Projects, or any initiative we embark on, can easily get out of hand. They are subject to the chaos that can arise when human interactions are not governed by precise guidelines. Entropy exists and it affects behaviours as well everything else. When we use the Transition Tree Tool to break projects down into actions we […]
The Words We Use Can Change Our Reality – Shifting to a Systems View
This morning I spoke to a highly accomplished, bi-lingual woman who works in software. We agreed that the words we use when we work can have an enormous impact. For example, in her environment, the word “project” has acquired a stigma because of the pain associated with it so now she talks about “initiatives”. This […]
The Human Constraint – Going Beyond What We Think Is Possible
Our lives today are filled with unprecedented levels of rapid change and complexity. Unintended consequences can quickly emerge from inadequate leadership thinking, so we must urgently learn to think not just in a “joined-up” way but in a systemic way. This means developing the skills to: understand and analyze our current reality, as individuals and organizations; […]
Transforming to an End-to-End Operating Model with a Whole System Technology
As Dr. Goldratt has pointed out, a technology is only of use when it removes a limitation. Here in Part 7 of this series, Dr. Domenico Lepore introduces the journey that led to a new technology for transformation. Our Journey: Ess3ntial My partners and I were not born digital; let’s say we all have vivid […]
A New Perspective for Business Management
As more and more companies cope with staff working from home and the possibility that offices will never again be the way the were, the times have never been riper for a complete rethink of business management and the way we work. But it’s not enough to have interesting ideas or suggestions. It requires a methodology, […]
The Network of Projects –a Concrete and Operational Alternative to Deloitte’s ‘Adaptable Organization’
There is clearly something very wrong with the way most companies above a certain size are managed. They are fragmented, wasteful, slow, over-bureaucratic, unable to leverage internal talent, detached from their customers’ needs and, in most cases, a frustrating place to work. When a global crisis hits, these inadequacies become acute and a real threat […]
Roadmap to Economic Recovery: An Open Letter to Leaders on Adopting a Growth Mindset
Six leaders of the largest business associations in Canada recently wrote an open letter to the Prime Minister Trudeau, praising him for his swift response with relief measures that succeeded “thanks to the government’s conscious decision to act quickly, pursue bold policies and take risks.” The signees stress that for success to be achieved going […]
Cash Generation in Project Based Businesses – Measuring What Matters Most
In any kind of business, the speed of cash generation through sales is crucial. This is something that cannot be measured by traditional accounting methods and balance sheets. These approaches do not take speed into consideration and that is odd because everyone knows that $1 earned in one day is very different to $1 earned […]
Constraints and Bottlenecks – You Need to Know the Difference
Bottlenecks are a new buzzword. This is a sad reflection of what is happening with the Coronavirus and the tragic chaos caused by the shortage of intensive care beds as well as protective equipment. Never before has it been so clear on a global level how important effective supply chains are to our wellbeing. Bottlenecks […]
Making Businesses Fast, Reliable, Digital – Practical Steps for Beyond the Crisis to Accelerate Flow
The pandemic crisis is revealing unsustainable economic and business models and practices in a brutal and accelerated way. Nobody can predict today what the “new normal” is going to look like, in spite of the myriad of articles offering advice on how to adapt and be more resilient in a post-COVID-19 reality. One such article […]