Measure Up! Yardsticks for Continuous

Leading consultants argue that few areas are as important as measurement, yet it remains one of the weakest areas in management today. Based on discussions with managers from a broad range of industries in the US and Europe, this book shows managers how to: Measure what is important to their customers. Motivate their organizations. Identify and eliminate waste of both time and resources.

Richard Lynch (rlynch@rbl.net) is a partner at Results-Based Leadership, Inc. Kelvin Cross is a partner at at Corporate Renaissance Inc.

Foreword

viii

Preface

xi

Acknowledgements

xiv

Do your yardsticks measure up?

1

(9)

Introduction

First Downs and Touchdowns

Fumbling the Ball

Broken Yardsticks

How to Tailor Measurements to Your Business

Summary

Taking off the blinders

10

(18)

The Storm that Altered the U.S. Landscape

Storm Warning: Europe 1992

False Idols

Management by Whose Objectives?

Technology's Broken Promises

The Accountant's Distorted Prism

Summary

Dynamic strategies need dynamic yardsticks

28

(12)

Assessing Your Competitive Position

Charting a Strategic Course

Dynamics of Strategy Implementation

Ways of Sustaining Focus

Building a Strategic Control System

Summary

The eyes of the customer

40

(23)

Business Process Mapping: The Road to Customer Satisfaction

Moments of Truth

Bureaucracy Busters: Cross-functional Teams

Mapping the Way Work Gets Done

Streamlining Your Core Processes

Summary

Down to brass tacks

63

(29)

The Performance Pyramid

Visions of Tomorrow

Strategic Business Unit Objectives

Getting It Done in the Middle

Measuring the Right Stuff in the Trenches

Heat-seeking Missiles

A Note about Critical Success Factors

Bilingual Managers

Summary

Performance that counts to the customer

92

(14)

On the Pedestal

Great Expectations

Apple of One's Eye

Fly in the Ointment

Apple of Discord

Fit to a T

Quality and Delivery: Performance Pillars Revisited

Summary

Performance that counts to the bottom line

106

(15)

The New Math of Productivity

Time Is Money

Waste Not, Want Not

Cost of Quality

To Know Beans

Summary

Performance that boosts employee morale

121

(14)

Pyramid Perspectives

Playing Fast and Loose Won't Cut It

Knowing the Ropes

Through Thick and Thin

Unlocking Employee Potential

Summary

Custom tailoring performance measures

135

(24)

Getting Started

A Beacon in the Night

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

External Measures

Internal Measures

A Word about Indices

Reporting Guidelines

When Continuous Improvement Is Not Enough

Early Warning Systems

Summary

Altering the corporate mindset

159

(15)

Holding Out the Umbrella

Awareness

Establishing Cross-functional Teams

The Implementation Plan

Piloting the Program

When to Declare Victory

Swimming Upstream

Tips to Overcome Resistance

Other Obstacles

Summary

Mending and remodeling related systems

174

(29)

Mending the Accounting System

Remodeling the Return-on-investment Model

Custom Tailoring Executive Support Systems

Goal Deployment

New Styles for Organizations

Empowering People to Be Master Tailors

Renovating the Compensation System

Keeping the Organization Up-to-date

Summary

Conclusions Ten Ways to Help Your Company Measure Up

203

(4)

Appendix A: Workflow improvement principles

207

(9)

Appendix B: Enlightened measures

216

(13)

Appendix C: Custom pyramids

229

(6)

Glossary

235

(8)

Index

243

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Measure Up! Yardsticks for Continuous Improvement

Summary

Author Biography

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials