Wednesday is Primary Systems Day

Tony Rizzo on Primary Systems

Just to set the record straight, I did not compare Tony Rizzo to Sir Isaac Newton.

I was simply relating the mental image that raced through my mind's eye as Rizzo related his discovery of the Primary Systems concept for businesses.

As Malcolm Gladwell pointed out in his book, Blink!, we simply "know" things within an instant. A gut reaction triggers the effort required to do the research to prove (or disprove) that feeling. Since Rizzo shared the details of the value in applying engineering practices to the business of business, my mind has been racing.

For me, this is profound

I have been working business models out in my head for days, trying to quantify this new (to me) discovery. Oh yea, disclaimer: Tony Rizzo is a client. I profit from his success in the Total-Matrix arena. Had Tony not went out of his way numerous times in the past seven years on my behalf, I probably would have sat back, and let him evolve without my input. But I cannot.

My blogs over the past three years have one common theme (IMNSHO): throughput. Which is defined as "money in my pocket now, and more in the future."

Like blogging about my love for the new 2008 Cadillac CTS with Direct Injection 304hp engine! Or the Harley vRod. Or the Apple iPod touch. Or Tony Rizzo. It is not about compensation. It is not about working the angles in order to benefit personally. It is about promoting "stuff" that brings passion to the forefront. Results. Beauty.

Of course, when someone offers me compensation to say what I would have said anyway, that makes perfect sense to me. Like the consultant that Earl Nightingale talked of that shared the power of the list with a client. After sharing the idea, the consultant told the business owner to use the idea for 30 days, then send a check of any amount if the idea had any merit. It did. He did. The business owner sent a check for $25,000.00USD (back in the 1970s as I recall, when that was a lot of money!).

Do I promote Tony's efforts to line my pockets?

No. However, that may happen.

Why then?

You might not make it without his insight!

I have launched a lot of businesses. Employed great people (and some well meaning, but not so great people)... guess what: it is never their fault. It is the CEO or President that bears the responsibility for success or failure. Over simplified? Perhaps.

When light dawns over marble head, and one must admit (to themselves, at least) that they are not the smartest person in the room. It helps to have smart friends! Like Tony Rizzo. And if you know Tony, you know that he is not all that comfortable with the praise that I lavish on him. Humble. I like that in my super heroes! {grin}

Seriously, check out his new blog on Total-Matrix.

It's Engineering applied to Business.


-ski

P.S. Know someone struggling with a business model that is not generating enough throughput? Share this post with them. Let them decide as David Letterman asks, "Is it anything?"

----
Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
www.throughput.us
+1 330 432-3533

tag: Total-Matrix
©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

TMx :: Part II

Tony Rizzo presents TMx

SKI endorses TMx

Throughput.us LLC requires TMx

Disclaimer: Tony Rizzo is a client. I profit as a direct result of each and every copy of TMx that is licensed. Forever. And when big brother buys TMx, I get my pound of flesh, without any blood loss.

Now that the small talk is out of the way, lets get down to business.

Last week (actually January 31st) I was in Las Vegas for the surfaces2008 event. Earlier in January I was in Minnesota. Now, write this from Ohio. And tomorrow, the good Lord willing, I will be back on Hilton Head Island. But I digress...

Show of hands, how many of you know the name Warren Tyler?

He was one of the reasons that I braved yet another shoeless adventure and over 5 hours of flight (each way).

If you have been in the flooring business for more than about two minutes, you should. And, if you are in a retail environment involving sales to consumers, you should. Tyler is good. As good as Zig Ziglar, in his niche. Almost as good as me. And, he gets it!

Including a reference to Good to Great by Collins, and his "the right people" being your greatest asset assertion. But I digress.

One of the many topics during Tyler's presentation: tools. Giving your team the tools that they need to be successful. But more than just successful, effective. Are you sitting down? This is profound:

"Does your team have the proper tools for success?"

No small matter. Not a random thought. Not for the faint of heart.

Somewhere in the recent past (last few days or weeks), I commented on a time study that I did many years ago for a manufacturing firm. Two operators on basically identical machines, performing the same operation on the same lot of material. One operator completes the task in five "turns" of the material. The other just four turns.

One operator had better fixtures.

Better tools.

And so it is with TMx.

If you work with projects, in most any enironment, you need Rizzo's TMx. Work from an Apple Mac? Buy the cheapest PC you can find, get MS-Excel and download TMx.

Recall Stephen Covey? And the lumberjack story? If not, basically, it talks of the need to stop in order to sharpen your saw. You can only go so fast for so long. No matter how good your skills. The race does not go to the swift. It goes to the smartest, swift contestant.

I guarantee that if you download the 30 day evaluation copy (a fully functioning copy) of TMx, schedule a free one demo session with Tony Rizzo, and spend just eight (8) hours learning how to use TMx, you will save at least one full 40 hour week on your very next project.

YES. YOU WILL SAVE ONE FULL WEEK!

Or your money back.

Did you catch that? You are going to download TMx for FREE. Schedule one (1) hour with the brightest mind in the world of projects for FREE. And tackle your next project with an unfair advantage. What is the risk?

Yes, for the Eli Goldratt fans listening in, this is all about local optima. But it is more than that, it is your ticket to that corner office. The one with the fake rubber tree. Membership in the local Country Club. Court side seats at the next NBA game that your company supports.

Better yet, let me ask a simple question:

"What is going to take, to get your attention?"

What is it going to take to get you to download TMx?


Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
Throughput.us LLC

TMx: Bullet Proof Project Plans

P.S. Please be sure to share your success stories.

P.P.S. If you are somehow unaware of Tony Rizzo's "Total Matrix Planning Process" and its use within TMx, Rizzo offers half-day sessions (3.5 hours) that are one on one, web based, for just $1000. In other words, get the exact training that you, and you alone need to be successful.


(c)Copyright 2008 Jeff SKI Kinsey. All rights reserved.

Totally Results :: Tony Rizzo

Have a Project that needs help?

Like yesterday!

Who you gonna call?

If I were you, I would call me.

What I mean to suggest is that I have the answer you seek for all your project management problems. Yes, all of them. In fact, I have answers to questions you have yet to discover need addressed.

Mind reader?

No. It is the fifth tip that I shared in my book, Purple Curve Effect: Involve others.

Once upon a time, in a far away state, there was a problem of the engineering sort. A nightmare of a challenge that was costing thousands of dollars each day for which it went unresolved. So, the company brought in a respected engineer to solve the problem. Now, when the engineer arrived, the chief operating officer suggested that the gentlemen first break for lunch as it was almost one o'clock in the afternoon. Then he stated that they could return and devote full attention to the challenge.

The engineer refused. He suggested that he take a minute to correct the problem, and that would then allow them plenty of time to enjoy their meal. And that is exactly what he did!

I met the engineer in this story many years ago. He has long since passed on to his reward in the "here ever after"... but that caliber of expertise may still be employed on a contract basis. I know several independent contractors with that kind of talent.

More importantly, I am willing to put them to work for you.

Today, I would like to bring to your attention, one such guru: Tony Rizzo

As part of my "virtual buzz" assistance role for him, I have created the Totally Results blog to share his availability. In case you did not know, he is the creator of the Total-Matrix planning process and a software developer, having written the TMx application.

Visit our store front at totallyresults.blogspot.com and let me know if I can put Tony Rizzo to work on your most pressing projects.

-ski

----
Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
www.throughput.us
+1 330 432-3533

tag: Tony Rizzo
©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Tony Rizzo's TMx

Total Matrix Planning :: The Tool :: TMx

First things first (disclaimer): I am compensated for my efforts in the promotion of TMx.

When Tony Rizzo calls, I make every effort to take the call. Regardless of my other activities. He rarely finds it necessary to call without emailing first, to see what time might work best.

A few months ago, Rizzo called out of the blue, and wanted me to apply some of my eCommerce expertise to a problem he was facing. I told a bit of the story in this TV talk show interview with good friend Ed McCullough:

ed-mcculloughs-talk-of-town.html

Long story, short: I added the real-time online invoicing component to TMx. Then, I started playing around with it... and got no where! So I called Rizzo back, and said, "Show me how this thing works!"

He did. Now, it is a major component of my Critical Chain project management efforts. Do you have any idea how much time (and therefore, money) is wasted by starting on projects that should never have been released, simply due to inadequate project plans? I do.

Thousands of man-hours per year. Wasted.

Guess what? TMx is available for free. Yes. Free. A 100% complete and fully functional TMx is available (with a 30 day evaluation period) for download on Rizzo's web site:

TMx Download

Check it out. BTW (by the way), it is now light years ahead of what I first experienced just 90 days ago... but if you still cannot "make it work", Rizzo's email is included with the tool, and he encourages the end user to contact him with any questions. Or concerns.

Or enhancement requests.

-ski

P.S. Do check out the requirements section, it does not work with every possible configuration. And yes, I have asked for an Apple Mac version.

Nonperforming Assets

Can you say, Holistic?

My good friend (and client) Tony Rizzo has started to blog about his Total-Matrix approach to maximizing shareholder value on a new blog, simply named: Total-Matrix.

He has even offered to let me post a thought or two if (when) the moods strikes. Maybe today. Maybe not. Along with "Software Jonah" Richard Zultner. Speaking of Zultner, I have asked him to guest blog here about his activities of late, with special attention to using QFD to predict the rewards possible from using a systems (or holistic) approach to solving business challenges.

So, if you have any influence on Zultner, ask him to put finger to keyboard on our behalf! Soon. But I digress...

Assets

Nonperforming assets. The worst kind. Or are they? I was listening to an episode of an old TV interview I did in 2004 with good friend Ed McCullough, when something Rizzo said to me a couple of weeks ago hit home. I will remind my readers that I am quite confident that if I can achieve significant results, ANYONE can! I am rarely (if ever) the smartest guy in the room. But I am willing to outwork everyone else by staying focused until the results are achieved. So, from April or May of 2004 until yesterday, this thought lay just below the surface of my consciousness:

Applying resources (as well as assets) to the wrong task does not simply result in "no value" as I have repeatedly claimed, it is actually causing damage. Perhaps significant damage. Perhaps, damage that might result in the self-termination of a business entity.

