tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27892562036882475522023-11-16T05:23:34.593-05:00Jeromy TimmerImprovement in PracticeJeromy Timmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15180709901456634814noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789256203688247552.post-39031226422700490372013-01-18T18:42:00.001-05:002013-01-18T18:51:02.311-05:00Moon Shot Lens test (Panasonic 45-200 micro 4/3 zoom lens)<div class="posterous_autopost">
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I just got a new Zoom lens for my Olympus E-PL1 (micro four thirds format camera). its the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001ISKNKA/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=ilovemycrazun-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B001ISKNKA&adid=00M8585D47XBJC0HF47V">Panasonic 45-200 f/4.0-5.6</a>. The first thing I did was take a couple of shots of the moon. The first shot is the maximum magnification for the kit lens that came with the camera (a 14-45 mm lens). The second shot is maximum magnification from the new Panasonic zoom. The third image is the second shot cropped down.<br />
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I'm already pleased with this lens. I recommend it for any Micro four thirds camera owners.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://getfile9.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/lean/a8I7dhoCrZ4idA5Pc3JoW7llvLUTHBtH4iGLw0kcgUTcfB9mzlMpxTJlya5e/image.jpeg.scaled.1000.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Image" height="376" src="http://getfile7.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/lean/qDVIMRKu4KXnWmhiS8bELWrDYJbZNJ5cLATcbtZQ89oLP0VUNvNhGCY9wm6j/image.jpeg.scaled.500.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The moon taken at the maximum magnification of the 14-42 mm kit lens</td></tr>
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<a href="http://getfile1.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/lean/z5YY27RXWWnmC16AyDqCpkVMDrYVAzzQKL1ueMhpmwwLvVDnrthMDyPI74zc/1image.jpeg.scaled.1000.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br /><a href="http://getfile1.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/lean/z5YY27RXWWnmC16AyDqCpkVMDrYVAzzQKL1ueMhpmwwLvVDnrthMDyPI74zc/1image.jpeg.scaled.1000.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://getfile1.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/lean/z5YY27RXWWnmC16AyDqCpkVMDrYVAzzQKL1ueMhpmwwLvVDnrthMDyPI74zc/1image.jpeg.scaled.1000.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="1image" height="375" src="http://getfile9.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/lean/3fnJzo7rxNUpGnueV9GViyq9gyHOrrLTnmiCu2rGlMBevCzAYp2fszoQz7ts/1image.jpeg.scaled.500.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moon taken at maximum magnification of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001ISKNKA/ref=as_li_ss_til?tag=ilovemycrazun-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as4&creativeASIN=B001ISKNKA&adid=00M8585D47XBJC0HF47V">45-200 mm panasonic zoom lens</a></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://getfile5.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/lean/j0a7VBT6K6rKId2cF76AO1odBwBO9mFejSXifukttlV12r6N29WTLAJl2OA7/0image.jpeg.scaled.1000.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="0image" height="334" src="http://getfile3.posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/lean/RTULxB4LWDU2tpwvmv1RJ2Sn0ja9CtylAO2MxsoIPYb015gazwt4aiwnfiO7/0image.jpeg.scaled.500.jpg" width="500" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The second photo cropped down. Not bad at all.</td></tr>
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Jeromy Timmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15180709901456634814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789256203688247552.post-40229699007357538632011-03-09T15:04:00.001-05:002011-03-09T15:04:32.094-05:00Very good sentences about College Cost.<div class='posterous_autopost'>Very good Sentences:<p /><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); padding-left: 1ex;">Since 1978, cost of living has gone up three-fold. Medical costs, much to the horror of everyone in Congress, has gone up six-fold. And college education has gone up a whopping tenfold. This is beyond the housing bubble, the stock market bubble, any bubble you can think of. <br /></blockquote><br />The entire article is worth a read: <a href="http://huff.to/hTRHAV">http://huff.to/hTRHAV</a> </div>Jeromy Timmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15180709901456634814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789256203688247552.post-38494016176224869412010-09-23T23:58:00.001-04:002010-09-23T23:58:12.238-04:00Get off your Butt: The Super Flexible Stand Up Desk<div class='posterous_autopost'><p>It turns out that sitting on your bum all day is <a href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/23/stand-up-while-you-read-this/" title="NYT: Stand up while you read this">bad for your health</a>, and it seems like <a href="http://www.evolvingexcellence.com/blog/2008/11/stand-up-desk---update-more-science.html">everyone</a> <a href="http://lssacademy.com/2009/11/15/my-new-stand-up-desk/">is writing</a> <a href="http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2010/09/harvard-suggestion-stand-up-at-work/">about </a><a href="http://www.fitbuff.com/i-can-stand-my-stand-up-desk/">stand-up desks</a>. Well Count me in. I was already growing tired all the sitting I was doing so I decided to build my own stand up desk. Fifty bucks later, and here is what I ended up with:</p> <p><a href='http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/lean/qVc7Ps77dFwPyKXDqpKEgtLWnBNAoxjzrgTftpFoWACr72fcnzE90HEWp1MW/IMG_1141.jpg.scaled.1000.jpg'><img src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/lean/l1RRRpkDqw8qe800hcHq4N3A5nyeh5Bn0L77qWzrUtVrf329ikLJ6pV9iReg/IMG_1141.jpg.scaled.500.jpg" width="500" height="375"/></a> <a href='http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2010-09-23/HhsCtxvvBroFFEpAdklyggeepxeCexBJjdjrFgbnuFeIaAbajIczADFrjevG/IMG_1142.JPG.scaled1000.jpg'><img src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/temp-2010-09-23/HhsCtxvvBroFFEpAdklyggeepxeCexBJjdjrFgbnuFeIaAbajIczADFrjevG/IMG_1142.JPG.scaled500.jpg" width="500" height="667"/></a> <div><a href='http://lean.posterous.com/get-off-your-butt-the-super-flexible-stand-up'>See and download the full gallery on posterous</a></div></p> <p /> <div>The keyboard tray is from Ikea and everything else from Lowes. The build design is based on the <a href="http://www.tnt-audio.com/clinica/flexye.html">FlexyTable</a>. This design is extremely adjustable, I was able to set the table keyboard and monitors at the exact perfect height with the help of an ergonomics expert that works at my hospital. Here is a close up of where the leg meets the table. <a href='http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/lean/mlapMr0mNbcZDfkrhwjhlrWftqaajXBZbmT8OxJRLq8rnybRRaJjkpDGE0eD/IMG_1143.jpg.scaled.1000.jpg'><img src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/lean/Q5ED1YxxcYNShnuoD1XFQU2aLF9AXmErGZ6SOIsFdNSAfvh2c5x5owC8fFBC/IMG_1143.jpg.scaled.500.jpg" width="500" height="667"/></a> </div> <p /> <p /> <div>I've been using it for three months and love it. I recommend it, and if you want one of your own, feel free to steal my design.</div> <p> </p> <p> </p> </div>Jeromy Timmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15180709901456634814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789256203688247552.post-19871251698870571122010-08-12T11:12:00.002-04:002010-08-12T11:14:04.871-04:00Kaizen using Baby Shoes<div class="posterous_autopost"><p><span style="font-size:small;">Mike over at Got Boondoggle posted an example of <a href="http://gotboondoggle.blogspot.com/2010/08/kaizen-using-tennis-balls.html">kaizen using tennis balls</a> on the bottom of chair legs to prevent the floor from getting scuffed up. My favorite <a href="http://www.plumcrazzyicecream.com/">ice cream shop</a> uses the same technique, but with baby shoes. Clever.</span></p><p> </p> <p><a href="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/lean/tfgh7l3pCJygSMhak0sWsZ0lkjSfk7u46miaTdpfFKcQmNHc0Tm9izrLw5eX/photo.jpg"><img src="http://posterous.com/getfile/files.posterous.com/lean/CDehtXNvOmeT8yHEllPZoVMf34awRzZHZBvih3LwN02pt7DKaAi7Kix4P5fy/photo.jpg.scaled.500.jpg" height="375" width="500" /></a> </p> <p> </p> <p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><br /><span style="font-size:small;">-</span></p><p></p> </div>Jeromy Timmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15180709901456634814noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789256203688247552.post-80397477878069737922009-03-31T14:39:00.007-04:002009-03-31T15:50:38.574-04:00Everybody wants your meetings to stop sucking.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kjarrett/399627707/"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 268px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZI9GT9Zsqs6rCn-f6mkzRSQ9R4MqA2StezfHFTHA9ZufezeKZ5EtS5o5iA6J3-4fIaSDuDw7KXuLmrVF6hyYgsZTw4z6_ZN99h4p26QbJL-BGOfYnm53f40u2odqZMni-4A1_ChyphenhyphenhOPHa/s320/Meetings+kjarrett.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319439728274680338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">A few weeks ago I posted my <a href="http://blog.jeromytimmer.com/2008/12/how-to-have-effective-meetings.html">thoughts on improving meetings</a>. Apparently I'm not the only on who has had to suffer through some bad meetings lately. Every blogger I know is writing on the same topic.<br /><br /><a href="http://michaelhyatt.com/">Michael Hyatt</a> is taking some of the <a href="http://michaelhyatt.com/2009/03/when-less-is-more.html">complexity out of his organization</a> and has this to say:<br /><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">The number of meetings.</span> We should be very careful about setting up routine meetings. Once they are in place, they are hard to eliminate—they seem to take on a life of their own. Every once in a while (perhaps annually) it is good to re-evaluate every standing meeting and ask five questions:<br /><br />“What is the intended outcome of this meeting?”<br />“Are all the people who attend this meeting really necessary to achieve this outcome?<br />“Can we meet less frequently and still achieve this outcome?”<br />“Can we meet for a shorter period of time and still achieve this outcome?”<br />“Is there some way to accomplish this outcome without a regular meeting?”</blockquote></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/">Seth Godin</a> has 9 great ideas for <a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/03/getting-serious-about-your-meeting-problem.html">shaking up your meetings</a>. Here are a couple:<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><blockquote>8. Create a public space (either a big piece of poster board or a simple online page) that allows attendees to rate meetings and their organizers on a scale of 1 to 5 in terms of usefulness. Just a simple box where everyone can write a number. Watch what happens.<br /><br />9. If you're not adding value to a meeting, leave. You can always read the summary later.</blockquote></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.bertdecker.com/experience/">Bert Decker</a> lists <a href="http://www.bertdecker.com/experience/2009/03/make-your-meetings-better.html">10 steps to make your meetings better</a>. My favorites: <blockquote></blockquote><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">1. Cut the meetings you have in half.</span> Cut the time of the meetings that remain in half. Unproductive talk and time will fill the space of long meetings - The Peter Principle in action.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">4. Be controversial.</span> Not outlandish, but stimulate robust dialogue. The reason most meetings are boring is because most meetings are boring. As the meeting leader, it's up to you to make it interesting.<br /></blockquote>All of their advice is a little different, but with a consistent theme: don't have one if you don't need to. And if you do, have an agenda, keep it short and lively, and send out minutes promptly.<br /><br />Together we can make the world a better place. Or at least meetings.<br /><br />What are meetings like in your organization?<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/kjarrett/399627707/">kjarrett</a></span><br /><blockquote></blockquote></span>Jeromy Timmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15180709901456634814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789256203688247552.post-69210889402432994532009-01-30T13:05:00.007-05:002009-01-30T14:04:34.258-05:00You're not the only one that hates brainstorming<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrharrison/3103568552/"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 259px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXbDMFcfN0wVHlj9AczdQkVe5sMqTbvn5yCeQGWHUXp1Fz0JygstAGS02xN-h1egszB90gYWoS1RSOtiNgMesaP7yDZO9efAZPfgd256pgA1eikC680aRRgq1LTCZHaEq6BWVkt2YEjRPC/s320/Death+Star+Brainstorm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297161858626508130" border="0" /></a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:arial;" >Is brainstorming ever </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:arial;" >not</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:arial;" > a soul sucking waste of time? Richard Huntington doesn't think so. He says (via <a href="http://lateralaction.com/articles/brainstorming/">Lateral Thinking)</a>:<br /><blockquote>I hate brainstorms. <p>I hate running them, I hate contributing to them and I hate using them to solve problems.</p> <p>They waste huge amounts of time and talent and they are no f***ing good at delivering decent ideas.</p></blockquote>Okay then. It turns out there is research to back this up. Most of the research shows that groups individuals working alone will generate more ideas that those working together. But as <a href="http://bobsutton.typepad.com/my_weblog/2009/01/brainstorming-pros-and-cons.html">Bob Sutton</a> points out this research is flawed.</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:arial;" ><br /></span><blockquote style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">The academic research on brainstorming -- the laboratory studies that are described as showing it doesn't work -- are rigorous but irrelevant. They compare how many ideas individuals working alone versus versus working in groups can utter into a microphone in the same stretch of time. This is irrelevant and silly, as the practical norm that people take turns talking seems to explain why people are more productive alone -- so this research rules out LISTENING TO OTHERS as productive behavior. Also, the way those studies are done makes it impossible for people to build on each others' ideas -- because building on the ideas of others is impossible when you work alone.</blockquote><blockquote></blockquote><blockquote style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);"></blockquote><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:arial;" >So is Brainstorming worth it? I can be if it's done right. Companies Like </span><a style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" href="http://www.pixar.com/index.html">Pixar</a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:arial;" > and IDEO</span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:arial;" > have created some of the most imaginative films and products using brainstorming as a part of their process. According to Tom Kelly the General Manager of </span><a style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" href="http://www.ideo.com/">IDEO</a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:arial;" >:</span> <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:arial;" ></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:arial;" ></span><blockquote><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:arial;" >Brainstorming is practically a religion at IDEO, one we practice nearly every day. Though brainstorms themselves are often playful, brainstorming as a tool - as a </span><strong style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);">skill</strong><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:arial;" > - is taken quite seriously. And in a company without many rules, we have a very firm idea about what constitutes a brainstorm and how it should be organised.</span></blockquote> <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:arial;" >So what makes a good brainstorming session? Honestly I still struggle with it. But here are </span><a style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" href="http://www.fastcompany.com/articles/2001/03/kelley.html">seven secrets to good brainstorming</a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:arial;" > and </span><a style="font-family: arial; color: rgb(102, 102, 102);" href="http://www.fastcompany.com/articles/2001/03/kelley2.html">six sure fire ways to kill a brainstorm</a><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:arial;" >.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102);font-family:arial;" >How do you brainstorm?</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 153, 153);font-size:78%;" >photo by: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrharrison/3103568552/">Khilwat</a></span>Jeromy Timmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15180709901456634814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789256203688247552.post-41371227416496886972009-01-08T15:08:00.015-05:002010-08-11T21:55:00.075-04:00What to put in your slides. (Part 2)<span style="font-family:arial;"><span>In <a href="http://blog.jeromytimmer.com/2009/01/what-to-take-off-your-slides-2009-part.html">part 1</a> I talked about some things commonly found on PowerPoint slides that need to come off. Among those are l</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span>ogos and standard templates. Here are a few tips to keep your presentations looking professional and related to you brand without resorting to logos and the standard templates.<br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br />Create a custom color palette</span>. You may not have your logo on the slides, but you can still incorporate your brand into your presentation material.</span><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkbByvyhgn5bHZs9IYHp67iY3ewbXNZxpmK2KAiU9tQfj5ZtbnvuW8IOicQZgIIaDIJKDAvB5eSjceLy0SN3EQtxi5S7F6RYjtZ1ieb_QPZmpcbzT8qqscyK-wt4zIgxmoW_HY0YoF5Kk/s1600-h/Turtle+to+palette.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPkbByvyhgn5bHZs9IYHp67iY3ewbXNZxpmK2KAiU9tQfj5ZtbnvuW8IOicQZgIIaDIJKDAvB5eSjceLy0SN3EQtxi5S7F6RYjtZ1ieb_QPZmpcbzT8qqscyK-wt4zIgxmoW_HY0YoF5Kk/s320/Turtle+to+palette.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289284189685017730" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"> Create a color palette based on your logo or on a photo representative </span><span style="font-family:arial;">of your industry. My favorite tool for this is <a href="http://kuler.adobe.com/#themes/rating">Kuler</a>. Just upload an image and let Kuler do its thing. You can tell it whether you want bold, colorful</span><span style="font-family:arial;">, or subdued colors.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Write down the RGB values for each color. You can enter those values into PowerPoint's color picker when selecting color for text, shapes, or lines. These will then show up as choices the next time you need to change a color</span>.<span style="font-family:arial;"> I create a color palette slide at the end of the deck to use as reference while creating the presentation. An example of this is below.<br /><br />Once you have a palette use it </span><span style="font-family:arial;">in a consistent way </span><span style="font-family:arial;">for text,</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;"> shapes, charts, etc.<br /></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Use Grids to create a flexible, yet consistent layout. </span><span><span style="font-family:arial;">In </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0596522347?ie=UTF8&tag=ilovemycrazun-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0596522347">Slide:ology</a><span style="font-family:arial;">, Nancy </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.duarte.com/">Duarte</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> recommends using grids to maintain consistency in the placing of elements from one slide to the next. Check out Adam's </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://adamgradblog.wordpress.com/2008/10/23/grid-system/">example</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> of a 4 x 4 grid system. Try a 5 x 5 grid or 4 x 5 grid. A 3 x 3 grid is great for using to the <a href="http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/rule-of-thirds/">rule of thirds</a>. Here is an example of a Fibonacci grid with the color swatches for a corporate color palette.</span></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span><br /><br /><table style="width: auto;"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/hTZR7JmKOFndyO-M9IZv8w?authkey=yOAJrXvQnl0&feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqyovjhgI-Z3EEyo0lhlQcfdEY2cF8oDxfcOvBZfFbLfMjIQlTvDsQJhWkgeujRmraCDljMyqJcXs6R_0sz_fMtOLJIALnT8LA9kXdhMPziVAaOwXb_06FuU_62om5WqlxM4rxxd03y2z1/s400/Fibonacci%20Grid.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td style="font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right;">From <a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/jeromyt/JeromyTimmer?authkey=yOAJrXvQnl0&feat=embedwebsite">Jeromy Timmer</a></td></tr></tbody></table>For their work with Adobe, Duarte used a 5 x 5 grid on a white background with a corporate branded color palette. Check it out <a href="http://www.duarte.com/#1.3.1">here</a>.</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.duarte.com/#1.3.1"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguh4otQO0Jmmjfz-9js-yAaMZESCFGSytrtcmZLo2vfH6iOh3HCEOGQZkXPVSnbtdEYT-wdfidzFbZ2cmdZ4iVFuXLDUz9LifPZ2Vf1q4837f61xY9rSgYdwHX3oLb5HlpDqIhkbEp1KAr/s400/Duarte%20Adobe%20slide.jpg" /></a><br /><br /></span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Use photographs.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> People remember pictures better than words. This is called the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Picture_superiority_effect">picture superiority effect</a>. In addition, people remember concepts better when they hear about it and see it (but reading does not count as seeing). Since this is a live presentation, you have the hearing part covered. Use pictures and images to reinforce the<br /><br />The clip art built into MS Office is overused and cliched. Avoid it. Instead, use professional looking photographs from stock image sites such as <a href="http://www.istockphoto.com/index.php">iStockPhoto.com</a><a href="http://www.istockphoto.com/index.php"> </a>or <a href="http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/">Flickr</a>. You can find very creative and striking images from the stock photo sites. But if you need shots of people exhibiting genuine emotion you'll have better luck with <a href="http://www.flickr.com/creativecommons/">Flickr Creative Commons</a> photos.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Use fewer words.</span> As a rule: If you are going to say it, then it does not to be on the slide. This will keep you from reading the slide, which bores the audience to death and <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/news/technology/powerpoint-presentations-a-disaster/2007/04/03/1175366240499.html">reduces comprehension</a>. Use keywords and headlines for the audience to key in on. But avoid complete sentences (other than the headline, or pertinent quotes).<br /><br />Those tips will get you started toward better looking presentations. for more advice on Presentation design read the following.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/">Presentation Zen</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.speakingaboutpresenting.com/blog/">Speaking about Presenting</a><br /><br /><a href="http://blog.duarte.com/">Slide:ology Blog</a><br /><a href="http://extremepresentation.typepad.com/blog/"><br />Extreme Presentation</a><br /></span></span>Jeromy Timmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15180709901456634814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789256203688247552.post-53849802576594163042009-01-07T09:48:00.017-05:002010-08-11T21:54:32.765-04:00What to take off your slides. (Part 1)<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/phoenixdailyphoto/1467681879/"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKx_nBniQW4ZS6g4yS8PVzcbviSkQjwkM-H_NxzWcaryo-y0OJ-CcSvjwjUbzgfJ4H_lPSvxufJXDGiHQUrVtTi36iQBMLA8aZv2f1MKoUuuPbwxCGXedX-qOfYKub1uPySbnKYs7oBLfF/s320/Bored+to+death.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289024463589920882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Why is there so much junk on PowerPoint slides?<br /><br />Olivia at Speaking about Presenting asks the question, "what would you like to see in PowerPoint slide design in 2009?" This is aimed at an audience already on the better presentation bandwagon. But I still see a lot of basic mistakes in PowerPoint design. So before talking about what I'd like to see in PowerPoint slide design is a discussion of what needs to come off of PowerPoint slides.<br /><br />There is a direct correlation between the amount of unnecessary junk on the slides and the boredom of the audience. This isn't cause and effect, they both result from the presenter not really understanding the needs of the audience.<br /><br />So take some time to figure what the audience needs are and get rid of the following elements from your slides.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Company Logo.</span> The audience does not need a reminder of whom you work for on every slide, especially if you all work for the same company.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Animated Logo.</span> One company I worked for had an animated logo in the top left corner of their standard template. Every 30 seconds the logo would spin around and explode in a fountain of color. I can only imagine what went though the mind of the audience, "I think I might buy . . . whoooaaa look at the pretty colors . . . what was I thinking?"<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Page numbers.</span> Page numbers are for books and documents. There is absolutely no reason the audience needs to know that a particular slide is number 42 of 168. Unless you plan on giving the audience a printed version of the presentation as a document . But <a href="http://coachlisab.blogspot.com/2009/02/powerpoint-slides-as-handouts.html">don't</a> <a href="http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2008/05/httpdiamondjpseriesanalysis10003toyota-chief-refrain-from-using-powerpointan-article-getting-some-attention-in-japan-last-week-was-this-one-japanese-which-says-the-toyota-motor-corporation-ceo-katsuaki-watanabe-urged-employees-to-.html">do</a> <a href="http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2006/04/slideuments_and.html">that</a> either. If you must, print it with the page numbers and present it without.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Document control information.</span> I've seen copyright notices, trademarks, file names and revision numbers (e.g. Company.Training.Pres ver. 2.00.1.15) appear in slide footers more than once. Again, this might be appropriate if you print them (please don't), but take them off your presentation. The audience does not need to see these.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Standard Templates.</span> All of the standard Microsoft PowerPoint templates stink. Horribly. The ones that aren't completely awful are so overused that they've become a cliche. Don't use any of them. It is possible to get a well designed, thoughtful and useful template. But be careful, some designers think putting an animated logo on every slide is a good idea.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Bullet Points</span>. <a href="http://nobullets.wordpress.com/">Don't</a> <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2006/apr/19/business/fi-powerpoint19">get me</a> <a href="http://blog.slideshare.net/2008/07/15/slide-tips-dodging-bullet-points-in-powerpoint-presentations-dave-yewman/">started</a> <a href="http://www.edwardtufte.com/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=0001yB">on</a> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0735623872?ie=UTF8&tag=ilovemycrazun-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0735623872">bullet points</a>.<br /><br />All of these things have one thing in common: they don't serve the needs of the audience. Once you take all of that junk out of your presentation, you can keep a professional, brand oriented appearance using the tips in part 2.<br /><br /></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:78%;" >Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/phoenixdailyphoto/1467681879/">Phoenixdailyphoto</a></span><span style="font-size:78%;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/phoenixdailyphoto/1467681879/" title="Link to phoenixdailyphoto's photostream"><b></b></a><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br /><br /></span>Jeromy Timmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15180709901456634814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789256203688247552.post-64203981529973749342009-01-05T10:20:00.014-05:002009-01-05T16:37:38.218-05:00Lean: less complicated than you think.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wcouch/2268610556/"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGcESzbV9XQJsND79N-wQZddxJyNBkgd344a7bRb7xpMNS4gbK53gzIqnWQ3NHjzjPZarFuI5vphyphenhyphenKVJDrxCNXBwWcz2oF4P-V27_LXP9RvhKhNP02W5Ofth5LK7M3ngN2vIj-o6ii4rBy/s320/See+Rule+no+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5287926004222192050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">What does it mean to practice Lean? Jon over at <a href="http://www.gembapantarei.com/2008/12/field_report_from_gemba_tour_62_part_4.html">Gemba Pen</a></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.gembapantarei.com/2008/12/field_report_from_gemba_tour_62_part_4.html">ta Rei</a> has the most elegant description of Lean I've seen:<br /></span><ol style="font-family: arial;"><li>Set the rules</li><li>Follow the rules</li><li>Improve the rules</li></ol><span style="font-family:arial;">Jon describes this as being "sensible and simple, to the point of being stunning." And I agree. In </span><span style="font-family:arial;">fact, I will be incorporating a tweaked version of this in all of my lean training and six sigma training from this point forward. Tweaked, to remove the baggage laden word "rules" and incorporate the lean term "standard." so it becomes:<br /></span><ol style="font-family: arial;"><li>Set the Standard</li><li>Follow the Standard</li><li>Improve the standard</li></ol><span style="font-family:arial;">All of the other lean tools (5S, Kanba, Visual controls, etc) are simply means to do one of those three things. If you are applying lean to your work area it is important to understand where you need to start.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Set the standard</span><br /><br />This means to set the standard work. You can not improve if everybody doing the same job does it differently. Work with the people who actually do the job to develop a current best practice, and make that the standard process everybody follows. This is not just for front line workers, this <a href="http://blog.jeromytimmer.com/2008/11/standard-work-is-for-everyone-even-ceo.html">applies to the CEO</a> as well.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Follow the standard</span><br /><br />Many managers assure me they have standard work procedures in place, but when pressed admit that it is only followed half the time. In this case we need to work on following the standard. This does not mean cracking the whip, or yelling at people, or holding other people <a href="http://blog.jeromytimmer.com/2008/12/most-loaded-word-in-english-language.html">accountable</a>.<br /><br />Find out why people are not following the standard and use lean tools to correct the process. Make the process as simple as possible and use signs and visual cues to make the next steps obvious. Build in visual controls to so that deviations from the standard are apparent. Once everyone is following the standard work, you will be able to see what is hard to do or doesn't work well and you can move on to improving the standard. </span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />The best predictor of future success is current success. If you are able to manage a mediocre process, you will be able to manage an improved process. Likewise, if you can't <a href="http://discussionleader.hbsp.com/sutton/2007/05/masters_of_the_obvious_1.html">manage</a> an <a href="http://bobsutton.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/12/in-praise-of-simple-competence.html">existing process</a>, an improved one will likely revert to chaos before too long. </span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Improve the standard</span><br /><br />As when setting the standard, get your front line people involved in improving the standard work. They know exactly where the current process falls short and they'll probably have good ideas for improving it. Make this a part of the culture instead of something that happens in big projects infrequently. Encourage employees to make suggestions any time, evaluate those suggestions with the group, and follow up with her whether you implement the suggestion or not. Facilitating this improvement cycle should be part of a manager's standard work.<br /><br />This is the foundation of any improvement strategy whether it is lean, six sigma, TQM or the Red X. Improvement is impossible without managing those three things.<br /><br />So what do you need to work on in your area? Setting standards, following standards, or improving the standards?<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/wcouch/2268610556/">William Couch</a></span><br /></span>Jeromy Timmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15180709901456634814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789256203688247552.post-60073438920253601122008-12-24T11:46:00.010-05:002008-12-24T12:21:45.740-05:00How to have effective meetings<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVVRcUrk8BRj_kJs6UqGaPXcV40LsrdApi7NVIbwfh73bXjoj6lk150gkpjHC1quTpcgCzXdqhJXVx22XtXw8d3BPle-dABjK4cx4lO4eft4RLSDDfjd3RZBxdQdYimlLKdbFSEbTE5VI/s1600-h/Work+done+vs+meetings+cropped.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtVVRcUrk8BRj_kJs6UqGaPXcV40LsrdApi7NVIbwfh73bXjoj6lk150gkpjHC1quTpcgCzXdqhJXVx22XtXw8d3BPle-dABjK4cx4lO4eft4RLSDDfjd3RZBxdQdYimlLKdbFSEbTE5VI/s320/Work+done+vs+meetings+cropped.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283407565200979250" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:'Times New Roman';"><div style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 3px; padding-right: 3px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 3px; width: auto; font: normal normal normal 100%/normal Georgia, serif; text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Verdana;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">As I mentioned in my post on </span></span><a href="http://blog.jeromytimmer.com/2008/11/standard-work-is-for-everyone-even-ceo.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">standard work for leadership</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">, meetings at most companies are a mess. There are too many, they don't accomplish enough, and people dread going to them. And if they are not productive, they are a giant money pit. Run </span></span><a href="http://www.payscale.com/meeting-miser"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Payscale's Meeting Miser</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> for a few meetings and ask yourself if you got your money's worth (or if you are really brave, ask the team).</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 3px; padding-right: 3px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 3px; width: auto; font: normal normal normal 100%/normal Georgia, serif; text-align: left; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:13px;"><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">It doesn't have to be that way. Here are six tips to improve meetings, and thereby improve your life.</span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">1. Don't have a meeting</span></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Meetings should always involve making decisions or doing genuine work that cannot be done individually. Ask yourself "why am I having this meeting?" If the answer contains the words "informational" or "get everyone on the same page" chances are you don't need a meeting. Other forms of communication (email, phone calls, or conversation) will work much better and take less time.</span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Before you schedule a meeting make sure that you know what decisions need to be made or work needs to get done, and that a meeting is the best venue for doing that.</span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">2. Send a simple agenda</span></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I know. Everybody says this, but nobody does it. Most people have opened up MS Word's Agenda Wizard at least once , filled in all of the blanks, picked a template, saved it to their hard drive, and sent it as an attachment to the team, only to find out that most people didn't read it. I think this is the main reason most people don't write agendas: its too complicated and nobody reads it anyway.</span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Keep it simple. Write the agenda in the body of the email so that folks don't have to open up an attachment to read it, and make it short. Many of the things normally on an agenda (attendees, time, place, etc) are already included in appointments sent with Outlook or Groupwise. You don't need to repeat those. So just get to the point of the meeting: </span></span><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><blockquote style="padding-top: 10px; padding-right: 10px; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 10px; border-top-width: 1px; border-right-width: 1px; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-right-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-bottom-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-left-color: rgb(221, 221, 221); border-top-style: dashed; border-right-style: dashed; border-bottom-style: dashed; border-left-style: dashed; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">"we are meeting to finalize the 2009 budget. We need to decide on X, Y, and Z. Nancy will email the latest TPS report, John is bringing the bagels" <br /></span></span></blockquote><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">3. Start on time</span></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">If you are missing people at the start time, start anyway. They'll be on time to the next meeting. Skip ahead in the agenda if you need to. </span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">4. Keep the meeting to 50 Minutes or less</span></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">I am amazed at the number people who schedule back to back meetings that last sixty minutes. After the first meeting they run late for the rest of the day. This is nuts. By high school most people have figured out that you need five to ten minutes to get to the next class. This rule also applies to meetings. </span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">For some reason the default meeting length in Outlook is thirty minutes and Groupwise is sixty minutes. Have your IT department change this to 50 minutes for the whole organization. If they refuse, at least change it for yourself. Actually this might be difficult in Outlook, but to do it in Groupwise go to Tools > Options > Date & Time > Default appointment length. If you are using Outlook you may have to just set each appointment to fifty minutes when you make them. </span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">5. The HIPPO should keep his mouth shut</span></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Bob Sutton has a great article about the </span></span><a href="http://bobsutton.typepad.com/my_weblog/2008/11/the-auto-industry-bailout-thoughts-about-why-gm-executives-are-clueless-and-their-no-we-cant-mindset.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">leadership problems at GM</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">. They have a culture where the top guy at any given meeting talks the most. Instead of the team actually doing their job, they end up echoing the highest paid person's opinion (HIPPO). Read Bob's article to find out why this is so poisonous. The HIPPO in the room should spend most of their time listening and moderating the conversation. If you are the HIPPO and you need to do all the talking, just send a memo. You don't need a meeting for that.</span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"> </span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">6. Send out minutes the same day</span></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">If your organization requires that you take detailed minutes of everything said at the meeting, make sure you have somebody there that can do that. But most of the time all you really need is a record of what decisions were made, what activities need to get done, and who is responsible for them. Spend the last minute of the meeting reviewing these and making sure everyone commits getting there part done (</span></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0688014291?ie=UTF8&tag=ilovemycrazun-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0688014291"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">one minute minutes</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">). Then email these minutes to the team the same day. If you don't do this somebody will drop the ball, guaranteed.</span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The good news is that all of this advice makes scheduling and having meetings simpler (and more effective). If you are in a leadership position make this the standard by which your organization conducts meetings. If you are not in a leadership position then lead by example. Plan and run your own meetings well and forward this article to anybody that needs to read it.</span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Photo: </span><a href="http://thisisindexed.com/2008/10/trapped/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">indexed</span></a></span></div></div></span></div></span>Jeromy Timmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15180709901456634814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789256203688247552.post-6538864175464486182008-12-19T11:51:00.005-05:002008-12-19T12:18:48.498-05:00The most loaded word in the english language.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/a2gemma/1448178195/"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1XCoXJr3pmlTzwMIjCo3enGU70_lkbbwu1vS2y_bzaUMGswhDsN3Y8VdujhbNHwu4rY9u-phJiXMGp_ZxSlC_DUW_h7x5e1IgnX9xEiqaGQwZ-YVnzSULN0x7fV0vVXYEdHYbcmKpjM5w/s320/Finger+Pointing+by+a2gemma.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281551154998006930" border="0" /></a>Accountability. Never has there been a word uttered so often by so many with so little idea of what it really means.<br /><br />I've worked with many managers to improve their processes. In the early stages of these projects, when we've identified the extent of how bad the problem is, the manager will often turn to me and say, "Isn't this really just a matter of holding people accountable?" or "they need to be more accountable." This is just finger pointing, not accountability. Accountability should always be about yourself not somebody else. <a href="http://www.leadershipturn.com/leaderships-future-the-need-for-accountability/">Miki Saxon</a> writes about this in the context of the current political environment, but it applies in all organizations.<br /><br />In <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0399152334?ie=UTF8&tag=ilovemycrazun-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0399152334">QBQ</a> John Miller writes that accountability is the ability to ask the right questions. Examples of wrong questions are:<br /><ul><li>Who dropped the ball?</li><li>Who's going to solve this problem?</li><li>When is somebody going to train me?</li><li>Who made them king?</li></ul><br />Better questions focus on personal accountability:<br /><ul><li>How can I help?</li><li>How can I become a part of the solution?</li><li>What can I do to develop myself?</li><li>What can I do to lead.</li></ul><br />Instead of focusing on why something happened or who is at fault, ask questions with these qualities:<br /><ul><li>Start with how or what. Why and who are usually counter-productive </li><li>Contain an "I". In the end that is the only person you can actually control</li><li>Focus on action. </li></ul><br />These are questions that you can actually answer yourself, and they bring about a mindset and action that will improve things. This is how leaders approach personal accountability.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/a2gemma/1448178195/">a2gemma</a></span>Jeromy Timmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15180709901456634814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789256203688247552.post-22181371157423364232008-12-11T16:24:00.007-05:002008-12-12T14:51:20.260-05:00What I learned from my root canal.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHUDsTfY6rLH_meu671A_4s6BDfsPlP6l0Zw-StjaTyrTcR4BwxIANu73GLCCPGvhav8V43GRxgfn8T2ea2e86qowJjz6yh6YyEDA3Np2l3LePybmuzimCc-hH0_rywvxHsJ6G_KNnEfzT/s1600-h/Root+Canal.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHUDsTfY6rLH_meu671A_4s6BDfsPlP6l0Zw-StjaTyrTcR4BwxIANu73GLCCPGvhav8V43GRxgfn8T2ea2e86qowJjz6yh6YyEDA3Np2l3LePybmuzimCc-hH0_rywvxHsJ6G_KNnEfzT/s320/Root+Canal.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278646865714900738" border="0" /></a><br />I hate dentists. I hate making the appointments, taking work off to see them, paying them, laying in the chair, the bright light, the pokes, the prods, the paper bib, the drool, trying to answer questions with fingers in my mouth, and flossing (because it reminds me of some dentist telling me to floss more). This is completely irrational because my loathing actually stems from my experience with an orthodontist (not a dentist), but imagine my annoyance at needing a root canal.<br /><br />Some people have not had the pleasure of having a root canal, like my friend Jessica. Our conversation on the subject went something like this:<br /><br /><div style="margin-left: 40px;">Jessica: What's a root canal?<br />Me: You know how you and most normal people go to the dentist every six months.<br />J:Yeah<br />Me: And every once in a while you have a cavity, but it never really hurt and the dentist fills it, and its no big deal.<br />J: Yeah<br />Me: Well if you don't see the dentist often enough the cavity goes all the way to the root, where the nerves and blood supply to the tooth get infected and it hurts like hell.<br />J: Oh.<br />Me: so they have to drill out the center of the tooth and pull out all of the nerves and blood supply in the root of the tooth, fill it all back in, and put a crown on it. It's a big pain in the butt and really expensive.<br />J: So let me get this straight. You have to have all of this work done mainly because you didn't see the dentist every six months?<br />Me: Right.<br />J: And its dentists you hate?<br /></div><br />Ouch.<br /><br />So here is what I learned from my root canal:<br /><ul><li>My problems are my own fault.</li><li>Seeing the dentist every six months is not a scam</li><li>My dentist has every right to talk to me like I'm an idiot.<br /></li><li>When the dentist says "don't chew on the right side," <i>don't chew on the right side.</i></li></ul>This is just one of many occasions where I suffered great pain to learn a simple lesson. What have you learned the hard way? (tell me in the comments.)<br /><br />By the way, If you need a Dentist in Kalamazoo, <a title="Dr. Allen and Dr. Wilson" href="http://www.kalamazoodds.com/Welcome.aspx" id="s44i">Dr. Allen and Dr. Wilson</a> are both terrific.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Photo: <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/betsssssy/" title="Link to Betsssssy's photostream"><b>Betsssssy</b></a></span>Jeromy Timmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15180709901456634814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789256203688247552.post-55054647474219173952008-12-08T21:30:00.005-05:002008-12-12T15:04:35.374-05:00What to say when you screw up.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF2W7QsD51qzVDqXVhXezotAE0NXm8t2OQzGCzY8cyRxRSUveSpUn7b4sjWhGkAD6qecr1jgP6DKjeq6XWVTl2BwvdKYoQJVO1CeGjmwvWNje9fOj6R972D2DPX-Au5KzXJIgvVlQtXSwh/s1600-h/Sorry!2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF2W7QsD51qzVDqXVhXezotAE0NXm8t2OQzGCzY8cyRxRSUveSpUn7b4sjWhGkAD6qecr1jgP6DKjeq6XWVTl2BwvdKYoQJVO1CeGjmwvWNje9fOj6R972D2DPX-Au5KzXJIgvVlQtXSwh/s320/Sorry!2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277615677857584482" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal"> Everybody screws up occasionally. When it happens the apology is important. There is only one right way to say I'm sorry and it should go something like this: "I'm sorry for what I did. I know it caused you pain. I promise it will never happen again." Notice that there is no "but." Anything that begins, "I'm sorry, but..." is not an apology. </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> Earlier this week one of the web services we use was performing horribly. Nobody from our company complained immediately, some of us even assumed the problem was on our end. Today, however we got the following note form the vendor (the name of the service has been changed.)<br /><span style=";font-family:Verdana;color:black;" ></span> </p> <p class="MsoNormal"> <span style=";font-family:Verdana;color:black;" ><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;">The last two days have been rough. HAL9000's performance was terrible. I would like to explain what happened, what we did to fix the problem, and how we are making sure that it doesn't happen again. Your time is valuable, and spending minutes waiting for every HAL9000 operation (or getting kicked out after entering data) is plain not good.<br /><br />First, the slowdown was a performance issue not a security one. Our database was stuck in a logic loop. The root of the problem was the monthly snapshot that HAL9000 makes of each clients data for use in comparative reporting. The December 1st snapshot was the first one to include the new 2009 regulatory </span> <span style="font-size:85%;">standards. We made a mistake in the computer code, so that the database made a full snapshot with EACH new standard. Needless to say, that's a lot of snapshots. The size of that request (measured in Terabytes, not megabytes or gigabytes) caused a cascade of safety features to kick-in. Our tech team has spent the past two days resetting those safety features and modifying the snapshot code. Short-term problem resolved.<br /><br />To make sure this does not happen again, we have done two things: first we have upgrade the diagnostic systems that monitor our data base from industry standard to cutting edge, and second we have engaged a consulting company to analyze and optimize our database structure. While this performance issue was the first for HAL9000 in 2.5 years, we agree that even once is too much.<br /><br />Thank you for your understanding, and we are sorry for the inconvenience this has caused. If we can help enter data that has accumulated over the past days, please forward them to your account manager. As always, contact me directly if you would like more gory tech details.<br /><br />Sincerely,<br />Jon</span></blockquote><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></span> </p><br />That is how you write an apology. It begins with an acknowledgment that they screwed up, it goes on to acknowledge the pain it causes, and it assures us that they have put in procedures to prevent this from happening again. While it does go into some technical detail, it does so only to provide context for the assurances that it won't happen again. The technical stuff doesn't become an excuse. That's important. And they never use the word "but".<br /><br />So the next time you screw up, remember these three things:<br /><ul><li> I'm sorry </li><li> I know it caused you pain </li><li> It won't happen again </li></ul><br />Try it at work and at home.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Photo: <b><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/halfchinese/" title="Link to Half Chinese's photostream"><b>Half Chinese</b></a></b></span>Jeromy Timmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15180709901456634814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789256203688247552.post-49546972694550072862008-12-04T11:15:00.005-05:002008-12-04T11:57:01.438-05:00Malcolm Gladwell on why we squander talentPoptech has a <a title="video" href="http://poptech.org/popcasts/popcasts.aspx?lang=&viewcastid=206" id="hxyk">video</a> of Malcolm Gladwell discussing some of the ideas in his new book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316017922?ie=UTF8&tag=ilovemycrazun-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0316017922">Outliers</a>. (Thanks, <a title="Garr" href="http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2008/12/presenting-malcolm-gladwell.html" id="hypu">Garr</a> !) He discusses how we are very poor at capitalizing on human potential, and what the barriers are to getting all people to achieve their best.<br /><br /><br /><embed src="http://d.yimg.com/static.video.yahoo.com/yep/YV_YEP.swf?ver=2.2.7.1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" bgcolor="#000000" flashvars="id=10577117&vid=10577117&autoPlay=0&lang=en-us&intl=us&thumbUrl=&embed=1" width="500" height="313"></embed><br /><br /><br />There are barriers to human capitalization common to most business.<br /><br /><b>Lack of Diversity</b><br /><br />There is <a title="a lot" href="http://www.amazon.com/Creating-Multicultural-Organization-Capturing-Diversity/dp/0787955841/ref=pd_sim_b_2/104-7387278-1537562" id="c:7s">a lot</a> of <a title="research" href="http://www.amazon.com/Medici-Effect-Elephants-Epidemics-Innovation/dp/1422102823/sr=1-1/qid=1166075019/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-0004524-5579924?ie=UTF8&s=books" id="mwsv">research</a> <a title="showing" href="http://www.amazon.com/Harvard-Business-Review-Managing-Diversity/dp/1578517001/sr=1-11/qid=1166075091/ref=sr_1_11/104-7387278-1537562?ie=UTF8&s=books" id="o8mf">showing</a> that diverse organizations outperform non-diverse ones (thanks, <a title="Penelope" href="http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/category/diversity/" id="v78s">Penelope</a> ). Why is this? Think about it from the negative. The opposite of diversity is promoting and hiring people who are just like ourselves: similar background, experience, and ways of thinking about things. Non-diverse businesses miss out on a wider range of perspective and creativity. It is natural to gravitate to people who our like us, but if we don't keep that tendency in check we squander the potential of many or our employees, and the organization suffers as a result.<br /><br /><b>Arrogance</b><br /><br />The best ideas often come from the people doing the work. It makes sense that folks who actually interact with the customer or assemble the product might have some good ideas about improving the customer experience or the manufacturing process. But organizations with rigid hierarchies only listen to the engineers and MBAs, completely squandering the intelligence and creativity of the folks closest to the customer. The best business listen to emplyees at all levels of the org chart.<br /><br /><br />What are some of the barriers to human capitalization in your organization?Jeromy Timmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15180709901456634814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789256203688247552.post-82913296938033971032008-12-02T09:20:00.006-05:002008-12-02T09:42:27.113-05:00Best time management advice ever.<span style="font-size:100%;">Everyone has seen Randy <span class="misspell" suggestions="Paunch's,Psyche's,Psycho's,Patch's,Pouch's">Pausch's</span> inspirational Last Lecture. Shortly after that he gave a much more practical (and just as inspirational) lecture on time management. Watch the <a href="http://www.vimeo.com/407387">video</a> and implement at least one of his recommendations. See more of Randy's videos <a href="http://www.cs.virginia.edu/%7Erobins/Randy/">here</a>.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.vimeo.com/407387"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 203px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7jBwydYlHLF-6Ik494CEtZ0AKX50zAqgqmfzw5TmMMtJUUXzHTYoHg4EPpBM2Si1hyphenhyphenyWslFXlm-WEcqO6t1x0KMdSg51BHrXTaG7in4fNJco746VybzGkVAsVxEpXepdwSARA0Cli9Aq7/s320/Randy_TM_jow0142_500_318.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5275200200948931266" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:100%;">I don't do everything he suggests, but I can personally attest to:<br /></span><br /><ul><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Multiple monitors. Don't be a scrooge, they're cheap and they really do improve productivity.</span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Batching email. It takes much more time to respond to dozens of emails as they come in than it does to go through them all at once. Bonus Tip: Apply <a title="GTD workflow" href="http://lifedev.net/2007/02/gtd-cheatsheet-the-workflow/" id="b0m:"><span class="misspell" suggestions="GD,TD,GT,GED,GTE">GTD</span> <span class="misspell" suggestions="work flow,work-flow,workfare,workforce,workable">workflow</span></a> to you email processing, and empty your inbox every day.<br /></span></li><li><span style="font-size:100%;">Covey's four quadrants: Prioritize your to-do list according to Covey's <a title="four quadrants" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:MerrillCoveyMatrix.png" id="zg-l">four quadrants</a>. Make time for those things that are important but not urgent (quadrant 2).</span></li></ul><span style="font-size:100%;"><br />The power of the last two items becomes apparent when I don't do them for a while: my stress level goes way up. If you are a software developer, make your first million by building a productivity suite that incorporates email batching and covey's four quadrants. I know I'd buy it.<br /><br />Do you practice any of these techniques? Leave a comment and let me know how it works for you.<br /><br /></span>Jeromy Timmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15180709901456634814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789256203688247552.post-84906665298277871712008-11-26T10:59:00.003-05:002008-11-26T11:05:04.758-05:00Who knew Honda made Tofu?<span style="font-family: arial;font-family:Tahoma;font-size:100%;" >When people think of Lean</span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" > they often think of the tools associated with it: 5S, kanban, error proofing, visual controls, etc. But the tools alone are not what lean is. Lean is basically finding creative solutions to </span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" ><span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2gqMty7S5YYKbEaA2tLtQOS7JCG6zLOYv-s43lwTzYXvg_8he9NEzVA7bYtFnR0jNFbe_G4k91gfaXB6m-drCNfwWxOdyq2hMxkCxzXndOtquO6Q_k448X9-gnAv9EtF_PWfziI4F9Cc/s1600-h/Soybean+plant.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_2gqMty7S5YYKbEaA2tLtQOS7JCG6zLOYv-s43lwTzYXvg_8he9NEzVA7bYtFnR0jNFbe_G4k91gfaXB6m-drCNfwWxOdyq2hMxkCxzXndOtquO6Q_k448X9-gnAv9EtF_PWfziI4F9Cc/s200/Soybean+plant.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272997190660718978" border="0" /></a></span></span><span style="font-family: arial;font-size:100%;" >management problems (or engineering problems).<br /><br /><a href="http://management.curiouscatblog.net/2008/11/25/honda-has-never-had-layoffs-and-has-been-profitable-every-year/" id="d4cf" title="John at Curious Cat Management">John at Curious Cat Management</a> has a great example of creative problem solving from honda:<br /><blockquote>"Of all the bizarre subsidiaries that big companies can find themselves with, Harmony Agricultural Products, founded and owned by <b>Honda Motor</b>, is one of the strangest. This small company near Marysville, Ohio produces soybeans for tofu. Soybeans? Honda couldn't brook the sight of the shipping containers that brought parts from Japan to its nearby auto factories returning empty. So Harmony now ships 33,000 pounds of soybeans to Japan." - <a href="http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2006/0904/112.html" id="ub:2" title="Forbes">Forbe</a><a href="http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2006/0904/112.html" id="ub:2" title="Forbes">s</a></blockquote><a href="http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2006/0904/112.html" id="ub:2" title="Forbes"></a><br />That's just elegant. In addition Honda has never suffered layoffs or an unprofitable year. Hmmm.<br /><br />Photo- <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimmysmith/54277389/">Jwinfred</a><br /></span>Jeromy Timmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15180709901456634814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789256203688247552.post-29103807057495072542008-11-24T09:55:00.005-05:002008-12-08T21:47:34.499-05:00Standard work is for everyone: even the CEO<span style="font-family:verdana;">Continuous Improvement starts and ends with standard work. It is much easier to improve a process when everyone works the same way. And the only way to maintain the gains of an improved process is to standardize it. This is fundamental for front line workers, but is often missing from the leadership of many "Lean" organizations. In order to improve how you lead or manage you have to standardize the processes you use to lead and manage. The CEO is not exempt. Here are a few ways that the folks in the C-suite can apply standard work.<br /><br /></span><b style="font-family: verdana;">Safety</b><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">The employee safety rate in healthcare (my industry) is </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" title="abysmal" href="http://www.bls.gov/iif/" id="ru_z">abysmal</a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. The injury rate is three times that of most manufacturing industries. Nurses and techs tend to focus on patient care and safety while ignoring their own personal safety. This is not an accident, it is a direct result of the way that most hospitals are led from the very top, and up there employee safety takes a back seat to patient safety and care.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Leading a safe organization starts with making safety a priotity. Do this by putting safety first, literally. </span> <ul style="font-family: verdana;"><li>Make it the first item on the agenda for leadership and operational meeting.<br /></li><li>Start every day by reviewing and following up on injuries from the previous day.<br /></li><li>Make your recordable injury rate the first item on you operational dashboard.<br /></li></ul><span style="font-family:verdana;">Insist that your directors and managers follow this example and put safety first in their daily meetings and interactions with frontline employees. Putting safety first at the very top creates a culture of safety. It is not the only thing need to improve safety, but without it nothing else matters.</span><b style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />Go to the Gemba</b><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">In Lean, gemba means "the place where the work is done." We talk about "going to the gemba" to see what is actually happening with our employees and customers. This is also called </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" title="management by walking around" href="http://www.futurecents.com/mainmbwa.htm" id="qvfn">management by walking around</a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. When the CEO or or VPs go to where the work is done and talk to front line employees amazing things happen. Trust starts to build. The leadership will understand what challenges are employees face in getting their work done in a way that they wouldn't otherwise.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">This is something that makes sense to most leaders, but is still done much too infrequently. How can that change? make it part of standard work. </span> <div><ul style="font-family: verdana;"><li>Schedule part of every day to visit some area of the organization and talk with the employees.<br /></li><li>This should not be a formal meeting, just observe the work being done and talk with them about any challenges or frustrations they have. (And remind them to work safely.)<br /></li><li>Make this a part of your routine, and set the expectation that VPs, directors, and managers make it a part of their routine. </li></ul> <b style="font-family: verdana;">Metrics<br /></b><span style="font-family:verdana;">If it is important, measure it everyday. Enterprise software makes it easy (or at least possible) to track financial metrics by the day, and most executives do this already. But financial metrics are often too far removed from the processes we manage to be a real guide. Identify what process have the most impact to meeting your goals, find a way to measure them, and track those metrics on at least a daily basis.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">Every organization I've worked at has had at least some metrics that they looked at monthly, and caused hysteria when the numbers were out o</span><span style="font-family:verdana;">f line. By the time the metric is actually reported it was too late to investigate the problem, much less fix it. If a process is important enough to report monthly, then it is important enough to measure daily. This is how you make sure that you stay on top of those things that are important, not just urgent.</span> <ul style="font-family: verdana;"><li>Inventory: Have your supply chain manager or each department manager report inventory days on hand on a daily basis.</li><li>Staffing: If you flex your staff based on demand, measure your staffing ratios on a daily basis and tweak your flexing process.</li><li>Clinical results: Any clinical activities that have a standard process associated with them should be measured daily. examples include: medication nomograms, glycemic control, and time from lab order to result reported.</li></ul><span style="font-family:verdana;">Standardize the process of getting these metrics so that you know that the right people are also looking at the numbers. The IT department shouldn't just write a report that for the CEO that does this automatically. The process owners need to be responsible for collecting this data and reporting it up.</span><br /><br /><b style="font-family: verdana;">Meetings</b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://thisisindexed.com/2008/10/trapped/"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 146px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis_bHwF66Ne-jbENFUYGaIHkXjFkcZQFPciWN3yZyZ3WGGNU9rPYyC8TzXhyphenhyphenfvf_WZrPERSgQBRfHSyQs-IRC1C9YK8FlvCTFC1mafWdVJ4WZB0ffazQ_-iw1Zivr3OWcb9aqcIC_OCg8E/s200/Work+done+vs+meetings+cropped.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5272240355206774002" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Meetings at most companies are a mess. There are too many of them g</span><span style="font-family:verdana;">etting too little done with too many of the wrong people attending them. </span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> Leadership can go a long way toward fixing this by setting some standards.</span> <ul style="font-family: verdana;"><li>Agendas: Every meeting needs an agenda. Short, simple, and in the body of the email (instead of an attachement) is best. Give your people the option of declining any meeting that doesn't have one.</li><li>Time: Keep them to fifty minutes. By ending ten minutes before the hour folks can get to their next meeting on time. We should have learned this in high school. See if your IT folks can make this the default in your calendar software.<br /></li><li>Publish the decisions made and next actions the same day.</li></ul> <span style="font-family:verdana;">The further you get from actually serving the customer or making your product the easier it is to get distracted from what is really important in your organization. Use standard work to keep the important things first.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Photo: <a href="http://thisisindexed.com/2008/10/trapped/">indexed</a></span><br /><br /></div>Jeromy Timmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15180709901456634814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789256203688247552.post-80776726672638734192008-11-12T21:56:00.008-05:002008-12-08T21:48:26.564-05:00Improve Your Dessert<span style="font-family:verdana;">This blog is mostly about process improvement, but it is generally about everything improvement, and today it is about dessert improvement. Here it goes: throw out your Cool Whip right now! Wired magazine has a very info</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3119/2645279075_0b4a830932_m.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 240px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3119/2645279075_0b4a830932_m.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">rmative article on </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" title="what is actually in Cool Whip" href="http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/15.05/st_coolwhip.html" id="qshf">what is actually in Cool Whip</a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> and guess what, cream is nowhere to be found. In fact the ingredients are pretty disgusting. Go ahead, </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" title="Read it" href="http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/15.05/st_coolwhip.html" id="l49y">Read it</a><span style="font-family:verdana;">.</span> <span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br />Now I understand using concoctions like this for the sake of convenience, but th</span><span style="font-family:verdana;">e truth is that making real whipped cream is so cheap and easy there is almost no reason not to. Here's how </span><a style="font-family: verdana;" title="you do it" href="http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Your-Own-Whipped-Cream" id="b.4q">you do it</a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> :<br /></span> <ul style="font-family: verdana;"><li><span>Buy heavy whipping cream</span></li><li><span>put in mixing bowl with some sugar (and maybe a dash of vanilla)<br /></span></li><li><span>whip with electric blender</span></li><li>Its done when it looks and feels like whipped cream.<br /><span></span></li></ul><span style="font-family:verdana;"> if you are too lazy to do that, use Reddi Whip instead of Cool Whip. At least the first ingredient on the Reddi Whip can is actually cream.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/digital1/">91RS</a></span><br /></span>Jeromy Timmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15180709901456634814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789256203688247552.post-13169040846504953952008-11-10T15:35:00.003-05:002008-12-02T22:16:19.487-05:00Correcting Errors Early: Source checks, Self checks, and Successive Checks<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">The Lean Healthcare Exchange has an excellent article about <a href="http://leanhealthcareexchange.com/?p=102">source checks, self checks and successive checks.</a><span style=""> </span>This concept needs to be incorporated into standard work procedures in healthcare whenever other error-proofing methods are not in place.<span style=""> </span>And that would be most of the time.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">The need for these checks stem from the fact that there is so much opportunity in healthcare to cause great harm from simple mistakes: fat fingering a medication order in the EMR, transposing two numbers in a lab result or medication dosage, or confusing left and right when performing a procedure on a patient.<span style=""> </span>Smart people can easily make these kinds of mistakes.<span style=""> </span>Source, self, and successive checks prevent these errors from harming the patient.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">The classic example of this is the surgical time-out.<span style=""> </span>The nurses, surgeon, and anesthesiologist stop what they are doing and review the procedure and location on the consent.<span style=""> </span>This successive check ensures that they are doing what the patient and physician intend.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Unfortunately this assumes that everything leading up to the written consent is correct.<span style=""> </span>The recent example of a surgeon removing the <a href="http://eldorado.injuryboard.com/miscellaneous/when-doctors-remove-the-wrong-kidney.aspx?googleid=233422">wrong kidney</a> from a patient illustrates the problem with this.<span style=""> </span>It turns out the wrong kidney was reported as cancerous in the medical record.<span style=""> </span>Lets look at how source checks, self checks, and successive checks can help prevent this type of error.<o:p></o:p></span></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family:Arial;">The radiologist performs a self-check to ensure the film is not backward before reading it.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family:Arial;">The radiologist reads the film again (source check) just prior to reporting the result.<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family:Arial;">The physician double checks the radiology report before ordering the surgery (successive check)<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family:Arial;">The physician looks at the film himself before ordering the surgery (source check)<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family:Arial;">After ordering surgery the physician compares what he just ordered with the radiological report (self check)<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family:Arial;">The surgical team checks the consent before starting surgery (successive check – this is standard practice, and is what the team did)<o:p></o:p></span></li><li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-family:Arial;">The surgical team checks the original film before starting surgery (source check – this is the new procedure instituted at the hospital in question)<o:p></o:p></span></li></ul> <span style="font-family:Arial;">All of this checking and re-checking seems like wasted activity.<span style=""> </span>But eliminating the defect early on is much less costly than letting the defect get to the customer.<span style=""> </span>This is true in manufacturing, and it is even truer in healthcare.</span>Jeromy Timmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15180709901456634814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789256203688247552.post-64252934786841956052008-11-07T09:21:00.009-05:002008-12-02T22:10:01.418-05:00Real Reference Material vs Back Breaking Binders of Slideuments<span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;font-size:100%;color:black;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">In most six sigma training the students get several big thick binders filled with the PowerPoint slides used in class.</span></span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">This is a huge waste: a waste of trees, a waste energy carrying the things back to the office, and a waste of shelf space.</span></span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">The problem is that good presentation materials make horrible documents and good documents make horrible slides.</span></span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">When you try to do both you get </span></span><a href="http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2006/04/slideuments_and.html"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">slideuments</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">, and slideuments stink.<br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;font-size:100%;color:black;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">So when I had the opportunity to develop Green Belt training from scratch I committed to making the PowerPoint slides support my message without being the message, and to giving</span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;font-size:100%;color:black;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"> my students decent reference material instead of useless slideuments.</span></span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">Since the organization</span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;font-size:100%;color:black;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"> is savin</span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;font-size:100%;color:black;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">g</span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;font-size:100%;color:black;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"> perhaps a quarter million a year by doing the training in house instead of hiring </span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;font-size:100%;color:black;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">one of the big consultant firms, we can spend a few bucks on books.<br /><br /></span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;font-size:100%;color:black;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">Her</span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;font-size:100%;color:black;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">e</span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;font-size:100%;color:black;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"> is a</span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;font-size:100%;color:black;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"> list of the books I use in my Six Sigma Green Belt training.<br /><br /></span></span></span><p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0142000280?ie=UTF8&tag=ilovemycrazun-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0142000280"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 54px; height: 80px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgga0QjHOdrYV60dEHVlhAs4LL78856lMBjWF-16Wr-Ki0_eQAaTR1ZSgfFWTuwW9Rx9C4eCGYUSPcfdOjD2L2v3b3dnmfSe3hyRO9TnsJwkIFjqmh6QaqfbkisgnvP3zjUQRImMGpY4znC/s320/GTD+image.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267101664430928530" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0142000280?ie=UTF8&tag=ilovemycrazun-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0142000280"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">G</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">e</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">tti</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">ng </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">T</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">hin</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">g</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">s Done</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"> by David Allen</span></span></a></span></p><p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0142000280?ie=UTF8&tag=ilovemycrazun-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0142000280"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></a></span></p><p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-size:100%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">A ve</span></span></span><span style=";font-size:100%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">r</span></span></span><span style=";font-size:100%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">y good</span></span></span><span style=";font-size:100%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"> boo</span></span></span><span style=";font-size:100%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">k on personal productivity, it also has a chapter on </span></span></span><span style=";font-size:100%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">project planning that I</span></span></span><span style=";font-size:100%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"> used </span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;">as a basis for project management training material. I think Everyone should read this book.<br /></span></p><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;font-size:100%;color:black;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /><br /></span></span></span><p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-size:100%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071410155?ie=UTF8&tag=ilovemycrazun-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0071410155"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 54px; height: 69px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEWSKFiziAoJ9Eammpsk61_Lopx_z-0pDmSBYcJtvfKSjGKHBCuLj7iGcngURO16YvNnTKnYYCQmZiG2QZEXIzXJ_ofqFauiOO3vC1aMcfMQ_K1TH_EMfSw4H0ax1BCODXq2XQxY8iU25x/s320/Six+Sigma+Handbook.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267104533099617538" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071410155?ie=UTF8&tag=ilovemycrazun-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0071410155"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">Th</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">e S</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">ix Sig</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">ma </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">Handbook by Thomas Pyzdek</span></span></a></span></p><p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-size:100%;" ><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0071410155?ie=UTF8&tag=ilovemycrazun-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0071410155"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></a></span></p><p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-size:100%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">A big fat reference book. I don't think I like this any more than <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0471265721?ie=UTF8&tag=ilovemycrazun-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0471265721">Implementing Six Sigma by Forrest Breyfogle</a> (another big fat </span></span></span><span style=";font-size:100%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">reference book I've used for many years). But it is </span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">cheaper.