Find the Improvement Slipstream

Fri, 20 May 2011 18:52:51 GMT

Change can be tough to accept for many people. If it were easier we would find that more improvements happened on their own, but they don't. However, if we can find something to pull improvements through a business, rather than pushing them, life can become a lot easier.

It's similar to a skip on a housing estate that gets filled by the neighbours in the dead of night. For years no one has cleared their garages, and then suddenly there is a window of opportunity (the skip) and the job gets done with ease.

The tiny changes we make in our business get around people's reluctance to change, but when there is a significant change all manner of other improvements can be made at the same time. People see the big change as inevitable and so are often more willing to accept the other changes brought in at the same time.

Whether the change is a new computer system, a restructure or a promotion it brings with it the opportunity to add in additional changes. Obviously the changes need to be of the same nature as the significant change or they won't be as accepted as easily. Please note that this is not an underhand way to make changes, just a more efficient way to get change accepted.

If your business struggles to make changes then find something significant that is changing and then piggy back it with other relevant changes. As one client put it 'look for the skip of change'!

More clarity equals less work

Fri, 13 May 2011 17:38:05 GMT

When we improve the clarity of what we do the irrelevant disappears and the work content can decrease. In other words, when we are clear about what we do, we will find that we need to work less. Sounds great, doesn't it?

Double handling takes place when we are unclear of what we need to do. The best way to increase work throughput or increase flexibility is to do a job once only. Improve the clarity of the work instructions and this can happen in your business.

Unclear instructions lead to more questions. Usually the instructions are incomplete because they haven’t been thought out fully. If you find projects stalling, tasks not being finished (or even started!) or inadequate work being produced then review your instructions and check to make sure they are complete.

When we have unnecessary complexity in our business things can take a long time. When we get clear about the purpose of the business simplicity can be derived. This allows us to deliver more results with less effort. It is definitely worth looking into.

So, find ways to increase the clarity within your business and watch as the workload either reduces, or your output increases!

Purpose allows simplicity

Sun, 08 May 2011 20:07:34 GMT

Day to day business can get awfully complicated. When it starts to be too much is often the starting point for business improvement activity. However, streamlining and simplifying your processes without adequate focus can deliver less than optimal solutions.

It is crucial to remember why a process or system exists; this will help you re-focus your approach. In some cases processes can be eliminated rather than improved, things change and sometimes business processes don't follow.

When you come from the purpose of why a process exists a very complex situation is boiled down to its essence. When you have the 'aha' moment of what the purpose is, the myriad of steps within the process make sense and you can quickly find the improvement areas that are required and then come up with a simpler approach.

Coming from purpose cuts out the unnecessary, everything that doesn't help you achieve your purpose stands out like a sore thumb. Pruning becomes far simpler when it is agreed as to what you are meant to be doing. Usually, as time passes the additional tasks and activities that are passed into the team / department blur the original (purposeful) process, recalling purpose clarifies this.

To speed up your business improvement activities remember what the purpose of a process is, refocus your activities to prune away the unnecessary, and simplify the steps.

Business Efficiency? Try Effectiveness first.

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:45:31 GMT

One of the popular terms we hear is about increasing efficiency for organisations. Many public sector bodies are tasked with 'efficiency gains'. Businesses need to be efficient, but raising effectiveness naturally drives up efficiency. So why don't we start there instead?

Firstly, we can be efficient at the wrong things! Looking for efficiency savings typically means that we look to become better at the things that we do. Some tasks (or functions) could be removed meaning that the resources don't even have to be deployed - an instant efficiency gain.

More effective means less of the unnecessary. We can redesign how we operate and take out the elements that don't help our cause. There are some things that help our customers and some things that are there for some historical reason. Some things we have to do in order to get our job done, we can look at changing how we work so that these tasks can be removed over time.

Effective systems remove delays and errors - a major cause of inefficiency. Every time information or products move from one function to another, or there is some form of interchange (like a meeting) we risk delaying the process, increasing its cost and introducing errors. Looking at how we pass the baton through the business can increase our effectiveness whilst dropping away the associated resources. We become more efficient from being more effective.

Review your systems, become more effective and watch as the efficiency improves. Just making things better in their own isolated world might not bring you the gains you would hope for. Think wider and consider the whole system, a few small changes in approach can yield large gains in efficiency without having to break a sweat!

Tiny tasks give big results!

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 17:27:03 GMT

Have you ever noticed those small tasks that you just don’t get round to? Have you ever noticed what a big problem these small tasks cause if they haven’t been dealt with for some time? Improving the way that work flows through your department or team can help with the overall efficiency of the business.

Recognising the small tasks and coming up with a routine to make sure that they get done on a regular basis can mean that when you have to focus your energies onto some burning issue you can feel better that the tidal wave of problems that can come from not doing the little things won’t happen.

If you find the habit of keeping the small things moving a struggle then why not consider using a ‘complete by date’. If the job hasn’t been done by a certain date then it becomes the number one priority regardless of whatever else is on the ‘urgent list’. Completing the action before the complete by date is the aim of the game.

Small tasks are often over-estimated in terms of their work content. Big tasks are often under-estimated in terms of their work content. If this observation holds true in your business it means that you should crack on with the myriad of small tasks, because they won’t take as long as you think. Also, have another look at your bigger tasks!

So, get a list of all the small tasks, put them into a timetable (or a daily routine ideally) and then watch as the number of emergencies decrease.

What's the last step?

Fri, 11 Mar 2011 17:59:39 GMT

When we are nearing the end of a project we sometimes finish prematurely. By this I mean that the last step on a project often isn't the last step needed in order to be as effective as possible.

If you were installing some new pieces of equipment the final step might be implementation of a maintenance program. Usually the commissioning of a piece of equipment is seen as the last step, but the ongoing usefulness of the equipment needs to be considered.

Leaving people with usable instructions should also be considered. Installing new software programs and then leaving the users to muddle through is not always the best plan. Clear concise instructions might be the final step.

Once a change has been made hand holding people through a period of infancy might need to be considered. The handover, exchange of responsibility and ramping up of volumes handled through this recently changed aspect may need to be looked at again.

