Tag Archives: Improve

Filling The Big Shoes

Posted on March 31, 2011 by Chris Niccolls

Every manager needs to plan for the development and promotion of their staff. Over the past few years the economy has been slow, so for most of us planning on how to hang on to our existing staff has usually … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Practices, Decision Making, Expectations and Rewards, Learning and Development, Self Sorting, Unique Ideas | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

When Outsourcing Is Mature…

Posted on March 29, 2011 by Chris Niccolls

In the last post we talked about where outsourcing is headed for firms that have reached a “mature” stage. That is to say, if you operate out of one or more lower cost locations, all of which passed their “training” … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Practices, Common Sense Contracting, Decision Making, Delivering Services, Expectations and Rewards, Unique Ideas | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

What To Expect in 2011 Outsourcing…

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Chris Niccolls

Without getting too philosophical about it, what’s next depends on what’s already happened at your firm. Since every firm is in a different place, from those who are just dipping their toes for the first time to those who have … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Practices, Common Sense Contracting, Decision Making, Delivering Services, Improvement, Continuous or Not | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Build vs. Buy: How To Decide?

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Chris Niccolls

Some management issues are eternal and come up over and over again, with no real answer.  The underlying issues change over time and from one situation to another. But they are important questions, so they never go away. For example, … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Practices, Common Sense Contracting, Decision Making, Delivering Services, Unique Ideas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Projects Of The Living Dead!

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Chris Niccolls

I just can’t take another vampire movie. When did Vampires stop being spirits of the damned and become moody teenagers? True, hanging out with the cast of Twilight is pretty close to being damned, but without the pleasant brimstone aroma therapy. Give … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Practices, Decision Making, Delivering Services, Improvement, Continuous or Not, Uncategorized, Unique Ideas | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Don’t Look Now!

Posted on March 12, 2011 by Chris Niccolls

One final lesson from “Freakonomics”, and then we’re done with Sumo wrestling. In the last post, we chatted about Sumo wrestlers who lost matches to help fellow wrestlers. The Japanese didn’t believe that Sumo wrestlers could cheat. Betraying their profession, … Continue reading →

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Win, Lose or Cheat!

Posted on March 9, 2011 by Chris Niccolls

If you’re setting up a system to track metrics, a big question is, “Will the people who are responsible for collecting the numbers do the job honestly and competently?” It’s a good question. I think in almost any situation, especially … Continue reading →

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Not All Numbers Are Equal!

Posted on March 7, 2011 by Chris Niccolls

Managers that have moved away from management by instinct to management by metrics are often frustrated by the strange quirks and illogical results they get from their management reports. This can be terribly frustrating, because it takes a lot of … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Practices, Decision Making, Delivering Services, Improvement, Continuous or Not, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment