Author: mcalisterts

That Hammer is Around Here Somewhere…

mcalisterts 0 Comment Expert Advice, Management Skills, Project Management , , , , ,

What's In Your Toolbox Red Metal Tool Box Skills Experience

“If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” – Abraham Maslow.

Sometimes an organization can get stuck in a bad situation and since they only have access to a limited number of tools, they are often frustrated when they are faced with a new challenge. I’m sure this story is not unique:

An organization is faced with an increasing workload and limited resources. This ‘good problem’ is due to new opportunities for additional sales, but the Operations team is overwhelmed with the increasing number of requests. Subsequently, the Sales team is frustrated because new opportunities are not being addressed on a timely basis and there is the loss of potential revenue. Faced with these challenges, the Operations team is frustrated because the methodology and tools at their disposal for managing new product requests require the process to take a 2 to 4 months (or longer) to go from concept to the marketplace, regardless of the urgency.

In essence, the tools currently available to manage the new product process and drive the projects are limited in flexibility and functionality. The Operations team is only able to approach project management the same way they did when the workload was smaller; their toolbox is sparsely populated.

It’s best to think out of the box if the current systems are not meeting the expectations of the business. In this particular situation, there are limited resources and a need to improve project management capabilities.  A possible solution to their problem is to look for new tools to help with project management. From my experience, the world of integrated project management tools is quite extensive. There are many aspects of a project to manage and various solutions offer ways to focus on what is important to each company.

Here are a few factors to consider when investigating potential solutions:

  • There are many creative solutions in the marketplace.
  • Make the time to investigate the possible ways to improve your situation.
  • There are firms in the marketplace who specialize in helping you find a solution. These firms use an approach similar to real estate agents working to find a residence that meets your needs. They represent many companies and after learning your requirements, they can recommend a variety of solutions to review.
  • Take the time to review the potential solutions and determine the best fit. Get a free trial version and experiment with ‘real life’ information to see if it works in a way that will help your company improve the situation and help you reach your business goals.
  • If you are too busy to investigate a new system, consider hiring a consultant for a brief period of time that can perform this evaluation relatively quickly and efficiently. Spending a nominal amount of money for a good consultant to provide guidance on possible solutions will pay off rapidly when the right system is implemented and projects are being completed effectively and efficiently.

I recommend TechnologyAdvice.com as a possible resource for gathering information on possible software/system solutions. I found them to be efficient and their recommendations very helpful.

If you have several tools in your toolbox, all problems won’t look like a nail. Using readily available resources to help you locate and evaluate the best tool for your situation is the key to making real progress.

Photo credit: Depositphotos.com #31285409 by iqoncept

Is Nero Fiddling?

mcalisterts 0 Comment Expert Advice, Management Skills , , , ,

Depositphotos_29889739_xs

At a company conference several years ago, Leadership asked for anonymous comments from team members about concerns they had for the business. I wrote, “Sometimes it feels as though management is like Nero fiddling while Rome is burning”. This may have been harsh. My point was that there were issues in the organization that I felt were not being addressed that could cause major problems for the company.

Working in the quality side of the business I developed a keen sense of how the right (or wrong) combination of situations could severely damage a company’s image. Although we had not experienced a product recall situation, I felt Leadership was not taking the ‘close calls’ we had the previous year seriously enough. We all have a responsibility to keep the consumer safe while protecting our company and brand image. The best way to do this is to prevent problems from happening.

Today the news of a product recall is instantaneously broadcast to the world via the Internet. Within a few hours, social media will pile on and before you know it, the problem is broadcast nationally and beyond on multiple media outlets. Think of Toyota and the uncontrolled acceleration in some of their cars: the combination of a few minor design flaws impacted the safety of the product. Whether the situation was under control or not, Toyota’s reputation was damaged almost immediately after the announcement of the product recall.

Having knowledge of a situation that could potentially create a product safety issue and damage the reputation of the brand and the company is a call to action. It can take courage to make a case to Leadership in order to prevent a severe problem from developing. It is also essential to demonstrate credibility, produce supportive data, and offer a solution when possible.

“Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, you are right” – Henry Ford

Have Credibility

When it comes time for the rubber to meet the road, the discussion will come down to credibility. It takes time to build up enough trust to have difficult conversations with your superiors. To make a difference within an organization, one has to be trustworthy and have a track record of solid performance. Do what you say you are going to do and do it well.

