Strategic Planning and Total Quality Management
No matter what product or service you provide you will have to face this issue of quality and systems. Whether it is distribution of services or streamlining of processes in manufacturing your product; you will need to address the issues of total quality management. Yes, you can call it whatever you like; change the name, but no matter what you must consider these issues or you are doomed to failure. I therefore recommend the book;
"Total Quality Management-Strategic Planning" by Stephen George.
It is a great book and great to see that Deming and Fredrick Winslow Taylor attitude of modern business of the World have been studied and re-invented processes to manage and improve the manufacturing techniques, which keeps the corporations of this country rolling. It is a good book to read this now in America as everyone has fallen on an easy life and unwilling to do what it takes to increase productivity at work. Now recently in an economic downturn of the few prior years we saw that many people were waiting around doing nothing and expecting something to change rather than focusing on their core businesses and looking for ways to cut costs and become more efficient. Even though the book's title itself is the buzz-word of the 80's it still provides clues to what is wrong with modern day fundamental management and processes of the Large Corporation, no wonder they are so easy to beat up on. They cannot compete because they waste and are drown in their own inactive methodology and attitudes, this of course while trying to deal with the unending Tsunami of over regulation which changes like the political wind.
I think it is good to re-read such books of their day and not dismiss them. This is one, which is a keeper, because our large corporations keep repeating the same scenario over and over again. How can we keep teaching the leaders of tomorrow, when we negate the past and methods that got us here and adapt some new unproven method without understanding the original problem? Thus compounding the original problem with a new problem from the result of the test methods? It is good to every once in a while have break though methods, but until you are able to prove them, you should simultaneously have incremental improvements on known quantities. And just because everyone else has fallen for pie in the sky new techniques does not mean they work. Things only work when they actually work, not because someone says they do.
Deming proved his methods to the World, and then they were accepted but modified, and modifications upon modifications ensued, eventually every job in a corporation was done with TQM in mind. Including bathroom placement of toiletries. Yet as soon as everything was in place they found out it was all wrong and everything was modified, yet it was modified as a copy, not from the original. It is like following the letter of the law instead of the intent. How can someone negate the past results, ones which actually worked and now teach something else that does not work based on theory of what could be? They say America's secret weapon is its Management Techniques? How can that be when all the workers are providing zero productivity? Obviously someone forgot to tell the organization that from the top to the bottom it is not working at all. Apparently the stock market is backwards, because when profits are up even if short term the organization is falling apart and then it regroups and when everything is getting fixed profits are down, so to keep profits up, simply keep destroying the inner workings of the company until it ends or goes to zero market capitalization like Enron. Yes, well of course things are not that bad, but it sure made for an interesting quote? The fact is no matter what buzz word you use, every company should address Total Quality Management and therefore every executive, supplier, large customer or employee ought to understand the process and read the book. Everyone who is in management of any business should read at least one of these type books per week from any era from Amsterdam to the present then you will understand what is said in this book review.
"Lance Winslow" - If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs
More Resources
Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exitingMore Strategic Planning Information:
Related Articles
Shortening Product Life Cycle!
The current state of the available technology at the disposal of designer is the most limiting determinant to what is technically and economically feasible to develop, therefore research into metatechnology such as computer science, whereby interdisciplinary spin off provides advances that both directly increase capabilities, and affects other technologies to dramatically improve system performance, is a necessity, the implication being that despite many of the basic principles being relatively static, the technology used is essentially in a state of constant development.Such developments result in smaller, more efficient, cheaper and more reliable components.
The Power of Planning
I am surprised how few sales professionals, independent consultants, and small business owners take the time to plan the strategy for their business. Most people spend more time writing out a grocery list or planning a vacation than they do planning the direction or outcome of their business.
Five Crucial Components of a Business Plan
The format of a Business Plan is something that has been
developed and refined over the years and is something that should
not be changed. Like a good recipe, a business plan needs to
include certain ingredients to make it work.
Buying Used Detailing Equipment and Rainy Day Services
Mobile auto detailing equipment becomes very inexpensive around March each year. If you look on eBay or your local classified section of the newspaper you will see.
Business Plan: The Simplest Business Plan Ever
If you're a solo professional like I am, you know how tough it is to find any time at all to do any business planning. Doing a full business plan is a must if you're planning to seek financing or investors, but most solo professionals don't need anything that complicated.
The Top Ten Rules of Effective Networking
Many of us are discouraged by the networking events that we go to. We feel swamped by people just looking to get money from us, and we rarely feel as though the event was worth our time.
Business Disaster? Wont Happen to Me
As fast as you can say business disaster, your business can go up in smoke. That's what happened a while back to Castle Carpet One.
