When reviewing the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) of a business it can be uncomfortable for many people. When you are faced with the numbers of your business, in 'black and white', it might not tell you what you want to hear.

When we start out on our  improvement projects there is often an issue, or target, that we want to accomplish. This is great at the start of a project, proper focus is present. Later on however, toward the end of the project, this clarity can often fade and projects may slow down before being classed as completed. Having an action plan that has all of its actions closed out is not necessarily a completed project.

Have you been in the same situation... You have implemented a process and then walked away.

I was talking to a business yesterday that stated 'you've got to make time for planning'. I agree, planning seems to be one of the first things to disappear when the going gets tough (perhaps read that as chaotic).

When you design a process you do so for a reason. In order to make that process work effectively you must therefore create some rules as to how the process is meant to work.

When you're new to a process it can sometimes be overwhelming to try and keep up with the waves of information that are coming at you. There are so many things to learn that you need to spend some time absorbing this information and try your best to keep up. Over time you learn the ropes and you find that you begin to master the process, so that you become the one at the front, the leader, who can then drive the process forward.

When I see an action on an issues board I often wonder who takes the lead when it says ‘ALL’. How do you control ‘ALL’?