If you're near the end of a project why not ask yourself this question? "Does the last step of this project maximise the effectiveness of its implementation?"

Kamishibai Boards

Fri, 04 Mar 2011 07:19:52 GMT

Some tools are incredibly simple to use, and also deliver some amazing results. Kamishibai boards are a great example and are superb when you want some visual control over routine tasks. By the way Kamishibai is pronounced "come-e-she-bye" in case you were wondering!

As simple as you could want it, a Kamishibai board is a T-card system that has red cards glued to green cards (so that each T-card has a red side and a green side). The red cards are for the incomplete tasks, where as the green cards symbolise that the work has been done.

On the red side of the card you write the name of the task that needs to be completed, and if appropriate you can include details of how the task is to be completed. This is not expected to replace standard operating procedures, but can be a good opportunity for an aide memoire.

The boards can be organised for daily, weekly and even monthly cycles. The key is to finding a routine that works well for you, a simply laid out board and a good position in the office or factory where people will walk past it.

So Kamishibai is a simple tool that can be used to great effect to create habits and drive behaviour. They are low cost and quick to implement. If you are looking for more ideas around this concept you can view our Trade Cutting Formes case study, or our Slimming Solutions case study.

Kamishibai board guide now available at Amazon.

Improvement is largely an attitude and a habit

Fri, 25 Feb 2011 07:24:00 GMT

One of the common questions we hear is 'how do we get started with improving our business, what are the tools to use?' The simple answer is that improvement is largely an attitude and a habit.

The desire to find new and better ways of working is the most prominent factor, when you couple this with a habit then things get done regularly and continuously. Sporadic improvements don't always generate the gains that you would hope for.

The tools that you can use to help facilitate change can make a real difference in specific situations, or if you need a framework to improve. If the desire and curiosity for change aren't present and aren't backed up with habitual actions then you will have an uphill struggle.

You can use lean and six sigma tools (for example) to help encourage the starting of an improvement culture in your workplace, but this needs to be backed up with forming habits. Time table sessions and adhere to your own schedule if that helps.

So, get started with improving and make it a habit. Make it fun and make it easy for your team to implement the changes. You can get a long way along the journey with just the right attitude and habits. Once you have some momentum build upon the progress with more information and education - you'll be pushing on an open door at that point, and the results will accelerate.

What are you improving for?

Fri, 18 Feb 2011 16:04:22 GMT

The end result of an improvement usually reflects the planning and decision making that takes place at the beginning, when the idea is being developed. If there is no planning and the improvement is a stab in the dark as to what needs to change then the final result may not be what was expected.

The 'what are we doing this for?' question is a great place to start. Sometimes improvements are spotted mid thinking, so to speak, and if you work backwards just a little further you may uncover a more meaningful issue to resolve. This minor change can deliver a major difference in terms of business performance and is along the lines of root cause problem solving (solve the root cause and not a symptom).

The fact that an opportunity is present does not always mean that it should be improved. With limited resources it may be prudent to widen the vistas and see what other opportunities are also available. Many continuous improvement approaches struggle due to an overload of less than brilliant improvements which eventually clog the system by depleting resources to make the changes. A simple priority system / grading can help alleviate this problem.

The design of what the business can look, feel and behave like after a round of improvement activity may also help to drive the right kind of improvement projects. This is not saying that the opportunities currently on the table aren't valid, there is usually merit in every improvement suggestion However, prioritisation and focus are required to make business improvement meaningful and efficient and stopping to step back and evaluate your journey and imminent choices can save a lot of time and effort. Dead ends can be avoided!

If you are finding yourself stuck with making improvements for any of the reasons stated above then take a time out and decide how you want to handle your improvements and decide where you want them to take you.

Confused and stuck? Check the basics.

Fri, 11 Feb 2011 16:13:38 GMT

When a problem arises in a business there is usually a fix put in place. This fix sometimes increases the complexity of the business by adding in additional rules at the operational end of the business. Sometimes it is worth stopping what you are doing and reviewing the basics of how your business operates. Sometimes the disciplines around the basics of operating a business have been forgotten.

From a engineering perspective the challenges that we face are symptoms of a deeper system based problem. If you track back to the root of the problem you are usually faced with a basic issue that can be resolved easily (or at least in a straightforward manner) and will prevent a myriad of other symptoms appearing in due course.

As people move around organisations there is the possibility that people move into roles and are trained in the current ways of working but aren't exposed to the fundamental principles of working that this particular job requires. Ensuring people understand the basics, the first principles so to speak, can help ensure that the ongoing delivery of that role is logical, effective and consistent.

On other occasions we may find that if we stop what we are doing and question why we are doing something in a particular fashion we cannot provide a good answer. In the time that has elapsed we probably have more information and insight about how that part of the business operates. If asked today how to approach something in our business we would most likely give a different answer to a year ago.

So, if the way things are at work seem too complicated then stop. Ask yourself what you have learned over the last year or so about (this part of) the business and if necessary check up on the basics and come up with a simpler solution to how you do business.

Establish your business datums

Fri, 04 Feb 2011 14:41:50 GMT

A datum is a reference point, something that you can look back to work out where you are. Business can move so quickly and by having some defined reference points you can make decisions quickly and consistently.

Being able to step back and see where you are can sometimes be difficult and requires objectivity. If you can see your datum and see where you are then an appropriate decision can be made as to what you need to do next. The gap is the action required.

A datum doesn't have to be a cold measurement (such as a KPI) it could be a principle that you use in the business to help guide thoughts and decisions. It could be something like 'take work seriously, but not each other' - reminding people on how to conduct their business and their interpersonal transactions.

When the datum is communicated through the business then the way people behave changes. Clarity improves action and, by having some definitions about the way the business can be referred to, people can choose their actions more appropriately.

If your team 'get lost' with their day to day work and are unsure of how to change, or what to change, then creating some datums / guiding principles in your business can make getting back on track easier. It might be worth taking an inventory of the current unofficial datums that are present, just in case they are not working for the common interest!

Stop trying to leap to the finish line.

Fri, 28 Jan 2011 14:59:09 GMT

When a business is undertaking changes to improve its performance the sequence of steps needs to be understood. Many businesses attempt to leap to the finish line in one fell swoop and this can create huge problems for the business, so much that they may decide that their overall plan is not suitable.

If you have worked out your sequence then you will know that the first step is followed by the second step. You must do the first step. Being able to articulate this to the other people in your business becomes easier when you know the sequence.

Advanced approaches need the basics to be right before you can attempt the big stuff. The desire and impatience to achieve the results without putting in the effort with the basics shows up time and time again when the new ways of working collapse. One of the common sights in manufacturing is when businesses try to implement slick pull production systems when none of the work required to achieve this result have been completed. Result - failure and resentment.

Learning and insights are gained through the change process which allow the final stages to work more effectively. Every twist and turn from the implementation of new ways of working bring new ideas and can help to make the results you achieve so much more impressive. Take advantage of this learning and don't try to skip to the end.

Direct the eagerness demonstrated by your team into a check list of tasks. Use this check list to provide a series of reference points that you can build upon to achieve sustainable results. And finally, enjoy the journey - you can learn a lot along the way and it needn't take a long period of time. Failing through poor preparation takes longer!

Forming disciplines to get results

Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:24:13 GMT

Many improvement projects aim to improve the performance of a business in one fell swoop. Many times however the shift that the business undertakes needs to be backed up with new habits and discipline.

By discipline I am referring to routines of working. If certain things need to happen every single day in order to maintain the new way of working then we need to ensure that we do what we say we are going to do. There is no magic bullet and we have all seen how quickly habits can be broken.

Abdication is another aspect to consider. When new tasks are established in a business and responsibility is handed down to complete the tasks then it is essential that some form of inspection takes place. There are those people who will say that this is not only a waste of resources but that you shouldn't need to do this. The inspection however can be relaxed in its frequency and as long as you ask the right question(s) then it won't take long at all. Abdication of responsibility is not an acceptable alternative.

The little things in the business that need to be maintained might not seem important to many people. "If it doesn't get done today then the business won't fall over". True, but don't do the task for a week or a month and watch as all the symptoms of the problem and the subsequent fire fighting appear. It is a surprising process to go through to find out the minutiae that can bring a business down if it is not maintained and acted upon through discipline and habits.

If your business is struggling to achieve the results that it needs then it could well be worth your time to reflect upon the disciplines and habits that are present within your business. If they are lacking (or missing) then establishing a new set of routines and policing them until they are set in place will be a great investment for your business.

Make it 'really simple'

Fri, 14 Jan 2011 15:26:00 GMT

When our projects at work are taking a long time to come to fruition and our daily lives are complicated, it is a great time to ask ourselves how we can make things 'really simple'.

When issues haven't been addressed properly we can end up with complicated solutions that take a lot of hard work and administration to keep on top of. When we ask how we can make it more simple we can usually find a better way to get the work done.

If there are lots of people involved with a process in the workplace there is a natural tendency for everyone to do their little bit in their own way. Getting everyone together so that they can come up with a single simple way to perform the work can give your business an immediate boost in performance.

Simpler usually becomes faster, and with this you have the opportunity to deliver better customer service. You may even end up winning more business as a result!

Keeping it simple makes the overall management of the business easier. Strive to make your business simple. If you do it will most likely become quicker and more profitable in the long run.

Achieve your business objectives through agreed standards

Fri, 07 Jan 2011 10:57:11 GMT

When a business is struggling to achieve its business objectives then a review of the standards agreed in the business can make a radical change. Sometimes this change can take place rapidly.

One of the simplest agreements we can make is how long a part of the business will take to respond to customers. This gives the people in the business a standard to focus on and (hopefully) the customers a better quality of service.

Defining the key parts of the business process and looking at how they affect the achievement of the business objectives can tell you how each part needs to perform. Once this contribution is understood a standard can be set for its performance. This might be lead time, delivery performance, error rate etc..

Having standards is of course a benchmark for beginning your continuous improvement adventure. Once you achieve the standards initially agreed you can ask the question 'how far can we go with improving this business?'

Agreeing standards in the workplace is one of the simplest ways to drive up performance. It provides your staff with clarity and provides a great starting point for continuous improvement activities.

In the name of lean?

Fri, 10 Dec 2010 12:08:00 GMT

If you search Google for the term 'lean' you can find a huge amount of resources about this subject. At its simplest it is a business improvement methodology / philosophy but this seems to get missed and so businesses head off looking for some mysterious set of tools that will transform their business when in actual fact it is more likely to be an attitude that delivers the improvements.

I once heard a highly respected business man state that 'lean is awful'. He was referring to the cost cutting and vicious approaches that are often associated with lean. He then went on to talk about doing business 'simpler, faster and better', which sounds like a really good summary of lean. Many things are done in the name of lean, many of which are just not accurate.

Some businesses get hung up on the methodology, don't try to shoe horn a solution just because it's from the lean toolbox. Use the right tool for the issue at hand, don't get hung up on the names and show boating that can come from such an implementation. It's the results that count at the end of the day.

Sometimes you will try an approach and your team won't get it perfectly implemented, but the results will be significantly improved. Don't try to force a textbook implementation at the expense of getting great results from your team. A textbook implementation will undo itself if the people working with it don't understand it. Build your team's capability over time.

Don't do 'lean' for the sake of it, it takes time and attitudes must change for results to appear. Find the right solution for the right problem don't just do something because it can be done. Create some principles of change, focus on them and then you will be doing lean. Lean can be straightforward, as the business man said, 'simpler, faster and better'.

Don't live with inadequate data

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 14:07:00 GMT

So many businesses rely on their computer systems to provide accurate and meaningful information. In many cases their databases are riddled with holes, or even worse, incorrect information. Bad data often leads to the users creating sub systems to cope with the lack of confidence, which can create other problems including wasted time.

If you find that the data in your organisation is unreliable then don't keep quiet. Ensure that the offenders know that their data collection / input methods aren't acceptable and keep supporting them until the situation changes.

Find out why the data is so bad. There may be an educational element, they may not fully understand what is required and some quick adjustments can make a big difference to the quality of data.

