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In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, small businesses are constantly seeking ways to stay competitive and build long-lasting relationships with their customers. With the rise of new technologies such as CRM systems, data analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI), there are now more tools than ever to help achieve these goals. But how can small business owners make the most of these tools without feeling overwhelmed?

In a recent interview, Mehrdad Sadraei, Co-Founder and Product Lead at SWAI.Ai, shared his expert insights on how small businesses can tap into the potential of CRM, data, and AI to unlock growth opportunities. Below, we highlight the key takeaways from this insightful conversation, offering practical advice on how these technologies can transform your business.

1. Maximising Customer Loyalty Through CRM

One of the primary benefits of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems is their ability to track customer interactions and preferences. This enables small businesses to create a more personalised experience, ensuring that customers feel valued and understood. However, it’s not just about storing data—it’s about using it effectively.

According to Mehrdad, “The real value of a CRM system lies in its ability to provide actionable insights.” By analysing customer behaviour and feedback, small businesses can tailor their marketing efforts, address pain points proactively, and anticipate customer needs. This, in turn, leads to higher levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty.

2. Leveraging AI to Enhance Customer Service

When people think of AI, they often imagine complex algorithms and expensive technology. However, Mehrdad points out that AI tools are becoming more accessible for small businesses, with solutions designed specifically to enhance customer service and streamline operations.

For instance, AI-powered chatbots can handle basic customer enquiries 24/7, allowing small teams to focus on more complex tasks. AI can also automate routine processes like scheduling, follow-ups, and email campaigns. This not only saves time but also ensures a consistent, high-quality customer experience.

Mehrdad recommends starting small: “Implement AI in areas where it will have an immediate impact, such as customer support.” As you begin to see results, you can expand its use to other parts of your business.

3. Using Data to Drive Business Decisions

Data is the backbone of both CRM and AI. The challenge for many small businesses, however, is understanding how to use it effectively. Mehrdad emphasised that data should be seen as a “decision-making tool” rather than just numbers on a dashboard. By tracking key performance metrics—such as customer acquisition cost, lifetime value, and customer churn—businesses can make informed decisions that drive growth.

One simple way to get started is by setting up automated reports that highlight critical data points weekly or monthly. This makes it easier to spot trends and identify areas for improvement without getting bogged down in data overload.

4. Avoiding Common CRM Pitfalls

While CRM systems can be powerful, Mehrdad cautions against a few common mistakes that small businesses often make:

• Overcomplicating the Setup: Choose a CRM that matches your business size and needs. A system with too many unnecessary features can overwhelm your team.
• Ignoring Data Hygiene: Regularly update and clean your database to ensure you’re working with accurate information.
• Lack of User Adoption: Train your team thoroughly and make sure they understand the value of using the CRM. If your employees don’t use the system, it becomes a wasted investment.

He advises starting with a simple CRM setup and scaling as your business grows, focusing first on core functionalities like contact management and follow-up automation.

5. Choosing the Right AI Tools for Your Business

As AI becomes more prevalent, small businesses need to decide which tools and technologies to adopt. Mehrdad highlighted a few key options that are both affordable and effective:

• Chatbots & Virtual Assistants: Automate basic customer service tasks and streamline lead generation.
• Predictive Analytics: Use historical data to forecast trends and customer behaviours.
• Email Automation Tools: Personalise email campaigns based on customer interactions and preferences.

Mehrdad’s advice is to prioritise AI tools that align with your immediate business needs and can integrate smoothly with your existing systems.

Final Thoughts: Start Small, Think Big

For small businesses, leveraging CRM, data, and AI may seem like a daunting task, but Mehrdad Sadraei’s insights show that the key is to start small and build incrementally. Focus on solving one problem at a time—whether it’s improving customer service, optimising your sales funnel, or refining your marketing strategy. By implementing these tools step-by-step, you can create a powerful tech-driven strategy that delivers real results.

If you’re ready to dive deeper, check out the full interview with Mehrdad Sadraei to learn more about the latest trends in CRM and AI for small business success. Whether you’re a business owner or a tech enthusiast, you’re sure to find valuable tips to guide your digital transformation journey!

