newsletter archive.

(Previously published under the title Extreme Profits
under ISSN 1925-8941)

Mary Colak Mary Colak

How we work, top-down mapping

Mapping is an excellent way of "seeing" a process and determining where improvements are needed. But did you know that mapping is also an excellent way to improve jobs?

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Mary Colak Mary Colak

Critical success factors, let’s talk

Implementing efficiency and productivity improvement in organizations is a strategy and a management philosophy. It is not just a process to drive out costs.

One of the best ways to implement efficiency and productivity improvement is to adopt a Lean Six Sigma philosophy-it is a way to ensure that the organization is doing the right things at the right time and in the right way.

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Mary Colak Mary Colak

Too much is bad for business, balancing act

Office processes are often neglected, yet account for more than half the lead-time in many companies and can account for more than 25 percent of the cost of goods sold. In offices, an absence of measurement for processing activities or a lack of appreciation for the impact and benefits of lead-time reduction contribute to waste. Of these wastes, overproduction is significant.

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Mary Colak Mary Colak

Mr. Roboto, show me, don’t tell me

Human "robots" can be found in many "un-Lean" organizations where employees are not utilized to their fullest potential. If your organization has underutilized employees, the organization structure and values may be to blame. You may say, "So what, at least they've got a job." Not so. There's a huge impact on the organization's processes and customer value if underutilized people remain underutilized.

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