Gain a Strategic Focus on Quality IF Customers are Important
People and companies have more choices than ever before. If you wish to remain in the race, quality must be more than an assumption; it must become a strategic focus.
The Right Combination of Technical & Communication Skills ROCKS!
February 18, 2017 I am the Chair of the APICS West Coast student case competition, and we just wrapped up our 2017 event. We had 104 students from around the world fly into San Diego to compete. It was a really impressive group of students! The [...]
Navigating the Global Supply Chain Starts with People
Your supply chain is only as strong as your weakest link so you must develop your employees and find ways for them to work together more effectively. At APICS Inland Empire's recent executive panel and networking symposium on "Navigating the Global Supply Chain", we had some intriguing discussions on [...]
The Million Dollar Project Manager
Project managers drive initiative results yet they aren’t often treated with the respect nor given the support they need to thrive. Published in "Project Times" website, November 14, 2016 Click here for original article. In our experience working with manufacturers and distributors from small, family-owned businesses to medium-sized, private [...]
The Elements of Project Success: A Case Study
The common factors leading to a project’s success include leadership, support, and management. Clear your team’s path with sufficient attention to these areas for the results you want. Published in "Project Times" website, April 12, 2016 Click here for original article. After leading hundreds of projects and participating with [...]
Project Success Is All About The People
Project success starts and ends with people. Give your project a head start with a top leader to guide the cross-functional tasks along the way. Published in "Project Times" website, May 10, 2016 Click here for original article. In reviewing project successes and failures, it turns out that project [...]
How to Manage Supply Chain Complexity (using PM tools)
Published in "Liquid Planners" website, August 25, 2016 Click here for original article. Supply chains continue to increase in complexity. I've observed this firsthand from managing hundreds of projects in manufacturing organizations over the last 25 years, including navigating end-to-end supply chain. Being able to effectively manage this complexity [...]
Unscrambling a Challenged System Implementation
When faced with a challenging system implementation, take a step back and reassess instead of devoting more resources to a plan that may not work out. From time to time, we receive a call from a client dealing with a challenged ERP implementation. Unfortunately, "challenged" is a nice word [...]
The Value of Clear Communication
August 31, 2016 In the last two days, several of my clients have experienced the havoc created with miscommunication or just the lack of crystal clear communication. And, this is to say nothing about the fact that 80%+ of potential clients talk about symptoms of this same issue. Why [...]
Success Depends on the Question
May 31, 2016 This past weekend, I visited my good friend's step-mom, and she is a master at communication. Undoubtedly, she can "win" any conversation with anyone at any time, and the other party will be happy with the outcome. Wouldn't we all like to be this good?!? One [...]