Book Description

The short text includes approximately 30 real cases on manufacturing businesses. The text presents Terry Hill's well-known Order Winner Criteria. This is his strategy for manufacturing. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Manufacturing Strategy
This is an excellence book, it give the reader a very good understanding of how to obtain competitive advantage through the manufacturing function.And how the marketing and the manufacturing functions should work together ... Read more

Book Description

The complete guide to analyzing and maximizing a company's balanced scorecard
Presenting the next step for balanced scorecard implementation, Balanced Scorecard Diagnostics provides a step-by-step methodology for analyzing the effectiveness of a company's balanced scorecard and the tools to reevaluate balanced scorecard measures to drive maximum performance. CEOs, CFOs, CIOs, vice presidents, department managers, and business consultants will find all the essential tools for analyzing a balanced scorecard methodology to determine if it's running at maximum performance and for seamlessly implementing changes into the scorecard.
Paul R. Niven (San Marcos, CA) is President of the Senalosa Group, a consulting firm exclusively dedicated to helping businesses get best-in-class performance. He is the author of two successful books, Balanced Scorecard Step-by-Step (0-471-07872-7) and Balanced Scorecard Step-by-Step for Government and Nonprofit Agencies (0-471-42328-9), both from Wiley. ... Read more

Book Description

In Identifying Waste on the Shopfloor, the Productivity Development Team has created an excellent guide to quickly understanding, identifying, and eliminating shop floor waste.From inventory waste to process-related waste, Identifying Waste on the Shopfloor covers every type of waste generating event, policy, and mindset. The book then gives you tools to effectively eliminate them from your manufacturing processes.

Like all Shopfloor Series books, Identifying Waste on the Shopfloor presents concepts and tools in simple and accessible language. The book includes many illustrations and examples to explain basic concepts and some of the challenges that are encountered when looking for and eliminating waste.

Identifying Waste on the Shopfloor is the ideal compliment to 5S, TPM, and other tools for building a lean manufacturing operation.

Productivity’s Shopfloor Series books offer a simple, cost-effective approach for building basic knowledge about key manufacturing improvement topics. Identifying Waste on the Shopfloor and all our Shopfloor Series books include innovative instructional features that are the signature of the Shopfloor Series.The goal: to place powerful and proven improvement tools in the hands of your entire workforce.

Key learning features include:
· Well-organized, and easy-to-assimilate learning
· Chapter overviews and summaries
· Questions throughout each chapter to help you apply the learning to your own workplace
· Drawings and illustrations
· Margin icons that flag definitions, main points, and other highlights

2003, ISBN 1-56327-287-3, 128 pages ... Read more

Book Description

Everyone in business today has heard of the Theory of Constraints (TOC), developed by Eli Goldratt in his groundbreaking book The Goal. However, very few people know how to implement it in a manufacturing organization. The Manufacturer's Guide to Implementing the Theory of Constraints answers all your questions and more.Written by Mark Woeppel, the leading expert on (TOC), this is the only complete step-by-step guide for implementing TOC in a manufacturing organization. It serves simultaneously as a guide and a workbook with a scope that includes the logistical, pricing, and measurement systems.The author provides a complete implementation checklist, sample policies, and procedures documents that are included as boilerplates in the appendix. He explains the rationale behind the implementation process and includes real life "war stories" that illustrate it.The Manufacturer's Guide to Implementing the Theory of Constraints - containing advice and examples - presents a proven method of implementation and short cuts to success. You will find a wealth of resource material, procedures, and policies that help you avoid costly mistakes and speed up your implementation process. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The goal at work
As an APICS member, this was a must. Concise enough, it projected the TOC concepts into applied scenarios so that one can actually measure the value of the theory.
There are not many good books on TOC apart from Goldratt's novels, so buy it.

One of Mark's very satisfied customers
Having worked with Mark since 1993 on our TOC implementation and refinement, I can tell you that Dixie Iron Works would have been where we are that much quicker, had this book already been written. A MUST-read for the TOC implementation you want to proceed smoothly and quickly.