Use Solid Data

When developing a case for discussion, have solid data behind your claims. It is not enough to say, “I think there is a problem.” Any reasonable manager will ask for evidence. What I found over the years is that sometimes when going through the due diligence of building a case, we find that the issue isn’t as dire as we originally thought. On the other hand, sometimes it’s worse. Do your homework to clearly and fairly prove your point.

Develop a Feasible Solution

“Complaining about a problem without proposing a solution is called whining.” – Teddy Roosevelt.

Finally, put together a feasible solution or action plan that will mitigate the situation. It will make the case more credible if Leadership is presented a specific set of activities that clearly identify the current risks along with corrective actions. Nobody likes to have problems dumped on their doorstep, so when the person making the case suggests a solution, the chances of being heard will greatly improve.

Whether it is a critical product safety issue, or a significant business situation that needs to be brought to Leadership’s attention, summon the courage to make the case for improvement. If you believe the bosses are ‘fiddling’ or just focused on the myriad issues of the day, take the initiative to make a difference.

Photo credit: Depositphotos.com 29889739 by: ronjoe

Jazz and Work – Second Verse

mcalisterts 0 Comment Expert Advice, Management Skills , , , , ,

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Playing in harmony with a band is a great experience. When the band sounds good and you are doing your part to contribute, there is no better feeling in the world. Good Jazz played well is gratifying not only to the players, but the audience will enjoy the performance as well.

“It’s the group sound that’s important, even when you’re playing a solo. You not only have to know your own instrument, you must know the others and how to back them up at all times. That’s jazz.” Oscar Peterson

Harmony Within the Group

When I acquired a beautiful, new guitar I had the appearance of a good player (at least in my mind), but that didn’t translate to actually being a good player. This applies to the work environment as well. The new person needs to ‘play’ their way into the group and earn their respect. Being too flashy or loud will not work well. Taking time to learn the style of the other players and supporting them as they support you will maintain the group’s harmony.

As one of the veterans within the organization, I took responsibility for helping new employees acclimate to the group. There was a formal orientation program, but as most of us know, it takes months to get into the groove and feel productive. I told new employees that my door was open and if they had questions about the job or the organization they should feel free to stop by and chat. Serving as a mentor, formally or informally, will improve the overall performance of the group.

Practice Makes Perfect

Great Jazz musicians continually challenge themselves to be better, practicing their craft so they are ready for the next performance and will be at their best at all times.

Jazz great Wynton Marsalis tells this story about another amazing musician, Dizzy Gillespie. As a young man Dizzy was a good player, but when he joined a jam session with some seasoned players, he found out he wasn’t prepared. He knew a particular song in one key, but when the group played it in a different key, Dizzy was lost. Not wanting to be embarrassed again, Dizzy went home and practiced the song in all 12 keys, so that next time he was in a jam session, he would be able to play.

When it comes to performing at a high level on the job, the same applies. We need to understand exactly what we are expected to do and to perform at a high level, regardless of the situation. We do best when we attend training sessions and seminars to enhance our knowledge, and continually hone our fundamental skills to be ready for any contingency.

Be Ready to Play Your Solo

Most jazz songs have a basic structure. The melody, or ‘head’, is played at the beginning of the song. The middle of the song will have solos, usually improvisations by the band members. At the end of the song the melody is usually played again and the song ends with a flourish.

There is an expectation in the group that during the solo section of the song, everyone will take their turn to show their stuff. They may play a modified version of the melody or something completely different within the structure of the song. There are many famous solos in songs we have all heard, such as Gene Krupa’s drum solo in Benny Goodman’s famous song, ‘Sing, Sing, Sing’. (Check out this link if the title doesn’t ring a bell for you: Benny Goodman link   In the jazz world, most ensemble players are excellent solo players and improvisers when it’s their time to play.

In an organizational sense, whenever we are part of a team, we are going to be asked to step up and ‘show our stuff’ from time to time. We may be asked to lead a project or put a special presentation together for upper management. We need to be ready to play the lead when we are called upon.

Understand your optimal learning mode. Recognize the simplicity and complexity of the organization. Continually practice your craft. Play in harmony to make your group sound great. Perform memorable solos when it’s your turn to step up. Keep these insights in mind and you will be a star when it’s your time to shine!

