|
Home / Business
Simplify Your Work to Make Your Work Better
By:Donald Mitchell
When I was in college, I worked for the university's alumni magazine keeping the mailing list current. There were so many rules for when something could or couldn't be done that it often took seven of us to figure out what to do. Even then, mistakes would occur.
It was nerve-wracking to say the least.
Later, I had a chance to oversee the process and limited the rules to one: Use your best judgment. We got better results, the work was more pleasant, and we made our changes more often.
Organizations usually see themselves as smoothly coordinated operations, even when they are not. Why? They don't consider the alternatives.
I Like Company
Most organizations start off lean. But soon, more jobs are added to perform the same amount of work.
Why does this needless proliferation happen? Managers enjoy the prestige of having more people reporting to them. Insecure managers will use the bloated staff to cross-check for errors so that the manager looks good in the monthly reports. Also, compensation usually reflects the size of the reporting staff.
Of course, incompetent managers will also reflexively hire more people when tasks are left uncompleted due to illness or temporary spikes in demand. But adding excess people to a process is often about as helpful as having a marathon runner wear combat boots.
Hands Off!
Many people in organizations find job security in "owning" a piece of an important process. Let's say that this person has to check incoming orders for errors. Well, all organizations depend on incoming orders. Grab a piece of that process, and you'll be one of the last to see your job eliminated.
Yet most of these order processes can be eliminated or automated. Customers can place orders that go directly to shipping. Error-checking programs can prompt customers to make corrections before the order is finalized.
If at First You Don't Succeed, Try, Try Again
Left unchecked, organizations create redundancies that double or triple the workload . . . and still fail. In part, failure results because eliminating the last scintilla of errors may cost as much as eliminating the first 99.9 percent of errors.
More likely, however, is that the way of working is built up to make the managers feel safer. New process designs rarely reflect sophisticated knowledge of error-reduction methods. Rather, the designs allow senior bureaucrats to assign blame for errors to others.
STALL ERASERS
Standing Room Only
At times, unorthodox methods are needed to help workers break out of their bad habits. A venture capitalist noticed that his colleagues were happy to sit at their desks drinking coffee and filling out administrative reports. But money in venture capital comes from working with entrepreneurs.
The venture capitalist's solution: Buy stand-up desks. None of his colleagues were psychologically or physically able to stand at those desks all day. Usually, they headed for the field by mid-morning to round up prospective investments and investors or to improve current investments.
I Love the Sound of Feet Leaving the Meeting
In the early 1990s, Sears hired the former chief of logistics for the U.S. military effort following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, William G. Pagonis. He quickly halved the time it took to ship apparel from suppliers to Sears' stores. Suppliers who missed deadlines were fined.
Another improvement focused on cutting back on time executives spent in meetings. In a simple expedient (reminiscent of those stand-up desks), Pagonis removed the chairs from meeting rooms.
Those in attendance got to the point quickly or shut up entirely. His meetings rarely exceeded 15 minutes. In the past, managers felt that they had to speak up to earn their keep. Now they knew better and stopped wasting valuable time.
STALLBUSTERS
Spot Checking
A high percentage of paper shuffling involves having checkers checking on checkers, a direction usually chosen for the laudatory purpose of effectively controlling the organization. Spot checking works almost as well and is a lot less expensive.
To spot check correctly, ask a statistician to help you design a process to spot check. Rarely will you need to check more than a couple of thousand incidents, even if you want to get a handle on millions of occasions.
Streamline Processes
In lengthy processes, orders and offerings sit around 99 percent of the time waiting for people to do the next little bit. If you reduce the number of people who are involved, the process duration dramatically shortens. Cross-train people to do all of the tasks that are needed at each important stage, and you may take weeks out of the process.
Map out how long each part of the process lasts now and who does what. Alongside that lengthy list, lay out a way to reduce the steps, shorten elapsed time, and limit the number of people involved. If your organization is like most, you can probably create a 96 percent reduction in elapsed time during the process.
