It is a familiar scene. The end of the day arrives and you feel as if nothing was accomplished. You were a fireman more than a value-adding worker. Your time was spent dousing one fire after another. To some, the stress is overwhelming. To others, it is an adrenaline rush. They will cry about it but secretly can't live without it.I think most managers understand the reactive nature of business but look for those that can step back and see the big picture. Because at the end of the day, the results must be there. The performance review will be the same. Using "reactive mode" as a reason for non-productivity is not accepted.
You must take time to see the needs for improvement. What must be the focus of your time and resources? Someone in your organization must be painting this picture or you will continue to fail miserably until your customer pulls its business.
The tools are simple: Pick a characteristic that needs to improve. Examples include supplier performance, customer returns, and scrap. If your suppliers aren't performing, you suffer the consequences. You spend your time sorting their product and answering to management. Somehow, some way, you need to get ahead of this.
Trend the characteristic's performance over time to see patterns of variation. Next, perform a pareto analysis of the characteristic to hone in on the vital few issues. Develop action plans for the vital few. Use a Paynter chart to show the effectiveness of actions.
Discipline yourself to use this approach and I promise you will eventaully get out of the firefighting business.
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2 comments:
These are good thoughts. I'm reading a book on business execution and am focusing on how to make sure things get done and, as you say, are not just done through a series of reactions.
According to the book, and with which I agree, business execution begins with leadership and communication. A leader has to set an example that execution is important - that planning and follow through is expected. This can only happen when the leader executes and follows through and puts into place an open communication that welcomes input and criticism.
I'm going to put some of your suggestions into practice. But what is a pareto analysis and a paynter chart?
A pareto chart is a graphical technique to help focus on the vital few opportunities for improvement.
A paynter chart is a graphical technique for illustrating the effectiveness of corrective actions.
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