Not too long ago I wrote a blog post “Give them enough rope…. they may surprise you.”  This post concerned allowing organizations to potentially fail after you’ve tried to convince them to do the right thing. In that article, the end result was… well, I don’t want to...

Been doing this for a while. When I first entered the management ranks, few women held management positions. Even fewer women sat on the Plant Manager’s staff.  (That statement should tell you I’ve been doing this a LONG while.) Back then, having a place at...

Thank you, Industry Week, for breaking down what is happening in the manufacturing sector. We are thrilled that the manufacturing economy has continued to grow for the 11th consecutive month (what a feat during these times!), but there are still concerns among...

The presentation is over and these guys have nailed it!  Reviewing the arts and charts, clearly the metrics are outstanding and predominantly “green.”  The couple of yellow metrics have solid countermeasures documented and are on track to due dates.  With their...

Ok, you’ve done due diligence. Walking through the plant you noticed processes that are not compliant with the corporate lean manufacturing standards. An audit is rapidly approaching with outside auditors. If these issues are not fixed, the result will be either a...

You’re working on improvements in your organization. The goals and interim targets have been established by leadership.  And, as with most efforts to implement change, it seems the resistance to change is in full action.  You find yourself moving from battle to battle...

S M A R T Goals?  Well, sometimes…      By now everyone is familiar with SMART goal setting.  You know… S M A R T goals.     Specific. Measurable. Attainable. Realistic. Timely.    There’s even a form developed to ensure you can check all the boxes, allowing...

The Case for Waterfall Charts  Sound familiar?    Know that “over the edge” feeling when you find out the production plan you have in place…. And have had in place for several weeks…. Is not going to work for current demand?   Yeah, we’ve been there……..and despite...

We’ve all seen it. Metrics established for the year, and, for whatever reason, achieved prior to year-end. Sometimes by mid-year. Were we that good? Or was the target set too low? And now what? Ride out the year proudly displaying green to the goal? Tempting…very,...

It’s one of THOSE problems. You have tried every solution in your toolbox without success. It is not going away. The problem needs to be fixed so you can move forward. (In this context – it doesn’t matter whether this is a work problem, a home problem, a personal...

What are your specific business plans for 2021? Is “Cash King” in the first quarter of 2021?

When hiring contractor services may be advantageous to your company’s success.