through the management accounts, as well as in compliance with relevant policies and strategies.

TACTICAL-LEVEL INVOLVEMENT
Employees at the tactical level often play a very great part within any organisation. They are able to take the direction of their senior officers and work with their juniors to deliver the desired results. Often, when junior employees face challenges, they will pass this information on to their supervisor, who occupies a tactical level.
Officers at the tactical level must be good communicators and coordinators. When junior employees do not understand the organisation’s vision and choose to act independently, it is the tactical-level officers who need to guide them in the right direction.
Each organisation working towards success must establish goals, objectives, strategies, and other key elements. However, simply establishing these policies will not yield the success that the organisation wants. People and machinery performance must be monitored. When performances are measured, a feedback system must be in place, and efforts must be made to correct areas that are not delivering the best results.
While managing machinery and computers may be straightforward, managing employees may require greater attention. When dealing with people, supervisors must have an understanding of the individual. People love to feel valued and rewarded for good work. Treat employees well and see your organisation become successful.
Every employee desires the opportunity to prove themselves worthy of the position they hold and aspire to. You may never know what some employees can do until you give them a chance. Each person is made differently, and when allowed to exercise their skills, they may outperform the previous person and contribute great value to your organisation.
Managers are unable to do everything all by themselves. Therefore, there may be a need to choose a winning team. When a winning team has been identified, established, and given the right resources, it will enable the organisation to achieve success after success. In addition, a winning team may reduce operational cost and time.
OPERATION AND OUTPUT
When an organisation is done developing a plan, it is time to execute that plan. Some organisations are good at planning, but poor at executing. Organisations that fail can often trace their failure back to poor execution. Every organisation will face many opportunities and risks, but successful organisations will often try to find a way of working around some of the challenges that affect them.
Organisations that want to be successful must always look for ways to improve. They can either use the continuous improvement approach or take the more radical approach of Business Process Re-engineering.
Some organisations have retained the traditional approach of using a manual system for record keeping and reporting, which may contribute to their failure. On the other hand, many organisations that have invested in information systems have yielded great successes.
Information systems, once properly integrated, can help the organisation manage many aspects of the business with great ease. Through data mining, information systems can also allow organisations to see new opportunities. These systems may also help the organisation reduce the time spent in production.
Hardly any institution can operate without cash. Cash is important for both people and organisations. Managing the institution’s finances is paramount, since money can easily leave the organisation, but it takes a very long time to return, if ever.
When an organisation has money and wants to become successful, it must also invest some of its funds. Each investment can yield either great results or failure. The reason for the failure of some organisations is that they had too much excess funds or were overstocked in terms of inventory. When there is too much inventory but slow sales, the organisation has assets on hand that do not yield the desired results in a timely manner.
Some organisations will choose to borrow, but when it is time for repayment, they may struggle to honour their obligation. Organisations that fail to repay the principal and interest on time may eventually be taken to court and can lose their business.
Some people and organisations may want to acquire items on credit terms. At the initial stage, they may be able to pay for their regular instalments, but as time progresses, they may not be able to continue making such payments. In such cases, the lending organisation will take action to recover its funds.