If you want to improve the effectiveness of your business processes then pick up a free copy of my book ' Sunrise Meetings ' for the Kindle e-reader. It is free from today until the end of play on the 20th of March 2016. Links: Amazon.com -  http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008AKS0MM Amazon.co.uk -  http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008AKS0MM Enjoy, Giles Giles Johnston Author of Business Process Re-Engineering and creator of the ' Making It Happen ' online course for improving continuous improvement skills.

Whilst our formal business processes seldom change, our real life business processes can have a tendency to drift... ...what we understood about our processes when we documented them might not be the case today. Do you know if there is a gap in your business between what should happen and what actually does happen?

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are a great tool. True, they can be used to confuse and baffle. True, also, that they can really help you to drive the performance of a business process if you use them correctly. But, do the right people 'feel the pain'?

Many people in your business will have great ideas to help improve the business . Encouraging them to take their ideas forward is a great approach, and one that I believe that we should all embrace. However...

If you are responsible for the running of a business process you will probably be required to regularly review certain reports that help you to manage the process. Many people switch off when they have to do this on an ongoing basis. They don't make the best decisions when the information isn't reviewed...

Do you have time to do the same job twice in your business? Most people I speak to look at me as if I am daft when I pose this question.

How many processes do you have in your business that you bend and twist, trying to accommodate the way people work? I know of many businesses that feel this same frustration. They design a process for their business, to improve how it works, and then find that no one uses it.

Do you like meetings? I used to hate meetings; I refused to go to them if they didn't have agendas (and then my bosses would tell me that I had to go anyway!). I thought most of them were pointless.

There are loads of different improvement methods and tools you can use in your business. I speak to many people who are determined to use a specific tool to help their business. Then, I ask them what they are trying to achieve.

Pressing the 'launch' button, on many things in life, can make us draw back with hesitation. Will the improvement work? Will our clients like the newsletter? How will the team respond to the suggestion?

MRP systems can be brilliant for business. If you are involved with the running of a business' operation then you will be all too aware of the juggling act that needs to take place. ERP systems effectively give you additional pairs of arms to make this an easier task. So why do so many people complain about their MRP system ? Can MRP systems really be our friends? After people have complained about their system they often then consider what other systems are available and wonder whether the new system would be better.

My new online programme 'Making It Happen' is now available to join. Online change management skills course It is designed to help you make change happen more effectively, and more efficiently, in your business. There are 12 modules, one delivered each week to you via the Internet. The modules include worksheets and exercises (so you can put these ideas into practice) as appropriate. For more information, and to sign up, please visit: http://www.smartspeed.co.uk/making-it-happen/ Giles Johnston Author of Business Process Re-Engineering

My consumer guide on buying process improvement services is now available for free. For more information please visit:  http://www.smartspeed.info/p/consumer-guide-buying-process.html Or, to download it directly please use this link: http://www.smartspeed.co.uk/consumer_guide/consumer_guide.pdf Giles Johnston Author of Business Process Re-Engineering

My book on creating productive routines for your business is available, for free, on Amazon Kindle until the end of the 5th of August 2015. To get your copy, please visit:  http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B008AKS0MM Giles Johnston Author of Business Process Re-Engineering

I had a really pleasing conversation yesterday with a client's member of staff. A process that had been in the business for years (that was poorly adhered to anyway) was proving to be cumbersome for the job that it was designed for. Despite the process having been in place long before I appeared in their business it had become perceived as something that I had created. It wasn't causing a problem to the business, and it had never made it (thus far) to the top of my list of priorities for my client. The member of staff approached me cautiously and asked a few questions about the process.

I've just got back from holiday with my family and enjoyed a simple example of visual management in practice whilst away. We went on a boat trip where there were a few options on what route / trip you could take. When we got on the boat my family got a blue sticker attached to our t-shirts.

There was an online article published yesterday about a drop in UK productivity (you can see it here:  http://ukbusiness-today.co.uk/news/uk-productivity-subdued ). This reminded me of a project I have just recently finished where productivity was at the core of the work carried out. The team I was working with were all hard working. They were skilled at their jobs, but they had come to live with many inadequacies that robbed them of the high levels of productivity that they were capable of.

I had a really interesting conversation at the end of a workshop yesterday. The person I got talking to was concerned that although they now knew how to implement the changes they were unsure as to when they would be able to do the work - it just seemed like too much. The basic application of the Takt Time approach, that follows, was how we ended the conversation.

Another day, and another conversation about production losses. Why are they ignored so often? I do wonder if there is a lack of wanting to face the truth about the inefficiency of businesses that makes this the case.

It can be really tempting to ease up when you see some progress being made on an improvement project. I see it time and time again; some progress is made, people feel good and momentum ceases.