</span></span></span></p><p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0131741713?ie=UTF8&tag=ilovemycrazun-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0131741713"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 54px; height: 73px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFNUZsaCJzoKFJm9372eo7F9DDOSdzcNWTQ0PQ_eIRyji6N7-gEdAx1dO1cymo8OXc4YhLzitEgBK4VqlNP_krOhyphenhyphenHO5JGraqublZ2L9iK-vnABi8RI-6dD9Ctw8SAOzFY5LddR6c5og1g/s320/Improving+Health+care+with+six+sigma+imagejpg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267105286123955874" border="0" /></a></span></p><p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0131741713?ie=UTF8&tag=ilovemycrazun-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0131741713"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">Im</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">pr</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">ovin</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">g</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"> He</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">a</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">lthcare </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">Quality and Cost with Six Sigma</span></span></a></span></p><p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></p> <span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;font-size:100%;color:black;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">A n</span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;font-size:100%;color:black;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">ice application of the tools to healthcare. I've gotten good feedback on the book from th</span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;font-size:100%;color:black;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">e Green Belt candidates.<br /><br /><br /></span></span></span><p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0527762938?ie=UTF8&tag=ilovemycrazun-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0527762938"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 54px; height: 65px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh4CCvgCPO6yrsCjCqn-hUf20s1BhCmWDstTmpg1tXu1M_CmK1v0rE2tX7323kOSnzFGR4pZodt3S_j9vSRqD07UPPaiL-zj6zkzGGejMiZcVnaEfcuwEDeiF-azfPox_pd5wYwxKBhcIs/s320/Measuring+quality+improvement+in+healthcare.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267106916708537682" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0527762938?ie=UTF8&tag=ilovemycrazun-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0527762938"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">Meas</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">uring </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">Quality Improvement in Healthcare: A guide to statistical process control applications</span></span></a></span></p><p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0527762938?ie=UTF8&tag=ilovemycrazun-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0527762938"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></a></span></p><p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-size:100%;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">An excellent book on using SPC in healthcare. It has a lot of examples, many of which were directly applicable to processes the students work with every day. Chapter 5 has almost everything a Green Belt needs to know about SPC. In fact, this is probably the best book on SPC for n</span></span></span><span style="font-size:100%;">on-statisticians that I've seen.<br /></span></p><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;font-size:100%;color:black;" ><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;font-size:100%;" ><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/097707207X?ie=UTF8&tag=ilovemycrazun-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=097707207X"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 54px; height: 84px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv-Vmrj-Ihvv8TWrgDBFUq11ilPTMhDOUc8UG9lz8hVeBodTqrUxtL_bq7pNFIWlxFozDdRSclOp22XGm3506OjGjS1Ir9RMVg5cRLSveW4kT1b95bgEhgd6PeZAgSUINu1u_6nAsV-_R-/s320/Lean+Heathcare+Pocket+guide+XL.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267107395742532882" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/097707207X?ie=UTF8&tag=ilovemycrazun-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=097707207X"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">The </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">L</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">e</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">an </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">Healthcare Pocket Guide XL - Tools for the Elimination of Waste in Hospitals, Clinics and Othe</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">r Healthcare Facilities</span></span></a></span><span style="font-family: verdana;font-size:100%;" ><br /></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;font-size:100%;" class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span">This </span></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;font-size:100%;" class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span">h</span></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;font-size:100%;" class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span">as nice, concise description of most Lean tools. The XL version is much easier to </span></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;font-size:100%;" class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span">read than the </span></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;font-size:100%;" ><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0977072029?ie=UTF8&tag=ilovemycrazun-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0977072029"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">pocket size version</span></span></a></span><span style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;font-size:100%;" class="Apple-style-span" ><span class="Apple-style-span">.</span></span><p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0977942961?ie=UTF8&tag=ilovemycrazun-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0977942961"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 54px; height: 68px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMHh1oHmmteYkYPdTSbDAWAOhYfng2VWRBVQOKTJXQXGPrJBQnorHyVd2Jki8XtzCivO0Wzq06IBjkYJnHfYOJuj2kuLJNHdaikHLR9m6mJli6pDObmB6kIzD0CtliNVmL4KcxDvdoiTr3/s320/Rath+and+Stron+Minitab+15+Guide.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5267108098550417042" border="0" /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0977942961?ie=UTF8&tag=ilovemycrazun-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0977942961"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">Rath</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span">& Strong's Guide to Minitab: Release 15</span></span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></p><p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:100%;"><span class="Apple-style-span">I gave the students this guide as an alternative to writing my own guide to Minitab. I may have to write one myself anyway.</span></span></p><p style="color: rgb(102, 102, 102); font-family: verdana;" class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=";font-size:100%;" ><br /></span></p>Jeromy Timmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15180709901456634814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789256203688247552.post-42051783296356484382008-11-05T16:05:00.004-05:002008-12-02T22:19:58.155-05:00Start Projects Right: the Problem Statement, the Project Objective, and the Business Case<p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Projects that get off track are often not defined well in the initial meetings.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Team members will have different ideas about the purpose, goals, and scope of the project.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">If those are not reconciled and agreed upon at the beginning, the result will be conflict and misunderstanding later on.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">A project charter will get the team on the same page right from the beginning and keep them there as the project moves forward.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">One of the first meetings you have as a team should involve a discussion of the purpose and goals of the team.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">This discussion plus some data should give you everything you need to write a problem statement and a goal statement.</span></span></p><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;font-size:18;" >Problem Statement</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">A good problem statement will have the following items:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style=""><i><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">What</span></span></i><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> the problem is</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style=""><i><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Where</span></span></i><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> it is occurring</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style=""><i><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">When</span></span></i><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> it occurred</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">extent</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> of the problem</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style=""><i><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">How you know</span></span></i><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> it is a problem</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li> </ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;">Here is an example of a bad problem statement:</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">“The hospital has too many patient falls.”</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.5in;"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">A good problem statement will contain the five elements above:</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style=""><i><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">What</span></span></i><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> the problem is</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="circle"> <li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">“Patient Falls…“</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li> </ul> <li class="MsoNormal" style=""><i><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Where</span></span></i><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> it is occurring</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="circle"> <li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">“Patient Falls on the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">inpatient floors at the hospital… </span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">“</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li> </ul> <li class="MsoNormal" style=""><i><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">When</span></span></i><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> it occurred</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="circle"> <li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">“Patient Falls on the inpatient floors at the hospital during </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">FY 2005…</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li> </ul> <li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">extent</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> of the problem</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="circle"> <li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">“Patient Falls on the inpatient floors at the hospital during FY 2005 averaged </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">20 per month</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">…”</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">(Not bad)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">“Patient Falls on the inpatient floors at the hospital during FY 2005 averaged </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">20 per month resulting in one death and $500,000 in uncompensated treatment…</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">”</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">(Now we’re talking)</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li> </ul> <li class="MsoNormal" style=""><i><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">How you know</span></span></i><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> it is a problem</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="circle"> <li class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">“Patient Falls on the inpatient floors at the hospital during FY 2005 averaged 20 per month resulting in one death and $500,000 in uncompensated treatment.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">This rate is 50% above ministry average.”</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></li> </ul> </ul> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The problem statement is short, concise, describes why and to what extent this is a problem.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">It should never contain causes of the deficiency or likely actions or solutions.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">And it also won’t contain all of the detail that came out of the conversation about the purpose of the team, but it will give a powerful reason of why the project is necessary.</span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;font-size:18;" >Project Objective (Goal Statement)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;font-size:16;" ><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The team should already have a list of goals for the project team.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">These will include all of the ways the team sees their work and the process improved at the end of the project.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The goal statement will not include this detail, but achieving it should have the result of meeting all of those individual goals.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">For six sigma projects, a good goal will be SMART: Specific, measurable, aggressive, realistic, and have a time-frame.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">A note about the realistic aspect: goals can be very aggressive and still be realistic.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">It often means that you will have to be more creative with your solutions.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">A SMART project objective might be: </span></span></p> <p class="MsoBodyTextIndent" style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">·</span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Implement a patient falls prevention strategy for inpatient areas that eliminates patient falls by January 1, 2009.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The word “eliminates” might raise some eyebrows.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Naysayers will tell you that achieving zero defects is unrealistic.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">But for patient safety issues what is the alternative?</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">How many patient falls are acceptable?</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">We do not want patient falls to be an outcome of our standard way of doing business.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;font-size:18;" ><br /></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;font-size:18;" >Business Case</span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">It is also a good idea to establish a business case.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The project objective and problem statement get the team on the same page.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The business case gets the buy in of leadership.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">The problem statement establishes the extent of the problem, while the business case ties that in to the organizations key business objectives.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">This is fundamental to getting the resources and support you need to complete the project.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">If your project is not related to senior management’s goals, then you are going to have difficulty getting commitment from them to provide people and resources for the team.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 0.75in; text-indent: -0.25in;"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">·</span><span style=";font-family:";font-size:7;" ><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">In FY 2006 the hospital provided 1.5 million dollars in uncompensated care to patients injured during the course of their stay.</span><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Patient falls accounted for $500,000 dollars of that uncompensated care.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Now that gets the attention of even the bean counters.</span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Leading projects is not always easy, but making sure that the team is on the same page regarding the problem and objectives, and that senior management supports the goal, goes along way toward ensuring success. </span><o:p></o:p></span></p>Jeromy Timmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15180709901456634814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789256203688247552.post-30892781388231112382008-11-05T15:53:00.000-05:002008-11-06T16:21:04.605-05:00Keep Projects on Track with the Natural Planning Model<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dI2clhenVpu1wOeNSdlY4_J1QAP2LuR24fBpG4M3ZfaoqyZxnfKwNAeBhaalEkrB5vnhlPF9QQO59b3Kak-KbijBjfCD3fcydNRPg2i1Ay55UZP_8HAUX31iDbbEr_tfM1EIPyC_MU1u/s1600-h/Foot+on+Rail+Road+Tracks.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 256px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dI2clhenVpu1wOeNSdlY4_J1QAP2LuR24fBpG4M3ZfaoqyZxnfKwNAeBhaalEkrB5vnhlPF9QQO59b3Kak-KbijBjfCD3fcydNRPg2i1Ay55UZP_8HAUX31iDbbEr_tfM1EIPyC_MU1u/s320/Foot+on+Rail+Road+Tracks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5265281584274807986" border="0" /></a><br /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">We have all been on project teams that flounder.<span style=""> </span>The brainstorming sessions seem vague and unfocused.<span style=""> </span>The action plan doesn’t address the problem.<span style=""> </span>Or nobody seems to really understand what’s going on in the first place.<span style=""> </span>This is all a result of poor project planning.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">When people think of project management they usually think of Gantt charts, pert charts, and MS project.<span style=""> </span>These can be useful tools when used appropriately, but most projects don’t need them.<span style=""> </span>Since most people know these tools aren’t needed for their project, and that is what they know of project management, they end up doing no planning at all.<span style=""> </span><o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">David Allen describes the Natural Planning Model in his book <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0142000280?ie=UTF8&tag=ilovemycrazun-20&link_code=as3&camp=211189&creative=373489&creativeASIN=0142000280">Getting Things Done</a>.<span style=""> </span>I have had excellent success applying this model to all kinds of projects.<span style=""> </span>The key is to follow each step in order, and to be constantly aware of where your project is within the model</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">The five steps are:<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;font-family:Georgia;font-size:18;" ></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Define your Purpose and Principles</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">It is very i<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">mportant tha</span>t everybody on the team knows exactly why the project is necessary.<span style=""> </span>Revenues are short of budget and the team needs to figure out what to do about it; the defect rate on a particular product is too high; or the CEO is in town and we need to roll out the red carpet.<span style=""> </span>If people on the team are not in agreement with what the <b>purpose</b> is from the start, then it is very difficult to keep people working toward the same thing</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">In team leadership training you are taught to establish ground rules in the first meeting.<span style=""> </span>‘Be Respectful’, ‘stay on topic’, and ‘start and stop on time’ are common ground rules, and can also be thought of as the <b>principles</b> of behavior the team agrees to work by.<span style=""> </span>These are great, but you also need to establish more concrete principles as well.<span style=""> </span>‘Stay within budget’, ‘cut expenses without laying people off’, and ‘spare no expense to solve the problem’ are the sort of principles that need to be stated up front so that everyone understands the constraints the team is working under.</span></p> <h1><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">State the Goal</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"> </span></span></span></h1> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">If you don’t know where you are going, you will never get there.<span style=""> </span>It is not enough to understand the purpose of the project team.<span style=""> </span>You also need to have a vision of project success.<span style=""> </span>What will be the benefits?<span style=""> </span>How will it feel to work with the new process?<span style=""> </span>When will these goals be met?<span style=""> </span>This is the opportunity to envision “wild success” and set aggressive goals.<span style=""> </span>As David Allen says, “‘wouldn’t it be great if?’ is not a bad way to start thinking about a situation.” </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Most formal problem solving and project management methodologies sum up the purpose and the goal in the project charter.<span style=""> </span>The purpose might be called the business case or problem statement.<span style=""> </span>The goal might be called the project objective <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;font-family:Georgia;font-size:18;" ></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Brainstorming</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"> </span></span></span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">After setting the goal for the team, it is now time to figure out how to get from here to there.<span style=""> </span>There are dozens of ways of doing this.<span style=""> </span>From very loose mind mapping and idea generating tools, to well structured problem-solving methodologies.<span style=""> </span>No matter how you go about it, generate as many ideas as possible.<span style=""> </span>This is not the time to evaluate or pre-judge, just get every idea on paper.<span style=""> </span>The evaluating will come later. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">“The best way to get a good idea is to get lots of ideas” – Linus Pauling </span></p> <h1><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Organize</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;font-family:Arial;font-size:16;" > </span></span></span></h1> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Now that we have all of these ideas, we need to organize them.<span style=""> </span>Separate the good ideas from the bad (based on whether or not they will get us closer to out goal).<span style=""> </span>This is where data collection and statistical analysis come into the picture if this is a six-sigma project.<span style=""> </span>Figure out what needs to be done first.<span style=""> </span>Organize by department.<span style=""> </span>The goal is to decide which of the ideas to actually do and organize them in a way that makes sense to get them done. </span></p> <h1><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Next actions</span></span></h1> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">The last stage is to answer the question “what can we do now to get the project moving.”<span style=""> </span>Many projects get organized well only to sit in limbo because nobody takes any action.<span style=""> </span>Defining what can be done right now, who does it, and when it will be done by goes a long way toward actually getting you action items completed.<span style=""> </span>When it is time to move on these things do not leave any doubt as to who owns each piece and what the expectations are.<span style=""> </span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Traditional project management training focuses on organizing the action items.<span style=""> </span>Complex projects may need complex project management tools.<span style=""> </span>Most projects do not.<span style=""> </span>Even when they do it is still necessary to define the purpose, principles, and goal and brainstorm all possible ideas.<span style=""> </span>MS project does not do that.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;"> <o:p></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Many projects get to this point and stall because the team members see little association between the action items and the purpose of them project.<span style=""> </span>This is almost always because the purpose and/or the goal were not well defined.<span style=""> </span>Following these steps well from the beginning is key to getting things done at the end.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Applying these five steps to every project you have will result in greater clarity of purpose and better results.<span style=""> </span>If you wonder whether or not to use the Natural Planning Model with a particular project, ask yourself this: “will it take two or more steps to complete?”<span style=""> </span>If the answer is yes, then you should take some time to think go through all five steps.<o:p></o:p></span></p>Jeromy Timmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15180709901456634814noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789256203688247552.post-41963869594873577662008-11-04T16:54:00.001-05:002008-11-04T16:57:43.212-05:00Vote Early Vote Often<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/103/299121828_1c35bd15d4.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 356px; height: 500px;" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/103/299121828_1c35bd15d4.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana;">What better innaugural post for Improvement in Practice than a supercute reminder to vote? Now go Vote!</span><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Jeromy Timmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15180709901456634814noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2789256203688247552.post-73668069010400565312008-11-01T22:44:00.000-04:002008-12-19T11:08:44.826-05:00About Me<span name="comments">I help people make their processes better. In manufacturing process improvement is old hat, In health care its not. This is due to the fact that most health care is not delivered through well defined processes. It is usually delivered by nurses and physicians doing what they must to get the job done. But the industry is starting to realize that having standard processes for health care delivery leads to improved patient care and improved employee satisfaction. This is where I come in.<br /><br />As a continuous improvement evangelist I preach the gospel to all levels of the organization.<br /><br />As an educator I train nurses and managers to use lean and six sigma to improve their processes, and help them develop process thinking.<br /><br />As a leader I mentor trainees through their improvement projects, and help floundering project teams get back on track.<br /><br />Education and leadership require curiosity beyond the technical aspects of the my field. In order to become a better teacher and leader I study presentation design, communication, and management as well as graphic design, typography, story telling, entrepreneurship, time-management, and marketing. I incorporate all of these into my training to improve the skills of my students, I incorporate it into my work to improve the hospital, and I incorporate it into my life to improve myself.</span>Jeromy Timmerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15180709901456634814noreply@blogger.com