There is a methodology, first developed at GE, which may be suitable in helping to buffer organizations from the effects of the Recession. This process, originally called Work-Out, is a methodology that quickly brings together employees and managers to find easy fixes to current processes and blockages. The idea here is not to engage in major analysis and intensive reengineering but to quickly isolate those areas which add cost or little value. There is a team effort to quickly diagnose the issue and put in place changes which will have a lasting effect.
We are specialists in the Work-Out process. We have facilitated and taught the process in a variety of settings including the federal and provincial governments, Quebecor, Suncorp Metway, The Garland Group, Johnson and Johnson, and others.
Some examples:
- Helped eliminate low value activities in a finance department that allowed it to reduce it's workload by 20%.
- Assisted a manufacturing facility improve its production yield by 15%
- Facilitated a Work-Out for a printing company that reduced production delays by 20%
- Provided a series of sessions that were designed to reduce supplier costs by 15%.
- Helped a bank speed up its approval process and reduce load declinals by 20%.
Work Out is also a powerful tool for empowering employees. The basis for its success is that much of the problem solving is a managed by the employees, who then present their recommendations to management.
For additional detail on the process and how it can help, we have a number of articles in our Articles and Resources section. We also provide training on the Work-Out methodology.