Today, the elapsed time standard for processes is very short -- often as little as a few minutes. In industries where parts suppliers provide the goods to their manufacturing customers "just in time" (just before the part is used), suppliers usually determine what and how to ship to the customer rather than waiting for an order. Billing and payment are usually tied to scanning incoming packages.
Go for Massive Continuous Improvement of Your Most Important Tasks
For decades the mantra of many management experts has been "continuous improvement." But those experts were usually thinking about making 1 percent improvements.
I recommend instead that you continuously seek breakthrough solutions. You'll run rings about the usual continuous improvement people. The more frequently you set goals and the higher those goals are, the more you'll learn and achieve. Get going at getting better at your most important tasks!
Here are questions to help you succeed with massive continuous improvement:
-What should you be measuring?
-How can you measure those areas?
-How often should improvement goals be set?
-How can steps, delays, and errors be eliminated, simplified, and automated?
What can you simplify today? Enjoy doing it!
Digg
del.icio.us
Blink
Stumble
Spurl
Reddit
Netscape
Furl
Article keywords: simplify, process, work, cost, error, quality, improvement, progress, breakthrough
Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com
Donald Mitchell is coauthor of six books including The 2,000 Percent Squared Solution, The 2,000 Percent Solution, and The 2,000 Percent Solution Workbook. Read about creating breakthroughs through 2,000 percent solutions and receive tips by e-mail by registering for free at
http://www.2000percentsolution.com .
|
|
| Top Business Articles |
- 1). A plus C Systems and Affirmative Insight, Inc. announced an exclusive partnership. By : Bartosz Lewandowicz
Affirmative Insight Inc. provides information technology solutions in the areas of IT security, networking, service and support, e-business, web design, web hosting and software development. By partnering with A plus C Systems, Affirmative Insight, Inc. expands its offer with a comprehensive suite of software products – Uplook, Statlook and Anasil – tool kit for IT asset management and network monitoring.
|
|
|
- 3). The Thick Line Between Buddy And Boss By : Tim Knox
Q: One of my key employees is giving me trouble. He has started showing up late for work and has developed a bad attitude in general. The rest of my employees are complaining since they are having to take up his slack. I've tried talking to him, but he doesn't seem to listen. To make matters worse, he has become one of my best friends since I hired him five years ago, so firing him is out of the question.
|
- 4). The Man Who Makes $1 Million in Affiliate Commissions By : David Kamau
His success is phenomenal. Well, not many can claim to make $1 Million a year in affiliate marketing. And at only 27 years of age!
His name is Jeremy Palmer. Until recently, he was virtually unknown in the marketing circles, simply because he preferred to make his money silently.
Now this Jeremy guy has written an ebook about his affiliate marketing techniques.
|
- 5). Overcoming Obstacles By : Debbie Milam
Discover how a young woman overcame serious life challenges through connecting with her inner spirit.
My story begins 38 years ago in Queens
|
- 6). International Investment In Bulgaria Still Strong By : Tim Wright
The strong growth in the Bulgarian economy is continuing and this is emphasised by the confidence in the market shown by companies such as GE for example.
GE Commercial Finance Real Estate recently announced it will be acquiring a 50% stake of the Mall of Sofia. The Mall is an enormous trade, business and entertainment centre currently under construction in the heart of the capital city.
|
|
|
- 8). Should we believe the experts? (Part III) By : Mike T. Davis
Why do we use experts? To predict the future. Consider a patient who is asking a physician about the future effects of a certain drug, or the investor who is asking a stock analyst about the future prices of a certain stock, or the manager who is asking a human resource manager about the future performance of a certain candidate, or the brand manager who is asking a market researcher about the future sales of a certain new product.
|
|
|
|
|
| New Business Articles |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
- 6). How To Find Low Cost Items That You Can Resell For Profit By : Gregg Hall
The key factor in the success or failure in a business that specializes in closeouts, liquidations, or selling products on eBay is finding items at good prices that you can make a profit on when you resell them. Contrary to popular belief it is when you buy the item that you make your profit as what you pay for something is what determines how much your end profit will eventually be.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
