How about Management by Walking Around?  Management is a contact sport not an objective setting exercise.  You have to get out into the field in order to see or “Check” what’s going on in your company (check is part of the Plan Do Check Act cycle of learning).  Lean thinking managers naturally walk around to get ideas for new kaizen improvement events, to see the work being performed, and to understand if the right work is being performed.  We call these Gemba Walks (Gemba is Japanese for the place where work happens).  In a Gemba Walk you want to observe your processes in action and look for signs of lean waste that need to be removed.

Management by Procedures is how McDonalds or other successful franchises manage their business.  You start by defining your process using a process map to build visual communication and understanding.  Next, write down what needs to get done, by whom, and when.  Then deploy and practice the procedure.  Perfect the procedure until you have a consistent process just like a franchise would need to roll this out to hundreds of others.

Managing by procedures is not a paper exercise.  It requires basic goal setting from the Management by Objectives crowd and also process checking from the Management by Walking Around group.  What’s different is that you will have process documentation that includes a process map, policies, procedures, and objectives that are clearly posted.  Systems are put in place to ensure your employees do not make mistakes.  And as a manager, you are actively involved in making sure your systems are working.

A franchise is built with consistent procedures.  Franchise owners are trained in the process and systems are put in place, by the franchise organization, to ensure that the franchise delivers the same consistent quality that the brand has built.

You too can start practicing how to Manage by Procedures by ordering the Office Procedures Bundle that is now on sale for 50% off during the month of December.  You will save $300 and receive 110 procedures, 124 supporting forms, and other supporting Word files that explain how to write procedures and use the manual.  You will receive this extensive set of policies, procedures and forms.

Easily editable policies and procedures for multiple departments:

• Accounting
• Administration
• Customer Service
• Disaster Recovery
• Engineering
• Environmental
• Finance & Credit
• Information Systems
• Manufacturing
• Personnel
• Sales and Marketing
• Security and Operations
• Shipping and Purchasing

Download a sample procedure template right now and see for yourself how this amazing bundle can help your business build greater consistency for success.

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.

It is interesting to note that, in many cases, the internal control system at many companies consists of volumes of instruction-like procedures that document activities. If a company is taking the time and effort to develop a procedure-based financial control system, it’s worth the additional effort it takes to:

• Understand major financial processes;
• Establish key finance polices and goals (including performance goals and accurate financial statements);
• Determine which processes introduce the greatest amount of risk and which are material to our financial goals;
• Prioritize development of the internal control system according to materiality, risk, and other important criteria;
• Incorporate best practices; and
• Foster an environment in which continual improvement is the status quo.

Is there a better indicator of an effective system of controls than clear goals and key performance metrics that are consistently measured and regularly improving? And are you taking advantage of the financial control system to improve process results and your financial performance?

Easily Editable Procedure Templates for Internal Control


CFO Accounting Procedures Series

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Accounting Procedures Manual

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Financial Procedures Manual

Improving Processes in the Production Area and the Office

Discussions of process improvement and quality commonly reference the production area, or shop floor. Is it any less important for your other key office processes (for example, accounting and finance) to function effectively and efficiently? If you’re a service provider rather than a manufacturer, are quality and process improvement less material? (Of course not.)

How well does your company manage financial aspects like working capital, debt and investments, and leasing? These are as vital to a company’s success as efficient product design and production, yet few attempt to understand and improve finance processes to the same degree as, say, the product development process.

In fact, a lack of focus on finance is common, especially among privately-owned SMBs. Research shows that a majority of SMBs do not create capital plans, do not actively manage working capital, nor do they conduct analysis of financial statements.

Do you know if you’re making money on the cash you borrow? How about the assets you deploy, like accounts receivable, inventory, or cash? What about asset acquisitions you make? These are hard questions but they’re the kinds of questions you should be asking before you raise debt or equity capital.

What really represents the bigger threat to the success of your business:

• One of your Receivables staff borrowing 5-10 euros from petty cash when they’re short of cash and they want to go out to lunch on Friday? Or…
• Not having well-thought-out and consistent methods for managing high level finances that — if your financial situation suddenly and significantly worsened — could result in millions’ worth of losses?

The answer should be obvious.

A Financial Control System that Focuses on Improvement and Success

We’re not implying that businesses ought to ignore cash drawer controls. What we are suggesting is that focusing on low risk/low payoff components while neglecting key aspects doesn’t indicate a system of controls that appropriately addresses risk or that has its priorities in order.

