Breakthrough Improvement
Started by Simon, Apr 27 2004 12:09 PM
Dear SaferPakers,
Continuous Improvement is not possible, continual improvement is. In fact continual improvement is not only possible it is imperative to business survival and in some standards it is now even a requirement.
Making small incremental improvements in pursuit of your objectives and continually raising the bar is admirable and can be fun. However, making one extraordinarily humungous breakthrough improvement that gets you miles farther much quicker is all the more fun.
I'm not positive but given an open chequebook I do believe that even I could go into an organisation and make a breakthrough improvement - any fool could. But what about with a tightly closed chequebook?
Have you ever been part of a massive business breakthrough improvement that didn't cost anything - indeed is it possible?
If it is and you did please tell me how.
Regards,
Simon
Continuous Improvement is not possible, continual improvement is. In fact continual improvement is not only possible it is imperative to business survival and in some standards it is now even a requirement.
Making small incremental improvements in pursuit of your objectives and continually raising the bar is admirable and can be fun. However, making one extraordinarily humungous breakthrough improvement that gets you miles farther much quicker is all the more fun.
I'm not positive but given an open chequebook I do believe that even I could go into an organisation and make a breakthrough improvement - any fool could. But what about with a tightly closed chequebook?
Have you ever been part of a massive business breakthrough improvement that didn't cost anything - indeed is it possible?
If it is and you did please tell me how.
Regards,
Simon
Is it not possible then?
Regards,
Simon
Regards,
Simon
Simon,
Depends really, if the company is in a real mess, then yes.
Many years ago I was hired as a prod manager for a small moulding company in dorset. It was a s@@thole but ripe for improvement. To be honest it could not have been worse.
When they were bought by the major customer and I was made General Manager (grand title) I turned it from loss to profit in 3 months.
How???
Bought the material (same material not an equivalent) from a cheaper source!!
Cleaned the place up, trained a few of the staff to actually do their specified job, sack a few wasters and bought a new machine.
For a well performing company it is the nibbling aspect that usually works.
I do know of a couple of places where they have managed to break the 'division walls' between different functions in the business (toolroom v mouldshop) not with rocket science but the help of a 'consultant' that had no axe to grind. Therefore the people listened. Simple.
Depends really, if the company is in a real mess, then yes.
Many years ago I was hired as a prod manager for a small moulding company in dorset. It was a s@@thole but ripe for improvement. To be honest it could not have been worse.
When they were bought by the major customer and I was made General Manager (grand title) I turned it from loss to profit in 3 months.
How???
Bought the material (same material not an equivalent) from a cheaper source!!
Cleaned the place up, trained a few of the staff to actually do their specified job, sack a few wasters and bought a new machine.
For a well performing company it is the nibbling aspect that usually works.
I do know of a couple of places where they have managed to break the 'division walls' between different functions in the business (toolroom v mouldshop) not with rocket science but the help of a 'consultant' that had no axe to grind. Therefore the people listened. Simple.
Hi,
One way to have a major breakthrough without spending money is to restructure your organisation by looking at your people resources, evaluate their abilities and reallocate them with clear instructions of what you would like them to achieve to areas in the company which require a fresh approach. The promise of a salary reveiw after 6 months if they are successful should make the project self financing.
Regards
Roger
One way to have a major breakthrough without spending money is to restructure your organisation by looking at your people resources, evaluate their abilities and reallocate them with clear instructions of what you would like them to achieve to areas in the company which require a fresh approach. The promise of a salary reveiw after 6 months if they are successful should make the project self financing.
Regards
Roger
Fundamentally, continual improvement can be sustained improvement. Continuos improvement would have to achieve meaningful improvements from the "benchmarked" level.
To perform continual improvements, there must first be recognised improvement. Therefore, there has got to be a start point i.e. benchmark. Sustainable?
It is not impossible to maintain continuos improvements BUT there are simply too many variable elements to overcome mostly, external factors mainly. Achievable or will time wear you down?
"Puzzle" took the logical approach to deal with the company she turned around.......existing resources that were available to her -naturally!
Maybe we should consider some terms:
1. A restructuring exercise - turning around
2. Flat - going nowhere but sustainable
3. Industry Perform - Potential growth achieved. Further growth is marginalised.
4. High growth - Outperforming industry average growth
From the above, which is considered continuos and continual improvement or it is really possible.
Charles Chew
To perform continual improvements, there must first be recognised improvement. Therefore, there has got to be a start point i.e. benchmark. Sustainable?
It is not impossible to maintain continuos improvements BUT there are simply too many variable elements to overcome mostly, external factors mainly. Achievable or will time wear you down?
"Puzzle" took the logical approach to deal with the company she turned around.......existing resources that were available to her -naturally!
Maybe we should consider some terms:
1. A restructuring exercise - turning around
2. Flat - going nowhere but sustainable
3. Industry Perform - Potential growth achieved. Further growth is marginalised.
4. High growth - Outperforming industry average growth
From the above, which is considered continuos and continual improvement or it is really possible.
Charles Chew
Puzzle is Chris and I'm pretty sure he's a man Charles...
Some good points and I think Puzzle got it pretty much spot on. It does depend very much where your starting point is, for example in a business that's on the slippery slope or where the quality management system is immature it is possible to make breakthrough improvements by using some basic improvement tools and a bucketful of common sense best practice. Also Roger (where have you been?) by deploying your existing resources in a more intelligent way I agree with you that you can also realise breakthrough improvements. I was sort of trying to get this point over on this thread the other day:
http://www.saferpak....p?showtopic=371
I've attached a graph for interest that shows an example of Continuous and Continual Improvement. I think only one is possible.
