Author name: Sheena Aranas

Cost of Rework

Many companies have experienced some kind of “rework,” but what exactly does this refer to? REWORK = FREE WORK Rework is when you pay twice or more to get the same output. If a widget costs $.25 to make and you had to do it twice to get it right, then your cost just went […]

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Add Excessive Meeting Syndrome (EMS) to your Business Glossary

Add Excessive Meeting Syndrome (EMS) to your Business Glossary EMS Is a fast-growing dysfunctional business practice.   On a recent project, we realized that the company holds an average of 312 meetings a month. As we observed some of these meetings, we quickly noticed that participants engaged in what is known as Circular Conversations.   Circular Conversations

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5 Quick and Easy Ways to Help Your Suppliers Better Support You

5 Quick and Easy Ways to Help Your Suppliers Better Support You We recently had the pleasure of attending a Marine Machines Association (MMA) event that was graciously hosted by Electric Boat. This informational was greatly attended, as it covered various challenges that the Navy, Shipbuilders, and the Supply Base are facing. Terminology often associated

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How do you prevent 5 Shades of Grey from killing your efficiency and sometimes your profit? 

How do you prevent 5 Shades of Grey from killing your efficiency and sometimes your profit?  In my 20 years of working with dozens of manufacturers, I have witnessed a frequent battle between Operations and Marketing. Finance often allies with Operations and Sales supports Marketing; all while the CEO usually gives the final word.  The

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The Most Effective Way to Minimize Downtime in Manufacturing is…

The Most Effective Way to Minimize Downtime in Manufacturing is… #1 Do Not Plan for It: Sounds obvious but it’s NOT.…  Too often management fails to assign enough work for their employees.  They tend to underestimate how much work someone can actually achieve when completely focused and working against the clock.  In some cases, employees

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Quick Insight: Effective Business Strategy! 

Quick Insight: Effective Business Strategy! After reading hundreds of business strategy articles and biographies of many successful people I have concluded that the best strategy that serves many great leaders is actually straightforward:   Select the right team Challenge your team to develop an aggressive but S.M.A.R.T Plan of Action Provide the right setting and

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Trust but Verify: How the Truth can be Eroded at Every Layer of Management

Trust but Verify: How the Truth can be Eroded at Every Layer of Management It’s true that some leaders live in the clouds of management and their view of the ground (aka production floor) is often blurry and distorted.  Perhaps they are missing the red flags being waived as a project falls behind schedule, perhaps

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