Teams are still learning and teams are still developing their strategy. Don't take too long, some may get there quicker.
There are many decisions to be made each round. These decisions are all interdependent. Making good judgements for all, or for most of the decisions, is what will improve performance. Good decisions require balance, there is always a down side. Too much on overheads drives up costs, too little on overheads will have consequence on jobs to bid for, estimating capacity, cash recovery ability, general efficiency.
Balanced decision making takes judgement. Judgement requires data and information from each team member and teamwork to make the right compromises. This will take organisation. Each team member is a director and has an individual responsibility. Each director should come to the decision-making meeting, whether real or virtual, well prepared and informed. One director not doing their homework is letting the company down. What does the Company Chairman (ie Team leader) do with an underperforming fellow Director? What would happen in real life? Discipline will range from severe reprimands to sackings even or especially from within MERIT!
Once at the meeting each director should act for the common good not just their individual section, this is teamwork. Organisation, discipline, teamwork requires leadership. Make sure yours is strong enough.
One key metric to watch that it doesn’t drift is the turnover to capital ratio. If your capital isn't working hard enough, that is it should be supporting a higher turnover, then you should find better things to do with it. This advice should be coming from your Finance Director.
At this stage of MERIT 2018 we expect unrest with a great range in the percentage improvement. The ranking isn't stable, and there will be more upheaval to come, but getting the decisions balanced will improve ranking. Maybe the tortoises chasing the hares will demonstrate this.