Policies, Procedures, Measurements for Operations that Work!
This book is not just for manufacturers, but holds enormous value to any operation. I am impressed by how much practical help is packed into this book. It bridges the gap between a training program or reading books on implementing the Theory of Constraints in Operations and the detailed work that must be done. This book is a must to ensure both a successful and a lasting implementation of Drum, Buffer, Rope and Buffer Management in Operations.

It Works!
Manufacturer's Guide to Implementing the Theory of Constraints, by Mark Woeppel, is the most practical source for the hands-on, how-to, information and education needed to improve manufacturing companies. I have already implemented some of the ideas in this book - and we have seen real impact on our clients performance AND quality of life. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

The Single Best Book on Lean Implementation
John Davis takes a simple step-by-step approach in describing the transformation of a plant from a typical troubled operation to a lean operation. Davis focuses on basics and "how-to", not buzz words and jargon. Davis provides a framework that can be used by any plant manager who is trying to implement lean manufacturing concepts in a 'traditional' manufacturing setting. This can be used in high volume opertaions but is especially useful in low volume or job shop manufacturing, where the Toyota model with its manic focus on tact time is not always applicable. Davis focuses on workplace organization (using a 6C model which is an adaptation of the familiar 5S concept) as the basis of any lean transformation. This perspective alone is worth the price of the book because many lean efforts fail due to lack of fundamental workplace organization. If you are a plant manager or GM tasked with turning around a low performing operation, or you simply want a primer on Lean, this is the one to buy.

Superb! Excellently written!! Great learning tool !!
Having worked as a facilitator, manager, and consultant transitioning fortune 500 manufacturing companies from batch to lean manufacturing operations since 1991, my hat is off to Mr. John Davis on his superb book "Fast Track to Waste Free Manufacturing." In my travels and teachings I have been exposed to hundreds of teachers, managers, and authors who profess to be experts in the tools, techniques, and principles of the Toyota Production System and lean organizational skills. However, few if any, have the true experience of being in a position responsible for the success of failure of its implementation. Having had the privilege of working with Mr. Davis in the early 90's as he developed his expertise in waste free manufacturing, I can attest that in this book, Mr. Davis does what he always did best. "He walks the talk." In this book, he takes you on a journey of successful implementation of waste free manufacturing and profitability. This is a must read for managers and associates who understand and belief in the tools, principles, and techniques of a waste free manufacturing organiztion and want to learn how to do it. In this book, Mr. Davis demonstrates the importance of focus, commitment, communications, and leadership in transforming a batch organization to a waste free, profitable organization. "For when a true leader has successfully completed his task....They will say we did it ourselves.

Excellent! Best In Class!!
I've been researching and reviewing dozens of books on Suzaki, Womack and Jones, Liker, Hamel and Prahalad, Treacy and Wiersema, Womack, Jones and Roos, Schonberger, Imai,Shingo,Monden, et. al. This book is the first one I've found that provides both rationale for change and, most importantly, step by guidance on "how to" implement the necessary changes. Written in a style that is at times reminiscent of "The Goal", Mr. Davis offers suggestions, recommendations,and guidelines in an easily readable 264 pages that contain no unnecessary jargon, disconcerting statistics, nor is it part of a doctoral thesis meant to impress the academic community. One gets the feeling from reading this book that Mr. Davis has actually "been there"; that he has worked in a career in manufacturing and is truly speaking from experience. Take my word for it; if you want to read one book or recommend one book to your subordinates on the subject, this is the one! I am pleased to write this review and would be willing to communicate with anyone regarding my impressions ... Read more