Ten Steps To A Great Strategic Plan
Ask a small business owner about their strategic plan and they'll either laugh or get that stricken look in their eyes. Yet it's well documented that businesses with a strategic plan are more successful.
Offense: Beat the Odds
When in doubt, cut that out! Yeah, yea, doubting Thomas may have had a point in his day, and life may not be what you want it to be, but if you constantly doubt yourself, how can you accomplish anything?Where is your confidence? What possible good can come from taking the negative aspect of any situation and growing it into acceptance?Purpose of achievement is to attain a goal. So, if you set your goals and strive to get there, it should be assumed that you are moving toward your goal (at least so far as intent) no matter what you are doing, right?I vaguely remember an instructor from college saying once, "If there are two ways to take something, always input the benefit of doubt and assume the better more optimistic choice is the right way to take it.
Who is Responsible?
While writing an article recently on effective ways to bridge the IT/Management communication gap, I realized that few of us are eager to take responsibility in our business lives to make something different happen and be part of the solution.Indeed, we have a culture based on blaming: sellers would obviously close more sales if it weren't for the buyer; decisions could easily get made in meetings if people could make up their minds; systems would get designed correctly if the users could get it right the first time; teammates would get along if it weren't for those in the team that were difficult, etc.
Clearing the Path: 4 Ways Fear Wreaks Havoc on Your Dream and What to Do About It
Please take a moment before you read any further and answer these three simple questions:1. Are you making daily progress towards accomplishing your business vision?2.
Will and Vision
Remember Chux? The disposable diaper that took the market by storm in 1932?
Of course you don't. Chux saw its product as a luxury item, and happily kept its little throwaway business to itself for almost forty years.
Break-Even Analysis
A significant advantage of some business ideas is that the venture can break even at what seems to be an easily achievable volume. A technique for quantifying that volume, called break-even analysis, examines the interaction among fixed costs, variable costs, prices, and unit volume to determine that combination of elements in which revenues and total costs are equal.
Top Ten Reasons To Create A One Page Business Plan
There is a story, about a business owner who wasn't doing very well. She had no business plan, but had heard, quite a bit, how creating one would help.
How to Write a Business Plan in Five Steps
People often ask "What makes a good business plan? Or, "How do I make my plan attractive to lenders and investors?".The simple answer is that lenders and investors (I'll call them "readers" from here on out) are looking for "good deals".
Writing a Business Plan for Success in Business and for Funding
Writing a business plan to help you direct and manage your company is a key part of starting you new company that will help lead you and your company to success. Creating a "living and breathing" business plan makes that success even easier to reach.
Three Easy Ways To Know Thy Competitor
"Did you hear what your competitor is doing?" This question has caused many business people to freeze in their tracks. How about you? Does your sales team know what your competitors are doing? And if a prospect was to ask them, "give me 10 unique reasons why I should buy from you and your company," could they answer this question without a pause? "Knowing thy competitor" is critical, and this article will outline three easy ways to know more about them, than they know about you! Let's get started!Their people: Begin by "shopping" on the telephone, by mail and in-person, the competitors who offer similar pricing and products as your company.
Defining Go for It Business Goals
Many business start-up kits or consultants will tell you one of the first steps to starting a business is to define your business goals. Your goals may differ from the goals of another individual, for example; some people want freedom to do what they want to do, whenever they want, and without having to report to someone else.
More Uses for Your Business Plan
You have invested a lot of time and energy on writing a business plan just to get a loan or to attract an investor. What do you do when you get the money or, worse, should you be turned down?Do you just file it away? That's like investing in a boat that remains parked in your driveway after its inaugural voyage.
The Chasm of Change---- Restructuring ----- The Goliath
Richard L. Daft one of the country's recognized academic leadership experts raises the question, "What kind of people can lead an organization through major change?" A Turn-A-Round restructuring qualifies as major change and requires transformational leadership.
A Unique Joint Venture Twist: Make Huge Profits Even If You Have No Money, No Products, and No List
Would you like to jumpstart your online or offline business without spending a ton of money?Without a doubt, joint venture marketing is the most powerful secret to making money online or offline.In its simplest form, you partner with someone else: You either sell their product to your customer base or they sell your product to theirs.
Microsoft Great Plains Implementation: Pharmaceutical Corporation Specifics - overview
Microsoft Business Solutions Great Plains serves mid-size and large clients in horizontal and vertical markets. Historically Great Plains Software was encouraging ISV partner to write third party modules and later on - Great Plains Software had a chance to select the product for incorporation into their core set of modules: Manufacturing, Project Accounting, Purchase Order Processing, Collection Management, etc.
A Rough Cut on Feasibility
A piano tuner recently moved to Buffalo, NY, and would like to assess the business possibilities for him in his new home. He plans to estimate how many piano tuners the greater Buffalo area can support, and compare that to the number listed in the phone book.