Are You Realizing Your Potential?

Last week we talked about the continual improvement journey at CTMT Data Center. This week we will discuss Ram Jack Foundation Systems, an internationally recognized structural repair company with the latest foundation repair technology and a tradition of the highest standards in customer care. 

Ram Jack has developed innovative ways to repair foundations and to stop or prevent structural damage.  Their plan for growth focused on creating distributorships that leverage their innovative products and techniques for construction and foundation repair. But, how could Ram Jack maintain its revenue growth?  Given such an excellent company with excellent products, an excellent staff, and an excellent reputation, they had potential for sales that was several times their current annual revenue. 

Ram Jack called Bizmanualz to help them standardize their operations with standard operating procedures that would allow them to realize their potential for growth.  Bizmanualz started by collecting and analyzing data about the distributorship operations. 

Success Can Mean Change

Chris Anderson, Managing Director of Bizmanualz, made an analogy to a high school track star.  “His is already the fastest guy in the school, so everything he does is working for him,” said Chris, “there is no need to change.“  Then the track star goes on to compete at the college level, and suddenly being the fastest isn’t so easy anymore.  “He needs to learn improved training regimens, race strategies and techniques, and other new habits.”  He is still a fast, top notch athlete, but he needs to make some important changes if he is going reach his full potential and compete at the next level.

It was clear that some of Ram Jack’s processes could be improved with documented policies, procedures, and metrics, but to what goal?  The first step was obtaining agreement on a clear vision and mission from the management leadership.  The next step was to document and communicate the vision and mission in ways that express a unified strategy that all departments and business segments could align their activities to.  Only then could policies and procedures be put in place that reinforced the vision, mission, and strategies on a routine basis in the daily operations. 

Making It at the Next Level

While Ram Jack was already a very successful and growing company, they faced a critical question.  At what level did they want to compete?  Ram Jack’s management made the important yet sometimes difficult decision that they were ready to embrace change to obtain substantial growth. 

After re-thinking their business model, strategy and their alignment between business sectors, Ram Jack developed a plan to improve the dealer channel with a new look, a new attitude, and a new approach.  This new realization brought with it the understanding that more changes were needed than documented procedures.  Some staff responsibilities shifted, new positions were created, and some new procedures were implemented to affect the change. 

The result: growth is continuing, but now there is a plan to realize their potential.  With an action plan in place, growth appears to be more manageable and employees are more confident.  The atmosphere has changed, not just because procedures were developed, but because the vision is clearer to everyone.

Ram Jack is well on their way to reaching important milestones in their distributorship, and they are now starting to focus on strategies and alignment within their manufacturing operations.  The next question is how to produce more products more effectively and more efficiently using lean manufacturing.

How quickly are you reaching your goals?  Sometimes it can take an objective and expert third party to help you challenge your assumptions and assist you in reevaluating your mission and strategy, just like a good college coach can help the high school athlete take his or her skills to the next level.  Bizmanualz can help you to focus on doing the right things right.

To learn more about using process improvement programs for your organization, attend the next Implementing Lean Thinking  or How to Align a System of People and Processes for Results class.  If you are eager to learn more about creating more order out of the chaos you are feeling at work, then the How to Create Well-Defined Processes class is right for you.

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Posted on Monday, May 21st, 2007 under Case Studies

Licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 United States License.

Originally published by Bizmanualz, Inc. under the title Are You Realizing Your Potential?.

This and more articles like this can be found at www.bizmanualz.com. This article may be reprinted freely as long as this resource box is left intact.