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People & Processes
1st Card Visa Case Study: Value-Stream mapping
The Cumberland Group -
http://www.rainmkrs.com/featured_cumberl...
by The Cumberland Group
First Card Visa utilizes Value-Stream mapping to cut $500,000 in expense while improving customer response cycle time by over 400% for half of all billing disputes.
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Business Process Redesign - White Paper
http://www.rainmkrs.com/featured_cumberl...
by The Cumberland Group
The Cumberland Group provides consulting, training and methodologies for Business Process Optimization and Business Team Effectiveness. Special focus on Lean Flow Manufacturing methods and expanding Continual Improvement initiatives.
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Bottom-Line Facilitation Skills for Business Leaders
How to make Cross-Functional teams work!
by The Cumberland Group
Bottom-Line Facilitation Skills for Business Leaders
For A Continual Improvement (CI) Business Culture
Continual Improvement (CI) is much more likely to happen naturally (and rapidly) in a business when managers and supervisors adopt skills to lead a transformation to the new business culture — where everyone automatically works to improve the business as part of their everyday routine.
Training for business Team Facilitation skills is not about motivation. It’s about providing the practical “nuts and bolts” that groups need to become effective improvement project teams. Technologies can be easily copied, but people-based differences are much harder to steal, so they can become powerful long term competitive advantages.
Business Team Facilitation Skills, when practiced by management, is a key form of “walking the talk” that provides leverage for an overall CI culture transition. Employees naturally adopt collaborative behaviors for CI when they see their bosses and project leaders using them
For additional information contact Rainmakers at 847/251-3327 or email us at mailto:jon@rainmkrs.com
[FULL STORY]
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Auto-Pilot For Better, Faster, Cheaper
Continual Improvement made practical
by The Cumberland Group Ltd
A case history about development of a Continual Improvement Business Culture (CI), including the four key sub-processes needed to make it sustainable and accelerating. Lean Flow Manufacturing was the client's initial focus within the broader CI objectives. Click on the full story below
[FULL STORY]
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Elkay Manufacturing Kaizen Case Study
http://www.rainmkrs.com/case_elkay.html
by The Cumberland Group
Elkay Manufacturing, a $500 million dollar manufacturer of stainless steel sinks, faucets, water coolers, and cabinets determined, as one of several objectives, in their 1998 executive strategic planning sessions to cultivate the corporate culture of continuous improvement throughout their organization.
The idea of utilizing the methodology of Kaizen as one means to this end was determined useful, especially for the manufacturing operations, where over 15 plants operating differing processes, and capacity/productivity opportunities existed.
Kaizen team, as of this writing, is still achieving wins and concrete payback. Immediate impacts included reducing lead-time by 66%, reducing scrap by 56%, and improving quality and labor productivity.
Click on the Web site link or Full Story above to review to full story.
[FULL STORY]
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Key Performance Indicators - Using performance metrics to grow and guide the organization
by The Cumberland Group
Dear reader,
One of the "Truths" in business is the fact that if you can't measure it - you can't manage it (effectively)!
This is the underlying premise of Total Quality and all the multitude of “Best Practices and “marketing spins” that derive from Deming and his efforts. Key Performance Indicators are those metrics your company uses to manage the business.
This article educates us on how to approach selecting and managing the Key Performance Indicators of your business. I personally have worked with the authors – Brian McKibben and Michael Bremer of The Cumberland Group for over five years. These guys have evolved The Cumberland Group into a unique combination of Best Practice expertise (Lean Flow, BPR, Change Mgmt, Continuous Improvement), tremendous value (reasonable rates and fixed bid project), and easy-to-work-with culture (knowledge transfer, work hand-in-hand with your project team and adjust to your preferences).
I highly recommend taking the time to study this by clicking here or on the Full Story below. Let me know if I’m on target!
Thanks…. Rainmakers
[FULL STORY]
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Never Give Up!...An "Unfair Advantage" From An Industry Leader
by Brian McKibben, Cumberland Group
Dear Reader,
The first thing an effective management team must do is figure out What To Do!
Afterwards the How To Do’s and doingness can follow. If one of your company To Do’s is to enhance the performance of your team and embrace Continuous Improvement Brian McKibben from The Cumberland Group is your man! (Actually his Partner, Michael Bremer is no slouch either!). Brian provides a short & sweet summation of his experience with one specific client that over the years has set “The Bar” for High-Performing success stories.
He describes how this client’s people always exhibit a “Can Do” attitude. This behavior is bred by a willingness of management to enable people to take intelligent risks. In fact the culture of Continuous Improvement necessitates risk taking be fostered and purposefully promoted.
Brian also states that all high performing teams have better measurements in place, especially in operating processes. He describes why business process management is the most important fundamental practice of High-Performing business cultures.
The bottom-line is = People-Based business differentiators constitute the most powerful and sustainable competitive advantage!
Don’t take my word for it… read it for yourself by clicking on the Full Story Below.
Thanks for the opportunity to be of service.
Jon C. Liberman
Rainmakers
847/251-3327
jon@rainmkrs.com
www.rainmakers.us
[FULL STORY]
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BREAK THROUGHS, Every Day - Enabling Business Teams To Solve Their Toughest Problems
A "How To" on Business Process Improvement!
by The Cumberland Group
Dear Reader,
The major problem most mid-market businesses suffer from is not so much figuring out What to do… as much as figuring out How, and Doing it! This manifests itself in many examples. I’d be surprised if your company hasn’t experienced any of these…..