When you do have reliable information available to you make sure that the data is used so that people value good data. If you're not going to use the information to help drive your business forwards then what is the point of having good information?

Good data is essential for decision making so make sure that you've got brilliant data. If you need to, then devise an ongoing maintenance programme for regularly checking the quality of information and keeping your staff and your systems up to date.

Kaizen - take some tiny steps

Fri, 03 Dec 2010 13:42:49 GMT

Kaizen is a term that is often bandied about within continuous improvement circles and by lean manufacturing experts. Kaizen is amazing, but quite often one of the more subtle aspects is often overlooked. Taking tiny steps is at the heart of the kaizen approach, a stance taken to help people overcome procrastination when projects or tasks look too complicated.

When someone is faced with a large task, a proposition that will take far too long to complete in their eyes, procrastination can kick in. When we take the same task and look for the smallest and simplest way to get the task started then the resistance to the work usually disappears. This is one of the most powerful uses for kaizen - find the tiniest step.

If new habits need to be formed in the workplace then you can use the same approach - find the simplest way and smallest way to perform part of the habit required. People gain momentum as their confidence increases and so what may seem a pointless tiny step could well be the start of something far more important than what we do today.

Chipping away at things in your business is one way to make improvements over time. Looking for the next big productivity jump may be difficult, but your team will know of the next tiny step we can take. Take these ideas and compound them over time, and in six months time you will be able to look back and astound yourself at the progress made. And, when you see a large jump you need to make, your team will be more ready to make the lead. The months of practicing small steps will pay off.

Kaizen, and the art of tiny steps, should be seen as a great way to incorporate continuous improvement, forming of new habits and improving performance. If it's tiny don't dismiss it - it could be the next big thing.

Do a little bit of maintenance

Fri, 26 Nov 2010 13:40:00 GMT

Have you ever noticed that from time to time some really big jobs crop up? They take an inordinate amount of time and you wonder where they come from. A common reason is that small bits of maintenance don't get performed, over time this issue compounds until one day something crashes to a halt. Finding the small regular maintenance activities can pay off in the long run if they are incorporated into a daily or weekly routine of some kind.

Data bases and computer systems that are used to manage the day to day activities in your business are a great place to perform small chunks of maintenance. If your data becomes obsolete or can't be used to make decisions then it will be bypassed. If you continue along this path you may end up creating a sub-system of working rather than resolving the original problem. Keep your data bases and computer based systems (including the storage of files) organised and current through small acts of maintenance (and computer housekeeping!).

When you apply the idea of small maintenance tasks to your business processes you find ways in which you can improve how your business operates. Working out which bits of the process do not work properly and correcting them is a really good use of maintenance time. In other words - maintenance can lead to continuous improvement. By working out why the mistakes happen, and tweaking the processes to correct these mistakes, you will have a better system to work with.

Paper based filing systems can benefit from small maintenance tasks also. If you look around your office and see mounds of paperwork, how do you feel?

Keeping on top of the paperwork, in trays and files that you store through maintenance tasks can make you feel a lot better and clearer about what you need to do. Moreover, you can save time by not having to wade through documents to find what you need.

Small chunks of maintenance can give your business some great results. If you haven't already started why don't you have a look at your business and identify some of the maintenance tasks that will prevent you getting the big 'show stopper' problems that businesses periodically encounter?

Business success starts with the basics

Fri, 12 Nov 2010 18:36:18 GMT

Many business improvement projects are embarked upon when some of the basics in a business are not being catered for. These projects are unlikley to work. The basics have to be in place first - the frills come second.

When we ignore the fundamentals of a business little cracks appear in the business. Over time these cracks get bigger and bigger until something significant happens. For those of you who are into root cause problem solving you will know that this occurs only too often. However, if we fix the basics, we can prevent the occurrence of a 'show stopper'.

When projects are designed to improve the finer aspects of how a business works it is always a good opportunity to make sure that all of the basics are in place already. I'm sure that you have heard countless 'house' analogies about weak foundations. Are there things in your business that aren't quite right that need to be tackled head on? By all means do the other tweaks later on.

Are there patterns of mistakes repeating in your business. Are there projects that aren't being started or completed? Are there disciplines that are no longer in place? When you find something small (or large) that isn't working don't ignore it. Work out what is causing the issue in the first place and do something about it.

Basics, basics, basics. Making sure that your business' basics are in place and are being maintained to an agreed standard is essential. Once you have the stability in your business then the other projects that can add further performance can be looked into. Take an inventory of your business and the basics that it needs to be built upon, and correct the issues that need correcting.

Face to face systems of working

Fri, 05 Nov 2010 14:26:41 GMT

There is so much richness available to you when you have a face to face meeting that when you see systems being created that avoid this you may wonder why it has been done. Sometimes, the gain in efficiency is fantastic for the business. However, at other times the lack of face to face contact can be detrimental to the business.

When you meet face to face there is the ability to pick up on the nuances of the discussion and come to a decision quickly. When the same approach is tried via e-mail it can sometimes take a much longer time to come to agreement. Face to face can tell you a lot of information.

Timings can become skewed when the discussions aren't in real time (as in a meeting). Often referred to as silos, work moves silently from one work station to another and what could take minutes in a formalised meeting can take days or weeks through other means. Face to face can speed up decision making for critical elements of the business.

The ability to remind and refocus members of the business about the direction we are travelling in and the required efforts can all be done in face to face settings. By coming together as a group it is far easier to maintain standards than to let them slip by letting people 'just get on and do it'.

There is a time and place for face to face meetings. If your business is creating systems to avoid the 'face to face' element then please consider the pros and cons of that decision. The balance between efficiency and effectiveness can be seen at either extreme. We're all smart people and by thinking through our decisions we can come up with a best of both worlds option.

Do you have too many spinning plates?

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 09:29:00 GMT

When we are faced with many ongoing projects and accountabilities we find that many of our desired outcomes do not materialise. By regulating how we allow our spinning plates into our work lives can make a big difference in how we achieve change and results.

When we focus on fewer items we can direct our energies so much more easily. If you have too many plates spinning why not put some of them away?

