Bob got out of his chair to meet Jim Strong, the President, as he approached.  "Hi, Bob!" said Jim.  "Come on into my office."  Bob followed him and sat down in one of the chairs in front of Jim's desk.

"Bob, you have done quite the job fixing some of the issues we have around here.  Productivity, customer satisfaction and profits are all on the rise.  I'm curious -  how did you come up with these solutions?   I checked with HR, and you don't have a technical background.  I'm really impressed!"

Bob couldn't hide the smile on his face at such a compliment.  He shared what had happened at his old company.  They had the same issues.  Many organizations do.  Bob remembered people mumbling about doing this or that.  How much time was wasted around the place doing manual stuff over and over again!   One day, a salesman, Roger Better, came in, stating that he worked for a process consulting firm.  He went to the President, Dick Smith, and asked for 15 minutes of his time.  The only questions Roger asked were, "Do you think your employees could be more productive?" and "Do you deliver the highest quality of service to your customers?"  Mr. Smith said "Yes" to the first and "No" to the second.   Then he asked, "How can we do better?"  Roger responded, "By listening to your employees."

Mr. Smith hired Roger's consulting company for a series of discovery meetings with various departments in the company.  After the meetings were completed, the consulting company called to set up a meeting to discuss their findings and offer their proposed solutions.  The meeting was set for the following week.   Mr. Smith feared the cost was going to be too high for board approval.  He had talked to other consultants in the past, and they were all in the six figure range.....

Roger's consulting firm mapped out the areas that needed to be addressed and proposed solutions for each area.  Not all solutions involved the purchase of additional software or equipment.   When Mr. Smith asked how much, he was shocked and relieved at the answer.  The consulting firm recommended using a staggered approach.  They would focus on the most critical areas first and address the phases as separate engagements.  This way there would be no huge investment up front, and, if Mr. Smith didn't like their work, he could terminate the relationship at any time.  (This was not the case, however;  they are still working together.)

Bob stopped for a moment and then said, "I used the consulting company's approach in the committee here.  It works."

Jim Strong looked at Bob and said, "I want you to do the same for us here.  Would you start meeting with each of our departments?"

Bob felt honored but started thinking about his experience and the consulting company.  He knew the discovery process, but did he know the available proven solutions?  This was another opportunity to advance within the company and earn merit raises.  After a little more thought, Bob said "Jim, I believe............."

To be continued........