Latest Articles
- Information – an Office’s Gold
As America moves to service based industries the raw materials needed to bring a service or product to market is information. This is the “gold” in an office. With today’s technology we are able to collect, measure and quantify our leads and customers. The question then becomes what do we do with that information?
- BPs Lack of Seeing the Big Picture
No matter what side of the political fence you fall, BP failed to take the proper quality control measures. As the weeks pass more information is coming to light how the organization cut corners with safety to keep costs down. Safety is not the place to take short cuts. In the long run this can cost you thousands of dollars and possibly your business. In BP’s case it is running in the billions not to mention what it is doing for their stock value. The ramification of poor quality control is costly. So how could a corporation
- Make Your Bottom Line Grow
No matter what size your organization doing things as efficiently as possible is not only ideal it is necessary in the new world economy. One area that can be significantly improved is the office. In fact, 60 to 80% of costs associated with providing a service or product to market is administrative. If you were able to reduce these by one third how much could you increase your cash flow?
- Proper Planning Can Ensure Success
Planning is the backbone of success. Not doing it can cost thousands of dollars, man hours and resources. Proper planning can save you money, increase your cash flow and help fulfill your mission. Here is a simple tool to aid in ensuring your success.
- Working Between Departments Means Faster Cash Flow
When you look at a traditional organizational chart it has silos which contain various departments and the people overseeing and working in those departments. In today’s business climate where information is your company’s gold this can be troublesome. Why, because the right hand may not know what the left hand is doing. We have all [...]
Capacity Building in an Unfriendly Economic Environment
I have worked with nonprofits in the past and the new economic environment is extremely challenging for them. One of the ways I am looking to help nonprofits is through capacity building. Right now I am working with a producer Paul Ellis who is also a proficient grant writer. We were discussing the other day how funding cuts and downsizing is hurting the nonprofits across the board.
When I watch all the services and programs that are no longer available it becomes even more clear how much we need these nonprofits to pick up the slack. Who knows, one day it could be someone we know or ourselves who may need temporary or long term help from one of these organizations.
With this in mind I have written an article on capacity building in an unfriendly economic environment. I have other articles that are available through ezine or our Blog archives.
With the New Year here and many mature businesses not, we must reflect on what has to be done to operate effectively with out current resources all while taking advantage of the opportunities left behind from closed competitors. The silver lining is the opportunity to build capacity and increase market share. For non-profits this means providing more services for the community with the current resources.
Operating a Lean Enterprise means that you have a competitive edge, maximize your resources and reduce your overall costs. Why having a lean organization is significant is that 60 to 80% of costs associated with bringing a product or service to market is administrative. If you can reduce the waste this makes a big impact on your bottom line. This is common knowledge in the private sector but what is capacity building for the nonprofit sector?
This has become a very important topic for non-profits all over the country. As budgets shrink and donations decrease our non-profits are expected to do more with less. The disconcerting part is no one is telling them how. All processes and systems need to support the mission and strategic plan. For an organization to thrive everything including office work needs to be in alignment. In the nonprofit arena some of the areas that would contribute to capacity building are: communication, computer systems, technology issues, management systems, process improvements and changes. Implementing Lean Office allows a nonprofit to serve their community and do it well.
If you are an organization that has inefficient, outdated procedures this consumes time, resources, staff and equipment. As part of reexamining your operations, looking for opportunities to streamline is essential. What are some of the types of things you should be looking for? Low hanging fruit such as excessive mistakes, rework, motion and waiting. Ask the managers what the goal of their department is. Why do they feel it is not being met? Then go ask the people doing the job day in and day out. You will get a picture of where your waste is hiding.
With manufacturing it is obvious when there is waste. In an office you have to review your procedures, technology and policies. In an organization that has to adhere to inefficient regulations the challenge becomes how to be productive in spite of the regulations. What can you improve that you have control over? Do a waste audit in your organization. For a list and description of the different wastes visit Wikipedia and do a search for “Lean Services, The Service Wastes”. You will be amazed where waste is hiding in your office.
This is a new world economy. Those organizations that can do more with less and effectively utilize their staff, tools and resources will come out soaring. Being a Lean Enterprise is no longer an option but a necessity. Take a look at how your organizations can be an industry leader.