Posted by business901 on July 25, 2011
Improve Healthcare and Government thru Lean and Six Sigma…You just Gotta Wanna! This was the theme echoed numerous times by my podcast guest, Jay Author of QI Macros. We started out discussing his book, Lean Six Sigma for Hospitals: Simple Steps to Fast, Affordable, and Flawless Healthcare
but soon moved into a discussions that can be applied to any organization.
Jay started many years ago simplifying the Lean Six Sigma process through his early books, Lean Simplified
and Six Sigma Simplified
which eventually led to Lean Six Sigma Demystified: A Self-Teaching Guide
. Jay has always been a master at simplifying these process and reducing the cost of entry into a methodology. His belief is that you can go a long way (5 sigma) by just doing it and utilizing only a few basic tools that he discusses in his money-belt videos. Though I was in introduced to Lean and Six Sigma through other books and people, Jay’s first book on the subject Lean Six Sigma Coloring book was the one I used for the first application I participated in at the manufacturing level.
Jay Arthur works with companies that want to plug the leaks in their cash flow using Lean Six Sigma. Jay is the only improvement specialist that understands and can help you pinpoint areas for improvement in processes, people, and technology. Jay is first and foremost a Money Belt; he knows how to use data to pinpoint broken processes. Jay helps teams understand their communication styles and restore broken connections. Jay has 30 years experience developing software on everything from mainframes to PCs.
Related Information:
Lean Six Sigma for Government
Operational Excellence in Government, is it Possible?
Transforming Healthcare with Lean eBook
Story of Going Lean in Healthcare: On the Mend
Posted by business901 on July 18, 2011
When I first listened to Mike George’s Stong America Now program (BTW: Michael George will be appearing on the Lean Blog Podcast later this week.), I thought it was kind of a joke that hardly made sense. However, I have learned to investigate things that rub me the wrong way initially and many times I have found a little gold in the outcomes. 
One of those outcomes was the opportunity to interview Hundley Elliotte one of the authors of, Building High Performance Government Through Lean Six Sigma: A Leader's Guide to Creating Speed, Agility, and Efficiency
. What I liked about the book was it really removes the issues about can it be done, it is already being done. In the podcast we discussed these places and also discussed the how in applying Lean Six Sigma to any public organization. In fact, I found certain parts of the book remarkably useful for the private sector. Very well written book without the statistical jargon so often found in Lean Six Sigma books. The authors paint a very clear picture of the role of Lean Six Sigma in Government.
Hundley M. Elliotte is the global lead for the Process Performance group within the Accenture Process & Innovation Performance service line. He has more than 15 years of consulting experience, focusing on managing business value, setting strategy, identifying customer needs, and identifying and implementing improvement opportunities in diverse business sectors. Previously, Mr. Elliotte worked for more than a decade in the corporate sector, holding sales, marketing and general management positions with a leading pulp and paper manufacturer and with a plastics company. He is based in Atlanta.
Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with more than 223,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries.
Read Chapter One, “Building the Anatomy for High Performance”
Read about the Accenture Institute for Health and Public Service.
Related Information:
DMAIC, DMADV, Lean, Six Sigma for Government?
Lean Six Sigma for Government
Lean Six Sigma will increase effectiveness of Stimulus spending
The Hell with the Economic Stimulus Package – I’ll Lead
Balancing Internal and External Lean Six Sigma Consulting Roles
Posted by business901 on July 11, 2011
In a recent blog post, It’s not your Grandmother’s Lean anymore! I introduced a few thoughts from Tim Ogilvie, CEO of innovation strategy consultancy Peer Insight new book Designing for Growth: A Design Thinking Toolkit for Managers
. I would encourage you to visit that post before listening to the podcast and leave the diagram up or print it out as the discussion takes place. 
If you have been Design Thinking challenged this book is for you. The book is built upon these four questions (A Design Thinkers PDCA?):
- What is? Exploring the current reality
- What if? Envisioning alternative futures
- What wows? Getting users to help make tough choices
- What works? Making it work in-market, and as a business
Aligned to the four questions are ten tools, including customer journey mapping, value chain analysis, customer co-creation, and the learning launch. To make them come alive, readers are introduced to a number of practicing managers who are all using design thinking to drive innovation and growth in their organizations, including accountants, marketers, a nurse and an engineer – none of whom have design training.
I believe what is more intriguing than the description and use of tools (Design Thinking must be going mainstream if we start having tool discussions), is the way that the tools are viewed. This I believe is the real secret sauce in the book. As I read the book, I realized how easy it was to take and modify my Lean tool set to the desired applications or as others may put it to the culture of the company. One of the strengths of Lean that may be forgotten is that it is the adaption of the tools and culture and the process of making them your own that is the most important ingredient. Certainly we are not going to make major changes to PDCA but what is wrong in using an A3 Report laid out like the Business Model Generation template.
We might have torched a few sacred cows during the podcast. One of them is thinking differently or moving away from the traditional Lean tools and the other is exposing a so-called Design Thinker, such as Tim as Left Brain Dominant! 
Related Information:
How new is Service Dominant Logic and does it apply now?
Asking the right questions about Lean?
Service Design Thinking
Steve Blank on the Lean Startup at Ann Arbor
Posted by business901 on July 9, 2011
Razi Imam founder of 113 Industries was on the Business901podcast Empower yourself before the Team. We discussed a powerful motivational philosophy highlighted in Razi’s new book Driven: A How-to Strategy for Unlocking Your Greatest Potential
. 
Before the podcast we had discussed his new company, 113 Industries, an industry-driven business incubator focusing on helping breakthrough discoveries become viable commercial products. a complete description is in this brochure High-Speed Open Innovation Brochure. In this podcast, we discussed this startup concept which I found to be a great tutorial for articulating the customer's problem that he is solving.
Razi is not a stranger to startups. He is the founder of a fast growing software company called Landslide Technologies that is receiving rave reviews from customers, analysts and press. This company has been named ‘visionary’ three years in row by the lead leading analyst firm – The Gartner Group.
Related Information:
Power of Check = The Pivot in PDCA
Steve Blank on the Lean Startup at Ann Arbor
The Strategy of the Fighter Pilot Revisited
Dealing with uncertainty in the Lean Startup
Posted by business901 on July 4, 2011
Beth Goldstein, Founder and CEO is an author, consultant, trainer and founder of Marketing Edge Consulting Group, she has empowered hundreds of entrepreneurs to successfully grow their companies. We discussed her newest book, Lucky By Design: Creating Real Opportunities that Empower Your Business coming out this fall. 
Beth‘s special talents is helping companies gain an understanding of how their customers think, what they value and what influences their purchasing decisions. She then applies this knowledge to create targeted sales and marketing programs that drive revenue growth while increasing profitability and customer loyalty.
Her first book, The Ultimate Small Business Marketing Toolkit: All the Tips, Forms, and Strategies You'll Ever Need!
is used in 30+ cities around the U.S. to teach business owners the critical skills they need to accelerate growth.
Are You Lucky In Business?
TAKE HER 5 MINUTE SURVEY &
RECEIVE OVER $75 IN VALUABLE BUSINESS TOOLS FOR SHARING YOUR OPINION
(You will be re-directed to Beth’s site.)
Related Information:
Lean Thinking: Prototype early and often
Using the Media Engagement Framework as your Kanban?
What’s behind Collaboration and Value Networks?
Business Processes as Value Networks
The Role of PDCA in a Lean Sales and Marketing Cycle