Book Description

There are some very good books available that explain the Lean Manufacturing theory and touch on implementing its techniques. However, you cannot learn "how to be" lean from merely reading the theory. And to be successful in the real-work environment you need a clear comprehension of how lean techniques work, rather than just a remote understanding of what they are. You need to know what does and does not work in different situations. And you need the benefit of practical experience in their implementation.Lean Manufacturing: Tools, Techniques, and How to Use Them gives you the benefit of author and practitioner William Feld's 15 years of hands-on experience - and the lessons he's learned. Feld provides insight into the appropriate use of assessment, analysis, design, and, most importantly, deployment of a successful lean manufacturing program. Packed with practical advice and tips but not bogged down in theory, this book covers how, why, when, and what to do while implementing lean manufacturing. It equips you with the tools and techniques you need along with an understanding of how and why they work. Feld explores why an integrated approach is so much more beneficial in securing sustained improvement. He focuses on the interdependency of the Five Primary Elements: organization, metrics, logistics, manufacturing flow, and process control. He describes a proven, applied approach to creating a lean program using these elements. To keep up globally, and even locally, your manufacturing operation must be responsive, flexible, predictable, and consistent. You must continually improve manufacturing operations and cultivate a self directed work force driven by output based, customer performance criteria. By applying what you learn from Lean Manufacturing: Tools, Techniques, and How to Use Them you can build a workforce - and an organization - with the capacity to satisfy world class expectations now and into the future. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Great start to lean implementation
Everyone is looking for the lean cookbook. Sorry, but it doesn't exist. However, if you're looking for a good solid start, here it is. I've been doing lean consulting for nearly a decade, and found this book to be one of the best. Forget theories and potential benefits: here's where the rubber hits the road. The deployment plan presented is sound and can be easily adapted to most operations. The case study at the end helps to make the process more practical. While there is still no "Lean For Dummies" book out there yet, here is a good solid place to learn how to do it.

Disapointing and confusing
After reading Womack's books on lean, Feld seemed to be coming from a completely different perspective. The intriguing title and description suggested to me this book would be helpful in furthering my understanding of lean concepts (as described by Womack) and how to implement them. While I found a few bits and pieces to be helpful, overall it suggested a much different and confusing approach. In addition the way ideas were presented seemed to come more from a "how things might be done" rather than "how things were done that lead to success."

Lean Manufacturing: Tools, Techniques, and How to Use Them
This book was very refreshing as it took a very detailed approach at Lean manufacturing and made it not only easy to understand but easy to implement. This is a step by step, "holistic" approach to LT. If you ever get a chance to meet the author Bill Feld, and talk to him one on one you should jump at the chance. He is obviously one of the most knowledgable in North America on the sublect of Lean Manufacturing. ... Read more

Book Description

A powerful system for getting the right requirements--and creatingproducts faster, better...and cheaper!

"Never time enough to do it right, but always time enough to do it over." Intoday's "faster-better-cheaper-at-any-cost" world, this is not just a joke, butan all-too-frequent reality. And, most often, a poor understanding of therequirements for a product is the reason it must be done over.

CUSTOMER-CENTERED PRODUCTS is a highly practical new book that helps readersgain a clear understanding of how to elicit the right requirements early on in aproject--and make the right product the first time. Packed with usefulinformation, enlightening real-life examples, and money-saving solutions, thisbook shows readers how to:

* Identify where their current requirements process is weak* Bridge communication breakdowns that lead to muddy requirements* Eliminate costly mistakes and rework* Improve product quality without increasing cost* Use operational concepts to improve requirements quality* Improve the fit between the product and the customers' needs* Prove that faster, better, cheaper is possible, and more. ... Read more

Reviews (13)

At Last--A Requirements Book for Managers!
This book will help managers save time, money, and schedule on development projects. It contains practical advice based on lessons learned on real projects. For example, data are provided that show that spending more effort on emerging the real requirements rather than simply using the customer's stated requirements can reduce costs by half! The authors recommend specific actions managers can take. They provide a set of useful checklists and suggestions for how to apply them. For example, what is the manager's role in developing good requirements? How can a project prioritize requirements so that resources are allocated consistently with real customer needs and expectations? How can important practices such as recording the rationale for each requirement, identifying and managing interfaces, and considering verification during requirements definition be implemented effectively? Hooks and Farry, both seasoned practitioners, have provided a valuable roadmap to help managers develop customer-centered products. The book is easy to read and the recommendations are easy to apply.

