A lean competitive advantage comes from mastering lean.  A few 5S Kaizen projects will not produce a competitive advantage.  Lean mastery requires a dedication and discipline just like a professional sport, the Olympics, or a concert virtuoso.  Most people do not want to put in the hard work that it takes to join the 1% club.  Today the kids in America do not want to go into science and engineering because it is too hard.  It is easier to move manufacturing to China than to implement lean mastery.

Lean is a path to world class status.  It should be sold to your organization based on being the best and not based on saving some money on a project basis.  People that are focused on being the best will do whatever it takes t and will receive the rewards that being the best delivers.  People focused on money are involved in the politics of money, which is not what lean is about.  Lean can save a few dollars, which is what the surveys show.  But, saving a few dollars is not lean mastery.  Dominating your industry is lean mastery and that is worth more than a few dollars.

To learn more about using process improvement programs for your organization, attend the next Implementing Lean Thinking 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.  ISO 9000 Quality Auditor classes are forming now for Internal Auditor. Call for information on having your own private in-house classes today.

For example, the ISO 9000:2005 definition states:

Corrective Action (Clause 3.6.5):
action to eliminate the cause of a detected nonconformity and its recurrence.

Preventive Action (Clause 3.6.4):
action to eliminate the cause of a potential nonconformity and its occurrence.

But does this really clear it up for anyone?

What’s the Difference between Corrective Action and Preventive Action?

Corrective action is performed on detected nonconformities.  In other words, there are real defects that exist right now and action must be taken to stop them from ever happening again in the future.  Most people get this and seem to understand the concept of real defects needing to be fixed—permanently, so they do not cause further aggravation.  But what about preventive actions?

People seem to get hung up on what a potential nonconformity is and how do you prevent it from ever occurring in the first place?  Potential defects are defects that could happen.  I think a better description would be to call these risks.  Everyone understands the concept of risk at some level.  If we keep using a dull blade on a saw, then we are taking a risk because at some point that blade is going to break.

Using a dull blade is a bad business practice, right?  So what other bad business practices are you using in your business that you should fix to prevent a bad outcome (nonconformity) from occurring?  Potential nonconformities are all around us in every business.  The question is, how do you find potential nonconformities?  The best way to find them is to look for them using common quality tools.

Top Ten Preventive Actions

1. Analyze process or product characteristics for negative trends that, if left alone, could drift into a nonconformity.  Such analysis can be documented into a control plan.
2. Install alarms to warn you when your process is drifting into a nonconformity.  Statistical process control charts provide excellent alarms.
3. Review nonconformances found in similar processes, products, or companies for ideas that could be applied to your business.  Benchmarking similar companies is great for brainstorming preventive actions.
4. Perform risk analysis to uncover latent hazards.  Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA) is a great tool for process risk analysis.
5. Implement lean thinking to eliminate wastes, which are obvious signals of latent causes of future defects.
6. Establish more rigorous training programs to continuously improve your employee’s skills.  Regular training introduces new ideas into your organization that can be sources of innovation that prevent nonconformities.
7. Introduce disaster recovery, security, and contingency plans for unpredictable situations, hazards, or safety conditions.
8. Set up preventive maintenance & calibration control programs to ensure your equipment is always safe, available, and performing optimally.
9. Begin supplier surveillance audits to assist your supply chain in delivering quality product to you consistently.
10. Analyze your process capabilities to create a foundation for improvement.  Use Capability Maturity Model (CMM) or Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) for inspiration.

What preventive actions do you take in your business to eliminate defects BEFORE they occur?

Fist you have to ask yourself what does HR do?  HR’s function is to support hiring and termination, training and development, benefit programs, HR compliance-safety and their own improvement projects.  There are five topics to discuss.

Next you have to develop a Lean Daily Management System.  I believe you need daily ten minute meetings to maintain the discipline of lean.  Daily meetings are the cornerstone of a Lean Daily Management System.  That does not mean you need to talk about the same things every day.  If your transaction volume is low then focus on different areas each day.

Your lean system should be focused around a visual management board.  The daily discussion should be about the data collected, the trend charts that you are updating, any noconformances that are occurring, and what your HR progress is towards your HR objectives.  Of course this implies you have sat down and developed your objectives and understand what the purpose of HR is in your organization.

Some believe that HR has nothing to talk about daily.  But wait; if HR has nothing to talk about daily then what exactly do they do every day?  I suspect they are thinking about the big HR picture.  They need to break it down into smaller elements that can be charted and tracked daily.  Keep in mind, if your company is big enough to have an HR department, then it is big enough to have something to talk about daily.

For example, if you are hiring one person a month then you must have a process that requires oversight, has defects, and also has opportunities for improvement.  Yes, HR has daily things to talk about…

Questions to ask in your daily ten minute lean meetings are:

• What is employee turnover, what’s the goal?
• What is the competency level for each employee, what’s the goal?
• How many people are using benefit programs, what is the goal?
• How many compliance/safety nonconformance, what’s the goal?
• How many kaizens, what’s the goal?
• Overall, what are the results of the HR department services?

Yes, you can implement lean in HR.  You can implement lean anywhere.  The issue is having goals and then collecting the right data to lead the discussion to motivate everyone to get lean.

1. Quality Standards.  Documents and records are used all throughout the company.  Nobody should know more about quality, compliance and processes than the Quality Manager.  Your experience with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), ISO standards (i.e. ISO 9001), Sarbanes Oxley, or 21 CFR 820 within a regulated industry are important to managing and controlling documents and records.
2. Quality Project Management.  A Quality Manager is also a project manager managing corrective action, process improvement, and auditing projects.  One must have strong self-motivation, the ability to work independently, and within a team environment with strong follow up, organization and prioritization skills and excellent attention to detail helps too.  Perhaps most important of all is understanding the financial – risk-reward – trade-offs in good project management.
3. Business Process Documentation.  A Quality Manager must be able to understand, comply, and improve established company policies and procedures.  Developing standard work, policies, procedures, job aids, and business process communications are a part of the job.  A Quality Manager is also a technical writer.  Familiarity with policy and procedure writing will help you to succeed.  Technical writing conveys technical information using active voice construction, instructional design, and desktop publishing methods to transfer information into understandable and useful information.
4. Document Control.  As the Quality Manager, your Knowledge of the Quality documentation process, Document Control practices, and managing documents, records, forms, and work instructions is vital to maintaining your company’s compliance program.  A Quality Manager may be the Document Control Manager responsible for organizing documents into an easy to use and fast retrieval system.  Users need their policies and procedures to conform to requirements.  If they cannot find them, then they cannot follow them… Document control is an important priority.
5. Quality Communications.  It might go without saying but explaining business process compliance to others is what a Quality Manager has to do.  Being able to understand a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form helps others to follow and conform to the established best practice.  Communicating compliance and conformance is done using software such as Microsoft Word and Excel, training using PowerPoint, process mapping using Visio, Statistical Process Control (SPC) using statistics, as well as document revision control software for policies and procedures management.
6. People Management.  A Quality Manager should not be afraid of asking questions, collecting business process information, and working with others in a positive and collaborative manner.  Business processes include sensitive accounting and financial processes too.  So, you must be comfortable speaking effectively and communicating directly with all levels of personnel.
7. Quality Auditing.  A Quality Manager performs some of the quality audits.  Supply chain audits, process audits, and may even lead ISO audits an act as a Lead Auditor managing teams of auditors.  Clearly understanding the compliance requirements, collecting objective evidence, and writing up audit reports ensure the quality management system is operating effectively.
8. Problem Solving.  The Quality Manager solves problems, typically in situations where general standardization should exist, but may not be operating effectively.  Using process mapping techniques, lean, or Six Sigma process improvement methodology is essential to reducing waste and being effective in the Quality role.   A delicate balance exists between resolving problems yourself and identifying those situations that require management intervention for a solution.  Good political judgment is required where quality and compliance are concerned.
9. Team Player.  The Quality Manager is involved in teams and meetings at every level of the organization.  Management reviews, material reviews, supplier reviews, corrective action reviews, process improvement teams, audits, customer visits and strategy discussions.  A good Quality Manager is involved with many areas of the company.
10. Quality “Go To” Guy.  The Quality Manager is the person that everybody goes to to get answers about quality.  Product specifications, supplier requirements, testing, inspections, part verification, equipment calibration, corrective actions, non-conformances, workers compensation, benchmarking, voice of the customer, and on and on.  The buck stops here at Quality.

The Top Ten Quality Manager Job Description Responsibilities

1. Quality Standards.
2. Quality Project Management.
3. Business Process Documentation
4. Document Control.
5. Quality Communications.
6. People Management.
7. Quality Auditing.
8. Problem Solving.
9. Team Player.
10. Quality “Go To” Guy.

