Tag Archives: transform

4th Sigma: Napoleon’s Rabbits & Identifying Best Practices

Posted on October 10, 2011 by Chris Niccolls

Don’t you hate it when an overblown public debate is started by the questionable use of a single phrase or word (probably half of the debates in Washington these days)? However, there are times when just one-word  matters. In, “The … Continue reading →

Posted in 4th Sigma, Best Practices, Decision Making, Improvement, Continuous or Not | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Myth & Merger, Part 1: Writing A Merger Plan

Posted on October 3, 2011 by Chris Niccolls

When your organization undergoes an acquisition or a merger, it has a profound impact. Of course, it is supposed to have a profound impact… that’s why money, stock and personnel were committed to this project. The merger of two firms … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Practices, Decision Making | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Monkey Traps, Career Development, And Your Next Budget

Posted on September 28, 2011 by Chris Niccolls

Have you ever seen a monkey trap? It’s a simple device, just a container with a narrow opening. Typically, it’s a gourd or a hole in a tree with an opening just big enough for a monkey to squeeze his hand into; inside of your … Continue reading →

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

Solving The Government Budget Gap: The Strategic Software Initiative

Posted on September 25, 2011 by Chris Niccolls

The government’s budget problems are not going away any anytime soon. The problems facing the Federal government get the headlines, but the problems facing counties and towns are even more problems. While the Feds can print their own money, and … Continue reading →

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

Management Focus, Gemba And… Rats In The Attic

Posted on September 23, 2011 by Chris Niccolls

In our last Blog, we talked about a survey that showed that 46% of outsourcing buyers were satisfied with cost savings,  26% were satisfied with transformation efforts and just 11% were satisfied with meeting innovation goals.  We went on to … Continue reading →

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

Are Costs Savings The Holy Grail Of Outsourcing?

Posted on September 21, 2011 by Chris Niccolls

Whether your goal is re-engineering or outsourcing, somewhere along the line you’ve run into the term Transformation. Your organization may have been exposed to the idea of transforming your organization from contact with a consulting firm or members of your … Continue reading →

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

Are Cloud Services Really Outsourcing?

Posted on September 19, 2011 by Chris Niccolls

Technology is a tricky thing. It’s very, well, technical. Technology is not just complex, it also changes very rapidly. And of course, the names change as well. Today you see a lot of talk about “Cloud Services,” but the definition … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Practices, Common Sense Contracting, Decision Making, Delivering Services | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

How Do I Develop A Simple Outsourcing Plan?

Posted on September 14, 2011 by Chris Niccolls

A lot of discussions about outsourcing in the media make it appear complex, but it’s really quite simple. In fact, it’s so simple that you probably began “outsourcing” work at home before this became a trend at work. At home, … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Practices, Common Sense Contracting, Delivering Services | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Which Location Is the “Best Buy” For Outsourcing?

Posted on September 9, 2011 by Chris Niccolls

Not too long ago, the outsourcing of corporate office jobs was synonymous with India. Big news stories showed example after example of work successfully outsourced to India, yielding enormous savings.  Years ago, when IBM was the biggest and most recognizable … Continue reading →

Posted in Best Practices, Common Sense Contracting, Decision Making, Delivering Services | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

4th Sigma: P Charts Made Simple

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Chris Niccolls

It’s been a while since we spent any time on the 4th Sigma, so let’s take a few minutes today and talk about using the 4th Sigma process to address some problems in your operation. If you’re a regular reader, … Continue reading →

Posted in 4th Sigma, Best Practices, Delivering Services, Improvement, Continuous or Not | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment