“Faster, Cheaper, Better” #2
A re-engineering “How-To” for Execs
A Book Review, enhanced by Peter/CXO Wiz4.biz 3/11
A. Improving Performance – continued
3. Process Owners: are given the responsibility & the authority to improve the entire process — to work with the traditional functional leaders.
4. Performers. Redesigning processes changes the way people work. Performers must see their job as part of the whole value-creating process for the Customer.
5. Infra-structure. A new approach to work by the performers requires a new infrastructure to support them — including new compensation plans, new training and development opportunities, new measurement & reporting tool + other tools, as needed.
B. Continuous Improvement Project. Through their experience with numerous companies, the authors found that implementing these above 5 process enablers could only succeed if 4 enterprise capabilities were in place:
1. Leadership. The leadership of the company needs to think in process terms, not functional terms, and to align their efforts to improve end-to-end processes.
2. Culture. The best companies will have a process-based culture that is relentlessly focused on the customer.
3. Expertise. Process management and redesign need to be core competencies within the organization to produce the product the customer needs.
4. Driving Improvement. A formal function needs to be in place to implement end-to-end process improvement. If you aren’t big enough for a full-time Project Manager, this function could be part of Quality or Process Engineering. They would report the results of their improvements to Executive Management at quarterly performance review or more often – if a more active program.
C. Conclusion of “Faster, Cheaper, Better”. combines a detailed, extensively researched, yet practical methodology with continuous examples of the methodology’s application to the real world — both within the discussion of the methodology and in the second part of the book that offers in-depth case studies. A summary chart at the end of the book, that shows these factors in four different stages of maturation, provides yet another guide for companies to improve their processes. This is a business book that delivers on its promise to transform how work gets done in your company.
Comments: Can you add factors that are important?