Search results for ""Author H. James Harrington""

People with ideas are dreamers. People who get things done are doers. One doer is worth eight dreamers. There are three kinds of people who make up an innovator. There are inventors (people who have new and unique ideas), problem solvers (people who have ideas about how to correct a previous error) and entrepreneurs (people who transform ideas into realities). Put them altogether they spell "innovator."Most innovative books today focus on ways to create new and unique ideas; some of them also address problem-solving, but this is less than 10% of the methodologies that the innovator needs to master. The approaches used in this book transform an idea into reality, or to put it another way, deliver innovative products to make a profit for the organization and instill pride in its employees. This means that every step in the process needs to have innovation applied to it in order to meet the expectations and demands of today's sophisticated customer. This book is designed to help the reader and their organization complete the complex process of bringing a new product to market by presenting what is expected at each step in the cycle and providing step-by-step instructions on what to do at each specific step.In large to mid-sized organizations this book is designed to help each individual understand how they fit into the innovative cycle and explains why they should be more creative related to the work they do and more conscious of the contributions they can make. It emphasizes the importance of every individual contributing to the organization's innovative process. The book is designed to help the organization understand its Innovation Systems Cycle. In the early part of the cycle it focuses on weeding out projects that do not have the potential to produce value-added results to the stakeholders. By using the guidelines outlined in this book, an organization can reduce its new project failure rate by as much as 50% which should result in almost doubling the organization’s new product output thereby increasing profits by as much as 15%.

Read more less

Lean TRIZ is a new workshop-based process that brings together teams to focus on specific processes, evolutionary product designs, and improvement opportunities. It combines the insight of TRIZ with the simplicity of Value Engineering, EXPRESS, or FAST methodologies. TRIZ is the most advanced problem solving tool available. By combining TRIZ’s simplest concepts with those in the EXPRESS methodology (used by Ford and Ernst & Young), it is feasible to apply this new methodology to new concepts that are not traditionally applicable to the TRIZ methodology. This combination is guaranteed to greatly improve the quality and breakthrough results of a team that works on the problem within two days.

Read more less

Improved communication in business means higher profits. Improved communication in government means happier citizens. Improved communication in healthcare means quicker recoveries, fewer lawsuits, and happier nurses and patients.Closing the Communication Gap can help readers improve communication by closing the gap between what the communicator means and what the listener actually understands. It supplies a complete overview of the various elements and dimensions of effective communication needed to stop talking and start communicating.Defining and discussing both the formal and the informal communication systems within an organization, the book demonstrates the importance of good communication and details the four types of poor-quality communication. It explains how to create a climate of communication in your organization. It describes how this climate of communication encourages the development of quality relationships as well as what it takes to maintain this culture of communication.After reading this book, you will understand how to be a better listener, how to use social media in marketing, how to deal with difficult people, and helpful tips for public speaking. You will gain valuable insights on how to talk to your employees, how to talk to your boss, and the best ways to communicate with a corporation.This book can be read for personal growth or it can be used by a company to teach employees the importance of quality communication. Quality assurance departments will find this book useful in lowering errors and waste in the workplace. The book is also suitable as a communication textbook or supplemental text at the introductory university level.If a corporation were a person, communication would be the bloodstream.—Lee Iacocca, Former CEO, Chrysler Corporation

Read more less

In today’s fast-moving, high-technology environment, the focus on quality has given way to a focus on innovation. From presidents of the United States to presidents of Fortune 500 companies, it is clear that everyone thinks innovation is extremely important. The challenge is that few people stop to define why innovation is important—to understand what’s driving the need for more innovation. We all agree that more frequent innovation is important, even necessary. What remains unanswered is why we allow innovation consultants, elected officials, and business leaders to tell us innovation is important, but not demonstrate the underlying reasons why.The three volumes of The Innovation Tools Handbook cover 76 top-rated tools and methods, from the hundreds available, that every innovator must master to be successful. Volume I covers 24 creative tools/methodologies most frequently used to change an organization’s structure and operations. It provides a clear understanding of how all 24 tools are used and the type or results they can generate, so you can learn to select the right combination of tools that best meet your organization’s needs.This book is the result of a research study that defined the most efficient, effective, and frequently used tools in the innovative process. For each tool described, it provides a definition, identifies the user of the tool or methodology, explains what phases of the innovation process the tool is used, describes how the tool is used, supplies examples of the outputs from the tool, identifies software that can help you maximize the effectiveness of the tool, and includes references and suggestions for further reading.Tools and methodologies covered include: Agile innovation, benchmarking, business case development, business plans, comparative analysis, competitive analysis, contingency planning, costs analysis, financial reporting, focus groups, identifying and engaging stakeholders, innovation master plan, knowledge management systems, market research and surveys, organizational change management, potential investor presentation, project management, S-curve model, safeguarding intellectual properties, systems thinking, value propositioning, and visioning.