As the Quality Manager you are responsible for Quality Management System (QMS) and all of its related compliance.  You manage quality policies, procedures, processes, programs, and practices, to assure the company of continuous improvement, conformance and effectiveness.  In a smaller company you may also be the document control manager, quality auditor, and process improvement specialist.  But you are always a team player that has input on anything to do with quality.

Have you gained quality improvement expertise over the years working with many manufacturing, information technology, and service organizations?   Bizmanualz understands your ongoing challenges of building a Quality Management System, implementing Lean Thinking, or the day-to-day struggles to maintain your ISO registration.   ISO 9001 assistance is close at hand.  Bizmanualz can provide quality management support either with onsite or remote assistance.

Policies, procedures, and forms documentation.  Now you can develop a simple ISO system in as little as 12 pages that requires less overhead using Lean ISO 9001:2008 conforming policies, procedures, and forms documents.  Each document is easily editable in MS-Word to customize to your situation.

Procedure management software. Once your documents are drafted you can simplify your document version control and management tasks using online software that ensures document reviews and approvals are completed prior to release.  Deliver relevant documents to every point-of-use or to your auditors via the internet.  Improved document access control, search and retrieval ensure your users have what they need.  Using an online procedure management software means no more back-up, retention, and document control findings too.

1^st and 2^nd Party audit support.  You don’t need to have a full-time internal or supplier audit staff.  Just contract experienced auditors to oversee the internal audit process, schedules, and audit plans, as needed.  You will receive timely audit reports for your supplier audits, pre-assessment audits, internal audits or full system audits.

Quality Management Support. Obtain fast answers to your quality management system questions from experienced, certified quality managers that can lead management reviews with complete records of results, follow-up on management review action items, and oversee nonconformance, corrective and preventive action processes.  Technical advise on quality policy, quality objectives, and overall QMS performance is readily available.

Continuous Improvement Support. Trained and experienced Lean / Six Sigma facilitators are available to organize, lead and document Lean / Six Sigma improvement events (like 5S, Preventive Maintenance, Set-up reduction, line balancing, etc).  Contract for a only the ISO quality, lean, and six sigma training you need.  Having problems with SPC, calibration, FMEA, control plans, customer feedback processes?  Training programs, advise, and guidance can be yours.

Using Bizmanualz provides competent and cost effective resources that reduce common audit findings and management stress related to the quality management system.  Now you can quickly resolve common audit findings related to:

• Qualified personnel and training
• Working document and record control
• Timely internal audits and management reviews
• Viable Nonconformance, Corrective and Preventive Action system

Bizmanualz maintains competent, qualified (ASQ Certified) personnel available as Lean / Six Sigma facilitators, part-time quality managers, and part-time lead auditors.  Now you have a cost effective solution using less than a full time quality staff that are available as need demands and you pay only for what you use.

Bizmanualz quality system services offer less stress for management using a working QMS to retain your ISO Certification.  Your management just reviews and approves actions on a scheduled basis.  Now that’s easy.

The Five Areas Bizmanualz can Help with Your Quality Management System

1. Policies, Procedures, and Forms Documentation Examples
2. Document Version Control and Management Software
3. 1^st and 2^nd Party Audit Support
4. Quality System Management Support
5. Continuous Improvement Support

Call us to find out how Bizmanualz can help you with your Quality Management System today.

Figure 1. PDCA Wheel

PDCA was developed by Dr. Walter Shewhart, one of the top ten quality gurus.  Dr. W. Edwards Deming preferred to call it PDSA or Plan, Do, Study, Act because he felt that “check” emphasized inspection over analysis.  Most people spend most of their time on the first two, Plan and Do, and tend to neglect the Check and Act parts.  An ISO 9001 QMS is a balanced system and to keep your ISO system working effectively you need to value each PDCA element equally and not favor one (i.e. Plan, Do) over the other (Check, Act).

We have written a lot about PDCA in the past.  Now let’s take a look at PDCA as it relates to ISO 9001 by breaking down the ISO 9001 standard into its main elements and then assigning them to each part of the PDCA process.  What you see is that each clause of the ISO 9001 standard contains a planning step, clause 7 is focused on doing, and clause 8 is focused on checking and acting.  What clause do you think people have the most trouble with?

Clause 8 is the most troublesome because it is focused on checking and acting.  People get more satisfaction in planning and doing then they do in checking and acting.  It is just human nature.  So, to master ISO 9001 you have to break the habit and budget more time for the checking and acting steps of clause 8.  Now let’s take a look at each PDCA element and see how ISO 9001 aligns with PDCA.

