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The Problem with Problem Statements

7 July, 2012 by James Lawther 5 Comments

Bit of a Problem

Things I wish I had said: The secret to success is to get your arms around a problem and knock it off ~ Anon Worse than not saying it myself is the fact that I don’t entirely know who did say it, but we shouldn’t dwell on my failings. On a more positive note, quotes […]

Filed Under: Blog, Operations Analysis Tagged With: clarity, problem solving

Brainstorm Like a… Like a erh… Professional Brainstormer

3 July, 2012 by James Lawther 6 Comments

Ideas man

I have worked with lots of companies (more than is strictly necessary).  They are all different: different people, different cultures and different ambitions.  But there are some things that are universal; and high on that list is the desire to innovate, to find the breakthrough that will make them the best, a household name, the […]

Filed Under: Blog, Operations Analysis, Tools & Techniques Tagged With: brainstorm, innovation

What is the Kano Model and Why Should You Care?

26 June, 2012 by James Lawther 5 Comments

Customers are selfish people. They want everything, they usually want it now, and worse still, what they say they want and what they really want are not necessarily the same thing.  Customers aren’t known for being clear. This is a bit of a problem. Fortunately in the 1980’s a very smart Japanese gentleman called Professor […]

Filed Under: Blog, Operations Analysis, Tools & Techniques Tagged With: customer requirements, East Midlands Trains, six sigma, video

What Can a Three Year Old Teach You About Strategy?

19 June, 2012 by James Lawther 6 Comments

My daughter came home from nursery this afternoon singing a song about a skeleton called “Ezekiel’s dry bones”. The lyrics go like this: The toe bone connected to the heel bone, The heel bone connected to the foot bone, The foot bone connected to the leg bone, The leg bone connected to the knee bone, […]

Filed Under: Blog, Operations Analysis, Tools & Techniques Tagged With: clarity, strategy, video

How to Be as Good as You Can Be

12 June, 2012 by James Lawther 1 Comment

New Jeans

Here is an analytical question, where can you see variation?  It sounds like a dumb question, you are probably looking at the screen wondering what on earth I am smoking.  Let me ask it another way: When you are shopping and try on two pairs of jeans, identically sized, do they fit exactly the same […]

Filed Under: Blog, Operations Analysis Tagged With: six sigma, variation

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