Some of the plates we allow to spin have little value to our overall work; these can be removed from our current workloads and disposed of accordingly.

Sometimes the mere fact that we keep thinking about other projects that we haven't started means that we need to find a way to stop thinking about those plates and to focus on the job at hand. Simple - keep a list.

If you have too many spinning plates then stop! Take stock of where you are and adjust what you are working on and get some focus back (as well as some results!).

Do you remember the stage-gate process?

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 18:30:38 GMT

In engineering (and many other disciplines) there is a stage gate process that prevents too much activity from taking place until there is enough capability or experience available. This idea can be applied to business improvement quite simply by recognising the phases of your improvement work.

If you are needing to go through many changes in quick succession it may be worthwhile to define the most appropriate sequence and then to work out what the right pace would be. By this I mean you need to decide what the criteria is that allows you to progress along your road map. If you don't qualify then you don't progress.

By defining the stage gates in the road map you gain clarity of what the map actually looks like. Without this level of definition you end up with a hazy map of activity.

From defining the various requirements to move to the next phase you are able to clearly communicate what needs to happen at each stage. This clarity can help to improve the quality of the actions that take place and the speed at which progress can be made.

Having a clear road map can allow swift and effective improvement to take place within the business. Why not (re-)define your road map today?

Do you have a lack of options?

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 14:43:31 GMT

When you are looking to make improvements in your business do you find that your idea gets shot down too quickly? Ensuring that you have a number of options to choose from means that you can have better chances of people saying 'yes' and that you as a business get to choose the best option rather than just settling for the only option.

When the other members of your business have five reasons not to go ahead with something, it may be in your interest to have six reasons why you should go ahead. The more options you have the better view of the world you obtain.

When we have a limited range of choices we cannot guarantee that we are making the best choice. The more creativity we can employ to create options means that we are going to be presenting ourselves with a better selection - and this could mean better results.

The mere fact that we have more options means that if our plan gets stuck then we may be able to find another route to reach our objectives. A hybrid plan may well be the output when we find ourselves stuck, and having more options comes the rescue once more.

Having more options than is required is a great problem to have, unless this causes procrastination! If in doubt when you are looking to make a decision about your next business improvement generate some more ideas and then pick the best one!

What's in a name - Smartspeed?

Fri, 01 Oct 2010 18:57:50 GMT

Sometimes we are asked – “why the name Smartspeed?” It’s a simple response – we help our clients to think differently (SMART) and then act with improved effectiveness and efficiency (SPEED). If you think about the experiences that you have had then you will probably be able to recall times where you have seen this not take place!

Have you ever seen projects that have begun without fully understanding the facts? ‘We don’t have time to do all the paperwork!’ you may hear, but then there is enough time to rework various elements and work unpaid overtime to get the job completed. It reminds me of the saying “we don’t have time to do it right, but we have enough time to do it twice!”

We chase after improvements only to find that the wrong things get improved because we failed to do the correct thinking or analysis at the start of the project. If only we got really clear about what we needed in terms of results then we could define a simpler and easier way forward.

What about the peak loads in our businesses when some of the little tasks are pushed out of the way? When the little tasks are designed so that they offer a truly effective impact on the business in the minimal amount of time then dropping these little tasks would be seen as insane. Our business habits have a huge impact.

So, when your business feels a little stuck. Think about what you are doing. If you decide what you want, work out the best way to achieve it, then you can move forward with greater speed, precision and service for your customers.

Take the plunge with a pilot

Fri, 24 Sep 2010 07:39:42 GMT

When faced with an opportunity to change, many businesses stall and delay. There can be many factors that can contribute to this behaviour, but there are some simple approaches that you can take to make the change process easier for you and your business.

The PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act) approach can help you to educate your teams that if the improvement doesn't work the first time round you are allowed to tweak the idea until you get it working in your business. Many improvements are not perfect the first time round. However, dismissing them altogether if they don't quite work builds up a level of resistance to trying other ideas in the future.

Prove that the change is possible and worthwhile to yourself and others by doing a tiny version of the improvement first. If you can get the hang of the small version then you can ramp up to bigger and better things. Doing a tiny version first reduces the risk to the business and the ego!

Learn as you progress and try other things. Taking the opportunity to learn the lessons from any change you make brings better insights and ultimately better improvement ideas and rates of success as time goes on.

Creating an easy entry 'tiny' version of your improvement to get progress started is one of the simplest and most powerful ways to tackle the whole business improvement issue. Pilot the idea, tweak it until it works and then roll it out. Small is beautiful.

Focus on the system

Fri, 17 Sep 2010 05:41:25 GMT

The system in any business is what drives the performance. The individuals (the personalities) are essential to make the system work, but the performance of the overall business is due to the system. If you focus on the system then you are focussing on improving the overall business, not just pockets of activity within.

When we look at the individuals we take our eye off the process that converts our customers wishes and wants into tangible products and services. Keeping this in mind means that we can work on developing our business system and improving the performance of individuals within the business at the same time.

The system comprises of many parts outside of the individual, when we look at the whole system we are able to identify small improvements that can have large benefits. When we focus on the individual’s performance we ignore the large mass of the business that still isn’t improving.

When we allow the individual to flourish through the system that defines the business we can experience fantastic performance. When they work in harmony (great people and great systems) that is when customer’s become delighted.
If your focus is on the whole system then you can experience great performance from your business. If you are lost purely in the detail then you will miss opportunities to improve your performance. Get the balance right and let people thrive in a brilliant business system.

Offer people a route to take

Fri, 10 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

When a change needs to happen within a business it can sometimes be frustrating to the business management to see a lack of progress. In many cases a route needs to be provided that clearly marks out the transition that will need to be made.

If support is provided to help make the change then the uptake is higher. Leaving the change to happen on its own may mean that it will not happen if the perceptions of the people needing to make the change are significantly different to those dictating the change.

Discussions around the change usually throw up issues and beliefs that do not have a basis in reality. Dealing with these issues and beliefs allows the change to happen with less resistance.

