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Added for You - Reengineering: 40 U$eful Hints
What Kind of a Job is Best for a Creative Genius?
Everyone should be in a job that they like and that they are good at and the better that society places people in jobs that they are good at, the more we will all enjoy the productivity of our civilization. This is one of the basic tenets of Plato's Republic.What type of degree would a creative genius wish to get? A creative genius will create in just about any endeavor that they are thrust into as long as they feel at home and enjoy it or if it challenges their mind. But why does a creative genius need a degree to get a job?After all, they could be self-employed too, as 10% of the population is and 75% of the population works in a small business and most of those folks do not have any advanced degrees. Not all creative geniuses choose to pursue an academic career, although many do.So if we are looking for the best place to find creative geniuses in society we have to look beyond academia and people in corporate America. Where should we look?Well, I suppose some end up at the top of the food chain and thus socially speaking this is a good place to find the imminent achiever creative genius. Other creative geniuses probably allow them selves to be walked on and taken advantage of, because they see the game as perhaps not worth playing.Maybe they are simply not interested in the sound and fury of mankind and all the emotional sound bytes on the TV or the myriad of gossip topics that prevail in normal conversation. Therefore it appears a creative genius can be found just about anywhere and they probably do enough to fit in and join in the benefits of strength in numbers and rewards of socialization and hopefully find something they really like or excel at and go do that.Plato warns us about this and tells us that each person is good at something and should do what they are best at and be alleviated from those things they are not good at. For instance, I am an entrepreneur, I should not have to sit in an office and do paperwork. I hate paperwork, accounting and such. So that is what I should be doing - building, creating, achieving, winning, etc.Someone else who is good at something should be doing what they do best right? Perhaps you can hear what I'm saying and see the reality too. We can teach children at an early age to work on their self-esteem and allow them to taste success in something and then use those successes to transfer into other aspects of their life.If children learn an early age the types of things they are good at and excel in those regions and in work on the things that they are not good at to better themselves they should have no problem finding a job later in life if they are a creative genius.
n automated version of the old one. If possible, come up with a whole new, much better way to run the business or perform the process.
Everyone should be in a job that they like and that they are good at and the better that society places people in jobs that they are good at, the more we will all enjoy the productivity of our civilization. This is one of the basic tenets of Plato's Republic.What type of degree would a creative genius wish to get? A creative genius will create in just about any endeavor that they are thrust into as long as they feel at home and enjoy it or if it challenges their mind. But why does a creative genius need a degree to get a job?After all, they could be self-employed too, as 10% of the population is and 75% of the population works in a small business and most of those folks do not have any advanced degrees. Not all creative geniuses choose to pursue an academic career, although many do.So if we are looking for the best place to find creative geniuses in society we have to look beyond academia and people in corporate America. Where should we look?Well, I suppose some end up at the top of the food chain and thus socially speaking this is a good place to find the imminent achiever creative genius. Other creative geniuses probably allow them selves to be walked on and taken advantage of, because they see the game as perhaps not worth playing.Maybe they are simply not interested in the sound and fury of mankind and all the emotional sound bytes on the TV or the myriad of gossip topics that prevail in normal conversation. Therefore it appears a creative genius can be found just about anywhere and they probably do enough to fit in and join in the benefits of strength in numbers and rewards of socialization and hopefully find something they really like or excel at and go do that.Plato warns us about this and tells us that each person is good at something and should do what they are best at and be alleviated from those things they are not good at. For instance, I am an entrepreneur, I should not have to sit in an office and do paperwork. I hate paperwork, accounting and such. So that is what I should be doing - building, creating, achieving, winning, etc.Someone else who is good at something should be doing what they do best right? Perhaps you can hear what I'm saying and see the reality too. We can teach children at an early age to work on their self-esteem and allow them to taste success in something and then use those successes to transfer into other aspects of their life.If children learn an early age the types of things they are good at and excel in those regions and in work on the things that they are not good at to better themselves they should have no problem finding a job later in life if they are a creative genius.
It's really important to get a critical mass of FRESH thinking, so that the company doesn't merely take the path of least resistance back to the old ways. There is an unseen force that tries to make almost every change effort spring back to the way it was done before. Find the forces of reaction and deal with them early. Put enough people with the right beliefs, experience, and training, in key positions to help effect change.