Read more less

The best time to stop projects or programs that will not be successful is before they are ever started. Research has shown that the focused use of realistic business case analysis on proposed initiatives could enable your organization to reduce the amount of project waste and churn (rework) by up to 40 percent, potentially avoiding millions of dollars lost on projects, programs, and initiatives that would fail to produce the desired results. This book illustrates how to develop a strong business case which links investments to program results and, ultimately, with the strategic outcomes of the organization. In addition, the book provides a template and example case studies for those seeking to fast-track the development of a business case within their organization.Making the Case for Change: Using Effective Business Cases to Minimize Project and Innovation Failures provides executive teams and change agents with the information required to make better business case decisions. This book can be used throughout the life cycle of the project to assist with gaining a better understanding of the following key knowledge areas for developing a business case: Understanding the present problem/improvement opportunity Documenting how the project, program, or initiative will add value to the organization Validating the data and the assumptions that the projected improvements are based upon Calculating the level of confidence that can be placed upon the conclusions that are reached Assessing the alternative solutions that were considered Weighing the costs vs. the benefits of the proposed initiative Analyzing and mitigating the risks to completing 100 percent of the project’s goals Eliciting and prioritizing the requirements of key stakeholders and subject matter experts Identifying the key people that are involved in the proposed project and the skills needed to implement the proposed change Obtaining consensus on the decision to move forward, as well as on the methods used and the conclusions specified in the analysis Ideal for executives and project/initiative managers seeking approval of an activity, initiative, program, or project, the book presents proven tips, advice, suggestions, and recommended courses of action for developing effective business cases. In addition, suggestions for recruiting a responsible senior officer or sponsor for the project and for engaging an audience are provided.The authors combine their own experience in business case development with approaches used by world-class organizations. They provide a general range of assessment criteria that can be applied to almost any type of project business cases.The text discusses each of the 8 activities and the 35 tasks that make up the business case development process. This process supplies you with a proven approach for creating comprehensive and well-constructed business case evaluations that will either ensure the success of your project, or eliminate unsuccessful projects, programs, and initiatives before they start.

Read more less

Change Management: Manage Change or It Will Manage You represents a substantial core guidance effort for Change Management practitioners. Organizations currently contend with increasingly higher levels of knowledge-driven competition. Many attempt to meet the challenge by investing in expensive knowledge-driven change management systems. Such systems are useless, and sometimes even harmful, for making strategic decisions because they do not distinguish between what is strategically relevant and what is not.This Management-for-Results Handbook focuses on identifying and managing the specific, critical knowledge assets that your organization needs to disrupt your competitors, including tacit experience of key employees, a deep understanding of customers’ needs, valuable patents and copyrights, shared industry practices, and customer- and supplier-generated innovations. The authors present two aspects of Change Management: (1) traditional Change Management as it impacts the project management team’s activities and (2) a suggested new approach to Change Management directed at changing the culture. The focus is to prepare the people impacted by the project and change activities to accept and adapt to the new/changed working conditions.The first half of the book deals with traditional Change Management, which covers the topics of remembering, understanding, and applying. The second half presents the authors’ new approach to changing the culture, which deals with analyzing, evaluating, and creating.

Read more less

With an estimated 70 percent of new projects failing to add value to the organization, reducing project failure rate represents one of the biggest improvement opportunities available today. This book highlights proven approaches designed to separate the successful projects from the potential losers before the projects are started. This represents huge savings in manpower, money, and time. The book shows you how to reduce project cycle time and apply resources effectively to maximize results and project success rates. Effective Portfolio Management Systems provides a roadmap for the implementation of an organizational Portfolio Project Management (PPM) system and a model for driving sustainable change. It takes you through the complete project/program management cycle—from the submittal of the proposed projects to the management of their implementation. To do this, the authors present an effective, proven, four-phase Organizational Portfolio Management (OPM) system: Phase I: Developing the Organizational Portfolio involves selecting the right mix of projects/programs based upon resource limitations and risks involved. Phase II: Creating the OPM System Implementation Plan is the development of a plan to minimize the resources consumed, reduce cycle time, and increase the ability of the projects to meet their projected value-added content to the organization. Phase III: Implementing the OPM System focuses on the complexity of managing an Organizational Portfolio and keeping it aligned with the organization’s goals and objectives. This phase provides a roadmap for the implementation of an organizational PPM system, including sample plans and PMO Implementation/Management Templates. Phase IV: Practical Applications of Project Change Management within the OPM System focuses on overcoming the difficulties related to the continuous changing environment and project requirements that are encountered as projects are developed and implemented in today’s demanding conditions. This phase provides guidelines for effectively enrolling, communicating with, and training the individuals who are impacted by the project/program to effectively drive sustainable change. At first glance, an OPM system may look like increased bureaucracy. However, when it results in a 20-percent increase in the percentage of projects that are successful, it really turns out to be one of the best resources an organization can invest in to ensure profitability and long-term sustainable results.

Read more less