Defining milestones of change can provide a short term focus that can help many people to follow the route. If the overall change process looks too big, or too long (or both) then those people required to make the change may procrastinate. Showing our team how to progress in small straightforward steps can usually help.

So, change doesn't happen easily if we cannot explain the route we need to take. By discussing the issues around the change and dividing the change process up into small, manageable chunks we can significantly improve how quickly and how effectively we change and improve our businesses.

Don't kill off an idea until you have the facts

Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT

In many meetings an idea or a suggestion is killed off quickly because someone present knows why it won't work. However, upon further exploration, it is usually the case that the person who knows that the idea won't work doesn't really know at all.

When you have a group 'brainstorming' session you usually abide by rules. These rules include the welcoming of all ideas no matter how bizarre or ridiculous they might appear. Why not have the same approach to parts of our normal working practice.

Getting the facts can tell you more about the situation than just guessing. Failure to even try to obtain the information is a failure to learn. Shouldn't we try and learn about the issue at hand so that we can make the best decision possible?

The very idea that is being 'shot down' might have been tried in the past and the reaction that you are receiving may be someone's recollection of the situation. What if the idea was tweaked and we found out that the original idea was great, but just poorly implemented wouldn't you want to take advantage of the great ideas that pass through your business?

There is a great tendency to kill off ideas before our brains have had time to make a proper assessment of what to do with it. When we kill off ideas quickly in our businesses then ideas will stop flowing over time. Let's take advantage of all of the great ideas that flow through our business.

Great information with low effort

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 06:00:53 GMT

Information that can help an organisation needs to flow through the business. In many cases this consideration, or the effort to produce the information, stops the information from flowing.

The information does not need to be excessive. If you ask the members of your business what information needs to be produced you will often find that the requirements are refreshingly light.

There are usually easy and low (or no) cost ways of getting the information out. Ask around there is usually something you can piggy back to help the information flow.

Don’t spend too much time on the documentation. However you get the information out this is disposable, for internal use only. Quick and effective is order of the day. Creating a standard format to provide consistency is a good idea to help this information to both cascade properly and look acceptable.

Find out what information can help oil the wheels in your business, it can reduce the level of unhelpful rumours and also improve productivity. Come up with a quick way to produce and propagate this information and then get to it!

Define the standard

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 08:26:25 GMT

When a task needs to be performed in a business it is straightforward to write a standard operating procedure and then hope that the results obtained are the ones you want. One way to improve this haphazard approach to results is to define the standard expected of the result.

If you define the attributes of the result you can give people a far clearer picture to work with, this can help them to achieve your vision of the result more consistently.Explain which areas need to be rigid, and allow the other areas to include flexibility.

The parts that are vital and really shape the result needs to be rigid, whilst the other areas can be done in a style that suits the individual. For example, if your business has a sign-off sheet that needs to include a signature, explain that it will not be accepted if there is no signature on the sheet. Be flexible as to what colour pen the signature is in - the important thing is that the sheet is signed.Maintain and measure the standard on a regular basis to make sure that the standard is being adhered to. Create 'dip sticks' - quick ways to tell if the standard is being maintained.

If the standard of a result is important then tell the people explicitly what is required. A set of instructions, even well written ones, can produce different results. If the result (or output) is important then define it properly.

Get close to the point of origin

Fri, 13 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Sometimes things just need to happen as quickly as possible to the point at which it occurred. When actions are delayed from this point a lack of detail can occur that can make a big difference to the outcome.

For example if you have a meeting and need to agree the actions do it at the meeting, if you wait a day then you won’t remember the same amount of detail that you would have done yesterday – the oomph will have gone.

If notes need to be written up then doing them as soon as possible after the event is key as clarity and accuracy decays quickly as time passes.

Decisions made too long after the need to make the decision can skew the choice made, being able to make effective relevant immediate decisions is a great skill.

In many instances closing out actions, making decisions and capturing information as close to the point of origin is a great business benefit. Is this worth reflecting upon in your business?

Experiment, iterate and enjoy!

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 13:28:23 GMT

Many people get hung up on 'getting it right first time'. This is a good motto in many instances. For example, 'right first time' is a great way to be when you are visible to your clients, or if you are repeating a process of some sort and getting wrong has significant cost implications. However, when we are trying to find a new solution, focussing on getting the result right the first time can result in people not trying new things. We need to be willing to experiment, and to tweak the approach until we get it right.

If you can show your team and your staff that 'not right first time' is a pre-cursor to getting better results, you can lead them into more productive and innovative ways of working.

Using small scale pilots for testing out new ideas and approaches in the workplace is low risk and a way of making effective changes happen.

Experiment with the way that your business works so that you can make it even better.

Too many jobs / not enough time?

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 08:50:13 GMT

Many times you hear people talking about the lack of time in their day and the amount of tasks or projects that are building up.

There is a simple approach to this that can be used to great effect and may be worth a go. It is the idea of drip feeding 10 minute tasks into your day.

Ten minutes isn't a lot of time and you can get a surprisingly large amount of work done in a focussed slot of 10 minutes.

Ten minutes isn't very long and so usually doesn't make us feel overwhelmed, this means that procrastination can be avoided.

Ten minutes done every day is fifty minutes in a normal working week. Many projects can be moved on with nearly an hour a week. Moreover, if the tasks or projects you have chosen to spend 10 minutes a day on are important, you will probably gain momentum and decide to spend more time on these and stop doing something that is less important.

So, if you find yourself getting stuck then try putting your hard to reach / hard to start projects into 10 minute slots and just get started.

Stop doing what's no longer required

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 07:40:44 GMT

When an improvement has taken effect and the results you need have appeared this can often be an opportunity to stop doing some things that you have done before.

Do the same KPIs need to be reported upon?

Do the same reports need to be submitted to your clients?

Do you still need to hold the same meetings that you had before your problems went away?

When you make an improvement to your business some activities you did beforehand will not be as relevant. Some tasks may only be present because they are at the request of an unhappy owner or customer. Make the decision to stop doing what is no longer required and do more of what is essential.

Result, Solution, Action

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 06:34:12 GMT

This is the sequence to make change happen.

Many times we see organisations determine what solution they want, when in fact that will give them a different result to the one that they really want.