Ø Customers (or Governments) demands you change in some drastic manner – i.e. price reduction; change in existing processes or technology (ISO/QS, EDI, Sarbanes, etc); response to complex requests for information, quickly; etc.
Ø High growth and acquisitions, or being on the wrong-end of a merger, creates immediate needs to expand, or consolidate, and merge differing business processes, people and technologies.
Ø Company charters an initiative to enter into new markets and/or expand product/service lines – goal is grow the top line! Again, a project team or department is chartered to make this happen.
Ø Competitors, often overseas, make inroads into your customer base – their competitive advantage is perceived (or real) lower costs by your customers forces a change. You are “volunteered” to take costs out by using (fill in the blank) methodology (such as Lean, SixSigma, ABC, Supply Chain Optimization, to name a few), and get it done yesterday.
Don’t get me wrong. In the vast majority of my client experiences, they get the work done, eventually. The problem is this = the expectations management had at the outset, that was given to some project team, rarely is accomplished within scope, on time or on budget. What makes this worse is the stress and emotional grief the project team suffers through – life is too short.
Think back on your own experiences. I think you’d agree with me that this tends to be the Rule vs. the Exception.
The attached SMOKE SIGNAL article talks about How to Do It! The authors, The Cumberland Group, have been working with me at Rainmakers for many years and have consistently proven they know something valuable about Business Process Improvement and Change Management.
In a nut shell, this SMOKE SIGNAL article talks about how to get Quantum-Leap Results, Fast – by utilizing “People Based” process improvement methods. The competitive advantage to you is this (unless your primary advantage is lowest cost):
"But People-Based business differentiators are very difficult to copy and offer Powerful, Sustainable Competitive Advantage"
The Cumberland Group defines situations where this “Best Practice” applies as “ That’s what is wanted when a business problem or challenge has reached the point where a major change is needed to ensure continued business success, maybe even survival.”
You may want to bookmark or file this one for future use.
As always, we appreciate the opportunity to be of service. Thanks for your time and consideration. In fact, call me if you’d like to discuss any concerns.
Jon C. Liberman
Rainmakers
847/251-3327
jon@rainmkrs.com
www.rainmakers.us
[FULL STORY]
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Best Practice: Critical Process Redesign Blitz
How to get break-through results - quickly
by The Cumberland Group Inc.
Dear Reader,
A “Catch-22” conflict in many businesses is the planning and preparation for major business changes.
The conflict is created by “lean & mean” staffing that delivers productivity, at the cost of not having people ready, able and willing to take on the changes successfully. Which comes first - the lean staffing or the difficulty in planning and managing change? The Answer is irrelevant - both factors must be addressed.
The Catch 22 problem/dilemma manifests itself in many ways:
- New ERP system projects that talk about delivering value and process improvements but tend to consume time and money instead.
- Merger & acquisitions creating the need to consolidate and integrate different businesses into one coherent operation – on paper it looked like a good idea – in practice it was murder on morale and customer relations.
- Customer demanding lower costs creates a desire for initiatives to take out costs without negatively impacting morale and customer service.
Examples exist in every business I talk to. Was the last change your company made similar in some fashion?
This SMOKE SIGNAL article talks about a unique approach to organizing and managing change where some process changes are required. It’s authors, The Cumberland Group Inc., have been highly-regarded SMOKE SIGNAL contributors and Rainmakers Consortium partners for many years.
The Critical Process ReDesign Blitz, discussed in this SMOKE SIGNAL, outlines a methodology that can deliver rapid-breakthrough results using “Swat Team” and Kaizen concepts.
What’s in it for you?
ü “Speed is a Key Feature” – In less than two days it produces a high-level “To Be” process design that meets the key business goals and defines the process elements on the critical paths of related projects (e.g. ERP Selection and installation, process improvement to serve new customers, merger & consolidations, etc.)
ü It typically costs only $8,000 to deliver these results working with a cross-functional-team of your staff. Collaborative work sessions creates “ownership” by your team – greatly improves the odds of your “end-results” being met, on time and budget.
ü Creates an implementation work plan for use by your critical team to facilitate follow-through and manage the details. (The Devil’s in the details!)
Click on the Full Story below for a more thorough explanation. Thanks for your time and let me know how Rainmakers can be of service.
Jon C. Liberman
Rainmakers
847/251-3327
jon@rainmkrs.com
www.rainmakers.us
[FULL STORY]
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Lean Process Overview
A historical view with useful Ideas for the future
by The Cumberland Group
Dear Reader,
Lean has become a common word bantered about the business community these days. As with many marketing themes, the word can mean many things to many people.
This SMOKE SIGNAL article is contributed by long-term Strategic Partner, The Cumberland Group. Lean Process Overview is an excellent brief explanation of what Lean is, where it comes from and how to make it happen.
In particular, the historical perspective of where Lean originated from provides a better understanding of where it may be going. Click on the Full Story below to learn more.
I can highly recommend The Cumberland Group as a boutique group of experts in change management, Lean methodologies, process optimization and Value Stream mapping If your firm is considering utilizing these type of Best Practices and a better understanding of how Lean can be successfully implemented in your operations would be beneficial, give them a chance to be of service.
Thanks again for your time. Let me know how Rainmakers can be useful to you.
Jon C. Liberman
Rainmakers
847/251-3327
jon@rainmkrs.com
www.rainmakers.us
[FULL STORY]
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