Meant to protect investors and increase transparency in corporate accounting, implementing the Sarbanes Oxley Act takes some organizational introspection. The 2002 Sarbanes Oxley legislation (new, enhanced standards for all U.S. public companies) was established in response to high-profile financial scandals (Enron etc) in order to protect shareholders and the [...]
In my experience, processes are discussed and debated expertly; however, many times, they fail in execution. It isn't that the process is faulty; instead, it is process discipline and consistency that fails. So, I've included a few tips to successfully implement processes: Communicate and clarify - many times, it [...]
In today's economy, there is no doubt a large focus on reducing operational costs (whether they are the traditional operational costs of a business or the day-to-day personal operational costs). Reducing operational costs reduces your breakeven point - definitely a key to success in today's economy: Reduce waste - [...]
Navigating growth gets tricky if you lose perspective on spending. Keep costs under control by identifying the spot where people, process and technology work best. Understanding and controlling costs has always been a critical success factor for the majority of businesses; however, during times of economic turmoil, it elevates [...]
In today's economic environment, slow and steady progress, a continuous improvement philosophy and a low-cost producer, commodity focus will likely result in death. Why? Because it takes more than "good" to stand out in the crowd and deliver consistent and growing profitability; it takes radical change and innovation. In [...]
To succeed in today's environment, it is no longer desirable to have a world class operation focused on providing a value add while maximizing resources; it is a requirement. Today's global business climate is becoming more competitive. It is tough to stand out in the crowd, and it is [...]
It has recently occurred to me that businesses are missing a huge opportunity to leverage the transferability of best practices. Although as a business consultant, leveraging best practices has been an "assumed" part of the value I provide clients, even I missed the boat and forgot to leverage this [...]
Even the founder of lean principles, Toyota can falter on quality; thus, anyone can lose their edge - yet it is cornerstone to business success. View quality from your customer's perspective - what matters is what your customer expects when agreeing to purchase the product or service. Be vigilant [...]
As innovation is key to succeeding in the "new normal", I thought a few tips might prove helpful: Create a culture of innovation - it's not enough to encourage innovation in R&D. Those companies who create a culture of innovation will be those who succeed. Start with the customer [...]
Bedrock - always appropriate. I want to thank my mentor in this topic, Debra Daniels for her expertise – Debra, have I incorporated your wisdom appropriately? Build safety into the culture – most safety programs are pointless as they are considered an outside program (and many times, meetings are [...]
