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In this edition we have included an article about how county government offices in Flagstaff AZ used lean process improvement to streamline some of their processes and peaked the interest of many businesses in Flagstaff. Please take a few minutes to read this article because it illustrates how lean transcends manufacturing.
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Quantum Associates, Inc
Operational Excellence Newsletter
Delivering Swift and Significant Results
"Our groove is to help you improve."
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November 2016
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Leaders establish organizational direction through vision and strategy. They are responsible for studying the organization's environment, considering how it may be different in the future, and setting a direction everyone can believe in. The shared vision is an attractive, ideal future for the organization that is credible yet not readily attainable. A clear, powerful vision links the present and the future by showing how present actions and decisions can move the organization toward its long-range goals. Vision energizes employees and gives them an inspiring picture of the future to which they are eager to commit themselves. The vision can also give meaning to work and establish a standard of excellence by presenting a challenge that asks all workers to give their best.
A convincing vision must be put together before commitment to Lean Process Improvement can follow. The vision isn't just a target; it should also tell a story, a good Lean vision will start with a clear picture of where the company is today-its performance with customers, its capabilities and its problems-and where the company needs to go to become a Lean organization. How quickly should we deploy our lean strategy? What infrastructure do we need? How do we train our people in the lean concepts and tools?
The vision should clearly link these lean objectives to the characteristics and capabilities the company will need to have to meet them. These characteristics should be expressed using the concepts and language of Lean, describing how work will be organized, how information will be shared and created, how the organizations will manage projects, how it will communicate with customers, and so on. Terms like continuous flow, value streams, and waste elimination are appropriate. The company's capabilities should be described at roughly the same level. Are our key managers capable of leading the lean transformation? Is our existing culture able to support the lean transformation?
Leaders make a real difference for their organization only when they link vision to strategic action, so that vision is more than just a dream. Superior organizational performance is not a matter of luck. It is determined by the decisions leaders make.
Willie
Willie L. Carter is the president Quantum Associates, Inc., Highland Park, Illinois. Along with his nearly 40 years experience in operations, quality and consulting in various industries, Willie is a Certified Lean Sensei, Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence, and a Certified ISO 9000 Lead Assessor. He can be reached at wcarter@quantumassocinc.com
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Supercharging Lean With IoT
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Contributors: John Rossman & Lee Maginniss
The super-charged combination of Lean and IoT is already demonstrating staggering advances in waste reduction and profitability...( Read More)
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The Chasm Between Efficient Lean and Lean IT
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Contributor: Hakan Altintepe
Efficiency is about spending less to get the same, whereas lean is about spending nothing on things that don't matter. We often use these two terms interchangeably; however, in the context of enterprise IT, the contrast between them is remarkable...( Read More)
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Rules of the Circle: Visualizing Flow
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Contributor: Robert H. Simonis
Traveling further than needed with 50% utilization is not the concept of flow, or of lean, or a formula for business success...( Read More)
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County Employees Help Flagstaff's Businesses Get Streamlined
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Contributor: Emery Cowan
Last year, inside the offices of Coconino County, Richard Baron set to work. It was taking 22 separate steps for the county to issue a paycheck and the goal was to reduce that considerably. Over several months, Baron and a group of employees from different departments found ways to make the process more efficient, turning from paper to digital documentation and eliminating the need for business managers to be involved...(Read More)
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Our Reason for Being
Quantum Associates was founded on the premise of bringing together like-minded associates with multiple years of industry experience reducing waste and improving processes in organizations. Our goal is to leverage the knowledge and experience of our seasoned associates to assist both service and manufacturing organizations train their employees to untangle intermingled processes in order to clearly see the specific process they manage or touch as it flows from start to finish and to improve the performance of those processes so that every stakeholder (customer, employee, supplier, investor) is better off. We serve as the nucleus for delighting your customers by preparing your people to improve their processes.
What We Look For in a Client
We look for companies/organizations who want to untangle their processes in order to clearly see how to improve the performance (efficiency, productivity, customer experience) of those processes so that every stakeholder (customer, employee, supplier, and investor) is better off.
We guarantee 100% customer satisfaction absolutely.
"Our groove is to help you improve."
Enjoy the Newsletter,
Willie L. Carter
President
"All improvement happens project by project and in no other way." ~ Joseph Juran
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