Have a nice day, keep the faith, and stay connected.  

Bill Gaw
bg@bbasicsllc.com
760-945-5596  

http://bbasicsllc,com/LML.htm

MAKE MANUFACTURING SUCCESS MEASURABLE WITH SMART  

Douglas Smith in his book, "Make Success Measurable" gives us some good advice on how setting specific goals allows actions to become meaningful in many ways. He suggests that we apply the acronym SMART in establishing performance goals.  

*  S is for Specific. The more tightly you can define your goal, the more directed and focused your actions will be. Consider the goal of "reducing the time to market of new products by half while doubling the hit rate." It uses specific measures, double and half, to tell everyone how much the company seeks to improve.  

*  M is for Measurable. Goals must be measurable if you hope to benefit from the tracking and corrective action that are so critical to performance. Even if the metrics are subjective, you should be able to assess how much progress you're making.  

*  A is for Aggressive. Setting lofty goals is inspiring: the higher we aim, the more we achieve. But A is also for Achievable. Set stretch goals, but don't put them too far out of reach.  

*  R is for Relevant. The goals should pertain directly to the performance challenge. It's almost a reflex to pick lagging indicators such as revenues and profits. But if Sears wishes to increase the number of customers who purchase from more than one department on each store visit, the most direct and relevant goal is "multiple department purchases per customer per visit."  

*  T is for Time. Ask yourself: When will we reach this goal? Then set a time. Without a deadline, a goal is meaningless. Be careful to make the time frame relevant to the task. Don't select it just because it matches the corporate calendar.  

Setting goals, achieving them, and then setting new goals is a cycle that should never end. To do this effectively, set SMART outcome-based-goals, as just discussed. Next, exert the effort required to progress and learn; don't think the goals will achieve themselves. Ask what worked and what didn't.  

Be sure to pursue goals in real time, not organization time. That is, work on achieving your SMART goals between meetings, not just during them. And then go through the cycle a second time, a third time, and so on, each time setting and reaching more interesting and challenging goals.  

High performance companies don’t wait until annual performance evaluations to acknowledge achieved goals. They acknowledge and celebrate in real-time as goals are achieved, and people possessing the ability to make positive things happen in difficult working environments set the bar higher and reinitiate their pursuit of the new goal.

Just Do It !

"Every year, roughly 25% of managers and leaders transition into new roles. Success is determined by the first 90 days. The first steps you take, even before you assume your new duties, can make or break your transition."
                                                           From the Harvard Business School

I have just released my new Lean Manufacturing Leadership Certification Program. If you want to increase your effectiveness and establish a win-win lean manufacturing environment, this program is for you. Enrollment will be limited as I will be providing each subscriber with personal mentoring. To check it out, click on the below link:  

http://bbasicsllc,com/LML.htm

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