The Business Section of book stores is clogged-up with “process improvement” books, displayed like candy at the candy store. Clever names, great visuals, and wonderful case-examples, yet the real world never seems to see those improvements. Why is that? We think it's because these tools are too complicated, focused on unique organizations like Google, Apple or Southwest Airlines, and carefully crafted so that you have to hire the authors to make the methodology work! We don't think that's how “Best practices” should work.
What if we used our strategy to find the specific ‘nodes’ where improved processes will generate improved performance? What if we used simple, pragmatic tools to surgically address the specific needs? What if we tracked the changes to verify that we made a difference, and we don’t revert back to our ‘old ways’... Way too simple, right?
The reason our process improvements work – and continue long after we are gone, is because we use strategic priorities to focus on what matters, we simplify the tools you have read about, and we use your experience, skills, and data. We then integrate all the pieces to make a holistic solution, and most importantly, we transfer the skills into your organization. Like a tailor, we will work with your team to create the right solution for your organization, and then collaborate with you to make it work.
A day-by-day summary of our Rapid Process Improvement week.
(Click a day to see more)
Using the Lego© Game to learn process improvement
-Risk-free ability to feel the consequences of bad processes
-Experience the benefits of various process improvement approaches
-See a new way to measure performance
-Experience a 6 month change process in 6 hours
The team estimates possible improvements:
-Application of game learning to your world
-Establishes targets for the week (which inevitably are blown-away by what they actually achieve)
Walk one or more of the target processes to capture detailed performance information
-Allows everyone to see how the process actually performs across functions and time
-Paper or automated forms, tailored to your processes
-Establishes a detailed baseline
The team analyses what they saw:
-Quantification of opportunities
-Makes the invisible, visible
-Allows clear communication to process workers
Use Lean tools – and creativity – to solve observed process problems:
-Provide a clear “To-Be” vision
-Cost/Benefit analysis of recommendations
-Identification of “Quick Wins”
-Develop sequencing and timing ideas
-Report-out to Leadership
Every journey starts off with that first step. Time to step-out!
-Break into Power-Change teams and implement the recommended Quick Wins
-Move the organization from “Involvement” to “Commitment”
-Prove that it can be done
-Discover change is much easier then anticipated
Harvest all the anticipated benefits
-Break the change process into manageable week’s of focused work
-Set clear ownership, timing and targets to ensure alignment to the goals