For whichever reason, mentoring is not for everyone. Sometimes we are so busy with just our lives that the additional
responsibility of interacting with another human is just a bridge too far. Whatever the reason, MCL still offers an outline of
their "Just Do It" business transformation approach.
Introduction:
One recurring theme you will find throughout is that there are differences of opinion on what tool to emphasize in process
improvement and transformation, resulting in differing views on the best approach to implementing them.
Part of this is just plain old-fashioned marketing; like anyone in business for themselves, consultants need to draw the
attention of prospective customers. For example, MCL offers a 200% Return on Investment (ROI) guarantee on its high-
end services. We do that because we believe in staying a small, hands-on company. It was never our version of the
American dream to grow big so we could "cash-in" after 5-years of phenomenal growth.
Corporate philosophy makes a difference because it leads directly to how many employees you need to manage and care
for. MCL is not under pressure to sell fluff to jack-up the consulting bill. We offer a lot of flexibility on how we approach
process improvement and business transformation. We recommend a self-help approach to business process
improvement to both mitigate consulting costs, but more important because it virtually guarantees executive buy-in and
engagement.
You see that difference reflected throughout this Self-Help Guide, and throughout this entire website.
That said, a lot of any individual business process professional's approach reflects their own professional experience. MCL
views itself as a business process improvement and business transformation generalist. But MCL's past performance
these past 20 years has been primarily in back-office operations, software development, and increasingly in DevOps and
Network Security.
We have attempted to mitigate that obvious professional weakness by recruiting other independent contractors to form our
very large network of MCL Associates, with over 230 technical and functional areas:
Driven by the former, there are legitimate differences of professional opinion. MCL takes the approach that the best way to
train individuals is to "Learn By Doing". We have little regard for the many "Death By PowerPoint", and the more recent
extended, "Death by Video" approaches to training. Training is personal. A massive-scale approach whose goal is to
decrease the bottom line unit cost does not maximize the number or quality of well-trained students. Individually, people
may learn better using any of the identified seven learning styles but we can mitigate those differences through teamwork
and active peer-to-peer support.
We also subscribe to the "Keep-It-Simple-Stupid" (KISS) approach to work; and the point-of-view that the more complex a
system (and all businesses are systems), the more likely that undetected suboptimization will occur.
A Rose by Any Other Name:
All too often we find ourselves stuck in the tar-baby of semantics. As already addressed, sometime these differences are
important distinctions of emphasis, but often they are just difference in professional experience. All too often, they are just
plain posturing and one-upmanship.
For instance, let's take the instance of the phrase "Just Do It". To name a few, it has been alternatively described as a
"Rapid Impact Blitz", the "DPIC" (Define, Plan, Implement, and Control), a "Rapid Improvement Exercise" (RIE), and of
course the original Toyota Way principle of "Jidoka" that gives any employee in the Toyota Production System (TPS) the
authority to stop the process to signal a quality issue. . Doubtless, a few remaining others have been missed.
The importance is not in the label, but the intent behind it. There is a recognition that not all process improvement efforts
are worthy of a full-blown Lean or Six Sigma Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control method, because of lack of
interest, lack of resources, and most important by a lack of time. Sometimes, immediate action is required.
There are loads of free process improvement websites on the internet, and a plethora of YouTube videos. We have
deliberately kept the video and reference list small to get you started in your transformation efforts. You will be the judge if
we have picked judiciously. We would welcome your feedback and suggestions on how we can improve this outreach
effort, and any resource links you think should be either added or removed.
However, that is not to imply by any stretch of the imagination a shoot-from-the-hip approach of the "day-trader" mentality.
The "Just Do It" approach still needs to be defined, planned, implemented, and controlled. But baked into the concept is
the contingency planning for a deliberate rollback, should the changes not produce the results hoped for. If you want to
take shortcuts, it is only judicious that you have a plan in place should your shortcut efforts fail.
With these points in mind, we present our self-help approach to COVID-19 transformation:
Self-help Steps:
The self-help steps mirror the mentoring steps, with the obvious exception that you will not have access to one of MCL's
free volunteer process transformation professionals.
Step 4: Conduct a "To-Be" SIPOC Exercise (same resources and templates)
Step 6: Implement the Change
Step 7: Update all documentation, and implement Control Plan
Step 8: If necessary, implement contingency rollback plan, and start all over using previous documentation to rethink your
approach.
As a general reference, we recommend the City of San Francisco's Lean Tool Kit.
Good luck in your self-help efforts!
