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Rule 8: Train Your Staff

8 July, 2015 by James Lawther 4 Comments

Stupidity has its charms ignorance does not

Your staff’s performance varies Some know how to stack shelves faster than others Some know how to negotiate a sale better than others Some know how to resolve a query more effectively than others Some know how to welcome customers more warmly than others Some variation is helpful — there would be no test and […]

Filed Under: Blog, Employee Engagement Tagged With: best practice, gemba, learning, training

Rule 7: If the Work is Important Write it Down

3 July, 2015 by James Lawther 6 Comments

I have a file on my laptop It is a rather sad file, it is called “Sunday Night”. I travel for work and on Sunday nights I pack a bag for Monday morning.  The file reads a little like this… Sunday Night: Taxi, Train Times, Water Bottle, Hat, Scarf, Gloves, Coat Monday: Shirt, Jacket, Trousers, Belt, […]

Filed Under: Blog, Process Improvement Tagged With: best practice, gemba, process mapping, standardisation, video, work instructions

Rule 6: Standardise the Work

29 June, 2015 by James Lawther 6 Comments

Heresy! You can’t standardise a service. You can standardise work in manufacturing.  A computer is a computer is a computer. They should all look the same, weigh the same, feel the same and work the same.   Nobody will disagree that you should standardise computer manufacturing. But that is manufacturing… The service industry is different The logic […]

Filed Under: Blog, Process Improvement Tagged With: best practice, gemba, service design, standardisation, video

Rule 4:  Study the Work

21 June, 2015 by James Lawther 2 Comments

queens chauffeur

We all get paid for know how Builders know how to build walls Accountants know how to audit books Dentists know how to fill teeth Cooks know how to cook Drivers know how to drive We are all knowledge workers.  It is just that for some of us the knowledge is harder to gain than for […]

Filed Under: Blog, Operations Analysis Tagged With: best practice, gemba, knowledge worker

Rule 1: Prioritise the Work

10 June, 2015 by James Lawther 7 Comments

prioritise the work

Café Culture The other day I walked into a café; it was a popular place, there were people crowded around all the tables.  Three members of staff were on duty. They were having a long and detailed conversation about a stock-take. I stood and waited. I waited and stood. The staff gave me a good […]

Filed Under: Blog, Process Improvement Tagged With: best practice, customer focus, gemba, good service, John Lewis, purpose, service design

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