—

P.S. I would like to add that I will be forever indebted to my amazing guitar teacher, Steve Johnson, for getting me started on a journey that will no doubt enrich my life for as long as my fingers can pluck the strings…

Photo credit: Depositphotos.com #3267295 by vikhr15

Video credit: OnlyJazzHQ, Feb. 5, 2013, Benny Goodman – Sing Sing Sing retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_YG9XBX04Y

Work and Jazz – First Verse

mcalisterts 1 Comment Collaboration, Expert Advice, Management Skills , , , ,

jazz guitar player

Although I started playing guitar when I was 13, I took my first formal guitar lessons as an adult. Along with learning about Jazz and improving my guitar playing skills, I have noticed several parallels between Jazz guitar, learning styles and successful teamwork.

Learning Style – Understanding How to Learn and Teach

The most commonly discussed modes for learning, are Visual, Auditory, and Tactile. It turns out I’m mostly a visual learner. I have discovered that even after hearing a guitar lick many times, the only way I can reproduce it is by watching my fingers make the correct movements on the strings. Although playing guitar requires auditory skill, I primarily learn how by seeing my fingers move on the fret board of my guitar.

This got me thinking about the training I’ve received over the years; the most effective method for me was hands-on. Listening to an instructor explain how to use the system did not work for me, but using software with dummy data, I could see the system perform the task, and effectively learn it myself.

Knowing how we learn, and looking for training programs tailored to that learning mode can enhance our job performance. It is also important to keep learning modes in mind when putting together training programs for others. If we expect to successfully teach our audience a task, the procedures must be presented in all modes: auditory, visual, and tactile.

Jazz – Simultaneously Simple and Complex

Most of the basic rules for music are not particularly difficult to understand. Jazz uses a subset of the rules that make jazz what it is, but once these rules are understood, the chords and melody for most jazz standards are relatively simple songs that a novice can play. However, advanced Jazz players understand the subtlety of the structure and are able to enhance the music with their own personality and style. They understand how to improvise around the melody and use chord substitution to create a much richer version of the song.

Work organizations, like Jazz bands, follow relatively simple rules of operation and protocol that are easy to learn. However, it is within the basic work structure that high performers understand the complexity of the organization and how to enhance operations with their own personalities and style. In the example below, I followed the basic rules of the organization and worked with all of the appropriate people to get answers to my questions. My experience and understanding of the operations was useful because I knew the right questions to ask of my co-workers.

  • At one point in my career I was in charge of investigating consumer complaints. Based on my experience, I knew that there could be many facets of the situation that possibly contributed to the complaint. I worked closely with various co-workers to obtain additional information such as production data, maintenance logs, and the results of raw material inspections. By performing this level of ‘due diligence’, every consumer complaint was viewed as an opportunity to ensure all procedures are being followed and to ultimately enhance the overall strength of brand.

Look for my next blog as I continue my thoughts on work and Jazz.

Photo credit: Depositphotos.com 46950533 by estudiosaavedra

Build Bridges of Understanding – Part 2

mcalisterts 0 Comment Case Studies, Collaboration, Expert Advice, Food Safety, Management Skills, Uncategorized , , , , , , ,

Find the Answer - Magnifying Glass

 

 

 

 

Building Bridges Part 1 addressed how to gather useful information by having honest conversations with the people involved in the issue. Gathering as much information as possible was the key to determining exactly what happened. However, fact gathering is only a part of the process; it is equally important to implement improvements based on the information.

The highest levels of performance come to people who are centered, intuitive, creative, and reflective – people who know to see a problem as an opportunity. – Deepak Chopra

Here was the journey we took to solve the problem described in Part 1.

Once we gathered the preliminary information, we decided that the issue was most likely related to the raw material handling process. As we dug into the details of how the raw materials were handled we started asking questions such as, “how could one raw material be introduced into another raw material?”

We then discussed scenarios in which the offending material might have been introduced into a ‘common’ raw material, and developed one such scenario:

Contamination may occur when an offending allergen (seafood) attached itself to a common ingredient (pasta) because it was unsuccessfully separated out during the ‘re-work’ process (used to reclaim raw materials from damaged packages). When the ‘contaminated’ pasta was used again, it was used as raw material for a product that didn’t contain seafood. Thus, the process for re-using raw materials from damaged packages would have created the situation where unwanted ingredients were inadvertently mixed into the raw material.

As we talked through this scenario, we realized that a process intended to avoid wasting materials, actually put the product at risk. Armed with this information, we were able to determine the most likely root cause for the issue.

