Do Your Business Feedback Loops Work?

If you have ever struggled to get a change to take hold in your business then you might want to look at the feedback loops in your business. A good feedback loop, or mechanism, can make the ongoing management of your processes a whole load easier?

Do you have them defined in your business?

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are one of the most obvious. Having a split between output (what happened) and process (what is happening) KPIs makes controlling the end results more achievable.
Management meetings that ask a series of well thought out questions can work really well too. The questions should stimulate action when required and reinforce accountability in those attending the meeting(s).
Audits are another method to find out what is going on. Are people still using the new method? Is it working the way it should?
Visual management is possibly one of the most effective methods. Can you devise ways to see the activity without having to interpret results and data? Being able to glance at a process and understand both its effectiveness and compliance makes for an incredibly effective feedback loop.
Routines help with visibility also. Defining what needs to be done when (not necessarily as rigid as a school timetable!) can help to shape the right kinds of behaviours by defining what they should look like in the first place. A routine also provides an objective base for reviewing performance, developing the process and communicating with other teams.

A good, solid, reliable feedback mechanism can tell you what is going on. This information can then help you to run your business more effectively. If you don't already have some good feedback mechanisms in your business then choose your methods according to how your business operates and then wait for the feedback!

Giles Johnston
Author of Business Process Re-Engineering

Kamishibai Boards

Available to purchase here. Some tools are incredibly simple to use, and also deliver some amazing results. Kamishibai boards are a great example and are superb when you want some visual control over routine tasks. By the way Kamishibai is pronounced "come-e-she-bye" in case you were wondering! As simple as you could want it, a Kamishibai board is a T-card system that has red cards glued to green cards (so that each T-card has a red side and a green side). The red cards are for the incomplete tasks, where as the green cards symbolise that the work has been done. See the photo below of a board in use. On the red side of the card you write the name of the task that needs to be completed, and if appropriate you can include details of how the task is to be completed. This is not expected to replace standard operating procedures, but can be a good opportunity for an aide memoire. The boards can be organised for daily, weekly and even monthly cycles. They are g

Kamishibai Boards: A Visual Management Tool to Improve Discipline and Workplace Habits

If you need to increase your effectiveness in the workplace and need a visual tool to help with day to day task management then this short guide is for you. Giles Johnston, a business improvement consultant for small to medium sized businesses, takes you through the steps needed to implement a low / no cost solution to your day to day management problems - a 'Kamishibai' board. A Kamishibai board can help to improve discipline within the workplace and ensure that the working days / weeks / months are more effective. Common within businesses that use 'lean' methods to improve efficiency and performance (and very effective to use when implementing 5S), a Kamishibai board can be used in its own right, in any kind of business, whether you are going through a lean transformation or not. Click here to view on Amazon.com. Smartspeed Consulting Limited Taking the frustration out of on time delivery.

What is 5S and how does it help to improve the performance of my business?

Many businesses have heard of 5S; it is a simple workplace organisation system that is designed to make workplaces more effective and more efficient, as well as safer. Many businesses also try and fail at implementing 5S . It might be simple, but as you will know, anything that involves changing the behaviours of your staff isn’t always straightforward. If you haven’t heard of 5S before there are five basic steps, all beginning with ‘S’. They are: Sort – clearing out the clutter and re-distributing other people’s belongings. Set in order – optimising the workplace so that everything you need frequently is close at hand. Shine – cleaning the workplace to an appropriate level. Standards – defining what good looks like and how you will keep it that way. Sustain – forming the habits to retain the benefits of an organised and disciplined workplace. So, how does 5S improve the performance of your business? From a safety perspective, fewer accidents means less downtime.

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