PLAN

Your business should have an annual planning cycle that produces business plans that contain your: vision/mission/quality policy, operational objectives, budgets, preventive maintenance/actions, document standards, milestones, and new product/market/process introductions.  These are all planning elements.  ISO 9001 calls out these planning elements in seven areas.  Maintain QMS (4.1)

• Document QMS (4.2)
• Management Responsibilities (5)
• Manage Resources (6)
• Plan Product Realization (7.1)
• Control Monitor & Measurement Equipment (7.6)
• Preventive Action (8.5.3)

Most of these obviously belong here but what about Preventive Action (8.5.3)?  It comes from clause 8 (a check act clause) and sounds like an action step.  I put it here because preventive action is a plan to eliminate a defect that has not occurred.  Since we do not know if it will ever occur (with or without the preventive action being taken) then it sounds like a well intentioned plan.  If the defect occurs then the plan failed.  If it does not occur, then is this because we took action to prevent it?  If we cannot say this with certainty, then I would call it a plan.

DO

Your do steps are more frequent, possible occurring on a monthly cycle that produces data records for measurement and analysis as a result of executing the annual plans. A lot of your doing is focused on clause 7, Product Realization. Most of your ISO records are produced in clause 7.

• Competence & Training (6.2.2)
• Design, Develop, Realize (7)
• Purchasing (7.4)
• Product & Service Provisions (7.5)

CHECK

Once you have data from your doing steps you need to analyze or study the data (remember Deming’s PDSA reminding us to Plan, Do, Study, Act).  We do not want to check to see if a step was done or check to see if data was produced.  This is nothing but inspection.  We need to analyze and understand what the data is telling us.  We do this by converting the data into information.

The ISO 9001 standard clearly defines various check processes, which are cycles of measurement and analysis to determine how well the organization is executing the annual plans.

• Management Reviews (5.6)
• Monitor & Measuring (8.2)
• Customer Satisfaction (8.2.1)
• Internal Auditing (8.2.2)
• Data Analysis (8.4)

These are not one-time events.  These check processes continuously occur, which brings to mind trend lines on charts as a way to convert data into information.

A monthly or quarterly check event is very realistic, although many companies choose an annual audit, management review or customer satisfaction survey as a sufficient check on the ISO 9001 QMS.  I guess if you have an incredibly stable business model with little to no competition and a static environment, industry or market then maybe you can get away with an annual check.  Are there any businesses like that anymore?

ACT

Actions taken — without undue delay– to close the gap, identified during measurement and analysis, between the annual plans and the data records produced during execution.   Of course there is an element of act in the management reviews because after you review the required inputs you are supposed to assign action items to individuals to take the necessary corrective actions (and maybe preventive actions).

ISO 9001 has a few clear action steps like isolating nonconforming product, taking corrective action, and maybe preventive action too.

• Nonconforming Product (8.3)
• Corrective Action (8.5.2)
• Preventive Action (8.5.3)?  ( I know some of you want this here)

ISO 9001 is not a single PDCA cycle.  It is actually a series of imbedded PDCA cycles.  Clause 7 is not just about doing.  Product realization is itself a PDCA cycle that starts with planning requirements and realization needs.  Next comes development (doing), development reviews (checking), and finally development revisions (actions).  This same PDCA cycle is occurring within training, documentation, purchasing, auditing, corrective action, etc.  The whole concept of continuous improvement relies on PDCA.

Check out Bizmanualz Internal Auditor Training programs for more information on building Lean ISO Quality systems, creating well-defined processes, or getting more value out of your quality management system.

Now, what do you think of when you hear the term “lean“? Are you thinking “no fat”, as in Jack Sprat?  Do the words “efficient”, “effective”, or “no waste” come to mind?

If we put the two terms together, we get Lean ISO 9001, which means a quality management system (QMS) with no fat…an ISO 9001 system that is efficient, effective, and reduces waste within your organization. Who wouldn’t want that?

So, tell me…why do so many organizations implement huge ISO 9001 quality management systems, with hundreds of pages of policies, procedures, and forms, seemingly limitless bureaucracies, and ?

Few organizations are satisfied with the ISO 9001 systems they’ve built for themselves, yet they typically don’t want to change them. Why? Why stick with a system that causes more pain than it removes? Why not throw the old system out if it’s that bad, and replace it with a lean ISO quality system? Think of this: a lean quality management system — one that’s a mere dozen pages or so of easy-to-follow procedures, rules, and requirements, a minimum number of uncluttered forms, and no bureaucracy, which means you spend much less time maintaining your ISO 9001 QMS in top shape.

Easily Create a Lean ISO Quality System

It might be easier than you think to create a lean ISO quality system: mix one part ISO with two parts lean and you get a great quality system. Really, ISO is pretty straightforward once you introduce lean thinking into your organization.  Add lean kaizen improvement events for your corrective and preventive actions, lean standard work to create lean procedures, lean value stream mapping to define your processes, a lean dashboard to track your quality objectives, and a lean quality policy focused on your customer.

Starting with lean makes a ISO 9001 quality system implementation simple — certainly, much easier than trying to introduce a Six Sigma (DMAIC) process into your organization. Once you get lean, you’ll get ISO 9001 as well. Both are aimed at producing the same result — more satisfied customers.

To sum it up, don’t get started on the wrong foot by trying to design and implement a quality management system without Lean. Think of “a QMS without Lean” as something like “building an airplane from scratch”. It could be done, buy why would you?  Start with lean thinking and make getting your ISO 9001 registration a piece of cake.  Lean ISO quality is the way to go.

* * * * * * *

Need help “leaning out” your ISO 9001 Quality Management System?  Contact Bizmanualz to learn how you, too, can have a Lean ISO Quality system of your very own.

Document Your “Plan”

The plan is really the easiest part. Start with goals that are measurable. Document your plan using objectives, policies, procedures, and forms. Assign individual responsibilities, and you’re done. When you’re building an ISO 9001 Quality Management System, this is not hard at all.  But it gets harder, and pretty quickly.

Using Your Plan is “Doing”

The “Do” in PDCA means using the policies, procedures, and forms to realize your objectives. This means collecting data, and populating your forms. You have to use your procedures and follow your policies. While this may sound easy at first, keeping it up is the hard part — you may start with good intentions (that’s the “plan” part), but as they say, “Good intentions don’t pay the bills.” Your company has to follow through on its intent, and follow-through — commitment — starts at the top. Furthermore, management commitment isn’t an isolated event — it’s part of the company philosophy.

In case you missed that, let me say it again: “doing” takes management commitment. That’s a large part of what makes PDCA so hard. As management, you get so involved in running the day-to-day aspects of the business that you forget that you started with good intentions (the plan).  It is not that the plan was ill-conceived; it’s that there’s more to it than a piece of paper. Plans need continual reevaluation — you need to constantly “check” your progress and adjust the plan accordingly.  What’s so hard about checking the plan?

“Check” Your Plan

In the “check” step of PDCA, you have to convert data into information. Charting data can make this much easier but even so, a chart is just a visualization of data.  A chart is not information without a target. In addition, you need enough data points to show trends. Furthermore, you need to understand how to separate the “vital few” data points from the “trivial many”.

Creating information from data requires what Deming called “profound knowledge” about your system.  Of course it helps to understand statistics, too.  Creating information out of data is not easy; often, it requires that you continually dissect the data and look at it from many different points of view.

“Act” On Your Results

So, let’s say you started with a good plan, you were able to collect some meaningful data, and you turned it into useful information. If you’ve accomplished this, the “Act” phase should be easy, right? Possibly, if you have a stable environment.

Today’s business world is an increasingly unstable environment — old and new forces are continually changing the dynamic.  There’s local and global competition, widespread and affordable technology, weather and climate, cultures, beliefs — a host of forces acting on your business. Deciding what to do to compensate for or leverage external forces has always been difficult; it’s just becoming more so. But if you do a good job at the first three phases, the “Act” phase becomes a lot easier.  You just need to make better information out of your data.

PDCA

So there you have it.  Plan, Do, Check, and Act — PDCA, for short. It’s one of the cornerstones of the quality world, of the ISO 9001 standard. If executed correctly, it can help you get control over a seemingly chaotic world.  Yes, it is hard to do PDCA right…but what’s worth doing well that isn’t difficult, too?

If it were that easy, everyone would be doing it…don’t you think?

But Is Management Strategy That Simple?

No, it isn’t, and here’s why.  Deciding what you’re going to do is the easy part, at least for some.  Picking a market, studying the customer, and then defining the action steps are the fun part.  In fact, vendors have made a wide range of tools to help you with the strategic planning.  We have pro-forma forecasts, balanced scorecard deployment matrices, performance scoreboards, and project management tools to organize our resources.  So, with all of these great strategic management tools, why isn’t your management strategy working?

Your Customer Is Only Half of Your Strategy

That’s right, your business is about your customer. However, your strategy must address what you are not going to do as well as what you are going to do.  Too often, a company will spend all its time focusing on the future actions necessary to enter new markets, acquire new customers, and build new revenue, and they’ll forget their current markets, customers, and revenue streams. And, what about their current cost structure and expenses?

