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Too Busy Optimising to Optimise?

12 June, 2010 by James Lawther Leave a Comment

Consultants are making fortunes selling the next wave of improvement techniques: operations analysis, process re-engineering, lean, 6 sigma, whatever the next one is. Despite all the training few organisations really succeed. Why should we bother with process improvement if it doesn’t work?  We are all clever driven people.  We are all busy improving our parts […]

Filed Under: Blog, Operations Analysis Tagged With: assumptions, lean six sigma, silo management

The Professional

12 May, 2010 by James Lawther Leave a Comment

Sometimes I come across people who are really hard to convince of the need to look at an organisation as a set of processes, as one big system.  They don’t see the relevance to their daily work. Often these people are “professionals”.  They have been trained for years in the optimisation of one aspect of […]

Filed Under: Blog, Process Improvement Tagged With: error proofing, silo management

Process Excellence

12 May, 2010 by James Lawther Leave a Comment

ivory tower

Do you have a “Centre for Process Excellence”? If the ideal is to break down functional barriers. If the ideal is to remove internal targets and agendas. If the ideal is to get everybody focused on the customer. Then how does putting all your “process experts” in a function all of their own help? P.S.  […]

Filed Under: Blog, Operations Analysis Tagged With: clarity, customer focus, operational excellence, silo management

To Offshore or not Offshore?

12 April, 2010 by James Lawther 2 Comments

Call-Centre.com has carried out a survey of consumer perceptions of UK versus Offshore call centres.  The chart shows the results.  Clearly the UK consumer prefers UK call centres (hardly a surprise), but they are so much more expensive.  So should you go offshore, it is an emotive question, who should decide? There are two issues: […]

Filed Under: Blog, Operations Analysis Tagged With: cost saving, marketing, outsourcing, silo management

This is Mine that is Yours

12 April, 2010 by James Lawther 1 Comment

We decide how we spend money in three areas: 1.  Purchasing:  which materials we buy. 2.  Specification:  what product or service we offer. 3.  Efficiency:  how well we convert raw materials into finished goods. These activities are controlled by the Purchasing, Brand Development and Operations departments.  They have the ability to make changes that will […]

Filed Under: Blog, Employee Engagement Tagged With: clarity, communication, constraints, cost saving, marketing, measurement, reinforcing behaviour, silo management, tampering

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