Achieve Lasting Process Improvement: Reach Six Sigma Goals without the Pain

By
Bennet Lientz, The John E. Anderson School of Management, University of California, Los Angeles, U.S.A.
Kathryn Rea, The Consulting Edge, Beverly Hills, California, U.S.A.

Description
Methods of improving business processes are developed on an ongoing basis, but few are successful. Common problems encountered include the failure of processes to meet expectations and the inability to sustain or replicate these business processes. Involvement of personnel at grassroots level, as well as at management level, is essential in implementing effective process improvement methods. The authors present a step–by–step approach to the issue of effective process improvement, offering more than 200 tips and guidelines as well as addressing specific common problems and issues. The strategy presented is to take a broad and intuitive, but learned view of process improvement methods, and the tactics expounded are based on guidelines, common faults, and lessons learned. The authors disparage process improvement operations that depend on jargon and the support of just upper management, and promote grassroots involvement and self–sustaining measurement, making this an essential guide for all with involvement in process improvement.

Audience:
Professionals in organizations of all sizes involved in complex projects; personnel in information systems; business staff and managers involved in strategy and planning to improve and implement business processes; information systems managers; business managers; project leaders; systems and business analysts; process engineers; human resources and personnel.



From the back cover:

Although new process improvement methods have been developed and implemented over the past few decades, surveys indicate that many of these methods fail outright, are disappointing, cannot be sustained, or cannot be replicated by other organizations. Achieve Lasting Process Improvement provides a commonsense, jargon–free, proven method of improving business processes regardless of the size, location, and nature of the organization. It presents a step–by–step approach and offers more than 200 specific tips and guidelines as well as addressing specific issues and problems. These have been gathered from organizations of many sizes in many different countries that have achieved lasting benefits and success.

This book enables the reader to:
Establish sustained and lasting process improvement.
Achieve the results of Six Sigma without the pain and expense.
Implement process improvement without risking business.
Motivate employees to participate and contribute to process improvement.
Achieve measurable, scalable, and flexible business processes.
Address individual business, work, management, cultural, and political issues.

Answers questions such as:
How do you define the long–term direction for a business process?
How do you select which processes to improve?
How do you measure business processes?
How do you define a successful implementation strategy and project plan for process improvement?
How do you employ technology and automation successfully?
How should you involve upper management in process improvement?
How do you gain support, involvement, and commitment of employees?
How do you maintain a business process over time?
How do you sustain the benefits and change that you have implemented?


About the Author:

Bennet Lientz has taught and consulted on project management for the past 28 years to more than 5000 people. He developed the concept of the management critical path, acted as project manager of the Internet, and turned around 10 failing projects. This Second Edition is Lientz‘ seventh book; he has also written more than 25 articles in various areas of project management.

Kathryn P. Rea is president and founder of The Consulting Edge, Inc., which was established in 1984. The firm specializes in E–Business, process improvement, project management, and financial consulting. Rea has managed more than 65 major technology–related projects internationally. She has advised on and carried out projects in government, engergy, banking and finance, distribution, trading, retailing, transportation, mining, manufacturing, and utilities. She is the author of eight books and more than 20 articles in various areas of information systems and analysis.