Watch the Interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xsbOzuXwVr8

We’re beyond excited to share that we have once again embarked on the journey as mentors. Since mentoring and supporting the Gippsland start-up community in Australia, our Director Neil Betts has become a mentor for the Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce’s Future Faces Mentoring Scheme. This incredible opportunity allows us to give back to the community and help shape the leaders of tomorrow.

Why Mentoring Matters

Mentoring has always been close to our hearts at Go True North. The guidance, support, and insights we received early in business were instrumental in shaping our path. Now, we have the chance to pass on that torch, helping talented individuals navigate their own professional journeys.

The Journey Ahead

This mentorship program is designed to foster growth and development through personalized, one-on-one sessions. We’ll be setting our own agenda, ensuring that each meeting is tailored to meet the goals and aspirations of our mentees. Whether we’re discussing career strategies, industry trends, or personal development, we’re committed to making this a transformative experience for all of us.

Sharing Our Progress

We believe in the power of community and collaboration. As we move forward, we’ll be sharing updates and insights from our mentorship journey. If you see us out and about or posting updates, feel free to connect, comment, or join the conversation. Let’s inspire each other!

Get Involved

If you’re passionate about professional growth and community development, I encourage you to explore mentoring opportunities. The impact you can have is immeasurable, and the experience is incredibly rewarding.

Thank you to the Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce for this opportunity. Here’s to a journey of growth, learning, and making a difference!

#Mentorship #FutureFaces #GreaterBirmingham #ProfessionalDevelopment #CommunityEngagement #Leadership #CareerGrowth #GiveBack

🚀 Why Most Start-up Advice Is Misleading and What You Should Really Be Doing! 🚀

Aspiring entrepreneurs, it’s time for some tough love. 🙌

We’ve all seen it: the endless parade of start-up advice that promises overnight success if you just follow a simple formula. But here’s the harsh truth: most start-up advice is either outdated, overly simplistic, or just plain wrong. 😱

The reality is that starting a successful business isn’t about following a cookie-cutter path. It’s about understanding the unique dynamics of your market, your customers, and your value proposition. And yet, many of you are wasting time on generic tips that don’t move the needle.

🔍 Here’s what you should be focusing on instead:

1. Stop Chasing Trends: Just because everyone is talking about AI it doesn’t mean you should pivot your idea to fit these trends. Focus on solving real problems with real solutions.
2. Customer Obsession: Spend more time talking to your customers and less time perfecting your pitch deck. Your customers’ needs should drive your product or service development, not the latest buzzwords.
3. Value Over Vanity: Forget about vanity metrics like social media followers or website hits. What matters are the metrics that reflect true business growth—revenue, customer retention, and product adoption.
4. Lean and Mean: You don’t need a fancy office or a huge team to start. In fact, the leaner you are, the quicker you can pivot and adapt.
5. Resilience: The start-up journey is tough and full of setbacks. It’s your ability to bounce back, learn, and adapt that will determine your success.

If you’re tired of the same old advice and want to equip yourself with practical, actionable strategies that truly work, then it’s time to make a change. 📈

📘 Download the Vision to Venture E-Book and get access to tools like the Enhanced Lean Canvas and a FREE session to critique your business model. It’s everything you need to stop spinning your wheels and start building a real, sustainable business.

Don’t fall for the myths. Get the real deal and set your start up on the path to success. 💪

#StartupAdvice #Entrepreneurship #BusinessGrowth #StartupStrategy #LeanStartup #CustomerFocus #ValueProposition #GoToMarketStrategy #StartupJourney #Thinkific

Unlock the secrets to launching a successful start-up with our Vision to Venture insights e-book!

Learn about the power of the Enhanced Lean Canvas, Get practical tools and insights, plus a live critique session to refine your own business model.

This e-book has practical tools and insights that will empower you to turn your business idea into a thriving reality.

As a special bonus, when you download our e-book, you’ll gain access to a live critique session.  Present your Lean Canvas to our expert mentors and receive personalised feedback to refine your strategy and ensure you’re on the path to success.

Don’t miss this opportunity to accelerate your start-up journey.

https://studio.gotruenorth.uk/products/digital_downloads/from-vision-to-venture

• 1. Understand Customer Needs:

  Listen Actively: Engage with customers through surveys, feedback forms, and direct interactions to understand their needs and pain points.

  Empathy Mapping: Put yourself in the customer’s shoes to understand their experiences and emotions.

• 2. Value-Added Services:

  Personalization: Customize products or services based on individual customer preferences.

  Convenience: Simplify processes and remove any obstacles that might cause frustration or delays.

• 3. Continuous Feedback Loop:

  Regular Check-ins: Regularly solicit feedback to stay updated on customer satisfaction and areas for improvement.

  Implement Changes: Act on the feedback promptly to show customers their opinions matter.

• 4. Quality Over Quantity:

  Eliminate Waste: Identify and remove any processes or features that do not add value to the customer.

  Focus on Core Offerings: Concentrate on enhancing the quality of your main products or services.

• 5. Transparency and Trust:

  Clear Communication: Ensure all customer communications are honest, transparent, and straightforward.

  Reliability: Consistently deliver on promises and commitments.

• 6. Customer Journey Mapping:

  Map Touchpoints: Identify all the touchpoints a customer has with your business and ensure each one provides a positive experience.

  Optimize Interactions: Look for ways to improve and streamline each interaction.

• 7. Employee Training:

  Customer Service Training: Regularly train employees to understand and prioritize customer needs.

  Empower Employees: Give employees the authority to make decisions that enhance the customer experience.

By continuously focusing on what truly adds value from the customer’s perspective and eliminating anything that doesn’t, you can build stronger relationships, increase customer satisfaction, and drive long-term loyalty.

Just starting your Lean journey?

Then the quote “Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection” is crucial for several reasons:

1. **Encourages a Proactive Mindset**: Lean principles emphasise taking action and making improvements continuously. Waiting for the perfect solution can stall progress. Embracing continuous improvement helps new lean users to take initiative and make incremental changes that collectively lead to significant improvements. The key however is small incremental changes and measurement of the results.

2. **Reduces Fear of Failure**: Perfectionism can lead to a fear of making mistakes, which can paralyse action. Lean methodologies recognise that mistakes are opportunities for learning and growth. By focusing on continuous improvement, new users are more likely to experiment, learn from their experiences, and iterate towards better solutions.

3. **Promotes Kaizen Culture**: Kaizen, a core concept in lean, means “change for better” and emphasises small, incremental improvements. New lean users who understand the value of continuous improvement are better positioned to contribute to and thrive in a Kaizen culture where every team member is encouraged to seek and implement improvements regularly.

4. **Increases Flexibility and Adaptability**: Lean methodologies are built around the idea of responding swiftly to changes and challenges. Continuous improvement fosters a mindset that is open to ongoing adjustments and refinements, making new lean users more adaptable and resilient in the face of change.

5. **Builds Momentum and Motivation**: Small, continuous improvements can lead to quick wins, which boost morale and motivation. If your new to lean, seeing tangible progress regularly can reinforce the value of lean practices and encourage further engagement and commitment to the methodology.

6. **Focuses on Customer Value**: Lean methodologies prioritise delivering value to the customer. Continuous improvement ensures that processes are regularly evaluated and optimised to better meet customer needs and expectations. If your new to lean and adopt this approach your more likely to contribute to creating value-driven processes.

7. **Aligns with Lean Principles**: Lean principles such as eliminating waste, optimising processes, and enhancing quality are better achieved through continuous, incremental improvements. If your new to lean prioritise ongoing improvement over delayed perfection are more aligned with these core lean principles.

In summary, if your new to lean methodologies, focusing on continuous improvement rather than delayed perfection is essential for fostering a proactive, flexible, and value-driven approach. It helps build a culture of constant growth and learning, which is fundamental to the success of lean practices.

Map Your Value Stream: Uncover Hidden Opportunities

Value Stream Mapping (VSM) is a powerful tool in lean methodology, offering a visual representation of every step in your process. It helps identify where value is added and, crucially, where it isn’t. By meticulously mapping out your processes, you can uncover inefficiencies, bottlenecks, and waste, paving the way for significant improvements.

What is Value Stream Mapping?
Value Stream Mapping is a lean-management method for analysing the current state of a process and designing a future state for that process. This tool helps visualise the flow of materials and information, identify non-value-adding activities, and optimise the process.

Benefits of Value Stream Mapping

• Select the Process: Choose a process that has a significant impact on your operations and customer satisfaction. This could be anything from manufacturing a product to delivering a service.
• Gather Data: Collect detailed information on every step of the process. This includes time taken, resources used, and any delays or bottlenecks.
• Draw the Current State Map: Create a visual representation ofong> the current process. Use symbols to denote different activities, flows, and delays.
• Analyse the Map: Identify steps that add value from the customer’s perspective and those that don’t. Look for redundancies, delays, and areas with excessive resources.
• Design the Future State Map: Develop a new map that eliminates non-value-adding steps, reduces waste, and optimizes the flow of materials and information.
• Implement Changes: Put the improvements into practice and monitor the process to ensure the desired outcomes are achieved.

Benefits of Value Stream Mapping

• Identifies Waste: VSM highlights areas of waste, such as excess inventory, waiting times, and unnecessary movement, helping you streamline operations.
• Improves Efficiency: By focusing on value-adding activities, you can significantly enhance productivity and reduce costs.
• Enhances Quality: Streamlining processes reduces errors and defects, leading to higher quality products and services.
• Boosts Customer Satisfaction: Faster, more efficient processes improve customer experience and satisfaction.

Real-World Application

Consider a manufacturing company that produces custom furniture. By mapping their value stream, they discover that significant time is wasted in the material preparation stage. There are frequent delays due to waiting for materials and multiple quality checks. By re-engineering the process to have materials pre-cut and quality checks integrated into each stage, the company reduces production time by 30%, cuts costs, and delivers products to customers faster.

Conclusion
Mapping your value stream is a crucial step in lean process improvement. It provides a clear, visual way to understand your processes, identify inefficiencies, and develop effective solutions. At Go True North UK, we are committed to helping businesses uncover hidden opportunities and achieve operational excellence through effective value stream mapping.

Start your lean journey today and discover how Value Stream Mapping can transform your operations. Together, we can create processes that are not only efficient but also effective, driving sustainable success for your business.

Feel free to share your experiences or ask any questions about Value Stream Mapping in the comments below. Let’s create a community of continuous improvement and operational excellence!

“Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.” This profound statement by management guru Peter Drucker encapsulates a fundamental principle that can transform how we approach our work, especially in the realm of lean process improvement.

Understanding Efficiency and Effectiveness
Efficiency is about optimising the way we perform tasks. It involves maximising productivity by minimizing waste, using the least amount of resources to achieve the same output. For instance, in a manufacturing setting, efficiency might involve streamlining the assembly line to reduce time and resource consumption without compromising quality.

Effectiveness, on the other hand, is about ensuring that we are focusing on the right activities to achieve our goals. It’s about aligning our actions with our strategic objectives. In the context of lean processes, effectiveness means identifying and working on processes that deliver the most value to the customer.

Consider a corporate setting, a sales team might adopt an efficient strategy by using a CRM system to track leads better. But to be effective, they must ensure that their efforts are focused on high-potential leads that align with the company’s strategic goals.

Root Cause Analysis: Wednesday the cat and a dead mouse

It’s a scene that’s all too familiar to cat owners, a live mouse running around the house! But what has this got to do with understanding process improvement? Well get ready for a wild ride as I tell you the tale of our recent mouse-catching adventure.

It all started when my daughter and I heard a strange noise coming from our study. We were stumped, but after some investigation, we discovered mouse droppings! The chase was on, and we knew we had to come up with a plan. Of course, I’m a process expert, I’ve got this.