Suicide

An ugly word. Yet, every reader of the comic strip Dilbert™ has shaken their head in agreement at the stupid situations that are portrayed! Many of which would be fatal acts in the real world. So, can you relate to the comic because it strikes near the practices at your place of employment?

"You don't know, what you do not know."

A favorite quote. In fact, my picture may even adorn this passage in a book of quotes somewhere! But if there is hope for me, there is hope for you! I have learned to seek out those that know things (important things) that I do not. This is no one on planet earth that knows more about project management as it relates to shareholder value in a product development organization, than Tony Rizzo. And yes, I have him plotting a book on the subject. However, that will not help you today. And we all need help. Today.

So, check out Rizzo's new blog and let us know what you think.


-ski

P.S. Tony is available to put the proper assets to work on the proper tasks. Give me a call (initial consultation is free) to jump start holistic thinking at your company.

----
Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
www.throughput.us
+1 330 432-3533

tag: Holistic Thinking
©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Mobilizing Minds :: A Review

Great title for a book

Subtitle: Creating Wealth From Talent in the 21st Century Organization

Even better. However, as you already guessed, I was disappointed. Maybe if you are running a Fortune 500 company you will have the required five (5) years to reinvent your organization along the lines described by Bryan and Joyce. Maybe.

Pro

The concept of "rents" is given a place on the center stage, as it should. The authors define rents as "excess returns after paying for all costs including the costs of capital." My readers will recognize this as "throughput"... which I constantly refer to as, "Money in your pocket now, and more money in your pocket in the future."

My crude definition addresses a number of issues, some of which where addressed by Mobilizing Minds. They use the term "performance metrics." In the introduction a plausible course is set before us: today's companies "need to be designed so that they can mobilize mind power as well as labor and capital." Amen.

But as the authors recount years of research and game plans that will take a business five (or more!) years to adopt and integrate, they miss the mark. First, there does not seem to be any understanding of complexity and it's inherent simplicity. While Eli Goldratt is right that one does not need structural or organizational restructuring to implement simple changes that will effect huge and almost immediate benefits, he fails to appreciate (as the scientist, perhaps, given to proving theories rather creating lasting results) that his methods while brilliant (even though nine out of ten times, they are simply common sense) do not last.

Enter H. William Dettmer and his landmark book on Strategy: Strategic Navigation. And Tony Rizzo's Total-Matrix process (basically, it is engineering applied to business). But I digress...

Or do I?

Look, there is a reason that Bill Dettmer and Tony Rizzo are friends as well as clients... they have found the missing the link relative to their area of focus. When I discover someone has the answer to any problem that I am wrestling with, I fire off an email. Make a phone call. Jump on the motorcycle. And get in their face! If you hold the key to my challenge, you can expect a knock on the door.

Life is too short!

Harland David Sanders (KFC's Colonel Sanders) was the exception... we all cannot wait until we reach the age of 65 to start our empires! There is perfect balance in business as in life, or what Sir Isaac Newton called harmony. Mobilizing Minds has some great passages that shed much light on the mentality of larger corporations, but the suggested action plan is misguided (in my not so humble opinion). Few organizations have ten years to study the past, then design a plan that takes five years to implement.

Con

Yes, I only work with privately held firms. So, my mileage must vary. But there is a better solution, and it is called Constraints Management Model (CMM). Dettmer took the best of Goldratt's Theory of Constraints (TOC) and Colonel John Boyd's work (including but not limited to the OODA Loop) and gave us the key: navigation. Bryan and Joyce talk of working the plan backwards. Great. But the framework laid out in Strategic Navigation is light years ahead of anything else to which I have been exposed. And Dettmer freely admits that he only scratched the surface.

Enter Rizzo and his Total-Matrix process that introduces one of the major missing elements: the primary system. Not to mention the true invariant of business systems: information!

Sorry, I got lost in the moment. Was Mobilizing Minds worth the cover price? Yes. It confirms a lot of challenges facing businesses in the 21st century. It talks of the importance of talent. However, there are significantly better solutions. Regardless the size of your company.


Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
Throughput.us LLC
(330) 432-3533

©2008 Throughput.us LLC

Art in Action

The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki I love my Apple(1) iPod. It holds a lot of music, but almost as many (if not more!) podcasts like Kawasaki's Art of Pitching from this book. In fact, just this morning over coffee I listened to my most recent TV appearance, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s I have a Dream and this chapter of "Art", read by the author. Why? I am on a mission. Those that know me, know that means I am focused like a laser for the next ninety days on making something happen. Something that should prove of great value for a number of folks. I would have said for a "number of businesses" except that my mind is not wired that way... for me, a business is a dream by one or more individuals. A dream of serving one's fellow man. A dream of results that leave planet earth in better shape than that condition in which it was found. Yes, I understand that not everyone has so pure of intentions. Not my problem. I only must answer for my actions. To Do: create a press release Last week I was sidelined by yet another cold. Seems that my visit to Ohio is not agreeing with my health. One would expect that May in Ohio would be full of sunshine and warm weather. Wrong. It is not expected to break seventy degrees in the next five days. But I digress... I need a press release unlike most others. The subject is most interesting (at least to me): Tony Rizzo and I have agreed to a joint marketing effort on behalf of his Product Development Institute. I have become an agent (non-exclusive) for PDI with the mission of reselling his services. Hence, my study of great messages by great leaders... in search of the perfect "voice" for the press release. A release worthy of the occasion. A document that will move others to action. What might be called, "Art in Action." -ski P.S. Although the PR is not yet complete, feel free to contact me immediately if your projects are not progressing as required. Your success is the key to our success... and the sooner we start, the sooner you will experience breakthroughs you might be tempted to consider impossible. They are not. ---- Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah www.throughput.us +1 330 432-3533 tag: Tony Rizzo ©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved. (1) Disclaimer: I own Apple (AAPL) stock.