Focusing on the mundane or trivial will do little to improve your overall financial performance! Internal control systems should be designed for continual improvement in key aspects of your operations, such as:

• Regularly reviewing and improving the overall capital structure;
• Using a capital plan to minimize the cost of capital while strengthening your debt/equity position;
• Managing working capital so excessive inventories and receivables do not sap your financial resources;
• Ensuring proper calculations and scenarios are explored while making debt & investment or leasing decisions; and
• Maximizing returns while minimizing costs for cash and merchant accounts.

A system of well-defined processes is not only about control or compliance: it is also about consistently striving to do a little better. Control systems that are designed only to achieve compliance are doing the bare minimum, which means they represent missed opportunities — opportunities to gain and keep a competitive edge, for instance.

That ought to be enough reason for any size and type of company to think about using the process approach to ensure continual improvement and an effective system of internal controls.

To help you build an effective system of internal controls for success, consider the Bizmanualz Finance Policies, Procedures, and Forms manual. Download a sample and see for yourself what companies like yours have saved in planning and development alone!

The development of HR policies and procedures, like those provided in products from Bizmanualz, enables the management team to operate HR in concert with other operations and make sure your strategic plans take flight.

Human Resource Organizational Activities

Your Human Resource Management consists of deliberate organizational activities designed to improve employee productivity and administration through such means as recruitment, compensation, performance, evaluation, training, record keeping, and compliance.

Most view the HR management function as having eight commonly accepted responsibilities:

1. Compensation and Benefits;
2. Employee and Labor Relations;
3. Employment Practices & Placement;
4. Workplace Diversity;
5. Health, Safety, and Security;
6. Human Resources Information Systems;
7. Human Resource Research; and
8. Training and Development.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has concluded that most organizations should have one human resource staff person to every one hundred employees.  This is not to imply one manager per 100 employees, but a full time person performing functional duties is recommended.

Any small-to-midsize company would be advised to hire at least one Human Resource Manager who is a “generalist”, has excellent communication skills (both verbal and written), and is certified by the SHRM Certification Institute as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) or Professional in Human Resources (PHR).

HR Management Within Small Businesses

As your small company grows, it will eventually recognize that it can no longer devote time to daily personnel administration and that the organization is ready to give this responsibility to an HR manager who is familiar with human resource management responsibilities and laws.

Organizations that employ from five to four hundred or more employees will have to deal with such core human resource management laws and issues as:

• Human Resource Strategic Planning;
• Recruitment, Orientation, and Retention/Employee Relations;
• Human Resource Administration and Record Keeping;
• Salary & Wage Administration;
• Benefit Administration;
• Employment Labor Law Compliance;
• Development of HR Policies & Procedures;
• Training Program Development and Administration for Employees; and
• Succession Planning for the Organization and Business Model.

Your Human Resource Management structure and or organization chart for companies ranging from twenty-five to two hundred fifty (25-250) employees will vary with dependence upon how important the role is to top management, the type of business, the types of jobs and skill levels of employees, and the projected growth plan for the company.

A very small company with rapid growth will find the HR challenge to recruit and manage employees is a full-time function for at least one person, and maybe more. An established mid-size company might employ three full time persons (one manager and two assistants) to handle the planning, administration and compliance issues dealing with their employees.

The Human Resources Policies, Procedures, and Forms manual provides a great start for any growing company.  It covers the core human resource management laws and issues, provides example forms, and a sample Employee Handbook.  Check it out — let me know what you think.

Checking the procedure is a form of procedure verification.  You run a test before implementing the procedure to verify that the procedure works and meets all the design requirements.  But how do you know if the procedure will work outside of the design space ?  Will it work in the real world, with real users?  At this point, we are beyond procedure verification — we need to validate the procedure to ensure the process and procedure are working.

You are not done with your procedure until it has been validated.  After all, you wrote the procedure to close some gap in compliance, quality, or performance — how do you know your procedure is actually closing the gap?  Procedure validation consists of performing procedure training, process auditing, and completing a process procedure management review that will allow us to confirm that the gap is closed, the process is working, and the procedure works.

Process Procedures Implementaton and Training

Procedure validation starts with process implementation and procedures training.  Procedure training will be your first feedback from the actual users.  Gather the procedure users together and brief everyone on the main procedure tasks, changes, and process objectives.  Use your process maps to visually explain the process.  Highlight individual responsibilities for key performance metrics.  Ask questions and obtain feedback.  Remember: your procedure goal is “a working process”.

If you have a lot of users from multiple work cells or geographic locations, you need to prototype the new procedure — test it in one area before implementing it across the whole business.  Your procedure validation should occur before a widespread implementation.  In a small organization with limited scope, this is often not practical.  In that case, process auditing is critical to ensure that the procedure works.

Process Procedures Audit

Once employees are trained, how do you know if the procedure works or is being used correctly?  To find out, you need to audit the procedure at some point after procedure training. Process auditing is an internal audit of the process and procedure.  At some interval after training, you need to follow-up on your new procedure and see how it’s being used.  Is the procedure followed?  Is the procedure effective?  Is the process working?  Is the procedure working?  Is the procedure integrated into the process?  Simple questions, but they all must be asked.

If the process or procedure is critical to quality, compliance, or performance, you should perform a process procedure audit sooner and more frequently (perhaps 7, 30, and 90 days apart).  You are still in procedure validation and you need feedback to determine if your procedure is working.  Once validation is complete, you may be able to back off the process audit (e.g., cut back from monthly to annually): it all depends on how well the process is working and how critical it is to your firm’s success.

Process Procedures Review and Change Management

Once audited, how will you know if the procedure is performing as expected?  To find out you will need to analyze the audit data and process performance and hold a process procedures management review.  If you started your process procedure journey with a project charter, you have your original quality, compliance, and performance objectives.

Compare your audit data with the project charter to determine if your procedures work, if the process is working as expected, if you’re ready to close out procedure validation, or you need to make changes to improve your process procedures effectiveness.  Change Management can be tricky here.  Process optimization comes later, after you close out the original design, the process is going for a while, and you’re ready to improve once again.  For now, focus on important procedure changes to achieve the original objectives, in order to prevent scope creep.

Conclusion

We started the process procedure journey with a procedure implementation plan.  Your process procedures project continued with a process map, documenting your process procedure design.  If a procedure was required, you had to write a procedure.

The process procedures journey ended with procedure validation, where you ensured the process was working and the written procedure worked.  Once validation is complete, you’re ready to start your next process procedures journey.

How can you use the individual steps of your process procedures journey to focus your business on:

• Adapting your core business processes to process change?
• Building repeatable business processes?
• Adhering to process standards or regulations?
• Managing your business processes more effectively?

Each step of your process procedures project results in an important milestone being reached.  Your entire process procedures project will move along better and quicker, with better results, if you achieve each milestone.

Figure 1 depicts the business process procedures journey work flow.  The journey starts with project management.  The extent of a business process change can be large or small — they may or may not require written procedures — but even small process changes require basic project management to avoid having the law of unintended consequences catch up with them.

1. Process Procedures Project Management

To get the buy-in of your employees, start your process procedures project with a project charter that focuses your team on clear project goals and objectives.  For example, if you’re working on an accounts receivable process, be sure receivables clerks consistently follow the process.

Your process procedures project plan should allow time for the six steps in your process procedures journey: allow about 12% for project planning, 13% for process design, 25% for procedure writing, and 50% for process procedure implementation, training, process auditing, and a management review at the end of the project (Figure 2).

Figure 2 – Process Procedures Project Time

Process procedures project management key milestone: completion of your project charter and project plan.

2. Process Mapping and Process Design

Your procedures process map should include the sequence of process steps with clearly defined inputs, documents, and records.  Make a special note of the process flow metrics, responsibilities, and goals.  For example, an accounts receivable process should note the invoices per hour processed, who is responsible for cash, write-off, or discount approvals, and how close the process is to the goal of collecting within thirty days.  This information will help with later procedure writing, process training, and process auditing.

For many business processes, a process map may be the only documentation needed.  Not all processes require procedures, work instructions, or anything more than a process map.  In fact, a form may be all you need.  It is really a matter of scale: the more employees you have involved in a given function — the more complex it is — the more formal process documentation you’ll need.

Process procedures process mapping and design key milestone: complete “current state” process map with process data.

Next week, we’ll cover writing policies and procedures.  Procedure writing is a result of formal, required compliance and training.  It is often much easier to comply with standards - and train employees – when you work with a written procedure.

If you’re interested in learning more about your procedures, e-mail us at info@bizmanualz.com or call us at 314-863-5079 for a procedure review.  We’re happy to provide feedback on what you’re currently using and show you how we can help you improve your processes.

Your business process procedures journey is driven by your business needs: need to survive, need for effective process change management, need for process consistency, need for process compliance, and need for process control.  Your entire business model is in jeopardy if you fail to:

• Adapt to change;
• Build repeatable business processes;
• Adhere to process standards and guidelines;
• Observe regulations; and
• Manage your business processes — and process change — effectively.

You can achieve effective business process change management, process consistency, process compliance, and process control by focusing on your business process procedures journey (Figure 1), a six-step process comprised of the business process management topics we talk about on the Bizmanualz.com website.

Business Process Procedures Flowchart

Figure 1 – Business Process Procedures Journey Flowchart

Notice how we talk about processes and procedures together.  Your business model is a system of processes.  Business processes need to be identified, communicated, and reviewed for there to be an effective change management process, with effective opportunities for business growth in place.

In Figure 1, the procedure writing steps are colored in red, to signify their optional status.  Not all processes require procedure writing; there’s a lot of overhead tied to every business procedure you write so that the more business procedures you write, the more procedures you have to edit, implement, train people on, audit, and review.  Only company procedures required by standards, regulations, or company strategy must be developed.

Michael Gerber’s book, the E-Myth, explains how important it is for entrepreneurs to think about working “on” their business instead of “in” their business.  Working too closely inside of your business processes is sometimes referred to as “business myopia” — being too close to your processes can keep you from advancing on the business process procedures journey.

Once you start working on your business — not in it — you can identify key business processes, practice communicating critical business process metrics and information, and review those business process metrics against the changing marketplace.  Now you are in control of your business process improvement.

This month we’ll be showing you how to advance — how to implement — each of the six steps of the Business Process Procedures Journey:

1. Process Procedures Project Management
2. Process Mapping and Process Design
3. Required Procedures (optional steps)
   • Policies and Procedures Template Design
   • Policies and Procedures Writing
4. Process Procedures Implementation and Training
5. Process Procedures Audit
6. Process Procedures Review and Change Management

In our next article, we’ll explain how you can use the individual steps to focus your organization on adapting your core business processes to business process change, build repeatable business processes, adhere to process standards or regulations, and manage your business processes more effectively.

Activity maps display information about the relative worth or value of activities.  They show process steps in columns – activities within each step, or column, are shown.  Activities are color-coded according to the value that customers might derive from them (i.e., are they value-added or non-value-added activities?).  Some activities add value and some do not — those that don’t should be minimized or eliminated.

Assigning a value to activities is, by nature, subjective: we may rationalize our value judgment by attributing it to the customer.  That is shifting the responsibility for the judgment onto the customer, which may ensure that some activities that should be cut are not.

Recapping the Seven Process Map Formats

Let’s recap the maps discussed over the past several weeks.  The following table lists the information each map reveals and the best use for each.  Click on the links for articles and blog posts explaining or applying the highlighted concept:

Moving From Process Observation to Process Improvement

The descriptive process maps help capture the current state.  Activity maps help us collect detailed information about what is occurring.  We use them to reduce the number of steps – we make the process lean.

Convincing others to accept our judgments often requires changing minds, showing people a new way to work.  We move beyond simply describing a process to tell a story, illustrating our point of view.  There are maps that help us do just that; one is the “rendered map”.  In a rendered map, we show enough information to persuade our audience to accept our judgment.

Now, we hear the objection, “Show all the information and let the viewer decide.”  Our objective is to “inform to persuade”.  Everyone has their biases, their own set of filters.  We commonly think of this in relation to news media; however, your relationship to a business process colors your judgment, too.

As an analyst, quality professional, change manager, and executive, your role is to collect and sift through information, form a qualified, professional opinion, and present a compelling case for improvement.

Not having collected and mapped everything you did, your audience doesn’t have the perspective you do.  They know more than you about their specific area, department, or function but you captured key aspects of that in interviews you did.  When the facts are analyzed and the mapping is done, it’s time for you to make your case: convince people to take action in step, in time, and with significant potential impact.

In the next article, we conclude our Process Map series with rendered maps — setting the stage for change.

In summary, a process is a structured set of activities that transform inputs into outputs. We believe processes should be measurable with clear performance indicators. Processes are strategic assets of an organization that if managed well deliver a competitive advantage. And processes assist us in defining responsibilities, internal controls, and work standards for compliance, consistency, and performance.

