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Factory Improvement Report

The upload of my free factory improvement guide is now on slideshare . You can view it below, or view the original PDF version by clicking  here . Giles Johnston ...optimising MRP systems and re-engineering business processes

Have You Found The Tools That Work?

One of my clients apologised to me the other day.... They hadn't done anything to offend me, but that's how they started the conversation. It turned out that they were apologising because they had stopped using a method to organise their office that I had shown them. Instead of being upset I congratulated them, why wouldn't I? From talking to them they had tested out the idea, decided that it wasn't their thing, and then taken the best bits of the method and created a modified version. They weren't using the method that I had shown them, they were using a method that fitted with their way of working. In my books that's called continuous improvement ! Stepping back from this conversation came the killer question: "Is your business performance better now than it was before we looked at any method to improve how it is organised?" The answer was "yes", they were on the right track and could develop their idea further. Wh

The On Time Delivery Dilemma

Some of my clients, when I first start to work with them, are struggling with their on time delivery performance. Apart from the frustration of dealing with problems constantly, the risk of losing customers is a big driver in terms of getting this issue resolved. In my opinion there are two main ways that you can focus on this problem. They can both work, but one is more effective than the other (I'll let you guess which). Option 1 - focus solely on despatching on time. This is the traditional approach. It is usually linked directly with turnover targets and has the entire business looking at what can be shipped today. Of course, you do need to make sure that your orders do get despatched (I have met businesses that don't), but this option drives a behaviour that lets people take their eyes off the rest of the process. So.... Option 2 - focus on 'on time start', with a controlled process, and having one eye on on time despatches. Having a tight process

Making MRP Work: Presentation Slides

New slideshow uploaded to Slideshare. Hopefully it will give you some ideas if you are developing your own plan to get your MRP system working properly. Giles Johnston ...optimising MRP systems and re-engineering business processes

Watch Out For The Little Things!

I was tied up in a conversation the other day about how I was too focussed on the 'little' things when we should be focused on the 'big' things. The conversation was going back and forward until I wrote this on their whiteboard in their office:

'Winning Ugly' - the real art of continuous improvement?

I see a lot of frustration in businesses when it comes to implementing continuous improvement projects. I see it so much that it reminds me of a phrase I heard from a performance psychologist called  Dr John Eliot . He was talking about the frustrations of performances not turning out exactly as planned and talked about the ability to 'win ugly'.

Show Me The Data

I was giving a potted history of my working life to an undergraduate Engineer yesterday. After a few minutes I noticed the haunting theme that was running through my stories, about the need for good data to make informed decisions .

Do You Need Clearer Project Actions?

Something that I have observed (consciously at least) over the past few months is the correlation between clear project actions (such as on meeting minutes) and the rate of actions being closed out. How many times have you read the notes from a meeting and wondered what on Earth the tasks really are? I'd bet that a lot of people feel the same way.

Do You Push Your CI Idea's Potential?

I delivered a really interesting training session last week. I was working with a team of managers from a local engineering business, which has been growing rapidly over the past couple of years. What worked a couple of years ago was creaking at the seams last year, and this year.... well some things have broken. As part of the training session we talked about continuous improvement ideas that we could apply to the business and one of the guys started to explore some of the problems that were zapping his time. This then lead to an idea to vastly improve the situation, which was almost dismissed because of the work involved...

Who Writes Your SOPs?

This weekend I succumbed to buying a barbecue. I bought one from a local shop and thought it would be fun to build and use for the first time. I was quite impressed with the packaging and the instructions were pretty good... until I got to about three quarters of the way through the assembly.

What Are You Waiting For?

I once heard a phrase that said 'there's never a good time, so do it now'. I see so many projects and improvements that never get started that I used to wonder why that was the case. Thinking through that further I believe that many people don't realise just how little effort is required to get certain tasks moving. The breaking down of activity into tiny steps is often referred to as 'Kaizen'. This is a really great way to quantify tiny packets of activity / improvement that you can lose in your day to day busy-ness. So, as I reflect on the opening sentence I ask you, can you break down some of your immediate tasks into tiny steps and get your stalled improvement projects moving? It really is a great strategy. Giles Johnston ...fixing MRP systems and re-engineering business processes

Forming Productive Habits

A Sunrise Meeting is an effective gathering of your routines. Click here to find out more about my book on the subject. One of my clients who has been going through a significant period of change in their business said to me the other day 'it's all about forming good habits, isn't it?' When you look at our operational issues, things that stop us from getting our products out the door in a sane manner, then a lot of the time it does depend on how good your habits are.

Free Factory Improvement Report

Click here to read. I have just uploaded a PDF copy of a free report that I use as an introduction to what services I deliver. You can grab a free copy (no sign up required) here. I hope you find the simple to apply ideas useful. Enjoy, Giles Johnston ...fixing MRP systems and re-engineering business processes