Archive for April, 2009

Process Bloat, a Hidden Indigestion

indigestion, process bloat, wasteThe Hidden Factory is a term that refers to activities in an operation that were not designed into it, but grew over time as workarounds for the current process.  Most organizations have some form of a Hidden Factory and being able to “see” these hidden factories in an organization requires learning to see what waste is and understanding that waste in any operation — service or manufacturing — can be a substantial drain on the bottom line, top line, on employee morale, shareholders and, most importantly, the customer.

indigestion, process bloat, wasteThe Hidden Factory is a term that refers to activities in an operation that were not designed into it, but grew over time as workarounds for the current process.  Most organizations have some form of a Hidden Factory and being able to “see” these hidden factories in an organization requires learning to see what waste is and understanding that waste in any operation — service or manufacturing — can be a substantial drain on the bottom line, top line, on employee morale, shareholders and, most importantly, the customer.

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Purposeful Simplicity, Unthoughtful Complexity

complexity, fractal, simplicityMost people or organizations do not, by design, create a product or service with the goal of “making the most complex product that nobody can use”.  In other words, rarely do we see purposeful complexity but instead we see much unthoughtful complexity.

i am going to create the most complex product or service and nobody will be able to use it!  i’ll make sure that after my customers experience my product or service, that they feel deflated & completely unsuccessful.

complexity, fractal, simplicityMost people or organizations do not, by design, create a product or service with the goal of “making the most complex product that nobody can use”.  In other words, rarely do we see purposeful complexity but instead we see much unthoughtful complexity.

i am going to create the most complex product or service and nobody will be able to use it!  i’ll make sure that after my customers experience my product or service, that they feel deflated & completely unsuccessful.

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Goodbye eBay, Hello Backcountry.com

backcountry.com, snowboard, biking, skateboarding, outdoor sports, extreme sports, skiing, mountain climbing, hiking, deals, valueI resigned from eBay and I’m happily joining Backcountry.

I covered the company in this post back in February 2007.  I was intrigued by the company then and have continued my relationship with them over the years.  I know and respect the management team and I am especially impressed by and attracted to their core values, which they genuinely follow:

backcountry.com, snowboard, biking, skateboarding, outdoor sports, extreme sports, skiing, mountain climbing, hiking, deals, valueI resigned from eBay and I’m happily joining Backcountry.

I covered the company in this post back in February 2007.  I was intrigued by the company then and have continued my relationship with them over the years.  I know and respect the management team and I am especially impressed by and attracted to their core values, which they genuinely follow:

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On Queueing, Oil Change, and Customer Experience

jiffy lube, waiting room, ethnography, observational research, shmula.com, customer experience, twitter, facebook, net promoter score, nps, detractor, promoterEarlier this week, I went to Jiffy Lube to get my oil change. I once worked for a person responsible for the redesign of many waiting rooms in various industries, so I went with an observant eye, looking for the items that he taught me about in his ethnographic work.   It was a very interesting 30 minutes. Here’s what I saw and learned.

jiffy lube, waiting room, ethnography, observational research, shmula.com, customer experience, twitter, facebook, net promoter score, nps, detractor, promoterEarlier this week, I went to Jiffy Lube to get my oil change. I once worked for a person responsible for the redesign of many waiting rooms in various industries, so I went with an observant eye, looking for the items that he taught me about in his ethnographic work.   It was a very interesting 30 minutes. Here’s what I saw and learned.

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