If you find yourself in this situation, or are about to embark upon a new project, then ask yourself this question - "will this course of action give me the result that I need?"

From root cause problem solving we know that the 'evidence' that we see around us is usually a symptom of the real problem and by probing deeper we can find the simpler and more powerful problem to solve.

So, before you start your next project or improvement activity consider the steps once more:

- What result do we need?

- What is the appropriate solution?

- What is the most efficient and effective course of action?

A lack of reality

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 13:02:19 GMT

When you hear that information is not available and that it won't be discussed you can be fairly sure that there is something going wrong within a business.

Whatever the reason is for not wanting to discuss the facts the outcome is clear. You cannot make decisions properly without the facts. Many times you can see this lack of engagement through the minimisation that takes place. Comments are made that make the situation look less important than it really is and the necessary fact finding never takes place.

Keep your eyes and ears open for times when facts are being ignored or played down, there could be a significant opportunity lurking behind the scenes.

Who is in charge of the change?

Fri, 18 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

When a change is made within a business the change needs to be managed and supported. This is especially true if the way people are expected to work has changed.

If the change isn't supported the improvements may disappear and progress is lost.
Getting involved with your team to learn how the change is being executed provides both leadership and confirmation of the changes' usefulness.
By helping your team to review their progress you can help them to find even better ways of working, hopefully this will help them buy into the new ways of working even more.

Managing the change is not difficult it just requires application and consistency.

Too many projects

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

What happens when there are too many projects on the go?

Quite often the answer is stagnation and a distinct lack of progress. If this is the case then limiting the amount of projects could be the way forward.

- You gain clarity with fewer projects.
- Speed of completion rises.
- The relevance of other projects is questioned.

So, if you are getting stuck and not making progress with your projects then consider doing less. By slowing down we go faster.

A lack of priorities

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Your

team know what needs to happen tomorrow and they know the importance. So why do they work on the least important thing on the list when they turn up the next day?

Not all tasks are created equally. Some will deliver far greater results than others, so why don't we start with these ones first.

A usual remark is that there may be a degree of difficulty associated with the higher priority task and so an easier one is chosen.

There is of course false importance - people being unaware of the consequences of not doing the task and so something that has a short shelf life is promoted and done first.

Whatever the reason is we need to make sure that priorities are determined by the needs of the business and not left to be randomly determined by the people in the business.

Look out for the sub-systems

Fri, 28 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT

When a business doesn't work the way it should do it often finds itself on the back foot. When this happens it is quite common that a series of sub systems appear in the business, ways of working that allow the business to solve the immediate problem(s) faced. If the reasons for falling back in the first place are not understood and not addressed then there is a strong risk that the business will get behind once more and need to dig itself out of the hole again.

If this pattern continues for too long you could find the business running the sub-systems as their primary workload and not really running the business as it should do. Failure to correct the problems with our normal working stops us from performing to the level required by our customers. What do you think they will do next?

If you ever find your business getting behind with its workload then keep an eye out for sub-systems that are starting to become the norm. It's time to nip them in the bud.

The maths coursework effect

Fri, 21 May 2010 07:10:12 GMT

When a project runs for a long period of time you can often get what is often remarked as being 'the maths coursework effect'.

Imagine that you are fifteen years old and your school coursework is due in two weeks time. Let's say that two weeks is ten school days. Do you complete 10% of the coursework each day, or cram it in the night before you need to hand it in?

Projects in business often reflect this problem, with slow meandering starts and frantic finishes (often not delivering on time).

If this applies to your business then a simple solution exists - create short term focus so that there is always an end point just round the corner. Plenty of milestones is one way to do this.

Add a process to support the project delivery and you will find that projects conclude in a more calm and prompt manner.

Managing the system you've improved

Fri, 14 May 2010 14:29:20 GMT

When you have made some changes to your business and improved the systems within the question comes up 'how do you keep the system in place?'.

It is very tempting to say that if you get the people who run the systems to design the new way of working then it will stay in place.

Doing this is essential. If people don't buy into the change then youwill have an uphill struggle just trying to make the initial change.

Unfortunately it is quite common practice to believe that doing this will do. It won't.

People get busy and over time they often forget to do what they should be doing. Over time optimal ways of working ceases and disciplines decay.

The answer to many of these issues is for someone senior in the organisation to 'police' the system and it's ways of working. The key to making this workable is to keep the approach light.

Make the policing part of the system, make it flexible, shared between a group and light touch.

What can you control in your working day?

Fri, 07 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT

There are so many opportunities in our working lives to see things go wrong. You see so many people chasing their tails trying to put a lid on the chaos that is engulfing them.

Those who stop what they are doing and consider what they control quickly gain overall control of their situation however.

Cause and effect is often an interesting debate, but when applied to our business routines a simple approach can be defined.

Following through on these routines can transform how your business runs. Be at cause, not effect.

Keeping the big picture in mind

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Day to day working can sometimes seem illogical when you consider the big picture it is working to.

If your day to day actions don't help you achieve your objectives then it might be worth asking yourself if you need to do what you're doing or if you should be doing something entirely different.

A lack of sequence

Fri, 02 Apr 2010 00:00:00 GMT

We all know that our projects and our tasks are a collection of steps. We take time to map our work (looking for improvements) and then find that productivity does not increase as a result.

Could it be that we are reviewing the wrong areas? Could we be better off by doing something different that just mapping what we think we do?

Sometimes the improvement that we need is at a very lowest level within the organisation's efforts - in the day to day activities, not necessarily the strategic ones. How we file our work, how we decide when to give the information to the next stage of the process and the format of the information can all have big impacts in the productivity of our work area.

When we don't understand what the best sequence is for our work we find ourselves not being as efficient as we could be.

What is the right sequence for the work in your business?

Can you engineer the handovers and sequences of work so that you can become more productive in your work?

Have a look at your day to day sequences of work and ask yourself this question 'can this be done in a better way?'

Doing the right tasks at the right time

Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Businesses run on routines. Every day there will be some kind of activity that needs to take place like clockwork. If the routine task does not take place it will probably not be the end of the world, but if the task is never done the quality of the service, or the standards in the business may well drop.

