Blog Layout

Your business process is not what you think it is 

Deliveries were unpredictable at best, and months late at worst. Frustration at both locations was high, and finger-pointing was rampant. That was the situation when I was assigned to resolve an issue that had been nagging the organization for years. A US-based team was ordering sample assemblies from a production line in another country. No one was happy with how it was going. 

I asked to review the instructions for the sample ordering process and quickly discovered that there weren’t any! Next, I individually asked each key stakeholder to put together a simple flow diagram of the process of defining, ordering, processing, and delivering samples. In hindsight, I shouldn’t have been surprised - the flow charts from the design engineer, technician, customer service rep, administrative assistant, manufacturing team, and new product development process leader were all quite different from each other. 

Working with each stakeholder separately at first helped me understand the specifics of their individual frustrations, understand their view of the process, and ensure they knew they were being heard. Next, I integrated the various process flows into one (giant) document and then pulled the team together to correct and refine it. In doing so, we discovered many simple changes that allowed us to streamline the process (eliminating wasted steps and delays) and clarify how to handle different situations that might arise (reducing confusion). Finally, I documented instructions for all users, published them in a location accessible to everyone, and implemented a system of revision control. Then I organized a rollout/training meeting for the global team. Today there is one complete, clear, efficient, and (importantly) visible process instead of several fragmentary ones, a team who talks when things don’t go as expected, and much improved performance and morale. 

Key take-away's from the experience: (1) Your actual process is never what you think it is. (2) If people see that you’re really listening to them, they will be open to listening to you. 

Need help optimizing a manufacturing or business process? DM us – we've got tools and expertise ready to help. 
Visual 8D image problem solving
December 3, 2024
CAEDENCE has developed a novel improvement to overcome the communication-based shortfalls in existing methods. Applicable to all structured problem-solving approaches, Visual 8D™ enables teams to execute the familiar problem-solving steps (with no additional effort), while capturing plans and progress in easy-to-follow diagrams. Visual 8D™ puts teams in the position of providing answers to management and customer questions before being asked, resulting in improved control of the situation and minimizing time wasted on extraneous actions.
Dangers lurking in New product development
October 11, 2024
Danger is lurking around every corner in a new product development / new product introduction project. Avoidable risks wind up blindsiding teams, always at the worst possible moment. Risks blow up into problems because teams misjudge their nature and origin, and lack the right tools and processes to effectively identify, assess, and mitigate them. Let CAEDENCE introduce you to a systematic approach and toolkit for managing and reducing risk in new product development and introduction
Caution - the NPD / NPI processes carry a lot of risk
October 9, 2024
There are dozens of tools for reducing risk in new product development and introduction. We know because we've used them to successfully launch dozens of new products in highly demanding industries like automotive and aerospace. Let CAEDENCE show you a few of our favorite tools that you can use immediately to dramatically reduce the chances of disaster on your next NPD/NPI project.
Taking risks is part of business - do it with your eyes wide open
October 7, 2024
Risk is inherent in new product development and introduction. Regardless of your personal risk tolerance, it's critical to understand that unmanaged risk could ruin your business. We're not saying "don't take risks". We're saying "take risks with your eyes open". Let CAEDENCE introduce you to a systematic approach and toolkit for managing and reducing risk in new product development and introduction.
Dangers in NPD / NPI projects and top 5 risk areas
October 4, 2024
Many risks in NPD & NPI are visible. New process steps that must be implemented with caution and back-up plans. Unique product features that are challenging to accomplish. But there are other risks lurking. Things that can derail your project before you even realize. A bit nervous now? You should be! But, don't worry. Let CAEDENCE introduce you to a systematic approach and toolkit for managing and reducing risk in new product development and introduction.
Balancing deliverables in NPD / NPI projects and reducing risks
October 4, 2024
Successful new product development and introduction projects require carefully balancing dozens of critical parameters, any one of which could sink the ship. At the end of the day, each of those dozens of NPD/NPI success measures relates to an aspect of just 4 main stakeholder care-abouts: Launch timing, Project budget, Product margin performance, Quality / delivery (customer experience). Learn the systematic method to reduce risks in your new product developments.
Infographic showing CAEDENCE' effective teaching and workshop philosophy
July 27, 2024
CAEDENCE has decoded decades of business experience to reveal the intuition and practices of top performing teams and individuals to radically accelerate people and teams toward excellence. We know the theory, but we've also lived everything we teach and honed best practices for decades. This arms us with tons of real-world examples to engage students and clarify techniques. We often help clients out of crisis situations, but our passion is preventing crises from occurring in the first place. This means (a) establishing robust systems, (b) empowering leaders, and (c) upskilling teams.
20WQ game to depict binary decision making for problem solving
July 18, 2024
We challenge our problem solving classes to play “20 questions” – can we guess a randomly selected word using just 20 yes/no questions? Engineers often say it’s impossible. But, 99 out of 100 times, we find the word! How? There’s no magic: what’s on display is the power of binary decision making, what we call “splitting the dictionary”. And you can apply it to all sorts of real-world problem-solving scenarios. “Splitting the dictionary” is a problem scoping technique of asking the right questions to eliminate as many incorrect possibilities as you can, thus focusing your root cause search in the right area. Effective scoping is key to efficient problem-solving. Once the problem is clearly defined, think of the root cause as a needle in a haystack. Before you start examining hay, first ask “Am I on the right farm?”, then, “Which haystack should I search?”, then “Which portion of the chosen haystack is most likely to contain the needle?” Scoping out the possibilities with a simple tool or test can radically acc
Where teams go astray in 8D process
July 9, 2024
Many teams and companies struggle to get the most out of structured problem solving methodologies because they make one or more of the common mistakes shown, and they don’t even realize they’re doing it! (We’ve shown the 8D process here, but whether your company uses 8D, Six Sigma DMAIC, PDCA, A3, or another paradigm doesn’t matter.) The issue is HOW any of those methodologies are used by real teams in real time in the real world.
Image of chicken or pig on a plate
June 28, 2024
“The people we nominate to help in this situation are either going to be the chicken or the pig.” The room went silent. The “chicken or pig” comment came specifically in response to resistance someone had to sending some people to the remote site. After a pause, the executive went on to explain “when you are making breakfast, the chicken contributes, but the pig is committed”. We weren’t going to resolve this problem with remote and part-time help. To get the job done, we would have to send people truly committed to working hands-on and to staying abroad for weeks until the job was done. “chicken or pig” became team shorthand for level of commitment. Next time your team is faced with a big challenge, I strongly encourage you to reflect - are you and your team sufficiently committed for the team to succeed? Are you going to be chickens or pigs?
Show More
Share by: