Improvement
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The rich learnings found only in failure…
Much hay is made today that we need to “fail fast, learn, then move forward.” It strikes me as particularly dis-ingenuine however, because the mindsets prominent in most organizations are not fond – or even tolerant – of failure. One could argue that failure is a prerequisite for learning, for without failure we’ve only validated what we…
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Sometimes, starting over is the right solution
Not every problem can be solved incrementally. The uncomfortable reality associated with many leaps of progress is that revolution, not improvement is the key ingredient. If you haven’t been confronted with this truism yet, you likely will eventually. Tried and true only gets us so far in many instances. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a diehard fan of…
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Overcoming Breakdowns is Valuable Experience to any Organization
To many of us, there is no greater paralyzing fear than the nightmare associated with a system breaking down. We strive to keep the plates spinning, and whether through neglect, overloading, or just rotten luck, things can come crashing to a halt in an instant. While the system implodes and the fires rage, take solace in the…
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How ABC Principles Can Ease Your Inventory Burden
I get asked quite a bit about Lean inventory management. The notion is sublimely simple, however the application may often be a bit more involved. Lean principles tell us that all forms of inventory should be minimized (raw materials, work-in-process, and finished goods) in order to shorten our lead times and to diminish our capital risk. Some people…
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Digital is our new reality for Project Management
Make no mistake; the world of industrial project management has recently taken a remarkable turn. The world is rapidly shifting digital and for good reason. We are experiencing great breakthroughs in the areas of Industry 4.0, IoT, cloud computing, and AI that facilitate the ability to harvest, collate, curate, and parse vast amounts of formerly disparate data. We…
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Will your project truly stand the test of time? Commission it with confidence.
Allow me to don my PMP hat for an extended moment. In the continuous improvement world, projects come in all types and sizes. They may be small kaizen-based projects, intensive Six Sigma improvement initiatives, ambitious new product launches, or even enormous green-field site construction projects. Regardless of the size, all projects share commonalities that need to be addressed,…
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Reliable measures make good decision-making easy.
The efficacy of critical decisions is based on the reliability of the measurements and supporting data that informed those decisions. Data reliability is therefore crucial. However, there is a surprising level of confusion related to how we characterize, assess and even manage our data. One of the aspects of data curation that is frequently misunderstood –…
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Breathe deeply. You can master output quality.
I never want to trivialize quality, but it seems as though there is more anxiety involved in quality than there ought to be. Poor quality undermines profitability in numerous ways; rework, scrap, and reputation losses, just to name a few. A proper and well-grounded definition on quality might help the matter. You see quality isn’t defined by defects…
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Adapting to the post-Covid new normal
The year 2020 will be remembered as a stark turning point for all businesses. The global pandemic wreaked havoc as it swept across the globe. Some prospered in the chaos, but most were devastated. Everything has changed. Change is certainly inevitable, but the scale and breadth of this change was unprecedented. We still aren’t certain what things will look…
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COVID might just be an ideal opportunity…
I know it seems like a bizarre question, but give it some thought. How have you grown, benefited or become more valuable due to this unprecedented pandemic? How have you orchestrated your surroundings to take advantage of this disaster? Opportunities can be found in the most unlikely of places. This Corona virus experience is no different. Most of us…