Insight: Our approach to test and learn

Our approach to test and learn: At Sullivan Street Partners, we operate on the belief that the simplest way to achieve continuous improvement is to always try new methods of working. Bringing about meaningful improvement involves attempting to make a change, gathering feedback, diagnosing the impacts, and learning from this process.

For many of the companies we are involved in, something has halted the learning process prior to being brought into the Sullivan Street fold. From our experience, breaks in the learning cycle can be caused by complex company structures, poor role definitions, a lack of ambition, an overbearing parent organisation, or insufficient funds; all these potential causes are often compounded by difficulties in the marketplace or a disconnect with clients.

Richard Sanders, Managing Partner and Co-Founder: “Anyone attempting to make proactive and ongoing change within any company, first needs to establish a test and learn mindset. It goes back to a very simple concept that we all learn through experiment and feedback.”

KPIs and performance culture are terms often referenced by private equity, consultants, and businesses in driving value creation, but the language of metrics can be off-putting. Test and learn is more human and natural than any report a dashboard could provide. Experimenting and learning from the results is essential. Sometimes things work, and sometimes they don’t – the real failure is not trying or ignoring the impacts when you do.