I came up with a genius idea: let’s lure the mouse out into the open by building a mouse trap, just like in the game! We got to work and created the ultimate mouse-catching machine. We set the trap and waited anxiously.

The mouse came out and it felt like the victory was ours, however, the expert in me had to eat humble pie as the mouse managed to jump over the trap and ran away into the depths of the house.

This started me thinking away about process improvement and I concluded that I needed to improve the process by building a higher trap. An error on my part as I did not stop to think about the root cause of the problem! An error we see so many businesses make.

So, lets retrospectively stop and consider root cause analysis:

Firstly, hunting and killing small animals is an instinctive behaviour for cats. They have an innate desire to hunt and kill prey, which is a behaviour that has been shaped by their evolutionary history. Cats are natural predators, and hunting is essential for their survival. Even though domestic cats don’t need to hunt to survive, this behaviour is still present in their genetic makeup.

However, while hunting is an instinctive behaviour for cats, leaving a dead mouse lying around is not. This behaviour could be due to a few different root causes.

1. One potential cause is that Wednesday (our cat) simply wasn’t hungry. Cats hunt for more than just food; they also hunt for entertainment and exercise. That’s Wednesday all over. If Wednesday caught the mouse but wasn’t hungry, maybe she lost interest and left the mouse behind.
2. Another possible cause is that Wednesday was trying to show off her hunting skills. Domestic cats often see their owners as their “pack,” and leaving a dead mouse as a gift could be a way for the cat to show its loyalty and skill to its owner.

Regardless of the specific cause, finding a dead mouse in your house can be unpleasant and that’s what happened the following morning!

After analysing the root cause, we need to consider countermeasure, things we can trail to change the process.

Here’s what we have done so far:

1. Made sure that Wednesday is well-fed and doesn’t need to hunt for food.
2. Provide Wednesday with plenty of toys and playtime to fulfill her hunting instincts.
3. Considered getting more bells for her collar to make it easier for prey to detect her approach.

In conclusion, jumping to solution mode when a process fails is actually a failure in process improvement. You need to analyse the root cause and develop countermeasures and then check and adjust the effect on your process. Im in the check and adjust stage right now and this blog topic may continue!

Process Improvement – The quest for a Circular Star trail image and video

Lean process improvement, or as I like to call it for this story, “the quest for the perfect star trail image,” can be a challenging and rewarding pursuit.

It’s a bit like exploring a new galaxy: you’re bound to encounter some unfamiliar terrain, and there may be some unexpected obstacles along the way. But fear not, intrepid space adventurer! With the right tools and a willingness to learn from your mistakes, you can capture the beauty of the cosmos in all its circular glory.

Now, before we dive into the nitty-gritty of process improvement, let me share a little story with you. I have a passion for Sci-Fi, photography and the stars. In fact, I recently set out to capture my own star trail image using the techniques I’d learned through my reading. And let me tell you, it was quite the journey.

First, I had to learn a whole new language, filled with terms like aperture, aspect ratio, and depth of field. It was like learning a new dialect of intergalactic code. But once I had a handle on the basics, I set up my camera and started taking long-exposure shots (30 s), one after the other, for hours on end. 4 hours to be precise!

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I downloaded and processed the images, stacking them on top of one another, eagerly awaiting the circular star trail of my dreams. And what did I get? A few measly dots in the sky, barely connected by an almost-horizontal line. Not exactly the stuff of interstellar legend. Take a look, do you see anything in the bottom left of the image?

But here’s the thing about lean process improvement: it’s all about trial and error. So, I went back to the drawing board, checked my process, my settings, and looked for the problems. The problems we threefold, incorrect settings, camera pointing in the wrong direction and a battery could not sustain 4 hours of continual photographs. I adjusted my process, made a standard check sheet for the settings, worked out where celestial south was and got power to the garden. And the next time around, I got a little bit closer to the circular star trail I was after.

And the time after that, even closer still but the clouds got in the way! But the next time, even closer still with the image to the left.

