As 2011 winds down, it is an opportune time to evaluate this year's progress and to think about strategy for 2012. I find that in order to get ahead of the curve (NO longer a nice-to-have in today's new normal business environment); it is vital to incorporate the latest [...]
Why do failures generate so much interest? Perhaps as students, we had it pounded into our heads that mistakes are bad - avoid failure at all costs. What can we learn from failure? First, failure isn't fatal - not only is failure not fatal but it also is critical [...]
As we start the New Year, I thought it was worthwhile to discuss critical yet often overlooked blocking and tackling maneuvers that ensure success. As most are debating New Year's resolutions and how to reengage after the holidays, why not get a leg up on the competition by excelling [...]
I'm seeing a trend of increased interest in leveraging additional business systems functionality in order to increase efficiencies, profits and customer service levels, and since I just completed an Accounting system upgrade, this topic is on my mind. It's all about the people - even though upgrading a system [...]
If there is one common recurring theme with my clients, it's that those companies who find and retain the best people will thrive while their competition struggles to remain in the game. In my experience in working with executives across multiple industries and globally, those who create a talent [...]
Customer communication is always a good idea; however, leveraging customer communications during the new normal business environment is vital to success. Pick up the phone - some of the largest successes I've seen result from simple yet critical conversations. It can be as simple as calling a customer to [...]
Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), also known as SIOP (including inventory in the title) can give your business an edge over the competition - minimal investment in resources to yield substantial results! Although S&OP which balances demand with supply has been around for a long time, I've seen interest [...]
No matter why a client first calls, one of the challenges or areas of opportunity for significant gain stems back to inventory management. On the other hand, it isn't too surprising as with manufacturers and distributors, a key to operational success is effective inventory management. Beyond that, it can [...]
Inventory accuracy is often overlooked, but it is vital to to bottom line business results. Although a bedrock topic, inventory accuracy is often overlooked in operations strategy discussions as it becomes an assumption or something that just should occur. However, I am constantly reminded of its vital importance and [...]
The need for improved capacity and staffing analysis and decision-making arises frequently as a critical success factor with my clients, and so I thought a few tips would be beneficial: Start simple - Complex models don't drive results. Simple, easy-to-understand data will give you what you need to succeed. [...]