Wednesday :: February 27th

The Big Red X Marks the Spot

Better project models while you wait? Not really. Some assembly required.

What is the value of knowing which link in your business processes will break next? Priceless? Absolutely. Unless you have given the circumstances surrounding managing projects in our matrix driven world as much thought as Tony Rizzo, why try to reinvent the wheel?

Eliyahu Goldratt gave us the vantage point of the "constraints oriented" mindset. First, in his first book "The Goal". Among his breakthroughs in the years following, the Critical Chain project management (CCPM) approach.

CPM (Critical Path Method) advanced the ability of teams to focus on the proper steps to create successes otherwise impossible. Think U2 spy plane. Critical Chain showed us that few organizations have unlimited resources. Our toolbox ought to reflect this fact. Tony Rizzo took CCPM to the next level... an order of magnitude (at least) beyond any thinking on the problems facing multiproject environments: Total-Matrix driven organizations. Like yours!

Do you have just one boss? Or, just one direct report?

Of course not.

So why (try to) manage your projects as if you do?

WEDNESDAY :: FEBRUARY 27TH :: 2PM EST

We all have the exactly the same problem: "We don't know, what we don't know." Hence I am pleased to offer an hour's worth of interaction with the master of all things "project".

Revelation in three parts:

1. Introduction to the Total-Matrix Planning process (PowerPoint)
   
2. How To Use TMx (a gotoMeeting session)
3. Free Fully Functional TMx add-in for MS-Excel (30 day eval)

Seats are limited, get yours: ski@throughput.us

Requests for private (and confidential) demonstrations will gladly be considered. Again, contact SKI and make your curiosity known.

Already using TMx, but struggling with the rigors of such a highly efficient process? One on one tutoring is available in 3.5 hour sessions via gotoMeeting. I am embarrassed to share the price of this offering (it is that low)... but I digress.

Have a company that needs turned around? TMx might just be the required catalyst.

Call me.


Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
Throughput.us LLC
(330) 432-3533

New TMx Logo

It takes a Village...

It is mostly about people. Business that is. For me, business is about solving problems for money. Solve more problems than the next guy, make more money. Of course, address the concept of "throughput" and you get to keep more of the money. But I digress...

Part of the village on the TMx adventure was Thayer Bennett. Her desire to build a great marketing plan around Tony Rizzo's Total-Matrix planning tool known as TMx. Also, Lana Lewis of Lana Lewis Design created the final artwork. Please visit WWW.PDITMX.INFO to see the graphics up close and personal.

As many of you know, I built the eCommerce back end that allows those suitably impressed individuals to convert the free download into a fully licensed product with just a few clicks of the mouse.

Finally, thanks to Tony Rizzo for staying true to the vision. In fact, if you want a sneak peek at the future of "help systems" you must download this app. This thing will practically build project models by itself! Hit the "what's next" button and it takes control. Kind of scary.

Actually, quite profound. But maybe not for everyone.

I was talking with a friend (lets call him, Harry) and asked which project planning software he used. He said, "Pad." I queried further, "Pad? I am not familiar with that. Who makes it?"

A paper pad and a pencil

Ouch.

TMx can even help my friend Harry.


Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
Throughput.us LLC
(330) 432-3533

©2008 Jeff SKI Kinsey. All rights reserved.

Faster or Not

I love the business of business. It is rarely dull or boring. However, there is a penalty for taking on too much business. Or trying to rush through the business of business.

How do you approach business?

For me, it is all about relationships. When I launched eDivision dot net in 1998, an eCommerce business with the tag line, "The power behind the Submit Button", I expected my virtual organization would allow me the freedom to never have to meet face to face with a client.

Yes, one of the advantages of our lean structure was the freedom to eliminate the time consuming function of actually engaging the client in person.

How stupid!

Fortunately, light dawned over marble head, and I quickly realized that my business structure provided the freedom to spend almost all of my time with my prospects and clients. An international network of talent, bidding on my various projects, provided the perfect business model for true success. Then comes the events of 911... and I decide "life is too short"... and close eDivision.

Well, after five years of wondering around these United States of America on various motorcycles, spending winters in great places like Ft Lauderdale, Myrtle Beach and Britt, Iowa, I have rejoined the hunt. The hunt for business nirvana.

Success

Due in large part to the connection of Constraints Management gurus that I had met during my adventures at the helm of TOCreview magazine, one of the business ventures funded by eDivision in 2000 and 2001.

Last night one of those gurus, Tony Rizzo, called with a business idea. Tell me that you recall he is the world's leading expert on Project Management. Rizzo was the first to implement multiproject Critical Chain Project Management. His TMx offering could save your business millions, and because your gross annual revenues might only be a couple million dollars, you have already dismissed this fact.

