9 (More) Ideas for Effective Trainings
May 20th, 2012 // 7:49 pm @ Tanmay // One Comment
Trainings are at the core of most knowledge-oriented organizations and often considered to be key driver of employee behaviors, and hence culture. It is a lot of hard work, a lot of time, effort and energy spent. It better be effective. Here are 9 (more) ideas to ensure that trainings are effective (related ideas in [...]
Read More »Category : Managing Communication &Process Improvement
Improvement: Show Them The Results
May 9th, 2012 // 6:26 am @ Tanmay // 5 Comments
A child develops confidence as she experiences things around her. We buy into products for which we perceive experience to be positive. We support causes that deliver positive results. In an organizational context, how can we then expect people to be totally committed to the improvement initiative at the start? People will never commit to [...]
Read More »Category : Leading Change &Leading Projects &Process Improvement &Quality Improvement
Great Story: Improvement and Tending the Garden
March 20th, 2012 // 6:57 am @ Tanmay // 4 Comments
Improvement is not a product. It is process. On the journey to improve constantly, you can never announce that you have arrived because there isn’t a destination. If you get certified against an external standard, that is a milestone which can provide a framework to improve further. Organizations often fall in trap of thinking about [...]
Read More »Category : Great Stories &Leadership &Process Improvement &Quality Improvement
The Secret Sauce of Process Improvement
February 9th, 2012 // 7:04 am @ Tanmay // 6 Comments
A colleague from a different department recently asked me, “When does this process improvement stop?”. In my response, I explained that improvement is not a destination, but a journey. It is a way for business to tune and align the operations to ongoing changes in the business. “If that is the case, how do you [...]
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Quality: Setting Right Goals
January 22nd, 2012 // 8:02 pm @ Tanmay // 2 Comments
Most improvement initiatives are heavily focused on internal goals – increasing productivity/efficiency, eliminating waste, reducing defects/costs and so on. Processes around these goals are written and implemented. People are trained, tools are implemented, energies are directed and everyone starts working hard to meet these goals. Some improvement is seen, some re-alignment is done and it [...]
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Purpose Precedes Process
January 15th, 2012 // 5:57 pm @ Tanmay // 4 Comments
If process is a vehicle, purpose is the compass. Purpose gives a definite direction to processes. People (and their expertise) are the drivers. Technology acts as an accelerator. Most system implementation or change initiatives focus enough on the P-P-T – People, process and technology and somewhere along the lines, the focus on purpose blurs. I [...]
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Building an Adaptable Team: 6 Ideas
November 21st, 2011 // 7:07 am @ Tanmay // 4 Comments
Ability to deal with rapid changes and uncertainties on the field is as critical a skill for organizations/teams as it is for the military troops. In military operations, lack of agility can have more serious and rapid consequences. In case of teams, individuals and organizations, the consequences may not be visible in a short term, [...]
Read More »Category : Improvement & Development &Leadership &Leading People &Leading Projects &Process Improvement
The Importance of “Know Why”?
November 3rd, 2011 // 5:21 am @ Tanmay // One Comment
Knowledge industry, particularly software, is full of people who possess “know-how” – knowledge of how to get something done. Give them a task, and they will be able to apply their technical skills (read ‘know-how’) to accomplish it. A lot of people possess a very sound “know-what” – knowledge of facts, figures and methods. Give [...]
Read More »Category : Leadership &Managing Career &Process Improvement &Quality Improvement &Self Growth
On “Systems Thinking” and Improvement
October 31st, 2011 // 7:41 am @ Tanmay // 2 Comments
A few years back, when I was struggling with some repetitive/difficult situations at work, one of my seniors (and a good friend) asked me, “Do you know the root cause of your problem?”. He went on to draw a diagram on his notebook, and connected the problem to the other parts of the organizational system. [...]
Read More »Category : Leadership &Leading Projects &Process Improvement &Quality Improvement &Self Growth
Views on The Big Q – Quality of Design
August 31st, 2011 // 6:06 am @ Tanmay // 2 Comments
Quality has moved beyond the simplistic definitions like “conformance to customer requirements”. If quality of your product/service merely meets/conforms to customer requirements, it is not remarkable, but a basic expectation. That is because everyone else has mastered the art of ‘meeting’ customer’s requirements. “Total Quality” is much more than just implementing processes or doing rigorous [...]
Read More »Category : Leadership &Leading People &Process Improvement &Quality Improvement
