Store layout plays a much bigger part in retail than many people think. Without a decent layout you could risk losing customers and money on a regular basis. So, if you haven’t thought about design, here are a few reasons why your store’s layout is so important. Customer Flow The right layout can create a […]
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How Do You Achieve Management Excellence?
In their book In Search of Excellence, McKinsey consultants Tom Peters and Robert Waterman found 8 common themes which they argued were responsible for the success of 14 identified companies of “excellence.” The framework is known as the 8 Attributes of Management Excellence. The research and theorizing of this framework was based on the McKinsey […]
Continuous Improvement 101: The Deming Cycle (PDCA)
“Continuous Improvement” is a term management consulting firms love using. It’s also a driving principle behind Lean Management. So, how can we achieve Continuous Improvement in our organization? One of the most common Lean frameworks for Continuous Improvement (of quality) is the Deming Cycle–also commonly known as PDCA Cycle, Deming Wheel, Shewhart Cycle, or Continuous […]
Are You Finding It Difficult to Deploy Six Sigma?
As the case with all management models, the theory may come easily, but execution can be tough. The same goes with Six Sigma. To assist with Six Sigma deployment, follow the Six Sigma Maturity Model. The Six Sigma Maturity provides a structured, phased approach to implementing Six Sigma over 5 logical stages. This methodology helps Six […]
Why “Best Practice” May Not Be Best Practice
The term “best practice” came to common usage during the benchmarking craze of the 1990s. Since then, it has been pursued by many “learning” organisations, supported by a burgeoning consulting industry who claim to have uncovered the best ways to do everything from strategic planning to systems reengineering. The promise is quite compelling: “Benefit from […]
Tips for Reducing the Cost Per Call in Your Call Center
A typical call center will make and receive hundreds or thousands of different calls a day, with each of these calls coming at a price. The cost per call could include thing such as wages for call center staff, per-minute costs or premium number costs on the telephone bill, utilities for the call center itself, […]
How to Make More Informed Decisions in Your Business
Are you a business owner who worries about making the wrong decisions on behalf of your business? If so, there are many business owners in the same situation who need all the help they can get, before they decide to lead their company and employees in a certain direction. Below are some of the ways […]
How Do You Transform a Culture?
So you’ve gotten a big client or Senior Leadership position. The company that is hiring you has seen the results of your previous projects, and they want you to start a very large global project (Enterprise Level) on numerous sites. You of course say, “We can do anything you want.” This is a typical response […]
TQM: A Need for Speed of Innovation
The emergence of total quality management (TQM) has been one of the major developments in management practice. The recognition of TQM as a competitive advantage is wide spread around the world and today, very few (especially manufacturing) companies can afford to ignore the term TQM (Dean and Bowen, 1994). There are some arguments that support […]
Complete List of Warehouse Cost Savings Initiatives
Here is a comprehensive list of warehouse cost savings ideas, categorized by 6 core areas: Labor, Operations, Equipment Usage Optimization, Technology, and Facilities Management. Labor Invest in training/re-certification Cross-train all employees Focus on retention/implement retention plans Use temporary/contract labor help where applicable Use flextime Revise your labor scheduling strategy Observe starting and quitting times Move […]
How Do We Create Leadership Pull for Operational Excellence?
Editor’s Note: This article is an excerpt from the full How to Create Leadership Pull for Operational Excellence whitepaper, available for free download from Flevy here. * * * * Several times a year, over the last decade, in multiple Operational Excellence (OpEx) focused conference workshops, we have asked the same question. What’s the #1 obstacle to successful […]
How to Build a World Class Strategy Execution
Editor’s Note: This article is an excerpt from the full Integrated Strategy Execution (ISE) Executive Briefing report, available for free download from Flevy here. * * * * Is poor execution inevitable? The short answer is no, but let’s explore this further. A recent Harvard Business Review article highlighted that over 70% of organisations admit […]