We were now presented with the ‘opportunity’ to eliminate the potential for contamination. This would involve changes in the material handling procedures and a commitment to a training program for the workers who manage the tracking paperwork. The owner of the business was amenable to the changes; peace of mind about the safety of his products was well worth any additional expense. The changes were effective. Millions of packages were consumed over the next 15 years without incident.

To summarize, here’s the entire process:

  1. Open up an honest and in-depth discussion about the situation and ensure everyone involved is on the same page. Establish the goal of the discussion and keep it in mind the entire time.
  2. As the discussion leads to various possible scenarios that could explain what occurred, critically and thoroughly review the scenarios – the smallest detail can lead to the smoking gun.
  3. Once the root cause is determined and verified, develop ‘fool-proof’ procedures to ensure the issue cannot re-occur. These new procedures must be audited to ensure they truly eliminate the potential issue.
  4. Discuss the rationale for making procedural changes with the production workers and supervision. Let them know why it is so important to follow the new procedures and how they can help keep the product safe.

I have always believed that “all of us are smarter than one of us”. In the end, because my team had the trust of the owner and his team, we were able to resolve the issue together.

To boil it down: focus on getting accurate, detailed information at the beginning of the process. Once the information is gathered, let your intuition guide you toward the next steps, such as brainstorming about scenarios. Once logical opportunities are presented, go out and test them. You will find out quickly if the situation can be recreated. Lastly, work out new procedures or policies that will effectively eliminate the problem.

Successful problem-solving starts with building bridges of understanding. Mr. Carnegie put it into words over 75 years ago and his words ring true today.

 

Photo credit: depositphotos.com 21849021 by:iqoncept

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Build Bridges of Understanding – Part 1

mcalisterts 0 Comment Case Studies, Collaboration, Expert Advice, Food Safety, Management Skills , , , , ,

Person on bridge helping another

 

 

 

 

Investigating major quality problems can be a difficult task. I think I speak for most workers; people don’t like to ‘get in trouble’, especially on the job. Whether negligence is involved or not, gathering useful information can be a challenge. However, in order to correct the situation and prevent it from happening again, it is extremely important to determine exactly what happened.

In my experience, the success of an investigation usually depends upon the investigator’s ability to put workers at ease. This helps the process to move quickly and thoroughly, resulting in accurate identification of the problems and rapid resolution.

Dale Carnegie recommends listening first, particularly in a tense situation.

“Let them finish. Do not resist, defend or debate. This only raises barriers. Try to build bridges of understanding. Dale Carnegie – Goodreads.com link

When trying to solve a serious problem, getting the full story with as much detail as possible is very important. Channeling Mr. Carnegie’s term, always attempt to “…build bridges of understanding”.

The three steps below are useful in the initial stages of the investigation

  1. Preface the discussions with the people involved
    • Let the interviewee know that all information is helpful toward resolving the issue completely.
    • Help them understand they are part of the solution, not part of the problem.
    • Make the discussion as non-emotional as possible. Let the person being interviewed know that the discussion is strictly intended for gathering facts and not meant to find someone to blame for the issue.
    • Mention that it is very seldom a single act or situation that caused the problem and their input is needed to be able to assemble the ‘pieces of the puzzle’ to resolve the issue once and for all.
  2. Establish the timeline based on facts
    • When did the situation occur?
    • What equipment or process was involved?
    • Explore any unusual circumstances taking place at the time of the incident.
    • Who else would have been in the area when the problem occurred that could add more information?
    • If the interview process uncovers multiple sources of the problem, collate all of the information into a single timeline listing all of the discrete times, places, and people involved in the issue.
  3. Once the basic causes are worked out set up a meeting with the appropriate personnel to perform a root cause analysis (to be discussed in Part 2).

Over 15 years ago I had a situation where I used the steps above to gather critical information necessary to resolve a complicated quality issue. A third party manufactured a finished product for our company and unfortunately the product was contaminated with an undeclared allergen. This was an extremely dangerous situation for someone who was highly allergic to the material, and a nationwide recall was performed. Thankfully nobody was ever injured as a result of this issue.

Immediately after the discovery of the problem (and a separate team had quickly initiated the recall), I was sent to the manufacturer to determine what happened and implement new procedures to prevent it from happening again. From the very beginning it was clear that this investigation was going to be challenging. From a practical perspective it was going to be costly; the situation would most likely result in a major insurance settlement (best case) or a significant legal proceeding (worst case).

