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April 2009

Process Bloat, a Hidden Indigestion (Process Cycle Efficiency)

by Pete Abilla on April 21, 2009

bloated processes, lean six sigma

The 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 [...]

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Purposeful Simplicity, Unthoughtful Complexity

by Pete Abilla on April 15, 2009

shmula, complexity, simplicity

Most 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 [...]

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Goodbye eBay, Hello Backcountry.com

by Pete Abilla on April 7, 2009

I 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 [...]

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On Queueing, Oil Change, and Customer Experience

by Pete Abilla on April 2, 2009

Earlier 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 [...]

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