SubscribeNeutral Business Valuation: Better Results, Lower Cost
by Steve Popell, Nov 9, 2009
You might want to get your company valued for a variety of personal or business reasons. In this article, Steve discusses why neutral business valuation will frequently be faster, better and cheaper, especially in adversarial situations. If a valuation must be settled in court, neutral valuations will eliminate biases introduced by the skills of the testifier. It also saves money and may preserve relationships. more…
Quality #1: Quality is a long term differentiator
by Tanmay Vora, Nov 9, 2009
If you think Quality is a short term objective, think again. In the first of a 12 part series, Tanmay explains in the fallacy in this approach. In order to improve quality in an organization, there needs to be a defined process. Implementing, monitoring and continuously improving the process does not come free and it takes time and resources. Some organizations see this as impeding progress towards immediate deliverables. Such organizations may be lucky once or twice, but will pay for it in the long run. more…
Social Media Catch 22
by Deepika Bajaj, Nov 10, 2009
Your customers are using social media to research, critique and recommend your products and services. You need your employees to be involved in managing your company’s reputation on social media channels. But, on the other hand, your employees may be distracted by social media. A recent study found that, in the United States, 77% of employees with Facebook accounts use it at work. Blocking these sites may lead to some employee productivity, but that may come at the expense of access to customers and potential business opportunities. So, companies should be thinking of best practices around these. more…
Quality #2: “Cure” precedes “Prevention”
by Tanmay Vora, Nov 10, 2009
We are familiar with the adage “Prevention is better than the cure”. If you have good processes to ensure quality of your products and services, your can prevent the negative effects of poor quality. But what if the processes themselves become a barrier to quality? In this article, Tanmay narrates a scene from a movie he watched, which exemplifies this pitfall. He also explains how to prevent them in your organization. more…
Even In Tough Times, Sometimes It’s Best To Move On
by Robert Driscoll, Nov 11, 2009
One of the strategies to get through tough times is to do more with less. Employers are asking their employees to do more. This spreads the employees thin and may prevent them from focusing on their core competencies. This strategy may bring short term results, but may have long term impact by overwhelming and demotivating employees. Even with unemployment at greater than 10%, employees should take this up with their employers and not be complacent. If things don’t change, it may be better to move on and find a place where your talents fit. more…
Quality #3: Great People + Good Processes = Great Quality
by Tanmay Vora, Nov 11, 2009
You can have the best process methodology in place. But without good people, you cannot achieve your quality objectives. For example, having a set of development guidelines or testing guidelines does not prevent an individual from building a bad product. Processes are tools that help people perform better. Ultimately it is the people that make the difference. Managers and leaders should build teams that recognize that quality is everybody’s responsibility. more…
Deal with Constraints and Walk to your Horizons
by Guy Ralfe, Nov 12, 2009
Often, we get very engrossed in solving the immediate problems that we lose sight of the strategic vision. In this article Guy narrates an enlightening moment he recently had during a presentation to the chairman of the board of his company. In spite of the best preparations and risk mitigation strategies, problems will occur in any project – just like the sun rises everyday. That is the nature of projects and business. This operational noise is inevitable. The key to success is to create a long term strategic goal and march towards it and not let the day to day issues be a distraction. more…
Quality #4: Simplifying Processes
by Tanmay Vora, Nov 12, 2009
Coming up with complex solutions gives us a false sense of achievement. We should strive to keep solutions simple. What start as simple processes tend to become complex over time. To ensure that our processes are not getting overly complex, we should constantly review them and ask a simple question: “What problem is this process intended to solve?” more…
Results Orientation
by Himanshu Jhamb, Nov 13, 2009
When working with others, there is bound to be disagreement. This may have been caused by miscommunication. Irrespective of the reason, it sometimes degenerates to an argument where both parties are focused on who is right, wrong, superior, etc. They lose sight of the objective, which is to resolve the disagreement, ensure that situation is averted in the future and move on. This is a powerful move that is mutually beneficial. more…
Quality #5: Customers are your “Quality Partners”
by Tanmay Vora, Nov 13, 2009
Customers play a key role in enhancing and improving the quality culture in an organization. Small organizations do not have a lot of process orientation. But as they grow in size, they need to have greater levels of process maturity to enable sustainable growth. Not only that, larger customers require higher levels of process maturity. Processes help you gain sales and operational efficiency. more…