If you need to quickly increase productivity and quality whilst reducing costs, a really effective tool to use is Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA). Despite the unwieldy name, it is a simple and quick tool that you can apply to your processes which can generate rapid results, it has been successfully used by NASA, Ford, … Continue reading FMEA – A simple tool to increase Productivity
When we need to produce something quickly and efficiently, a natural reaction is to break a process into certain tasks and then repeat the same task multiple times on multiple products before moving on to the next step in the process. As an example, if you ask people the best way to quickly and efficiently … Continue reading The Joy of Flow — How to increase productivity
The current economic environment is tough — there is the uncertainty of Brexit, increasing trade protectionism and the fact that we are “overdue a recession” these are contributing factors leading more and more firms to defer expenditure and long term investments which results in even more pressure on operating profits for private companies and tax receipts for … Continue reading Understanding your “Supervisory Burden” to increase Productivity
How understanding quality can lead to increased productivity In 1733, Benjamin Franklin described in the Pennsylvania Gazette how fires were currently being put out (there was no fire brigade at that time): “Soon after a fire is seen and cry’d out, the place is crowded by active men of different ages, professions and titles who, … Continue reading Poor Quality — What we can learn from Benjamin Franklin
Cost cutting is never popular; however, it is often necessary. At a national level, western Governments are facing unprecedented spending challenges, particularly due to demand for healthcare and pensions, this challenge remains despite an ever increasing ‘tax-take’. For individual firms the threat of increasing globalisation, automation and increased consumer expectations means the need for achieving … Continue reading Achieving Cost Reduction
It is difficult to come up with new ideas and new ways of doing things, even more so if you have been involved in a particular service or process for a while. Sometimes it’s even difficult to identify that a process even needs improving, especially if it’s delivering its intended goals. However in the words … Continue reading SCAMPER – how to generate practical improvements to services and processes
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