Consultants Meet to Develop Next Generation Performance Improvement System

MINNEAPOLISãApril 19, 2005ãThere are many performance and management improvement processes available to help improve the effectiveness of our organizations. In fact, there may be too many options available. Often we are faced with deciding among many supposedly competing concepts including: Plan-D0-Check-Act (PDCA), Total Quality Management, Re-engineering, Kaizen, Balanced Scorecard, Six Sigma, Lean Thinking, Malcolm Baldrige Award, and others. Each has their application but if we pick one and see initial success, long-term and sustained improvements often seem to elude us. With the spread of global competition, the need to achieve true enterprise-wide excellence is even more important. If there is a secret, it is to find a way to integrate many of these performance improvement initiatives under one effective management improvement system that recognizes the importance of a systems approach, allows easy tasks to be accomplished quickly, provides disciplined tools for more difficult challenges, and fosters sustainable results over the long term.

Recently, a team of leading independent consultants from around the country to study, discuss, and describe what works in defining the next generation management improvement system. This team consisted of:

Gary Floss, Bluefire Partners, Minneapolis MN
Dr. Charles Liedtke, Strategic Improvement Systems LLC, Minneapolis MN
Dr. Ed Popovich, Sterling Enterprises, Boca Raton FL
William Scherkenbach, WWS, Austin TX
Dr. James Stahley, Walden University, Minneapolis MN
Lou Schultz, Strategy Management LLC, Minneapolis MN

These individuals were selected because of their strong track records in helping organizations achieve breakthrough and sustainable operational improvements.

The resulting management improvement system is named ADAMS, which is an acronym for Assess, Discover, Act, Manage, and Sustain.

The Assess phase consists of two steps, complete an assessment of current performance and perceptions and verify strategic alignment.

The Discover phase development of a prioritized project portfolio and the best initiatives to use in addressing each of the projects.

The Act phase includes the accomplishment of Quick Hits and Rapid Action Projects, providing training and coaching on more complex projects initiatives.

The Manage phase includes management of the project portfolio, providing resources, and exhibiting leadership on complex projects.

The Sustain phase activity consists of institutionalizing the gains, addressing the culture required to maintain focus on improvement, and learning from the feedback of the results.

The conclusion of this endeavor is that the next performance improvement wave is not a single tool or method but a system that employs the proper existing method for each project. Dr. Deming would have been proud that these consultants came around to his ≥systems thinking≤

A paper on the ADAMS System is available from Process Management for more details.

Process Management LLC is located at 7701 France Avenue South, Suite 660, Edina Minnesota. They can be reached by phone at 952-831-0575 or email at lou@processmanagement.us. For additional information, check www.strategymanagement.us or www.processmanagement.com.

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