OVERVIEW

Process improvement and the need for it move fast in today's competitive markets. To stay on top of the latest implementation successes and techniques, it would seem that one must read continuously. New "buzzwords" are invented every week by some organization trying to sell its wares. Some new acronyms stick and some do not. I am in the business of sorting this stuff out and have come to believe that implementation and success is the final test for validity. I have been in the implementation business since the mid-1980s, and in that time I have determined that some of these process methodologies are actually legitimate. Three specifically are (1) Class A ERP, (2) lean, and (3) Six Sigma.

I have also observed through working at manufacturing and distribution facilities all over the world that there are some specific high-value factors embedded in each of these approaches. After several years of involvement, observation, and even, admittedly, some trial and error, I have come to the conclusion that there is definitely a sequence of events and an approach that work best for successfully harvesting the goodness with the least amount of disruption and best competitive advantage. That is what this book will focus on how the improvement processes integrate and the best approaches to implement them. In reality, the method is not the goal; the goal is implementing improvement and sustainable good habits.

In reality, the method is not the goal; the goal is implementing improvement and sustainable good...