Shame on you

But I digress. The point I want to make, and that I made to Rizzo last night (and many times to him in the last six months), is simple: "Its relationships." Period.

Often we are so close to a given situation, that we cannot see the trees for the forest. We get moving, and moving faster and faster, stuff happens and we loose focus. We loose our ability to maintain focus or to properly select the best focal (or leverage) point.

Shame on us

Today, I seek to help one person at a time. Just one. Yet your reaction may be, "How could that work?" The money you can make from helping just one person, is huge. In part, because everyone you know, knows at least one other person. Every business in America is part of a much larger system. And every country, part of the world's system.

There is an expression in sales that goes something like,

"I do not want to close every sale, just the next one."

Which does in fact imply that you really do want them all! Your answer is simple, in fact they even made a movie about it: Jerry Mcguire. The beginning of the movie shows the creation of a great mission statement: Less is More. Cuba Gooding, Jr. took home the Oscar for his "Show me the Money!" character.

Life is simple. (I did not say easy.)

Want an Oscar? Focus on the money. One client at a time. Solve just one problem. For one person. In one business. And within 90 days, you will be amazed at your throughput. Which I define as "more money in YOUR pocket."

Need help?

Download TMx. Then call me. Do I expect everyone in the world to call? Of course not. I just expect you to call.

Enthusiastically,


Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
Throughput.us LLC
(330) 432-3533

P.S. I had to pass on Rizzo's latest offer to participate in a new adventure. As I explained, until TMx is used in every business in America, I still have a lot of work to do...

January 27th

Where does time go?

If we only have today, yesterday is forever gone, and tomorrow never arrives, how did we get to the 27th day of the new year?

Beats me. But that is not the question.

No matter your plans for tomorrow, what are you going to do with today? May I suggest two thoughts: first, plan globally and execute locally. Second, think different (thanks Apple).

Plan Globally

"A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself;
but the simple pass on, and are punished."
—Proverbs 27:12

This might be insight into the magic of strategy and tactics. Strategy is as Tony Rizzo says, riding in the limo, announcing the destination. "Take me to the Hilton Head Island airport." Best set by the president of an organization. Better yet, "Make money now, and more in the future."

Execute Locally

"Be thou diligent to know the state of thy
flocks, and look well to thy herds."
—Proverbs 27:23

What happens when you take your eye off the ball during the golf swing? For me, it goes in the lake. Or trap. Ever feel trapped by the "state" of your business? Rizzo tells us that tactics are like maneuvers of the limo driver: turning left and right and pressing on (at a variety of speeds, including reserve on occasion) to navigate the course to success. To profits.

Or how about just to smaller losses!

My dad used to tell me, "Quit borrowing money, and someday you will be out of debt."

I tell my clients, "Stop doing the stupid things that you are doing, and it will get better."

Rizzo further suggests that we get the President to write a letter (official, on letterhead and everything) stating that in the next 90 days, fill_in_the_blank has my authority and blessing in directing all necessary actions, activities and budgetary expenses to complete the fill_in_the_project.

King Solomon went on to add clarity in this small yet important chapter:

"Iron sharpeneth iron... "
—Proverbs 27:17

In Purple Curve Effect, Thayer Bennett and I said it slightly differently: "Involve others."

In case you were not quite sure, let me restate: I am a lot more serious about your business succeeding that you are. Unless you are getting up early every morning and getting away from home and office, and simply thinking about success. Success for your family. For your business. For your country.

Get a journal and start to think different!

Write down your thoughts. List your problems. Your assets. Your network of resources. Recently, I had a department manager mention his turnover problem. FYI: It will cost your organization at least $10,000 every time you replace a valuable member of your team. Assuming that you get the hire "right." Get it wrong, and the true cost is significantly higher. As in much higher. But I digress...

So, I give the manager the answer: "Buy and study the book, the dream manager."

This book may be the third best book every written (behind only the Holy Bible and my Purple Curve Effect). It is that good. In fact, I stole its message (after a fashion) in my book, even though my book was written three years BEFORE Matthew Kelly's masterpiece. But I digress...

Just one more thing, some day I must share how I use "front loading" to solve problems. But for now, let me say that I was headed to a client's site. I knew about the turnover issue on some level. But had no real details. And while passing through a book store killing some time, I noticed Kelly's book. Skimmed and was amazed. So I bought it. And it is EXACTLY the answer to the question that would be asked many days later!

I am not suggesting that the exact approach used in the book (another business novel) is the only or the best approach, I am simply telling you that it should force everyone in business to examine a number of assumptions that they hold dear. Too dear.

As H. Willliam Dettmer pointed out, I am fond of the Socratic Method.

The first step towards solving a problem, any problem, is asking the right question. As we all know, the way to ask the right question, is to ask a lot of questions. Yes, some of them will be wrong. So what. "But that takes a lot of time!" you might remark.

Well, I can help with that: you have today. This day. And only this day.

"But I don't get paid enough to tackle all the problems facing the business I work for!"

"Whoso keepeth the fig tree shall eat the
fruit thereof: so he that waiteth on his
master shall be honoured."
—Proverbs 27:18

You will be compensated. It is a law of the universe. But it is easier than you think. May I let you in on a small secret? Find the weakest link, and fix it. Period.