If you are looking to start a small business of your own, there is a proven process that is necessary to start off with. Many creative people have great business ideas, but their approach to planning is ineffective and eventually flops. First and foremost, you have to find a market that is a good size. Now what does this mean exactly? Finding a niche market that is a reasonable size entails pinpointing one that is big enough to make a profit but small enough for the resources of a small business and one that does not compete with large corporations.Two main mistakes that entrepreneurs make in finding small markets are targeting a market that is too broad and targeting a niche that is already heavily exploited. What you decide to sell must connect product to target audience or you will not be successful.To start off with, choose your own unique area of expertise. What are you good at? What do you have experience in? Use your education, your skills and the people you know who could help you transform your idea into reality. If you have many areas of interest and are not sure which one would be the most profitable, a little more research will be needed. Consider how it will be possible to convert your education and skills into money-making opportunities. Research your surrounding marketplace to see what is needed in your area.Now if you are trying to find small markets online, be forewarned that this can be tedious and time-consuming. You will first have to think of a list of possible target audiences, then take your first idea and research an exhaustive list of keywords and keyword phrases that people in that target audience are using for information on their desired product. Next, one must research all keywords and phrases for relevancy and then study which keywords on your list might lead to other niches that will need future researching. Then, you need to compare all your keywords to web pages to evaluate the present competition. You will use all your information to narrow down your list to keywords and phrases that have the most online traffic and those that are the least exploited. If your small market does not appear to be profitable, you must start the entire research process over. If you do find one that seems to be a money maker, you then must focus on finding ideas to profit from.
Business Process Reengineering (BPR) principles have been around for a long time, piecemeal and under other labels. In recent years they started coming together as a discipline, incorporating world class business principles and focusing on quantum improvements- not merely continuous gradual improvement.
BPR is the complete or partial "reinventing" of how business processes are done, to attain major performance improvement. It questions the underlying assumptions and principles, including what, why, by whom, and even, if—things should be done.
This presentation will contribute by stating and helping to clarify a number of important principles, plus some useful insights, techniques and hints – 40 in all!
Basic Concepts
1. Start with clean sheet of paper, mission statement, and vision
It is probably best to initially start with a high level analysis, and then concentrate on a small number of processes initially.
We recommend a five step design approach:
• Make a list of what you like and don't like about the existing system, and what you'd like to see. Feel free to consult others- process owners, users, customers, suppliers, auditors, whatever. Then lay this aside for awhile.
• Look at alternatives; learn about what else is available, benchmark, etc. Read books, take seminars, courses, read reports/success stories, make pilgrimages to hallowed sites of success. Talk to experienced people.
• Brainstorm approaches. Agree on mission, vision, and focus. Set some overall improvement targets. Identify non-value-added activities.
• Then, construct an abbreviated "as-is" process map to determine what is happening now, and where the waste and delays are occurring. Use this to better understand the process, generate issues lists and target more specific improvements than from the previous steps.
• Construct a "to-be" model of the proposed process, including flow diagrams, organization, forms, procedures, etc., before transitioning to implementation.
2. "Reinvent" how the business is run, don't just make incremental changes, don't automate the mess you already have
If you're not careful, the new process becomes merely an incrementally improved old process, or worse yet, an automated version of the old one. If possible, come up with a whole new, much better way to run the business or perform the process.
It's really important to get a critical mass of FRESH thinking, so that the company doesn't merely take the path of least resistance back to the old ways. There is an unseen force that tries to make almost every change effort spring back to the way it was done before. Find the forces of reaction and deal with them early. Put enough people with the right beliefs, experience, and training, in key positions to help effect change.
Branding and marketing is a huge field with many devoted fans and as many reluctant participants. One thing for sure, in branding and marketing--things sure have changed. One of the things most dramatically altering the face of branding and marketing is blogging.A blog, or weblog, is a regularly updated journal published on the web. (Technorati) And, according to Technorati, (a site that tracks links and website updates to the tune of tens of thousands of updates every hour) there are over 175,000 new blogs every day. Bloggers regularly update their blogs with over 1.6 million posts per day, or over 18 updates a second.Blogging is a social medium, meaning that it is a living entity seeking interaction with others. Blogging is powerful because it has a low barrier to entry, both in technical skills and in credentials—you don’t need to be a professional writer or a techno geek to be able to create a blog. Basically, if you feel passionate about a topic and are ready to write about it on a regular basis, you can host a blog.As a blogging community grows, and ideas, links and information are shared, a blog can take on a life of its own, capable of garnering a large, devoted, passionate and therefore powerful audience. As word of mouth and viral marketing techniques are overtaking traditional print, advertisers have jumped on board. Some sites allow or encourage advertising on their blogs, others wouldn’t even consider it—but advertising aside, a mere mention of something on a popular blog can literally drive hordes of people to check something out on a website, store or online video.Why has blogging become so powerful? A blog is powerful because it has the ability to connect millions of people around the world, instantly sharing ideas and commentary.People want to speak the truth and let their guard down, and people want to connect with others who do the same. Opinion rules in today’s marketing -- This is never so true as it is in the new world of Internet 2.0 and in the unconventional ways that people are connecting. The old adage was, People want to do business with those they know. The new adage is more like--People want to do business with someone that someone knows (and has connected with and had a good experience with).Traditional business maintains that wall of authority-speak and formalizes the once-removed technique of communication. In traditional marketing, the formal was cultivated and informal was removed. You believed something because someone in authority (or popularity) told you it was so. So, while it is important that those in command have credentials in order to be trusted, it is the world of opinion based upon experience with a brand that drives credibility.Blogging has changed the face of the internet, and therefore marketing and branding. It is changing marketing and branding from a static message to a dynamic and fast-paced interchange..
This presentation will contribute by stating and helping to clarify a number of important principles, plus some useful insights, techniques and hints – 40 in all!
Basic Concepts
1. Start with clean sheet of paper, mission statement, and vision
It is probably best to initially start with a high level analysis, and then concentrate on a small number of processes initially.
We recommend a five step design approach:
• Make a list of what you like and don't like about the existing system, and what you'd like to see. Feel free to consult others- process owners, users, customers, suppliers, auditors, whatever. Then lay this aside for awhile.
• Look at alternatives; learn about what else is available, benchmark, etc. Read books, take seminars, courses, read reports/success stories, make pilgrimages to hallowed sites of success. Talk to experienced people.
• Brainstorm approaches. Agree on mission, vision, and focus. Set some overall improvement targets. Identify non-value-added activities.
• Then, construct an abbreviated "as-is" process map to determine what is happening now, and where the waste and delays are occurring. Use this to better understand the process, generate issues lists and target more specific improvements than from the previous steps.
• Construct a "to-be" model of the proposed process, including flow diagrams, organization, forms, procedures, etc., before transitioning to implementation.
2. "Reinvent" how the business is run, don't just make incremental changes, don't automate the mess you already have
If you're not careful, the new process becomes merely an incrementally improved old process, or worse yet, an automated version of the old one. If possible, come up with a whole new, much better way to run the business or perform the process.
It's really important to get a critical mass of FRESH thinking, so that the company doesn't merely take the path of least resistance back to the old ways. There is an unseen force that tries to make almost every change effort spring back to the way it was done before. Find the forces of reaction and deal with them early. Put enough people with the right beliefs, experience, and training, in key positions to help effect change.
We all know the value of writing articles for promoting your website or online store. However, writing articles to promote your old-fashioned, traditional brick and mortar business has been around forever.Contact your local newspapers, and chances are, depending on what business you are in, they may be interested in giving you your own column. Most small or medium-sized media markets will have at least one daily serving the communities and probably at least one weekly newspaper. Offer to supply a weekly or even a monthly column for free. They are always looking for editorial content and "free" is always attractive. Be careful about a daily commitment, this can get overly demanding in a hurry.It may be a little more difficult to approach the Los Angeles Times or the New York Times, but in major media markets there are any number of regional weeklies that can be approached.Other considerations may be regional or even national trade publications, Chamber of Commerce newsletter or other professional associations and organizations you may belong to.If you can’t get the column for free, don’t be afraid to pay for it. But make sure the layout is designed to look as much as possible like a regular story or editorial content. The paper will probably require that you put some sort of disclaimer on your column like the word "advertising", but this is not a big deal.Have a professional photo taken and include it in you articles whenever possible. Don’t use your high school photo or one that is touched up to make you look totally different than you actually do. You are trying to build recognition and credibility. After your column has run for some time, you will be surprised how many people will easily recognize you. People like to do business with people they know.Okay, so now you have own column; make good use of it. Give it value. Do not make it a blatant advertisement and/or sales pitch. In fact, except in extremely rare occasions you probably don’t want to sell anything directly in your column at all. You want to write real content, stories that are either of real value or entertaining. I had a friend once that owned a restaurant. He paid to have his own column in our local newspaper. He never once wrote a story about his own restaurant. Instead he wrote about his world travels, famous chefs, and the wonderful restaurants he had enjoyed.Another approach you may want to consider is a "How To" column. I once supplied a weekly column for an art gallery/picture-framing studio. We wrote a series of how to buy and frame your own artwork.Check you local newspaper and you will no doubt see examples. If you are writing the column for the newspaper and not paying for it, make sure you retain editorial control and copyright to the work. If you are paying for insertion, ask your ad representative or ad agency for samples. As you travel around, pick up the local newspapers in the area you are vfree to consult others- process owners, users, customers, suppliers, auditors, whatever. Then lay this aside for awhile.