Like I said incremental improvement is worthy but sometimes we should really shake things up. A couple of interesting articles if you feel like having an improvement blitz:
Bureaucracies Love Kaizen
http://www.refresher.com/!kaizen.html
Kaizen Blitz (Kaikaku)
http://www.kaizen-tr...izen_blitz.html
Regards,
Simon
Some good points and I think Puzzle got it pretty much spot on. It does depend very much where your starting point is, for example in a business that's on the slippery slope or where the quality management system is immature it is possible to make breakthrough improvements by using some basic improvement tools and a bucketful of common sense best practice. Also Roger (where have you been?) by deploying your existing resources in a more intelligent way I agree with you that you can also realise breakthrough improvements. I was sort of trying to get this point over on this thread the other day:
http://www.saferpak....p?showtopic=371
I've attached a graph for interest that shows an example of Continuous and Continual Improvement. I think only one is possible.
Like I said incremental improvement is worthy but sometimes we should really shake things up. A couple of interesting articles if you feel like having an improvement blitz:
Bureaucracies Love Kaizen
http://www.refresher.com/!kaizen.html
Kaizen Blitz (Kaikaku)
http://www.kaizen-tr...izen_blitz.html
Regards,
Simon
Attached Files
Simon,
Charles Chew
Charles Chew
My wife is pleased to hear itSimon,
Going back on some of the "remarks" that puzzle gave, I have to agree with you that "Puzzle" is a GUY
Charles Chew
Did it really need Charles to confirm it for her Chris? :PMy wife is pleased to hear itSimon,
Going back on some of the "remarks" that puzzle gave, I have to agree with you that "Puzzle" is a GUY
Charles Chew
Regards,
Simon
How embarassing but its all in good fun?
I guess Chris' wife must be terribly relieved of your identity crisis. Must be a way to prevent this from happening again to someone else.
Charles Chew
I guess Chris' wife must be terribly relieved of your identity crisis. Must be a way to prevent this from happening again to someone else.
Charles Chew
Getting back to breakthrough improvement. IMO Rear Admiral Grace Hopper USN, got it just about right:
'Take Risks - A ship in port is safe, but that is not what ships are for. Sail out to sea and do new things'.
Regards,
Simon
'Take Risks - A ship in port is safe, but that is not what ships are for. Sail out to sea and do new things'.
Regards,
Simon
Simon,
I'd have to go one step further than your quote - What about Pearl Harbour?
If you’re standing still, you're dead in the water..
Regards
Richard
I'd have to go one step further than your quote - What about Pearl Harbour?
If you’re standing still, you're dead in the water..
Regards
Richard
Lets throw in a variable called a union.
An organized work force can be a hard nut to crack regarding making incremental improvements. The status quo is how unions operate, I just wish it was the group Status Quo, I could handle that a lot easier.
At my Ford location, it's very difficult to crack the culture that's attached to organized labour.
Back to the group with this question: Have you had much experience and success with dealing with organized labour (Unions), regarding making incremental Business process improvements?
Wallace.
Attached is an image of the vehicle we assemble at the OAP (Oakville Assembly Plant)
An organized work force can be a hard nut to crack regarding making incremental improvements. The status quo is how unions operate, I just wish it was the group Status Quo, I could handle that a lot easier.
At my Ford location, it's very difficult to crack the culture that's attached to organized labour.
Back to the group with this question: Have you had much experience and success with dealing with organized labour (Unions), regarding making incremental Business process improvements?
Wallace.
Attached is an image of the vehicle we assemble at the OAP (Oakville Assembly Plant)
Attached Files
Dear Margaret saw off most of the UK unions in the 1980's.Back to the group with this question: Have you had much experience and success with dealing with organized labour (Unions), regarding making incremental Business process improvements?
It might be back to you Wallace to start us off. I'm sure Ford are pretty much unionised - how do you go on?
Regards,
Simon
I can only speak of my particular industry.
For the best part, the CAW (Canadian Auto Workers) union and Ford of Canada management have a very respectfull relationship with each other.
The fact that the Ford Production Sytem (FPS, a morph of (TPS) Toyota Production System) has been implimented throughout the Global Ford system, is a shining example of Union and corporate management co-operation.
Unionism in this part of the world is still very much alive and kicking and, is a respected and respectfull means to an end regarding social accountability.
I will say that Unions in North America have a definite hold on the future shape of process management and how it shall evolve in this century.
The demarkation lines between labour and management are however becoming rather fuzzy these days, due to the fact that unions in general are taking an active part in the continuous improvement processes of modern business functions in North America.
Wallace.
For the best part, the CAW (Canadian Auto Workers) union and Ford of Canada management have a very respectfull relationship with each other.
The fact that the Ford Production Sytem (FPS, a morph of (TPS) Toyota Production System) has been implimented throughout the Global Ford system, is a shining example of Union and corporate management co-operation.
Unionism in this part of the world is still very much alive and kicking and, is a respected and respectfull means to an end regarding social accountability.
I will say that Unions in North America have a definite hold on the future shape of process management and how it shall evolve in this century.
The demarkation lines between labour and management are however becoming rather fuzzy these days, due to the fact that unions in general are taking an active part in the continuous improvement processes of modern business functions in North America.
Wallace.