That alone is the key to all your problems. Get help. Actually, to be more correct, "involve others!" Ask questions. Read books. Better yet, read every post that I have made on this blog. Yes, if you are serious about success, there is a better than average chance that I have already addressed your problem and offered one or more solutions.

Like the dream manager...

Or, simply pick up the phone. And call me.

-ski

P.S. Sorry if this seemed like "preaching" to you. But it is Sunday. And I am passionate about success. Yours first, which as Zig Ziglar states, will assure mine. So there it is; my dirty little secret. SKI is only interested in helping me so that he will succeed.

Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
ski@throughput.us
(330) 432-3533

(c)Copyright 2008 Jeff SKI Kinssey. All rights reserved.

PMconnection for Projects

PMconnection :: Connecting the PM World

Thanks to Jack and everyone at the PMconnection for the opportunity to get the word out on Tony Rizzo's TMx Project Modeling tool.

-ski

P.S. I love it when a plan comes together. Thayer Bennett slaved over the perfect message, and kept Tony and I on topic... a major accomplishment! And thanks again to Lana Lewis of Lana Lewis Design for great visuals. The absolute best, brightest and right people for the task.

Curves and Testing

Case Study in Results As I prepare for Tuesday's presentation at National Manufacturing Week in Chicago on Real Time Performance Management (where I explain this chart; session #204), I am reminded of the importance of testing. More testing is almost always better than less. Which brings us to modeling. And my friend Tony Rizzo, the master of business modeling with emphasis in the project management arena. If you are not aware of his Total-Matrix process, you really owe it to yourself (and your business) to check it out. But I digress... In this chart representing 90 days, as Director of Manufacturing for an American OEM, I was able to do a lot of real time observation, testing, and ultimately, implementation. The Y axis is measured in dollars. When I walked into the company, they had over a quarter of a million dollars tied up in WIP (Work in Process) inventory. Yet they were regularly running out of important parts... and they produced about $70K in throughput (gross monthly profit). Do you know what "good" looks like? Each business is unique. Templates can be a good thing, however, unless you apply them dynamically, they can cause more harm than good. This OEM was cash constrained plus, the simple act of getting products out the door was not very high on the priority list. What measures do you use? In this plant, the key assembly operation was on piece rate. So far, so good. However, humans being... well, human, the employees did not like the fluctuations in pay (and with good reason, as critical parts were often delayed for one or more days). So, they were set up on a draw against the actual earnings. After the end of each month, a 'bonus' check was issued. It was like free money! Or so was the mind set. Enter SKI The 'reward' system was sending the wrong message. Besides some restructuring of the 'bonus' system, I immediately placed emphasis on completing assemblies and shipping them ASAP. In fact, given the nature of the high ticket price of a completed unit, I started taking everyone to lunch each day that completed units were shipped. Expensive? Not compared to status quo! I am willing to put my money on the line. But I digress... Bottom line? By spending time on the shop floor (in real time) and seeing the challenges through the eyes of those trying to make products as well as a decent paycheck, I was able to determine this company's weakest link. That is the core concept of my book, Purple Curve Effect — SKI's Throughput on Command. Fix the weakest link, and only the weakest link. For the biggest bang! By reducing WIP, valuable cash was free to be applied at the greatest leverage point: the weak link. Which resulted in production more than doubling to $150k in throughput per month. Simple? Sure. Easy? Not so much. That's why they call it work! See you Tuesday. -ski P.S. Before its too late. ---- Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah Strategy, Tactics & Execution Dover, OH | Hilton Head Island, SC | Las Vegas, NV Cell: +1 330.432.3533 tag: Manufacturing Help Available ©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

The Raw Speed of Total-Matrix

The Raw Speed Total-Matrix
featuring Tony Rizzo

Promotional MP3

September 16, 2008
Whippany, NJ

More Throughput, Please

Due Date Performance

Your most important metric, yet the least requested feature in that new project description. Why is that?

No easy answers

For years, I talked (and perhaps even preached) that "Time equals Money." Not enough time to complete all the requested features? No problem, just throw money at the project. Not enough money? Strip out some features in order to finalize the project.

Of course this never works. We somehow convince ourselves that it will, yet the proof is lacking... big time! Consider your last major project. Let me ask you (and myself) a few simple questions.
Was the goal (purpose, mission, end results) clearly stated? A goal without a timetable is a wish; did you have a time line? Did you complete the project on the original (first!) due date? In over twenty years of managing projects, I can tell you from experience that question number one is always crystal clear at the beginning, but looks more like the Tuscarawas River (mostly muddy, most of the year) by the end of the project.

Second question: always. I cannot recall more than a hand full of projects that I have worked on without very demanding time lines. In fact, the only that comes to mind is the writing of my first book, Purple Curve Effect. Yes, that means several other efforts are afoot... but I digress.

Third: rarely. Everyone that has participated in any sort of project knows the dance: lets trade away functionality (or money or time) in order to complete the project anywhere near the due date.

Enter Tony Rizzo. Project Guru of the first order. A few years ago, during an exchange on what else but projects, he mentions the "four accuracies" with regards to projects. I say, "Say what?"

Everyone knows the holy trinity: time, functionality and budget

So, I say, "I give up, what is the fourth leg of the infamous three-legged dilemma of every project model?"

Accuracy relative to deliverables

Sounds crazy. Everyone knows what the project is suppose to do! Everyone knows the budget. Everyone knows the time line. Everyone knows the functionality that is required.

Again, at the start of the project, yes. Everyone would agree that everyone knows everything about the project. But do they? No way. In 99% of the cases it is my expert opinion that everyone is absolutely and hopelessly clueless! Why am I am so sure? Just look at the results!

No way does your last completed project (or any project) look like the "expected" results documented in the original deliverables. Zero. Nada. Zilch. Nixon. It just ain't gonna happened. Unless and until you change your approach. Most everyone has heard the expression, "To keep doing the same thing, over and over, and to expect different results, is the height of insanity." Einstein said it. I've said it. You have probably said it!

So, why don't we change?

We simply do not know how. Period. End of discussion. No room for debate. Subject closed.

Every time the media calls for a new recession (reminder: in the USA, we are not in a recession, regardless the stupid remarks made by otherwise very intelligent people), there are thousands if not hundreds of thousands of businesses that simply refuse to participate.

Therefore, make a decision!

Decide not to participate in any economic down-turn

Great. Now what? You are going to need more throughput. Recall that I over-simply this concept, and define it as, "more money in your pocket." Recall also that there are only two constraints: internal and external. Finally, recall that I focus on internal constraints. However, one of my clients is the master at solving external constraints, so I am happy to make the introduction should you need one.

Internal Constraints

Eli Goldratt is brilliant. he gave us the perfect tool to determine where the internal bottleneck is killing our throughput: the "bitch & moan session!" Bill Dettmer refined the process a bit, by promoting the Crawford Slip method to get a better handle on things, and to help shorten the session (as well as reduce the level of frustration participants often feel).

If your business is like the other 99.5% of all other businesses (again, in the USA, as that is my domain of experience), the cause of the bottleneck is going to fall into one of several categories. Yes, your business is unique. Yes, your processes are different that most every other business. I get it. Do you?

If your project deliverables are not significantly accurate (say 97% just to paint a target on the wall), then you cannot increase your throughput.

Let me say that again: poor accuracy with regard to deliverables equals poor due date performance.

Now what?

Pick up the phone.

-ski

----
Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
www.linkedin.com/in/consultski
Hilton Head Island, SC | Las Vegas, NV
Phone: (330) 432-3533

tag: Due Date Performance
©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Success is as Success does

HOW DO YOU SPELL SUCCESS?

In Purple Curve Effect, I offer seven tips for generating throughput. My working definition of throughput is simply, "more money in your pocket."

Too often, folks get hung up on window dressing. One advantage of cruising the country side on a motorcycle is people do not have very high expectations of the rider. Back in the late 1980's (man, that seems like eons ago!) I preferred a white dresss shirt and blue jeans. Today, it is jeans and my Turismo Cycles 'golf' shirt complete with a pocket. But I digress...

I worded these seven points differently in the book. And well, even I have trouble remembering them in order (although order is not all that important). So for the last couple of weeks, over my morning coffee at Starbucks, I have been working on phrases that help drive the message home.

So, what do you think?

Is this version helpful? Let me explain them at some length. For those whom strengths lie elsewhere...

Number One: "Dreaming" is the most important step. Period. Always. For ever. But it is not sufficient. How can you have a dream come true without a dream. In the book I called it, "Write down your Goal." Kind of sterile. Sam Walton was a dreamer. Steve Jobs is a dreamer. I have been all my life. Sure, "stuff happens" and the birds come to pick over your bones, but we have a choice! Dream bigger dreams. Ask. You have not, because you ask not. Oh yea, be careful what you ask for...

Number Two: "Make a List." Of everything. Think stuff up! Pretend you work for NASA. Think about the challenges to be solved in launching that new product line. Make lists of issues to resolve. Possible markets to enter. Or exit! Lists of people to involve. Or not involve! Make a list of questions that you need answers for, in order to proceed. You will be amazed how people just happen to pop into your life when you are on a mission.

Number Three: "Visualize the End Results." See them complete. Making money, or generating goodwill, or whatever makes sense in terms of throughput for your dream. See that ribbon cutting. Who was there? Add them to your list of invitees! Imagine your bank's staff knowing AND calling you by name as you come in for yet another deposit!

Number Four: "Develop a Project Plan for Success." I now prefer "reverse engineer" by far! See the end result and plan backwards (thanks again to Tony Rizzo for this insight). It is easier to build something (almost anything) if you have a copy to steal from! You can see the process. And as you dissect your vision, you will see shortcuts that the competion may have missed.

Number Five: "Involve Others." Still my favorite. But the "shop it around" phrase seems more timely. Why climb that mountain or swim that raging river alone? The view is almost always sweeter when you enjoy it with others. No one to share the challenge with? Call me. I only charge 10% (you get the other 90%!). Remember Jim Collins: "it is the RIGHT people that are your greatest asset."

Number Six: "Find a Working Model and Steal it." The magazine that I used as a model for TOCreview was not profitable. My bad using it as a model. Who do you know that is making a lot of throughput (money!)? Study them. Their business model(s). Can you apply those concepts in a slightly different manor or marketplace? Experiment. Test. Refine.

