Maneuvering in today’s fast-paced business environment requires actionable information, which data mining provides. Locate your data to make your next strategic move. As I've been putting together a SIOP (Sales, Inventory and Operations Planning) executive meeting presentation, it made me think about data mining. In this case, there is [...]
Rushing forward without pertinent tools and processes can hinder your business goals. A systems pragmatist will gain traction by strengthening fundamental areas. As I've been going through my hundreds of articles to put together the 100 tips, it's become obvious as to which topics resonated with me as essential [...]
Every manager juggles several projects at once, some more troublesome than others. Clearing your path of obstacles is a constant burden but with preparation, calm, creativity, and decisiveness, you can dodge roadblocks that obstruct project success. Published in “Project Times” website, May 20, 2014 Click here for original article. [...]
Technological innovations are abundant, even overwhelming. Rather than trying to modernize at every turn seek to leverage your I.T. department to provide maximum efficiency without non-value added work. We hear a lot about lean, Toyota Production System and the like; however, I rarely hear about Lean I.T. A friend [...]
Business moves fast as customers demand more and competitors look for an edge to beat you. Excelling in this environment requires a proactive approach with continuous process improvement at the heart. Take any business process. I have no doubt there will be hidden opportunities for process improvement. When is [...]
In the race for increased profits is speed leaving vital priorities behind? Assess all factors before jumping the gun. In today’s new normal business environment, customers want products and services delivered quicker. Investors want month-end numbers faster. Customers expect new products yesterday. Executives are expected to sift through an [...]
Lean benefits are not found in a three-day workshop, but rather arise and are sustained through culture change. I have always been a process consultant, typically focusing on those processes which are the most relevant to making rapid improvement with the specific manufacturer or distributor I am partnering with. [...]
Believe it or not, there is a time to throw out priorities! As much as I talk about priorities, I'm sure you're wondering if I've lost my mind by saying "don't prioritize". Possibly; however, there is a time to throw out priorities! What do you need to accomplish to [...]
You can't give attention to work priorities to grow a more profitable business if you aren't collecting data, measuring variables and tracking trends. I refer to one of my core service lines as "Eagle Eye" since I've found that selecting the right priorities to work on is half the [...]
With an increasingly complex business environment, businesses need to know how to resolve skill gaps in their workplace The skills gap is a rapidly growing issue for manufacturers and distributors. Almost every day that I go into a client, go to a trade association meeting or talk with colleagues, [...]