The first thing I did was schedule a meeting with the owner at the company. The purpose of the meeting was to lay out the intent of my visit and the expected outcomes. In this case, it seemed straight-forward: determine exactly what happened and establish new procedures that would prevent it from happening again. I made it clear that my focus was on determining the root cause without assigning blame. I also made it clear that the information gathered during the investigation would be shared with the owner prior to communicating it to my management. I wanted the owner to agree that the information being communicated was factual and unbiased before it was distributed to anyone else.

I believe by establishing these ‘ground rules’ up front, it helped the owner to feel more comfortable disclosing all of the facts. He also encouraged his employees to fully cooperate in the investigation by saying that all information would be important in resolving the issue.

The interview process took place and a comprehensive timeline was developed. With this information we were able to initiate a successful root cause analysis and determine exactly how the product was contaminated. I will describe the root cause analysis process and ultimate resolution to the problem in Part 2.

Establishing open communication, ground rules, and transparency at the start, was key to expediting a successful investigation. This enabled us to ‘build bridges of understanding’.

Look to Part 2 for the results of the interviews, the root cause process and how we worked together to correct the situation permanently.

 

Photo credit: Depositphotos.com Image 11826066 by 6kor3dos

Dreamer or Doer: Who Do You Need in Your Organization

mcalisterts 0 Comment Expert Advice, Management Skills , , , ,

Dream Big Work Hard Concept

The world needs Dreamers and the world needs Doers. But above all, the world needs Dreamers who Do. Sarah Ban Breathnach.

Over the years, as I watched people flourish or flounder at work, I witnessed the degree to which success is dependent upon a good fit between workers and their role in the organization. I found there are two characteristics essential to success in any organization: dreaming and doing. We are all Dreamers and Doers to some extent, however most of us tend to lean a little more one way than the other.

When hiring new employees or considering a change for current employees, it’s a good idea to gauge the degree of Dreamer/Doer requirements of the position. A successful fit is almost always related to how a person’s Dreamer/Doer ratio aligns with their role. Dreamer roles tend to require more creativity, and Doer roles, more routine.

The charts below illustrate the Dreamer/Doer ratios for positions in a supply chain company:

Screen Shot 2015-07-27 at 3.32.42 PM

  • A Material Planner is responsible for ordering materials needed for production. Usually the information comes from a system (e.g., MRP) and then the raw materials are ordered through the procurement system. Accuracy and consistency are essential to successfully executing the process every day to keep the production lines running. (Strong Doer)
  • A Planning Manager needs to be a creative problem solver in order to resolve issues that arise everyday. They must also be strong communicators and be able to work effectively and efficiently. (Strong Dreamer)
  • A Director of Logistics must develop innovative ways to improve the overall efficiency of the supply chain. People who have risen to this level have done so because of their strengths in both practical and creative arenas. (Strong Doer/Dreamer)

Here are a few characteristics of Dreamers and Doers that may be helpful when determining the ratio of potential candidates:

Characteristics of an effective Dreamer

  • Candidates with experience in finding creative ways to use technology are dreamers. Various technologies continue to grow at an exponential rate. The companies with employees who find ways to leverage emerging technology will be leaders in their field. For example, new technologies exist in the form of improved hardware and software that allow for better, quicker decision-making. Companies who work out innovative ways to use this technology will have a competitive advantage.
  • Candidates who know how to gather and analyze data are effective Dreamers. For example, the Dreamers who have found innovative ways to optimize networks or systems will be extremely valuable in most organizations. Having the ability to review complex data analyses and provide solid recommendations for enhancements is always an excellent capability.

Characteristics of a strong Doer

  • Candidates with meaningful experiences as leaders, as well as working on successful teams, are strong Doers. Those who have demonstrated strong leadership skills in difficult situations are extremely valuable. When it comes to executing plans, I personally found the candidates who put a plan together, and then rolled up their sleeves to fully support the team, were going to be successful in the organization.
  • Candidates willing to take on difficult challenges and work outside their comfort zone are strong Doers. People who are ‘comfortable being uncomfortable’ are most likely to adapt and take on new challenges, as well as to grow within the organization.

One last consideration is to gauge a candidate’s ability (or willingness) to adjust their Dreamer/Doer ratio as they move up in the organization. Knowing that the roles at the various levels of the organization will require varying amounts of Dreamer/Doer, it’s important when hiring ‘high potential’ future leaders that they show the ability to ‘do’ as well as the ability to ‘dream’.