Process Flows or Activities

A “process map” visually describes the flow of activities of a process. A process flow can be defined as the sequence and interactions of related process steps, activities or tasks that make up an individual process, from beginning to end. A process map is read from left to right or from top to bottom. We prefer to minimize “backflow” or arrows that go from right to left or bottom to top because it can greatly confuse the reader (more on this later).

It helps if a process map identifies a Supplier providing Inputs to a Process, which produces Outputs for a Customer. We call this basic format a SIPOC (Supplier, Input, Process, Output, Customer) diagram (Figure 1). There are many variations of this SIPOC theme but it does provide a useful framework for understanding the critical elements, sources, and outputs of a process.

Standard symbols are used within a process map to describe key process elements. These symbols come from the Unified Modeling Language or UML, which is an international standard for drawing process maps. There are many symbols that can be used. Figure 2 provides some common UML symbols.

Better Understanding of a Process

Process maps are used to develop a better understanding of a process, to generate ideas for process improvement or stimulate discussion, build stronger communication, and — of course — to document a process. Often times a process map will highlight problems and identify bottlenecks, duplication, delays, or gaps. Process maps can help to clarify process boundaries, process ownership, process responsibilities, and effectiveness measures or process metrics. Process maps can be very effective at increasing process understanding during training.

Process maps are not limited to a single department or function. For example, the ISO 9000 Quality Management Systems standard requires some type of process map of the organization’s quality processes. Mapping should be the first step in designing a process or in documenting a procedure. Why? Because, to improve a process you must understand it and most of us understand a graphical picture better than a written procedure.

Process maps come in many different forms but they all tend to use a SIPOC format and a standard UML for symbols. The most common process map types include: High-Level Process Map, Process Flow Chart, Document Map, Cross Functional or Swim Lanes Process Map, Value Stream Map, Work Flow Diagram, and a Rendered Process Map. Over the next several weeks, we will take a closer look at each of these maps and see how they are used within an organization.

Read Part I (Types of Process Maps)….

Two ways – budget and a show!  That’s right you need to fuel innovation for change and improvement and budgets are what top management understand.  Company leaders demonstrate their commitment to change and improvement by making budget available for it to happen.  But spending money on change and improvement that nobody knows about does not deliver much actual change does it?  You need to get the word out and that takes some kind of show.

Do You Schedule Change and Improvement?

First, let’s look at budgets.  Nothing happens without a budget and only top management makes the budget.  And by budget I am talking about more than just money, it also takes time to spend the budget.  Time is money right?  Not exactly.  In business, time is as precious a resource as money.  Top management can allocate a budget for change but, with backorders, development delays, rush orders, and other customer demands, can you really afford to trade valuable production time for improvement?

You may have a budget for such things as training, communication, audits, corrective and preventive actions, and management review.  But do you have the time to spend the budget?

Production time is seen as valuable.  And what do you do with a valuable resource like production time?  You probably use a production schedule to make sure that that time is accounted for and allocated.  Do you have a schedule for improvement?  You may schedule training, audits and management review but do you also schedule corrective and preventive action?  It’s like preventive maintenance, change and improvement must be scheduled.  The more change you schedule, the more improvement you get.

Do You Communicate Change and Improvement?

Second, do you have a communications calendar?  And how do you coordinate all this change and improvement?  Changes and improvements are news to your organization.  You have to get the word out and communicate the news so others can profit from the changes and improvements.  I like to think of it as a news show.

All of this activity must be coordinated.  You need a news staff to write, produce, and distribute your news program.  Your news show should have a regular time slot, format, and an editor or anchor for your program.  Perhaps featured stories regarding training events, Kaizen of the month, and progress on major changes or improvement objectives.  Be creative.  Produce videos, a newsletter, a change wall, or skits for the changes.

How much do you budget for your news program?  Major software changes get money for new software and software customization.  Typically less time and money is spent on communicating the changes.  This may be due to the lack of any formal communications program.  Start a news show.

Showing Commitment to Change and Improvement

So the next time you are making your budget for the year, think of a time budget to go with your financial budget.  Make a change and improvement schedule to go with your production schedule.  Then identify a news staff to make the communications that get the word out.  Delivering change and improvement is like producing a big show.  You have to budget for the production of the show (the change and improvement development activities) and you then have to have the show, on a regular basis, just like the news.

Your management commitment to change and improvement will be demonstrated by the time and money you budget as well the quality of the change and improvement show you produce.

PR: wait… I: wait… L: wait… LD: wait… I: wait… wait… Rank: wait… Traffic: wait… Price: wait… C: wait…