Number Seven: "Create a Feedback Loop" became "POOGI - Process of On-Going Improvement." That now gives way to the late Col. John Boyd's OODA Loop. He invented the maneuver you heard about in the movie "Top Gun." Remember when they all are in the tac trailer reviewing film of maneuvers and Maverick gets chewed out for a stunt that actually works? And the guy behind him lends over and whispers, "Gutsiest move I ever saw!" Thanks to H. William Dettmer for sharing his discovery of Boyd with me.

Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Publisher
www.ThroughputPress.com

P.S. How have you adopted the seven tips?

P.P.S. You do know about the MP3s that are now available, right?

P.P.P.S. This blog entry as an MP3 is available now.

tag: Throughput Tips
(c)Copyright 2007, Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey.
All rights reserved.

Back Chaining

Planning 101

Tony Rizzo brought this concept to my attention... basically, it is planning backwards, from the desired result, back to the present moment. What "chain" of events are required to create the future you seek?

Then comes the application of the Logical Thinking Process.

Finally, the Purple Curve Effect.

Uncommonse sense.

Simple? Yes.

Easy? Hardly!

Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
www.ThroughputPress.com

P.S. Get your own copy of Purple Curve Effect for just two bucks! Buy Now.

tag: Back Chaining
(c)Copyright 2007, Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey.
All rights reserved.

Next time, send them this

Johnny can Multitask!

It drives me wild when I see "help wanted ads" looking for someone that can multitask!

Starting today, I am going to start responding to those ads with a simple link to this YouTube video that Tony Rizzo created (for which, I did the voice-over).

It is that good. And funny. And yes, that sad. But true.

Consider the 80/20 rule as it pertains to throughput: I can double the production of 80% of the companies in the United States by simply eliminating bad multitasking.

Yes, 80%.

Doubt me? Attend this workshop.

Better yet, pick up the phone and call me. Let me explain the power of focus. A great guy (with a difficult job) at a client site wanted to believe me... he really did. Then we talked after a holiday break, in which he went into the office to catch up. He was proud of the amount of work he accomplished "working without interruption!"

Doh!

Yes, I am 100% serious: you can double your production regardless the size of your organization, by eliminating bad multitasking. I can prove it!

Call.

-ski

P.S. Please share Johnny's relay race with your superiors... what was the reaction?

I really want to know.

----
Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah
www.throughput.us
+1 330.432.3533

tag: Johnny can multitask!
©2008 Throughput.us LLC. All rights reserved.

Financial Flush Method (FFM)

Financial Analysis Concept known as Flush by Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah After something like 40 or 50 years of stagnation, Dr. Eli Goldratt and his colleagues reinvented project management. It is called "Critical Chain Project Management" (CCPM). There is also a version for development teams that share resources among multiple projects. In fact, Tony Rizzo actually applied this multi-project version first. But I digress... In the last chapter of "Critical Chain", Goldratt gives us one last jab in the ribs, after exposing the critical chain method. The book explains how to insure that projects finish on time and within budget. Great news for mere mortals. But then, almost as an afterthought (which is was not!), he introduces a method to decide which projects should actually be launched! The poor word choice for this concept: Flush Think in terms as in "getting back to flush" or even, with regard to cash. As Goldratt justified a radical new approach to production (the concept that resources are finite, not infinite), and as he explained in Critical Chain Project Management (again, resources are finite, among other concepts), he makes another leap of brilliance: cash (to be used as working capital) is finite as well. Therefore, we need better measurements than those in use today. Refresher in Finance 101 (Managerial Accounting):

• Banks want to know: "What's in it for me?"
• Customers want to know: "What's in it for me!"
• Business owners want to know: "How should I use my limited funds?"

Anyone around the Constraints Management method for more than about two days, knows that there has to be a method to determine a "win-win-win" solution. For the bank (source of funding, not necessarily from a bricks and mortar building type bank), the customer, and for the business with more projects than cash to implement them all.

First, we must consider problem solving 101 (Goldratt style):

1. What to change?
2. What to change it to?
3. How to cause the change?

Answer #1: We must change how we pick the projects that we are going to implement. As constraints management folks know, when considering vendors or suppliers, price is way down the list of priorities. It is far more important that the vendor be reliable. Reliable in terms of a suitable (quality) product delivered at the agreed upon time and place. Suppliers on the other end of the phone/fax/email from me understand this concept very well. I tell the story often and with prejudice! I do not care when delivery of my purchased goods are promised (within reason), just make sure they are delivered when promised. When you are building high end custom motorcycles to order (using sDBR {simplified Drum-Buffer-Rope}), job shop fashion, the lack of parts is a death wish. If this concept (of reliability over price) is foreign to you, stop. Do not read any further. You will not comprehend Flush. Or Critical Chain Project Management. Or how to turn million dollar loses into profits in less than 90 days. All of which are true, valid, proven concepts. Part two next Monday. -ski (c)Copyright 2006, Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey, Jonah All rights reserved.

multi project management

The clock is ticking... Purple Curve Events presents North East Ohio Constraints Management Workshop on Multi Project Management featuring Tony Rizzo of the Product Development Institute. www.NEOworkshops.info