So, what’s the lesson here? Well, for starters, process improvement is all about identifying the root cause of a problem and working to address it. Maybe your camera settings aren’t quite right, or your technique needs a little tweaking. Whatever the case may be, it’s important to approach the problem with an open mind and a willingness to learn.

And don’t be afraid to make mistakes! After all, even the most experienced space explorers encounter some unexpected turbulence from time to time. The key is to keep experimenting, keep refining your process, and keep your eyes on the stars. Who knows? With a little persistence and a lot of determination, you just might capture the perfect circular star trail image.

And finally, let me introduce the final video:

A Journey towards Lean Process Improvement

In today’s fast-paced business world, organisations are always searching for ways to optimise their processes and increase efficiency. The concept of “Lean” has gained immense popularity in recent times, as it offers a systematic approach to continuous improvement.

At Go True North we are a leading business process improvement consulting company that help organisations implement Lean principles and achieve their desired outcomes. Our team of experts works closely with our clients to identify areas for improvement, and then implement changes that lead to measurable results. In fact, we have consistently delivered a 700% return on investment for our clients that engage in our Lean process improvement efforts.

The Lean philosophy is centred around the idea of eliminating waste and maximising customer value. This is achieved through a series of continuous improvement efforts, which help to streamline processes, reduce costs, and improve the overall customer experience.

Our Lean process improvement specialists utilise a range of tools and techniques, such as value stream mapping, root cause analysis, and 5S, to help organisations identify and eliminate waste. We also help our clients establish a culture of continuous improvement, where employees are empowered to identify and suggest changes to processes.

One of the key benefits of working with Go True North is that our approach is truly a win-win-win for everyone involved. Our clients see significant improvements in their processes and bottom line, their business grows as a result of our successful implementation, and their teams are able to take pride in the work they do and the positive impact they have on their clients.

Another important aspect of our approach is that we work closely with our clients to ensure that the changes we implement are well-integrated into their overall business strategy. This leads to improvements that are aligned with the organisation’s goals and vision and helps to ensure long-term success.

At Go True North, we believe that continuous improvement is a journey, not a destination. Our team of experts are dedicated to helping our clients achieve their desired outcomes, and we work closely with them every step of the way to ensure their success.

In conclusion, if you’re looking for a partner to help you optimise your processes and achieve your desired outcomes, look no further than Go True North. Our Lean process improvement consultants are here to help you navigate the journey towards a more efficient and effective organisation.

To learn more about how Go True North can help your organization, call us today at 1300 920 543 or Book a free consult.

Let’s work together to drive real change and achieve your desired outcomes.

#continuousimprovement
#solvingbusinessproblems
#gotruenorth

Lean principles are an important component of any business’ success. They consist of as set of principles, tools, and techniques that help companies eliminate waste and drive efficiency. This blog post aims to answer the most frequently asked questions about lean principles and practices, so that you can make informed decisions about how to best apply them in your own business.

What Is Lean?

At its core, lean is a methodology that focuses on continuous improvement. It is designed to eliminating wasteful activities within the production process, thereby creating value for customers through increased efficiency and quality. Lean also seeks to create an environment where employees are empowered to find solutions to problems as they arise and take ownership over their own work.

How Can I Implement Lean Principles in My Business?

The implementation of lean principles requires a commitment from everyone involved. When introducing lean into your business, it’s important to ensure that everyone understands the goals of the process and why they are important. This can be done by setting clear objectives, communicating regularly with employees, providing ongoing training and support, and rewarding positive behaviour. Additionally, it is essential to establish metrics that measure performance and track progress over time to ensure continued success.

What Are The Benefits Of Implementing Lean?

The benefits of implementing lean include improved customer satisfaction through better quality products or services; increased employee engagement due to greater job satisfaction; reduced costs due to improved processes; improved efficiency through streamlined processes; improved communication between departments; and improved overall profitability as well as sustainability in the long-term.

Conclusion

Lean principles are an invaluable tool for businesses looking to improve their operations and increase efficiency while reducing costs. Through clear objectives, regular communication with employees, ongoing training and support for those involved in the process, as well as rewards for positive behaviours—lean can be implemented successfully across any business model or industry. By understanding what lean is all about, businesses will gain insight into how they can best utilize these principles in order to better their operations while continuously striving for improvement—ultimately leading them toward greater success!