• Look at alternatives; learn about what else is available, benchmark, etc. Read books, take seminars, courses, read reports/success stories, make pilgrimages to hallowed sites of success. Talk to experienced people.
• Brainstorm approaches. Agree on mission, vision, and focus. Set some overall improvement targets. Identify non-value-added activities.
• Then, construct an abbreviated "as-is" process map to determine what is happening now, and where the waste and delays are occurring. Use this to better understand the process, generate issues lists and target more specific improvements than from the previous steps.
• Construct a "to-be" model of the proposed process, including flow diagrams, organization, forms, procedures, etc., before transitioning to implementation.
2. "Reinvent" how the business is run, don't just make incremental changes, don't automate the mess you already have
If you're not careful, the new process becomes merely an incrementally improved old process, or worse yet, an automated version of the old one. If possible, come up with a whole new, much better way to run the business or perform the process.
It's really important to get a critical mass of FRESH thinking, so that the company doesn't merely take the path of least resistance back to the old ways. There is an unseen force that tries to make almost every change effort spring back to the way it was done before. Find the forces of reaction and deal with them early. Put enough people with the right beliefs, experience, and training, in key positions to help effect change.
There is plenty to go around, lets spread it out amongst usAre you like me and sick of all these financial experts telling you that to get rich you need to live below your means? That sucks! I can't even live up to my means. So what does this mean? I guess it means to me that I will never be rich. Well guess what, I have found out how to get rich.I read all the advice columns on msn.com, yahoo.com, I have just started to read google stuff, but I can guess what they have to say...live below your means. Let me sum up what every standard become rich article says.1. Live below your means (spend less than you make)2. Max out your 401 K, or pension plan at work3. Contribute to a Roth IRA4. Create a budget and stick to it5. Start early (oops too late for me I guess)6. Take Automatic deductions for savings or long term investments7. Invest now and don't touch it until you are ready to retire8. Invest in Mutual Funds9. Spread your investments evenly over High, Medium, and Low risk stocks10. Be PatientBORING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!For me I guess that advice is to late, to rigid, and to patient. I want to be rich now. I am in my early 30's, I put in my time, and I am ready to retire now (that would be sarcastic). I still have lots of energy, I want to see the world, and I don't want to watch the world go buy through my little window on the third floor (that is the serious statement).So I am changing, and here is how:Lets first decide what rich is. I am not talking Bill Gates rich. I don't want to have to work that hard. It would be nice to afford anything...but I don't want that, I just want to be wealthy. Robert Kiyosaki defined wealthy as how long you can live in your present condition without working. I define it as not having to go into work. That is all I ask. It is not that I am lazy. I am willing to work for what I want, I just have better things to do than to work for other people.So how do we do it?1. DON'T WORK. At least don't work for someone else. It is ok to have a job, we don't want you to quit, but who are you working for. Are you working for your boss or for you? Work for yourself. The only one who is important is you. That sounds harsh but it is true. You can't make anyone happy except for yourself. If you are happy then the people around you will be happy. Try it next time you will see. Look at the person next to you. Are they happy or grumpy? How does their mood make you feel? Work for yourself; make yourself happy first, then you can affect others to be happy themselves.2. Do what you love. It may sound like you can't make money this way, but that is the next step. Bill Gates, Oprah, Donald Trump, none of them work for money. They all simply like what they are doing, and in doing so they have become rich. I am not saying go out and play golf all day, th and where the waste and delays are occurring. Use this to better understand the process, generate issues lists and target more specific improvements than from the previous steps.
• Construct a "to-be" model of the proposed process, including flow diagrams, organization, forms, procedures, etc., before transitioning to implementation.
2. "Reinvent" how the business is run, don't just make incremental changes, don't automate the mess you already have
If you're not careful, the new process becomes merely an incrementally improved old process, or worse yet, an automated version of the old one. If possible, come up with a whole new, much better way to run the business or perform the process.
