Measuring Your Biggest Opportunity – Changeover Successful organizations understand one of their biggest opportunities for improvement is to reduce their changeover. Most organizations do not get paid to go from one product or service to the next. Customers at a restaurant do not want to see “clear and reset your table” on the menu. The […]
Your System is Perfectly Designed to Get What You Get
November 10, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Your System is Perfectly Designed to Get What You Get The best operations put their effort into the systems that will produce the results their customers demand. They focus their attention on the interacting steps, actions, and elements that make up the processes and procedures the organization follows. They see problems as system issues and […]
Hold the Onions – Visual Management
October 13, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Hold the Onions – Visual Management Operational excellence often looks very simple. Great work designs and visual factories may not seem all that impressive to the casual observer. But when well-defined processes run smoothly, without interjection from supervision or management, it is because the hard work of creating a great work design was done […]
Help the Wounded – Leave the Stragglers
September 29, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Help the Wounded – Leave the Stragglers Operational excellence is not complicated, but it is hard work. Some of the hardest work is accepting and solving the inevitable problems that an environment rich in standards creates. Leaders within organizations react in different ways to the discoveries. Many see the problem identified as an opportunity and […]
What if Operating Improvement Doesn’t Increase Profit?
September 15, 2017 By Leave a Comment
What if operating improvement doesn’t increase profit? Great organizations have learned how to unlock incredible value through the implementation of a world class operating model with A3 thinking, daily management, practical problem solving, and leader’s standard work. These same organizations have seen equally great improvement in their profitability. But … what if your operating improvement […]
Pain Multiplies When Processes Connect
September 1, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Pain Multiplies When Processes Connect Organizations unlock tremendous waste by focusing on the flow of value in delivering their product or service. The velocity of the value stream that delivers the product or service is directly tied to the flow of the process. Queues, buffers, and staging points slow the velocity and increase the cost … BUT, […]
Flow Time to Touch Time is a Great Measure of WIP Inventory
August 18, 2017 By Leave a Comment
Flow Time to Touch Time is a Great Measure of WIP Inventory Organizations unlock tremendous waste by focusing on the flow of value in delivering their product or service. Velocity in the flow of your product or service to the customer is a key ingredient to reducing cost. Great companies seek to have the Flow […]
Rebuttal to “There is No Art in Business”
August 4, 2017 By Leave a Comment
I received an article in response to my recent post, “There is No Art in Business.” It was sent to me by a good friend Robert Burkhart, Director of Operations at Manitex, Inc. I would love to hear your thoughts. *** The “Art” and “Science” of Change Management When it comes to making changes among […]
There is No Art in Business
July 21, 2017 By Leave a Comment
There is No Art in Business Operational Excellence is based on science and it is not an art. Science is based on observations that form a hypothesis and experiments designed to learn. Art is an expression of creativity designed to stir emotion and is very much subject to interpretation. There are two dangers in thinking […]
A Standard is a Line in the Sand
July 7, 2017 By Leave a Comment
A Standard is a Line in the Sand Organizations identify value they can unlock in their businesses by establishing standards. Once established, a standard becomes a measure for what actually happens. Improvement comes from understanding and closing the gap. But … how can we improve if the expectation or standard is wrong? Drawing a line […]
