We have become obsessed by analytics or “the application of computer technology, operational research, and statistics to solve problems in business and industry”. Analytics uses databases and algorithms in an attempt to resolve problems. Analytics uses infographics to present data. This is not the same as analysis or “the process of breaking a complex topic […]
All You Will Ever Need to Know About Analysis
Improving performance isn’t very difficult, it is just about fixing things that don’t work too well. The problem is trying to work out which bit to fix, what is important, where will you get the most bang for your buck. It is easy to fall into a world of analysis paralysis, pain and despair. You […]
The Pandora’s Box of Service Improvement, Dare You Open it?
At the heart of Lean Thinking is a beautifully simple idea, it is that you should only do things that a customer is prepared to pay for. Anything else you do is “waste”. I prefer the word “stupid”. It is harsher and blunter than waste but gets the point over. (I didn’t graduate form a […]
What can 19th Century Cholera Teach us about 6 Sigma?
In 1854 there was an outbreak of Cholera in Central London. Dr John Snow had a theory that the disease was water borne and so plotted the deaths on a street map to see if he could prove the case. He showed that the majority of deaths were happening to people who lived near the […]
Making Process Improvement Really Easy, Easy Enough for Dummies
This morning I read an article about Operational Excellence. It started to tell me that I have to define my value streams from the point of the customer, then went on to discuss 6 sigma in a transactional environment, and then, just as my eyes started to roll to the back of my head, told […]