It's really important to get a critical mass of FRESH thinking, so that the company doesn't merely take the path of least resistance back to the old ways. There is an unseen force that tries to make almost every change effort spring back to the way it was done before. Find the forces of reaction and deal with them early. Put enough people with the right beliefs, experience, and training, in key positions to help effect change.
The sole purpose of the root cause analyses is to identify the smallest number of issues that can be shown to drive, control, or predict the largest number of issues within an organization. Few survey research firms have the capability of determining an organization's root causes because the capability stems from an intimate understanding of psychological research and higher order statistics, and few firms employ individuals with such education and training.As a result of conducting empirical research through NBRI, management is challenged by both the advantage of incisive, astute intelligence of the psychology of the target population, and what is often the overwhelming task of relating, organizing, and prioritizing a large number of issues.Some organizations choose to limit the amount of information they obtain in an attempt to avoid 'information overload'. However, it is clearly best to gather all of the customer survey and/or employee survey information one can while expending the time and effort to do so, as the costs associated with total inclusion are minimal as compared to conducting additional, follow-up research studies. Of greater importance, limiting the amount of information necessitates choosing between issues, often resulting in the omission of certain issues that may, in fact, prove to be key to the organization's success or failure.Still, gathering comprehensive information is of little value if it is not used to benefit the organization. It is imperative that the information be turned into action as expeditiously as possible. The task of relating, organizing, and prioritizing a large number of issues is subject to time and manpower constraints within any organization, and is best completed by the research consulting firm. Without immediate direction for action plans, research data represents wasted funds, wasted information, unfulfilled expectations, frustrated managers, and an organization that has failed to maximize the opportunity to develop to its full potential.To turn massive amounts of information into action quickly and effectively, management needs to know the dominant, primary causal factors for the results of the study. For example, we may find that job satisfaction is low and turnover is high in a particular division of a company, while we also find that the same employees feel their compensation and benefits, working relationships, and life balance issues are all at satisfactory levels. Interventions aimed at addressing low job satisfaction, through better job descriptions, training, or career planning, may well decrease the high turnover, but unless it is the root cause of the turnover, the effect will soon fade, and the organization will be faced with the same difficulties it had before the research.To conduct root cause analyses, correlations between each survey item and all other n automated version of the old one. If possible, come up with a whole new, much better way to run the business or perform the process.
It's really important to get a critical mass of FRESH thinking, so that the company doesn't merely take the path of least resistance back to the old ways. There is an unseen force that tries to make almost every change effort spring back to the way it was done before. Find the forces of reaction and deal with them early. Put enough people with the right beliefs, experience, and training, in key positions to help effect change.
3. Customer-driven, anticipate customer needs, and. . .
4. Involve customer early in the process
Find out from customers/prospects what they want. Ask them before they tell you what they don't like or worse yet, take their business elsewhere. This is mysterious and frightening to many internal employees who wouldn't know a customer if they were bitten by one. Take employees out to meet customers or customers in to meet employees. Have them talk on the phone, exchange views. It usually improves both sides, and forms valuable bonds. Involve customers early in the process to build "ownership", and to avoid false starts.
Find out what your successful competitors are doing and see if it makes sense. Don't slavishly copy it—leapfrog it. There may now be better ideas or new technologies that you could use. Try looking at how companies in other industries solve analogous problems.
Better yet, think of something nobody has thought of yet. Overnight air delivery of packages, disposable razors, and eyeglasses in one hour, were all breakthrough ideas that made fortunes and thrilled customers.
Do this before you do your expensive BPR program without sufficient improvement criteria.
5. Achieve continuous, rapid improvement—gradual improvements may not suffice
The Japanese Kaizen, or continuous improvement philosophy, is an extremely powerful concept, and it has taken them, and others who practice it effectively, a long way. But, if you're ten years behind, Kaizen won't even maintain the same gap. Stronger medicine is needed. Business Process Reengineering can be such a tonic, to allow huge leaps forward, and can be used in conjunction with Kaizen. Even if you're not ten years behind, maybe BPR can be a way to get ten years ahead.
How could one suddenly leapfrog another company to become more successful? … by making accelerator pedals instead of buggy whips. By doing something not just better, but truly different.
6. Challenge existing approach
Start out with an assumption in the back of your mind that the old way can be improved enormously—the odds are with you. Allow yourself to be proven wrong in some areas, but don't count on it. This forces more critical thinking. Compare the results of the current process to you
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