It takes a little practice and patience to get to know a person’s ‘ratio’ but once it is understood, there will be an improvement in success rate of the candidates.

Photo credit: Depositphotos.com #57460535 LlianaMihaleva

Are You Painting a Clear Picture?

mcalisterts 0 Comment Business Forecast, Case Studies, Expert Advice, Uncategorized , , , ,

Woman standing in the gallery

As my department worked through a crisis several years back, I discovered that the information we needed was not available in a format that would help us resolve the issues. Due to the nature of the crisis, and the need to communicate information inside the company and to our customers, I found a way to assemble a large amount of data into a single, concise communication that made sense to everyone, not just supply chain people.

“Every now and then one paints a picture that seems to have opened a door and serves as a stepping stone to other things.” ― Pablo Picasso

I have a feeling that Picasso wasn’t thinking about customer service when he said this, but I like his sentiment. If painting ‘pictures’ can serve as stepping-stones, then they can help us move on to bigger and better things.

I was the Supply Chain manager when a production issue necessitated a massive recall for half of the existing inventory in my category. The production network was running at 100% capacity when the problem occurred so we all knew it would take time to recover. The million dollar question (literally) was how long would the situation affect our customers? A few weeks? Several months? As you might imagine, our customers were not going to accept an answer of ‘we aren’t sure when you will get your product.’ I asked my planner for a report that would show the weekly inventory position for every item for the next 13 weeks, and I was told the planning system was not able to generate such a comprehensive view.

Since a problem of this size was new for me, I asked my compatriots for examples of how to manage such a major problem. Unfortunately, I was only greeted with kind words of support. It turned out that nobody on the staff had dealt with a problem this large before and no template was available.

It was clear that we needed to develop a method for communicating the status of the inventory, and here are the steps my team and I took to ‘paint a picture’ that would generate useful information for Management and ultimately our customers.

  1. Determine what information is available from the planning system, and how to download it into a spreadsheet.
  • Weekly production plans were available in the supply planning system, however a complete view of the inventory position was not available in a single report. This was a quirk of the system, and getting individual items to aggregate into a single report was something I.T. was not willing to tackle, regardless of the circumstances.
  • We found that the individual item information could be downloaded from the planning system, however, this report included raw data showing the current inventory and planned production quantities along with other pieces of extraneous data. Using an ‘intermediate’ spreadsheet, we extracted and formatted the information needed for the next step.
  1. Once the data is in a spreadsheet, determine how to format the information to accurately tell the story
  • Within our company, most people understood the inventory position in terms of ‘days of coverage’. For the purposes of communication, we needed to put several of the items on a single page, to see the overall effect of the production plan. The most accurate way to calculate the inventory coverage was to develop a formula that used 1) the inventory available at the beginning of the week, 2) the production plan, and 3) the demand forecast, in order to calculate the theoretical days of coverage in the inventory each week going forward.
  • Once the formulae were set up to calculate days of supply for the next 13 weeks, we determined it would be helpful to color-code the information to generate a way to identify issues more easily. This is where the ‘stop-light’ formatting for each cell was used; with green being considered ‘good’ inventory levels, yellow considered ‘risky’ or potentially problematic, and red being ‘bad’ or definite customer service problems. We also used blue to indicate if the inventory was above target.
  1. Develop a view that provides information for driving decision-making.
  • Once the data was verified and the color-coding applied, we assembled a view to show the ‘days of supply’ for all items for the upcoming 13 weeks. It indicated that it would take over two months for the inventory to completely recover. (The chart below is a simulation of the initial inventory positions we discovered. It does not use the actual data.)
  • With the inventory projection view finally in place, we could discuss various production options, such as delaying the production of less popular (slower moving) items, and risking some case fill issues, while producing larger volumes of the more popular items. A few scenarios were presented to management for their review and decisions were made regarding the information to be shared with customers. Now we could show our customers when they could expect the product back on their shelves.

Mock DOH Chart 121514

Prior to developing this methodology, we were making educated guesses about the timing of the recovery. For the most part, these guesses were inaccurate, frustrating management and our customers alike. Having much more accurate and comprehensive days of supply information available was extremely helpful to the Sales team and our customers. Armed with this information customers could find ways to work around the gaps on their shelves.