Book a free consult here Book Online

I recently visited the UK and had a wonderful Christmas present, Jeff Wayne’s War of the Worlds immersive experience. This experience had a unique mix of live action, multisensory effects and virtual reality bring the Martian adventure to life and all set to Jeff Wayne’s iconic score.

Like any “Process Improvement Nerd” I observed the whole experience from the check-in process through to the customer feedback loop and what impressed me the most was the use of Visual Management.

Lean can be an effective tool to increase efficiency and productivity, but visual management plays a crucial role in its implementation. Visual reminders of goals and progress can help employees stay on track and build momentum towards success.

So how did this weave its way into the War of the Worlds? Well right from the start we were given colour bands to represent out timed allocation for starting the two-hour experience. The Martian’s eyes in the bar would light up to indicate your groups session was about to begin. Throughout the experience as we transitioned through the 24 different scenes, and I observed lots of visual cues that the cast used to keep the flow of the adventure.

Lean can often be misunderstood, but Visual Management is key to making sure it succeeds. Employers need to have systems in place that use visuals or symbols to help people remember and understand goals, tasks and processes for their employees to successfully implement Lean. What strategies have you used for visual management in your organisation?

#visualmanagement #lean

Sometimes the simplest Lean concepts can make all the difference in identifying areas for improvement.

Take the humble spaghetti diagram used to plot the path taken by a product as it travels through the steps along a value stream. The visual tool enables teams to identify redundancies and wasted in a process flow.

A visit to the Gemba (where the work is done), a simple drawing and you’ve got your spaghetti chart.

A recent example of an organisation that had such an experience is Henna Street Framers, a Victorian based bespoke framing company.  As a part of their Lean journey, one of the first steps was to create a spaghetti chart of the assembly process for framing.

As you can probably imagine from looking at the actual hand drawn image, it was clear that there were a number of bottle necks, as well as double handling of product throughout the manufacturing process.  With this information under their belts, Ella and the manufacturing team overhauled the layout of the assembly area while focusing on flow, elimination of waste and standard work, amongst other improvements.

The results speak for themselves – in just 12 months the team have reduced their lead time for production from 8-12 weeks, to under 4 weeks.  Thanks in no small part to a deceptively basic lean practice that anyone can use.

We have loved working with the team @Henna Street Framers and am so proud of the positive transformation Ella has delivered.

Is your gut telling you that your business needs improvements, but you are just not sure what you need? Contact us now to book a complimentary face to face meeting to discuss your requirements.

After a successful year of putting their hoshin plan into action, the “Epic” team from The Summit, reflected on how far they had come in just 12 months.

One of the positive outcomes that stood out to them was “Busy, busy, busy!” When reflecting the team recognised that they managed to stay calm, focused and made strides towards their bigger 3-year goals, even with a big increase in their business.

Their journey, like the “N” our new logo, was not a straight ascent to the literal summit. It was a navigation though the learnings along the way. Did everything go smoothly in the deployment of the strategy for the Summit this year?

Absolutely not, but the reflection, willingness to learn from the descents along the way and a little coaching have truly paid off. While success can often appear to be driven by luck or fate alone – this hardworking group knows better: it takes grit and perseverance in order reach your objectives. Their dedication has propelled them further than ever before! They kept their heads down, worked hard but smartly until their collective efforts, aligned to their true north, were rewarded with tangible results. It’s a great reminder that success can come from staying organised and avoiding those pesky procrastination habits!

Congratulations to all at the Summit on achieving a success with your hoshin strategy deployment. By concentrating and investing in key initiatives, you’ve set an example for the many to follow – leading to real growth and alignment!

Remember that having a plan in place is essential for any endeavor you embark upon; don’t let anything stand between yourself and victory! If you want to learn more around our Hoshin Strategy Development and deployment services, then book a 30-minute chat online @ Go True North