The Power of Alignment in Teams and Organizations
From my associate, Grant Tate. Imagine this: A team of five people, each holding onto a rope tied to a big log, aiming to move it forward. But each person’s pulling in a different direction—one’s pulling left, another right, one forward, and so on. It doesn’t take long to see the problem. Despite everyone working […]
The Overlooked Lens of Process and Efficiency
From my associate, Janice Giannini. Efficiency is the lifeblood of business. From assembly lines to boardrooms, the pursuit of smoother processes and higher productivity drives innovation and success. Yet, for all its importance, discussions about efficiency often feel predictable. They focus on incremental improvements to tools and workflows, missing deeper, more human layers of the […]
Wait! Don’t Mess Up Our Process
Our crack failure analysis team in Quality Engineering received the first call when a hi-tech manufacturing process started turning out defective products. They rapidly went to work, examining process data, taking measurements, assessing raw materials, asking questions about operators’ training levels, and calming down panicking manufacturing managers. Most often, the team defined the problem and […]
Process Excellence Progress: Navigating Pitfalls and Powering Success
Starting any process improvement initiative can be challenging, and it’s not uncommon for organizations to encounter various errors and oversights. Here are ten of the biggest mistakes often made by teams in their early stages of process excellence initiatives: 1. Lack of Clear Objectives: Defining clear, measurable goals for the process improvement initiative can lead to […]