Monthly Archives: August 2005

What Kind of Management Does This?

Posted on August 31, 2005 by John Hunter

Already Mired in Sales Slump, Gap Closes Two Most Popular Internet Stores Both Gap.com and OldNavy.com have been closed for the past week, driving frustrated shoppers like Kira Storch of San Francisco to other Web sites to buy clothes. … Hoping to minimize the customer inconvenience, Gap waited until after most back-to-school shopping had been finished before launching a “soup-to-nuts” overhaul of its major e-commerce sites, said company spokeswoman Kris Marubio. She said the changes were too complex to enable … Continue reading →

Posted in IT, Management, Software Development | 1 Comment

Deming and the New York Times

Posted on August 31, 2005 by John Hunter

Steve Brant, in All The News That’s FIT To Print, mentions that the New York Times applied some of Deming’s ideas in the past. He also links to several articles that mention those attempts. One article is from the The New Yorker by Ken Auletta, 1993: Opening Up The Times: Sulzberger [the Times’ publisher] has prescribed the management theories of Dr. W. Edwards Deming, a professor emeritus at New York University and a business philosopher whose theories helped revitalize Japanese … Continue reading →

Posted in Management

Statistical Consulting

Posted on August 30, 2005 by John Hunter

In the current issue of AMSTAT News (American Satistical Association) the President’s letter is focused on Statistical Consulting and W. Edwards Deming. He makes a good point, echoing those others have been making for quite some time: More and more, we need to define ourselves, perhaps as an internal consultant, by striking out on our own. That self-defined role is a lot more challenging, risky, and fun, too! ASA bio of Deming – Curious Cat biography of Deming The Curious … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Management, Statistics | 1 Comment

Critical Chain, TOC Email List

Posted on August 30, 2005 by John Hunter

Email lists have been going out of style, but they can be a useful way to interact with a shared community (when moderated properly). The Theory of Constraints (TOC) email list (Yahoo group) CriticalChain, is useful for those interested in TOC concepts. This list is for those who are interested in project management via Critical Chain Scheduling and Buffer Management, as well as the application of other aspects of the Theory of Constraints to project management. The target audience for … Continue reading →

Posted in Management, Theory of Constraints

Deming on Management

Posted on August 29, 2005 by John Hunter

Topic: Management Improvement I have added a new section to Curious Cat Management Improvement Connections titled: Deming on Management. W. Edwards Deming’s management ideas have greatly influenced modern management practice. Many quotes and thoughts are attributed to him. Sometimes these represent his ideas accurately, and sometimes they do not. In the Deming on Management section, I attempt to clearly indicate what he actual said and include some of my thoughts on the topic. For example, Dr. Deming is often incorrectly … Continue reading →

Posted in curiouscat.com, Deming, Management

Lean Manufacturing at Castcon-Stone

Posted on August 29, 2005 by John Hunter

Lean manufacturing transforms operations at Saxonburg company: Kerckhoff said redoing certain portions of products accounted for about 12 percent of the company’s volume of work last year. However, after implementing the new lean manufacturing initiative, the number is now down to about 4 percent, and most of the rework is so minor that the company would not have tracked it in the past.

Posted in Lean thinking, Management, Management Articles, Manufacturing

Toyota in India

Posted on August 28, 2005 by John Hunter

The Toyota Way Goes Bottom-up [the broken link was removed] by Subir Roy, Business Standard (India). An interview with managing director of Toyota Kirloskar: Atsushi Toyoshima. Toyota’s official vision is a 15 per cent share of the global market by 2010. But that is just a convenient number. The key internal focus has been set by the new president who has identified three goals: offer drastically better value in terms of environment, safety, quality and cost; contribute to the economy; … Continue reading →

Posted in Management

Lean Manufacturing at Delphi

Posted on August 27, 2005 by John Hunter

Streamlined [the broken link was removed] by Derek Smith, Kokomo Tribune. Each morning for local manufacturing workers begins with a “huddle meeting” in which groups discuss a variety of operations issues. Guggina said Delphi has been recognized as an industry leader in its application of lean manufacturing. … In 2004, Plants 7 and 9 of Delphi’s Kokomo operations earned the coveted Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing.

