Author Archives: Ellery

Quality: It’s About Meeting Customer Standards, Not Yours

For the nth time, one of the elevators broke down. The three (3) elevators at the office building had just been rehabilitated.  But a few weeks after the elevator contractor’s technicians packed up their tools and left, the elevators had begun to show problems.  The elevator contractor who did the rehab arrived every time toContinue reading “Quality: It’s About Meeting Customer Standards, Not Yours”

What Are Action Plans, How Can They Help, and What Are We Supposed to Do to Make Them Work?

Do we get a feeling sometimes we do too much but we’re not getting anywhere?  Roughly 75% of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) projects fail, and that’s because of lack of planning. (https://www.mbtmag.com/erp/article/13228432/4-valuable-lessons-from-major-erp-fails). (ERP is an information technology enabled planning system that responds to the market environment and optimizes company resources).  From a Harvard Business ReviewContinue reading “What Are Action Plans, How Can They Help, and What Are We Supposed to Do to Make Them Work?”

Compliance: We Hate It But We Have To Do It … Productively

No one really taught us about compliance.  Compliance is about satisfying requirements for the sake of legal and ethical obligations.  Examples of obligations are paying taxes correctly, making sure one’s operations pass environmental inspections, and providing employees their mandated benefits.  As much as we accept the principles behind the obligations, we hate the tasks weContinue reading “Compliance: We Hate It But We Have To Do It … Productively”

Surmounting the Insurmountable

There are just some things we cannot surmount.  As we work with what we have, we run into roadblocks and disruptions.  Examples include: Government bureaucracy (you can’t fight city hall) Climate change (you can’t stop the weather) Inflexible corporate structures (that’s not for you to decide) For many of us who work for other people,Continue reading “Surmounting the Insurmountable”

Efficiency versus Productivity; It’s Like Speed versus Velocity

What is the difference between efficiency versus productivity?  One way to compare both is by looking at speed versus velocity.  In Physics, speed is the rate an object covers distance.  Velocity is the rate at which an object’s position changes.  Speed is all about how fast one is going.  Velocity is how fast one goesContinue reading “Efficiency versus Productivity; It’s Like Speed versus Velocity”

Productivity: What Is It and Why We Should Pursue It

We all strive to be productive.  At work, at home, in whatever activity we participate. Yet, we don’t talk about productivity so much.  That’s maybe because productivity isn’t simply measurable. It’s easy to picture sales, costs, profits, and cash-flow.  Even if the accounting that generates them can be a little complicated, they’re easy to imagineContinue reading “Productivity: What Is It and Why We Should Pursue It”