Operational Improvement Tips for Your Small to Mid-Sized Company

Posted by on Mar 31, 2016 in Business Operations, Continuous Improvement, Health Care, Non-Profits, Pharma, Project Management, Six Sigma | 0 comments

48102643_sFor my birthday a friend gave me a pair of gloves for surviving these rough Midwest winters where I live. They are beautiful, and very much appreciated. Inside the gloves, however, is a small tag that reads, “One size fits all.” Trying them on proved that claim to be a bit of false advertising!

Thankfully my friend didn’t mind making a quick exchange for me, and now I am set for the next snow season months away. The incident made me think, though, about companies that try to adopt the “one size fits all” mentality, especially when it comes to improving business processes.

Implementing process improvement programs such as Lean and Six Sigma can sometimes feel like a glove that doesn’t fit right. There are ways, though, to deploy data-driven tools like Lean and Six Sigma for smaller and mid-sized organizations that doesn’t require the massive all-or-nothing approach. It allows them to implement at a slower, more manageable pace. The strategy and projects are directly aligned to the organization’s strategic plan and customer needs. As a result, they often are more successful in achieving business improvements quickly, and on a grander scale, than their larger counterparts.

Even if you are a biotech or pharma start-up or a not-for-profit with 5 or less employees, you can benefit from taking a data-driven approach to your business operations.

  • How can I use data to be smarter about my financial projections?
  • How should the start-up prepare itself for growth?
  • What must be done to meet the milestones established by the investors (market)?
  • How does a company know if it can achieve its goals?
  • Are resources appropriately applied; is this the best ROI that can be expected?
  • What risks must be addressed immediately?

Sometimes small to mid-sized organizations don’t realize that their size actually puts them at an advantage in the market, if they can just harness their data to make smart business decisions.

If you run a small to mid-sized organization, what has been your experience with operational improvement initiatives? I’d love to hear your story!

If you have a business process that needs a “check-up,” please email me! I’d love to help you get back to a healthy, productive workplace!