The objectives below are taken from Henry Ford's book, Today and Tomorrow , (Ford, 1926). It offers an interesting perspective on some seventy years' 'progress'.

Satisfy customers completely.

Earn adequate profits.

Use capital effectively.

Generate more wealth.

Reward participants equitably.

Treat suppliers and customers fairly.

Be a good citizen.

Essentially the manufacturing environment is the managed flow of information and materials. Looking at your organization, gauge how well (you) manage information and materials.

Does your organization make promises to customers that are not kept?

Is the culture of the organization predominantly one of functional inverted perspectives?

Are problems generally resolved at the root cause?

Are new product designs completed on time?

Is quality still a problem for your organization?

Is machinery effectively utilized?

Do materials lurch through the plant or do they flow smoothly?

Do new customer orders or changes come as a surprise to many in the organization?

Does the organization meet its profit goals?

Could the goals for profit be improved?

Map all information pathways.

Enlist and educate everyone in the organization about the needs of information flow and identify where breaks occur.

Make corrections quickly and make them permanent.

Good planning requires good analysis that can distinguish between problems and symptoms.

Data has to be believed it needs to be accurate.

Time-related focus on improving current activities.