Continuous Improvement Archives

Ten Lessons from Ten Business Moments & Trends of 2023

The business landscape of 2023 was a mixed bag, offering both bouquets of roses and thorns. Ten moments stand out, not just for their headlines, but for the lessons they whisper.

Top three pre-process transformation actions to ensure success

When we talk about process transformation, what comes to our mind are the obvious elements that include process, technology,

Five process excellence areas to focus on in a Covid-19 world

The last few months have changed our lives with large numbers of people working from home under lockdown

Demand, expectation and robots

Every business has always needed customers, but today they are impacting businesses much more than ever before.

These Are The Two Things That Customers Expect From A Business

What do customers really want?

5 Not-So-Obvious Strategies For Better Problem Solving

Problem solving is an integral part of all business organisations.

Four principles of organisational excellence which every small business should know

Embedding excellence is the aspiration of all small businesses.

5 Business Process Lessons From The Oscars Goof-Up

I had written sometime back that 2016 was a year of the unexpected.

Is This A Lost Decade For Business Quality In India?

Quality has been a key pillar for enhancing India's competitiveness.

How small business owners can make their customers raving fans

All small businesses have an aspiration that their product or service should be so good that customers become raving fans.

‘Quality’, the biggest differentiator for your business: Why SMEs should take note

Irrespective of the type of an enterprise, quality is an anchor that gives credibility to a business.

4 Questions Indian Manufacturing Should Ask After The US Bedsheet Scandal

As the India media got engrossed in demonetisation, the Tata boardroom battle and the US elections,

3 Lessons On Change Management From The Stories Of Alan Kurdi, Alexis Tsipras And COP21

The past year was filled with stories and insights on passion, persistence, perseverance,

Taking over as Process Excellence leader? Ten things you must do in the first 90 days

What you learn about your company in the first couple of months as Process Excellence leader

The Eight Habits of Effective Process Excellence Leaders

A lot is written about process excellence, writes columnist Debashis Sarkar,

13 Essentials of Coaching for Process Improvement

As organizations embark on their process improvement journey,

Seven Signs Your Process Improvement Initiative Is Failing

Many companies start the process excellence journey with a bang, says Debashis Sarkar,

The Dos and Don’ts of Selecting the Right Projects for Lean Transformation

As a change agent driving Lean transformation, it’s not enough to just have the technical skills.

Enablers for a Successful Lean Transformation

When you decide to embark on a Lean transformation, you must make sure that the right enablers of a successful deployment

Dear Lean practitioner, remember you don’t know all

Lean agents making the transition to service industries should speak softly and carry a list of questions.

How to lose friends and alienate staff – a lean sponsor’s guide

What happens when management is not properly equipped to undertake a Lean Transformation?

Make Your Organization More Customer-Centric with the Kano Model

Looking at products and processes from a consumer’s point of view is critical for building a successful business.

The ABC’s of A3 Performance Improvement

Having introduced the basics of A3 problem solving over my last two columns,

The Seven A3 Problem Solving Steps in Detail

As I introduced A3 problem solving in my last column,

The A3 Problem Solving Way: An Introduction

As service companies dabble with various methods for addressing their business issues,

Despite the Recalls, Service Businesses Can Still Benefit from Adopting Toyota Practices

A lot has being written about Toyota and its ability to wade through the current crisis.

How the Trends of 2000-2009 Will Shape Performance Improvement in This New Decade

As 2010 ushers in, it’s time for us to look at the key trends that surrounded the ecosystem of all businesses.

Standardizing Service Processes through Lean: Is It Unthinkable?

This column of mine is triggered by the interesting debate that I saw in response to Tripp Babbitt’s article,

360 Degree Metrics for Lean Transformation

While embarking on a holistic Lean transformation, I have seen practitioners struggle to come up with metrics.

To Value Stream Map or Not to Value Stream Map a Service Process?

Value stream mapping and Lean implementation in the service business have somehow become synonymous.

5S for a Service Business

5S as a tool has been leveraged by manufacturing companies for decades.

The Various Times of Lean

Before embarking on a Lean project, we should be clear with the various times that are used in Lean improvements.

Value Contribution of Processes

In my last column we discussed the eight wastes of Lean. We also looked at the various examples from the service sector.

8 Wastes of Lean Manufacturing in a Services Context

Anything that does not add value to the customer is a waste. Waste only adds to time and cost.

15 Ways to Tell if You’re a Process Centric Company

Does your company leadership treat processes as strategic assets? If not,

Challenges of Service Lean Implementation

Lean implementation can be quite challenging in a service organization.

What is Lean in a Service Context?

Lean manufacturing has been around for quite sometime.

Lean Services: Asia’s Preeminent Deployment Leader Gives Global Insights on Lean Six Sigma for Services

While Lean has been an effective process improvement method for the manufacturing industry,

The philosophy behind his writing and his books is to share his experiences and learning

Dubai