Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
This was exactly the type of situation we were dealing with in investigating
the late hardware ordering and installation. What we did led to practical
help on a project in a specific situation. My experience has been that once
organizations reach a certain level of process maturity, this type of problem
analysis and resolution often becomes the most valuable and therefore the
type that the organization should be focusing on to help them achieve their
business objectives.
By monitoring where you most often see problems on your projects (e.g., in
the case study it was cycle time to get hardware ordered and installed), you
are identifying the areas that become the best candidates for the sub-
processes to place under statistical management. Once the right processes
are identified, you then manage them quantitatively until they are back
under control. Then you move on and look for the next bottleneck in your
organization. But keep in mind that in all organizations, changes occur (e.g.,
people turnover) and therefore it is not uncommon for processes that appear
to be under control today to fall out of control tomorrow. Refer to Figure 3-1.
Decisions = Product That Moves
Through Network of People
Improve Performance by Helping People Make More
Timely and Effective Decisions Through Combination of…
Process
Improvement
Mentoring/Training
People
Example:
Add note on form Indicating field
required for hardware to be ordered
Example:
Bring to attention of people
alternative solutions
Figure 3-1
Improved Performance Through Improved Solutions