This is where the company’s management strategy might be a little weak — in the planning area.  There are those areas in your business you have to let go of, retreat from, and take resources away from to implement your new strategy. Balance is the key.

How often have you listened to management talk about “great new market possibilities”?  About how “the grass is greener” and “the future is so bright”? They might wax poetic about new markets, new products, new possibilities, new directions, and new revenue sources.  They only problem is…most of us can’t do two things at once very well.  Your management strategy might detail all the new actions you can take to get from point A to point B but how much thought has gone into the repercussions of those actions? Do you risk your current customer base, your brand, your expenses, and so forth for the sake of “potential”?

It’s easy to think about all the things you could do to open a new market…until you realize you have to reallocate your resources wisely. Few of your departments will readily let go of their current budgets, resources, or way of life to make room for the new strategy that you are laying out.  This is a classic buy-in problem.

Management Strategy is About What You’re NOT Doing

So, how do you improve your management strategy? Focus on what you are not going to do with as much time and effort as you spend on creating all those nifty action plans. Sure, you’ll define your market and your customer like before, but add another step that defines who IS NOT your customer and why.

Why? Because you cannot be all things to all people. Instead you have to focus on where you’ll get the most bang for the buck, the greatest leverage, and your maximum return on investment (ROI).  This is what management strategy is all about.  It is about what you are not going to do as much as what you are going to do.

If you are expanding into new markets, it’s important to know what established markets you’re leaving behind, so that you can maintain your focus on the markets that will result in a “win-win” situation.  Focus is power!  To get the power, don’t try to be all things to all people, customers, or markets.  Make sure your management strategy describes who your market is not to prevent you from making a classic strategic mistake.

We regularly send out e-mails, to continually keep our name in front of potential (and existing) customers. Some of us even have LinkedIn^TM and Facebook^TM pages (Figures 2, 3) where we invite not just commentary, but participation and engagement.

We have a plan for strategically managing our web presence. In that plan, we:

1. Establish SMART objectives;
2. Develop and implement the various aspects of our web presence (web pages, newsletters, social media, etc.);
3. Monitor, measure, and analyze to see if we’re meeting planned objectives;
4. Make changes to the plan, as needed, and implement them; and
5. Continue to monitor, analyze, change, ad infinitum.

Why does that 5-step plan look familiar? It’s the “Plan-Do-Check-Act” (PDCA) cycle! It’s how companies ensure product quality, continual improvement, and customers who are more than satisfied — they’re actually advocates!

Figure 1

Ask yourself, “Are we doing that?” Do we have a plan, or did we just throw something out there so we could say, “We have a web presence”?

Figure 2

Without a clear, comprehensive plan, your web presence can do you more harm than good. If you’re lucky, prospects and customers contact you about broken links, inconsistencies, and the occasional link to a product you discontinued months or years ago. In reality, most of your target market just “walks away” and never comes back.

Figure 3

The best advice I can give you is to establish a process of developing, implementing, and maintaining your company’s web presence before you build a single page online or send out a single e-mail. To do that, you need to understand:

• What your company stands for (its vision and mission);
• What you want to accomplish in the short and long term (i.e., what objectives you have for your web presence, specifically, and how – and if – those objectives tie into your company’s overall objectives);
• How extensive your web presence could (or should) be; and
• Why it’s important to establish a system of internal controls early and not let your efforts, accidentally or otherwise, go off target.

If you haven’t had a program for managing your web presence up to now — not a problem! There’s no reason to believe that because you’ve been working without one, you can’t implement one at any time. It may seem difficult at first, but the reward is unquestionably well worth the effort.

Take a few steps back and reevaluate your situation from a user’s perspective. If you have a particularly trustworthy customer, one you can count on to give you an unvarnished (but not a brutal) opinion, ask for their input. Find out whether they’re getting what they want from your web page and your social media. Find out if their objectives align with yours, and vice versa.

Refresh – reinvigorate – your web presence a little bit at a time. You don’t need to get everything done in a day or even a month or two. Work on the “low-hanging fruit” first, then move on to areas where your weaknesses aren’t so problematic.

And remember — stick with the plan! Keep reminding yourself — you only get one chance to make a first impression!

* * * * * * *

If you see an inconsistency or error on another company’s web site, do you say anything or do you let it go? Does it make a difference if they’re a vendor/customer of yours or not?