If routines of work are important then why do we struggle to keep them in place?

One answer for this question is that we don't create formal rotas / schedules of activity that are clearly visible and located in a public place within the business.

It does require discipline to maintain routine activities - especially when we become really busy. With a rota we are more able to remember what we need to do in order for the business to run smoothly, professionally and efficiently.

If you need more help than just a rota then you may want to try implementing an end of week checklist for your own personal use, or put a reminder on your phone / email calendar. As the habit forms and the disciplines appear your team will appreciate why we do these things.

Taking the rough with the smooth

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

On our travels we see many projects getting behind schedule due to the people involved not the 'taking the rough with the smooth'. By this we mean that during the course of the project there may well be some elements that are highly enjoyable and some that are boring or difficult.

If all of the tasks listed for a project are required to complete the project then all of them will need to be completed.

By actively managing the parts of the project which appear, or are expected, to be in the difficult / confusing / tedious camp then you will have a better chance of others completing all of the tasks in a timely manner.

If it is you who is struggling with these tasks then it might be worth considering the advice given by Brian Tracy in his book 'Eat that frog'. Basically, start your working day with the most unpleasant, difficult (and most important) task. Once this is done you don't have to think about that task again.

Try it and see what it does for your project delivery effectiveness.

Don't rush your job

Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

It's interesting to watch and take note of what happens when people rush their jobs.

Things get missed off. Parts of the job that normally get done, and can be done from memory, don't get done.

Depending on where you work this may or may not be critical. For a surgeon this may be life and death (or a fire fighter, or a pilot for example), for everyone else this could at least mean a poor customer experience for our clients, or the reworking of a job at a later date.

Two improvements spring to mind with this problem in mind.

1 - using checklists can make life a lot easier (so when you are pushed for time you don't need to rely on your mind!).

2 - appropriate time should be given to a task and scheduled accordingly (or deferred if possible - should there not be enough time).

Business does go quickly - but reworking the same problems time and time again is even slower. Look at the areas where you find mistakes occuring. If they are due to people rushing the job then why not consider the above?

Business improvement - just stop and think!

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

One of the simplest things we can do if we want to improve our business is to stop and think.

Just stopping to reflect upon what we are doing can give one of the greatest impacts we can have within our own business.

When we take a look at what we are doing we are able to see activities and arrangements that don't lend themselves to being the best possible way. These areas for improvement become more obvious when we take the time to stop what we are doing and take a step back from the (hectic) day-to-day.

'Does it work?' is a great question to ask when we step back - does it work well?

By taking the time out to ask this question you will most likely find opportunities to improve leaping towards you.

This is not hard - it just takes the discipline to periodically stop and think about what we are doing.

Do you want a productivity boost?

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

One item of conversation that crops up time and time again is that of wanting a boost in productivity. Projects get delayed and don't seem to move, let alone the piles of paperwork on your desk that seem to build up from normal working; these all detract from our ability to be productive.

Well, there is a simple approach to improving productivity. It can give a one time boost, or can be used on an ongoing basis to maintain higher levels of productivity. It's quite simple and all to do with 'keeping your house in order'.

Write a list of everything that you think you need to do to get all of your tasks / projects back on track. Resolve to sort out this list and focus on clearing as many items as possible. In fact don't stop until you do clear the list.

When you have finished you will be in a position to tackle new jobs and hence become truly productive. The list that was holding you back was stuff that should have been done already and therefore a case of obligations not being met.

Flushing your task list to make sure that you are up to date with the obligations that you / your business has made allows you to focus on the new opportunities, and the pleasure that you get from knowing this helps you to approach your new work with more vigour and more (natural) productivity.

Magic!

What is your job?

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Many people spend their days working without truly appreciating what their job really entails. I'm sure that you have seen other people work really hard at what they are given (or have chosen) to do, and yet aren't producing results of any real merit.

Most jobs are designed for a purpose - to add value to a specific process or client, they are there to make the process or client experience better.

If you are familiar with Parkinson's Law (that effort expands to fit the time available) you will see the countless unnecessary tasks that fill the days of many working people. Jobs that do not fit with the value that the organisation is trying to generate, and do not help anyone to deliver meaningful results.

Not understanding current work content and how this generates value to the end client is crucial if we are to spend our days doing something that is useful, profitable and enjoyable.

Does your day-to-day work deliver the results?

Take advantage of down time

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Busy busy busy are our days and yet there is always the opportunity to get more done if that is required.

There are many tasks that can be run at the same time as others, effectively getting two things done at once.

Looking for these opportunities to piggy back other activities can add a further degree of productivity to your day.

Of course, you also have the opportunity of jettisoning tasks that yield little value to your cause (or your stakeholder's) and have less to contend with in the first place.

How do you remember to do everything?

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Pretty much everyone has a huge stack of items that they need to do. When seeing the amount of confusion that this can cause it raises the question of how do you remember everything that you have to do.

At most people's disosal are existing systems that can be used to capture all of this information. Whether this is a CRM system, email, paper or something else there is one thing that is certainly true. If we keep it only in our heads thenwe risk a continuous state of confusion.

If this situation applies to you then the following considerations may help you to enjoy more productive days:

- find a way to get your list of tasks out of your head on an ongoing basis.

- decide how you are going to prioritise your activities.

- keep your lists up to date and maintain a flow within your list, flush tasks when they stagnate (either do them or remove them from your list if no longer relevant).

Keep your brain working at full tilt through better organisation of your list of tasks and watch your days becoming more productive.

How do you work out your priorities?

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

When faced with a massive list of tasks that need to be completed, and let's say that some of them will affect the ability to improve your businesses, how do you choose the right task to start with?

I have seen many justifications for people choosing what is considered a real priority - that one thing that must be completed first, and in many cases there was no rationale behind the choice.

If you ever find yourself in this situation then I offer a simple consideration to help you find the most important activity to focus on.

Evaluating your task list in terms of urgency (or deadlines) and impact (the benefit of doing the work versus consequences of not doing the work) can make the top task stand out, hence making it an easier decision

Try it and see how you get on.