At the end of the day, a clear picture of bad news was better than not knowing when customer service would recover. With a chart like the one above, we were able to have meaningful and honest discussions with our customers. Sharing accurate information, even if it is not good news, is the key to building trust between organizations.

Picasso was certainly correct about a picture serving as a stepping-stone. We found a way to move forward with our customers once we generated a clear picture of the situation.

 

Photo credit: depositphotos.com image:26852525 by: semisatch

Spending Enough Time on Your Message?

mcalisterts 0 Comment Expert Advice, Management Skills , ,

Depositphotos_55493215_xs

I had a friend who was a Methodist minister and he once told me that a good preacher would spend one-third of his time working on his weekly sermon. My initial reaction was that this seemed like a lot of time to spend on a 15-20 minute ‘speech’, but the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. To keep the parishioners headed in the right direction, the message needed to be inspiring and meaningful. If the message is going to have a positive impact on the listener, the speaker needs to make sure they give themselves a lot of time to think about the point they want to make. Putting this in a more secular perspective, it is very important to ‘sit and think’ about the messages we use to inspire those who work for us.

With so many ways for us to receive messages these days, it is especially important that we, as leaders, become more effective at developing and delivering our message. During the times we are the busiest, it is extremely important to get our message to our teams in the most effective manner possible. From a practical perspective, being an effective communicator and leader becomes an exercise in time management.

A few years ago I was asked to take on a large amount of additional work. At that time I was running the supply chain for one business, and was asked to take on a second business. I wanted to accept this challenge because this business had been my responsibility in the past and I had an emotional attachment to it.

This ‘dual’ business management scenario re-emphasized the need to prioritize my time and make sure I provided clear direction to both of my teams, while satisfying the needs of my internal customers.

You get to decide where your time goes. You can either spend it moving forward, or you can spend it putting out fires. You decide. And if you don’t decide, others will decide for you.” ― Tony Morgan

During this hectic time, I started my workdays with every intention of spending at least the first 30 minutes planning the day. Though I started an hour before most people got to work, things always happened that required my immediate attention, and burned through my planning time.

When I was in firefighting mode, other important work that wasn’t urgent, didn’t get done, and this ‘slippage’ created situations that would require even more firefighting in the future. It was a vicious cycle: firefighting led to more firefighting. If time was not being set aside to trouble-shoot and correct the issues causing the problems, the situation was going to deteriorate. Sound familiar?

Knowing it was very important to craft my message for my team, I had to make a conscious effort to find the time for planning and setting direction. I found a few basic time-management principles that helped me push the pile forward.

  1. Find a strategy to categorize your activities. One method was dividing up daily tasks into 4 categories: Q1 – Important and Urgent; Q2 – Important but Not Urgent; Q3 – Not Important and Urgent; Q4 – Not Important and Not Urgent. Once the activities are sorted, one can decide which tasks to attack. My familiarity with this methodology was from a time management course I took based on Steven Covey’s model. One of the primary recommendations of this method is to make sure there is a sincere attempt to focus time on the Q2 items, which were ‘Important, but Not Urgent’. Examples of these activities were physical exercise, reading industry-related articles for ideas, and taking time to evaluate and develop your own career. For more information on this concept, take a look at a great article from Sid Savarra that describes the quadrants and how your activities can be categorized. Covey’s Time Management matrix.
  1. Focus on understanding where your time goes every day. If you track your activities for a few days, you can start to see what is taking up your time. Once you have a list, evaluate whether or not the activity will help you make progress. Looking at situations and tasks we are asked to address with this ‘go / no go’ perspective can help sort out the non-value added tasks. For example, attending a Marketing update meeting on changing advertising agency strategies was not going to impact how the supply chain operated. However, if the marketing strategy was to increase the amount of money spent advertising, then the discussion was very worthwhile and would have an impact on the supply chain.
  1. Enlist your boss to help prioritize the activities. About once a week I had discussions with my boss regarding all of the activities on my list, identifying the ones I felt would not help the business make progress. Most bosses are interested in making progress and are amenable to worthwhile suggestions. Even if they want everything on the list to be done, they will help prioritize the work. These meetings are also a good time to keep your boss updated on the progress of each activity.

In the end, I would block out time on my schedule for planning every day. I would go ‘radio silent’ during this time and only answer the phone if it was an important caller, i.e. the boss or my wife. I may not have been able to spend a third of my time on the message, but the more time I spent on it, the better my team responded and the more we accomplished. In the end, making the time to ‘sit and think’ was always worthwhile.