John Seddon has been a Systems builder since the 80s. He bases his work on the genius of Taiichi Ohno – The Toyota Production System – Beyond Large-Scale Production. Seddon has been successful adapting Ohno’s TPS approach but using it in services. There’s always a temptation to set targets and try to convince people to […]
What’s your ‘Purpose’? Read More »
This is a line from a video I used to show as a college professor back in the 80s. It has stuck with me ever since and I say it quite often. ‘Communication’ is getting harder with more distractions. Cell phones abound – most of the participants in training courses that I deliver have 2
Communication is a Synonym for ‘Life’ Read More »
Seth Godin is one of my favourite authors – a great thinker and terrific business person. Even though he’s not ‘ISO’ his thoughts on ‘systems’ fit beautifully. The first mistake we make is the underestimation of the importance of something. Think of the internet. We assume it’s stable and will always work. We don’t really
Two Management System Mistakes We Make Read More »
We all give training to new managers. It seems weak at best, and might even make things worse in some cases. Disengaged employees as a result of poor management may be costing your company as much as 34% of your wage costs in lost productivity. This figure comes from an article posted by Katy Tynan
Why Management Training Doesn’t Work…and what to do about it… Read More »
Daniel Markovitz posted a blog called ‘The Folly of Stretch Goals’ in the Harvard Business Review. He outlined the dangers of using ‘stretch goals’ and gives some examples of unwanted behaviours that can result. He identifies three areas where ‘stretch goals’ can result in ‘off the rails’ behaviours. Stretch Goals Can be Demotivating When an
Why ‘Management by the Numbers’ Doesn’t Work… Read More »
Not everyone LOVES doing corrective actions, and that’s an understatement! So why bother? Here are a few good reasons to carry out corrective actions: Corrective actions are one of the building blocks to system improvement. System improvement is required in 11 places in ISO 9001:2015 4.4.1 – Context, QMS requirements: continually improve a quality management
Corrective Actions…WIIFM? Read More »
James P. Womack identifies this as a place to improve in Lean Solutions with Daniel Jones. We don’t want to lose customers by keeping them waiting. Consider this: “If we had to pay our customers for the time they wait to get what they want from us, would we find ways to do things better
Don’t Waste My Time! Read More »
This is a solid set of steps developed by James P. Womack in his book Lean Thinking. He was into the Lean stream very early and has done some great work. He mentions Taiichi Ohno and The Toyota Production System in his work as well. Womack’s 8 steps to get from ‘Thinking’ to ‘Action’: Overcome inertia
From ‘Thinking’ to ‘Action’ Read More »
You bet we can!! When we integrate 2 or more Standards, the time savings start immediately! It takes some work to combine some of the requirements, but the benefits last for the life of the system. Top Management Benefits Management can literally kill multiple birds with one stone. As we go down the list
Can We Make Improvements Through Integration? Read More »
You may recognize Deming’s 8th ‘Point’ – Drive Out Fear. There’s no better way to get people ‘engaged’ (ISO 9001, 5.1.1 h) than creating a work environment where people feel listened to and respected for their expertise, no matter how ‘basic’ that expertise is! In this Point, he talks about 4 things to do to
Unleash Potential…Drive Out FEAR! Read More »
