The Value of Cross-functional Process Improvement Teams
We reside in an uncanny universe; one in which the existence of one thing is typically signified by the absence of another (i.e. light versus dark, hot versus cold, wet versus dry, etc.). Where perspectives are concerned, the proverbial glass is shockingly half full at the very same time that it is half empty–it just […]
Who’s Watch-ing Now?
I went golfing the other day and got paired up with another single. During the course of our round, the gentleman with whom I was paired asked me what I did for a living. I told him that I was a Business Process Improvement Consultant. He informed me that he was retired, but had worked […]
Business Process Improvement Counter-measures
In last week’s post, I touched on the point that Business Process Improvement (BPI) is best measured in terms of its contribution to an organization’s net income. That sounds easy, right? Well, think again. As is the case with nearly all metrics, if the BPI program metric is ill-defined, it can drive dysfunctional behaviors and […]
Dis-continuous Improvement?
Recently, there has been increasing chatter regarding how process improvement programs may have adversely effected corporate profitability. I read an article published in Forbes magazine in July 2013 in which the author even goes so far as to suggest that continuous improvement can be hazardous to an organization’s health. He then cites losses by Japan’s […]
Correlation Versus Causality
The other day, I overheard a conversation where two individuals were discussing traffic conditions and car accidents. One individual made the statement, “There are a lot more car accidents when traffic is particularly heavy. So if you want to avoid a car accident, do not drive during rush hour.” Though I was eavesdropping, this statement […]
The Art of the Start: Design for Six Sigma
While many astute businessmen and businesswomen are familiar with the Six Sigma methodology used to effectively improve existing business processes, very few are familiar with (or have even heard of) the Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) methodology used to effectively design and create new business processes from scratch. This became blatantly apparent to me during […]
Increasing Business Value
I have represented many business buyers and sellers over the years and throughout numerous conversations with business owners, I have encountered the questions, “What is my business worth?” and “How do I increase the value of my business?” These two questions are actually much more academic than they may appear to be initially. In all […]
Who Is Your Customer? (Part III–the saga continues)
I am writing this blog post as a rebuttal to all those out there who implied (or explicitly stated) that in Part I and/or Part II of this 3-part “Who’s Your Customer?” series I suggested that the overall context and alignment of the internal processes within any organization (The big Picture) are not important. The […]
Who is Your Customer? (Part II)
Since I received a great deal of commentary on my July 7, 2012 blog post, entitled “Who is Your Customer?”, I have decided to blog about the topic some more this week to provide additional clarifying information. It is the inability to differentiate between the distinct elements of the value stream that leads to poor […]
Who Is Your Customer?
I have had many conversations that are focused on voice of the customer with business professionals in numerous different industries. It is truly surprising to me how often I find that process owners at both high and low levels within their organizations have misidentified the customers of their processes. While the answer to […]