Whenever I think about entering into a relationship with a new supplier I always ask, expect where it is obvious, how they make their money. The ability to make money is essential to any business. Without it it will not be able to survive and that will be no good for me and the business … Continue reading Value your business
Continuous blood
‘We are sorry’ said the text ‘but your session is running late.’ Great I thought as I was already parked up and walking into Morpeth Rugby Club to give blood. ‘Please allow 30 minutes extra for your donation today. Could you please still arrive at your appointment time’ the text continued helpfully. This was the … Continue reading Continuous blood
Minimum viable event
A minimum viable product (MVP) is a product with just enough features to satisfy early customers and to provide feedback for future product development. It is something that is just good enough to test on the market without breaking the bank. But does the product always have to be something tangible? Of course not. The … Continue reading Minimum viable event
Potholes
There are two types of people in this world. Those who can tell what a pothole looks like and those that can’t. I know this because strange yellow circles have appeared on the streets around Morpeth highlighting the holes in the road surface caused by the unusually protracted winter weather conditions this year. Until they … Continue reading Potholes
Washing machine
Have you ever felt vindicated? Have you ever had an idea that everyone laughed at only for it to come a reality? Well, it looks like I have. It was way back in September 2015 that I first blogged about my idea. We were in our first lean startup training session lead by my good … Continue reading Washing machine
Back to school
It was a very weird experience, sitting in front of a class full of students from my old school. OK, it was a long long time ago since I sat in its drab and dusty classrooms and we were sitting in Campus North rather than the school itself yet it was still an odd experience. … Continue reading Back to school
Fresh perspectives
I read that Taiichi Ohno would draw a circle on the floor and make his new disciples stand in it and observe how things really worked. He would make them stay there until they had a strong understanding of the business. I think it was in the book ‘The Machine that Changed the World’ in … Continue reading Fresh perspectives
Unfolding plans 200 – Hoary chestnuts roasting
Once again that perennial problem of system specification has raised its head. It is a hoary chestnut yet one I thinking we are making good inroads into cracking. Traditionally when we have decided we have a need for something, a new process, a new system or a new tool we would get a group together … Continue reading Unfolding plans 200 – Hoary chestnuts roasting
Unfolding plans 151 – Employee engagement and culture
This week is flying by. It’s day four of National customer Service Week already. I’m still wearing my Institute of Customer Service badge (with pride) even though I’ve changed jackets since yesterday. Today’s theme is employee engagement and culture which is perfect as we’re having our second day of our Lean Start-Up training. The group … Continue reading Unfolding plans 151 – Employee engagement and culture
Lean your kitchen
I saw an article the other day on whether you can apply lean principles to your kitchen. It was called Determining the Overall Productivity in Your (Wife's) Kitchen and came with an amusing video, sepia-tinted to make it look old. Now I know that lean is more of a way of thinking than a set … Continue reading Lean your kitchen