Posted in Management Articles

Managing with Control Charts

Posted on August 25, 2005 by John Hunter

Ideas from the Tiger’s Head by Simon Caulkin, The Observer. This is a remarkably nuanced short article on control charts given that it is a newspaper article (which normally overly simplify such concepts to the point not much of value is left). This is a critical distinction: if managers mistakenly tamper with a stable process, believing an occurrence is exceptional, they introduce an external cause, which destabilises it. Targets do the same thing. If a system is stable, as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Management, Statistics | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Measures of Success

Posted on August 25, 2005 by John Hunter

Measures of Success [the broken link was removed] interview of Alex Knight by Michaela Rebbeck. The interview discusses a model of measurement based on Theory of Constraints ideas. The fundamental difference with my proposition is the shift in the mental model we have about measures. I believe in replacing the ‘stick and carrot’ mentality with commitment to a culture where measures are used to help identify key opportunities for improvement and contribute to a ‘no-blame’ measurement mindset. … In a … Continue reading →

Posted in Management Articles, Theory of Constraints | Tagged

Six Sigma Interview with Alan Harrison

Posted on August 24, 2005 by John Hunter

Six Sigma Interview with Alan Harrison, Weir Pumps Ltd [the broken link was removed]: Everyone has been trained to some degree on what we have termed the Weir Production System, which includes but is not limited to TPS and Six Sigma. We have created a pragmatic pull improvement system (driven by business needs) where we define what is needed, when it is needed, and how to make it happen.

Posted in Management

Google Talk

Posted on August 24, 2005 by John Hunter

Google is at it again. They have announce Google Talk [the broken link was removed]: Google Talk is a simple and free way to talk with and send instant messages to your friends. Like Gmail, Google Talk uses Google’s innovative technologies to help people communicate more effectively and efficiently. Think of it as Google’s approach to communications. Google Talk is easy and intuitive to use. All you need to make free calls is an Internet connection, a microphone, and a … Continue reading →

Posted in Google, Management

Japan Airlines using Toyota Production System Principles

Posted on August 23, 2005 by John Hunter

Toyota Production System Steers JAL Group Cargo Operations at Narita [the broken link was removed], press release from Japan Airlines By applying the ingenuity and originality of the Toyota Production System to their cargo operations at Tokyo’s Narita Airport, Japan Airlines are on the way to saving millions of dollars annually and making huge strides in improving efficiency and productivity, while at the same time maintaining service quality and safety. I don’t think I have ever seen such a press … Continue reading →

Posted in Management Articles | Tagged | 1 Comment

Has Six Sigma been a failure?

Posted on August 20, 2005 by John Hunter

My response to the message, Has Six Sigma been a failure? (broken link was removed) on the Deming Electronic Network email list (DEN). I think Six Sigma has been a success. Do I think it the best option? No, I would prefer a Deming based approach. But I think Six Sigma can be a successful improvement strategy. Like most any management strategy, many applying it do so poorly (hacks as Deming would say). But if most any DEN participant worked … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Management, Six sigma, Statistics | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

LA Jail Saves Time Processing Crime

Posted on August 19, 2005 by John Hunter

After efficiency study, L.A. jail saves time processing crime by Dan Laidman Los Angels Daily News (pointy hired boss broke the link so I removed it) Last week, Chief William Bratton told the Board of Police Commissioners that Toyota methods have produced dramatic changes in a jail division once beset by delays, inefficient transportation, personnel shortages and troubles with medical treatment. … But the collaboration between Toyota and the LAPD marks the first time law enforcement has used the principles … Continue reading →

Posted in Deming, Management, Process improvement, Public Sector, Toyota Production System (TPS) | Tagged , , , , , ,

Transforming Aggression into Creative Problem Solving

Posted on August 19, 2005 by John Hunter

Transforming Aggression into Creative Problem Solving [the broken link has been removed] by Margaret J. Wheatley and Geoff Crinean With their intelligence awakened, people want to contribute, want to change things, want to make things happen. They will work with existing structures and processes, but they will be altering and adapting them as needed, almost without noticing. Too often, leaders fear a loss of control and attempt to rein in such groups. Their own fear pushes them back into aggressive … Continue reading →

Posted in Creativity, Management