Practical, To-the-point Requirements User Guide for Managers
Ivy F. Hooks and Kristin A. Farry give their audience a clear methodology about how to eliminate rework and unnecessary features rooted in poor requirement definition for making product development or procurement faster and cheaper without sacrificing the better. Good requirement definition is more important than ever to especially fast-paced high-tech companies for which researching, developing, and commercializing products on schedule and within budget is key to be, become, and remain competitive. Interestingly, Hooks and Farry explain to their readers the profound impact that culture, education, and management have on requirement definition. Their critical examination of the "seven cultural forces that define Americans" in chapter 2 helps their (foreign) audience better understand why some (American) marketers have no time to do it right the first time, but endless time and a company bankroll to do it wrong over and over again to quote Kevin J. Clancy and Peter C. Krieg in their excellent Counter-intuitive Marketing. Hooks and Farry remind their audience that nothing can change for the faster, cheaper, and better without a management commitment. Management must make very clear through their entire organization that quality products begin long before design and manufacture. These products find their genesis in quality requirements. To summarize, Customer-Centered Products is a must read for anyone involved/interested in product development or sourcing. The only weakness of the book lies in the concentration of examples from a few industries about which Hooks and Farry are very knowledgeable.

Good primer on product development
A thorough and straight forward primer on developing new products. Where it lacks creativity and a wealth of examples, it provides a solid understanding and approach. Recommended reading, but I would check your local library before shelling out money for this book. A good read but not one that I would necessarily keep on my shelf for future reference.

Essential reference for anyone in product management!
I was looking for a book that efficiently summarized the process of defining requirements. This book begins by establishing a need for requirements, and proceeds to give practical advice on improving the planning process of any project, be it software or manufacturing. The writing is very conversational, and the examples are pertinent to most competitive planning environments. Highly recommended for anyone involved in planning projects!

Good book on requirements
I work in the defense requirements generation business, and this book really helped me get to some important breakthroughs in working with several programs. The authors bring experience from government and commercial programs - experience that can be applied to any situation. Hooks and Farry present their common sense approach to requirements development and management which should benefit anyone researching requirements. ... Read more

Book Description

Revolutionizing Innovation and Performance Through New Experimentation Technologies

Every company's ability to innovate depends on a process of experimentation whereby new products and services are created and existing ones improved. But the cost of experimentation often limits innovation. New technologies-including computer modeling and simulation-promise to lift that constraint by changing the economics of experimentation. Never before has it been so economically feasible to ask "what-if" questions and generate preliminary answers. These technologies amplify the impact of learning, paving the way for higher R&D performance and innovation and new ways of creating value for customers.

In Experimentation Matters, Stefan Thomke argues that to unlock such potential, companies must not only understand the power of experimentation and new technologies, but also change their processes, organization, and management of innovation. He explains why experimentation is so critical to innovation, underscores the impact of new technologies, and outlines what managers must do to integrate them successfully.

Drawing on a decade of research in multiple industries as diverse as automotive, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, and banking, Thomke provides striking illustrations of how companies drive strategy and value creation by accommodating their organizations to new experimentation technologies. As in the outcome of any effective experiment, Thomke also reveals where that has not happened, and explains why. In particular, he shows managers how to:

• Implement "front-loaded" innovation processes that identify potential problems before resources are committed and design decisions locked in
• Experiment and test frequently without overloading their organizations
• Integrate new technologies into the current innovation system
• Organize for rapid experimentation
• Fail early and often but avoid wasteful "mistakes"
• Manage projects as experiments

Pointing to the custom integrated circuit industry-a multibillion dollar market-Thomke also shows what happens when new experimentation technologies are taken beyond firm boundaries, thereby changing the way companies create new products and services with customers and suppliers.

Probing and thoughtful, Experimentation Matters will influence how both executives and academics think about experimentation in general and innovation processes in particular. Experimentation has always been the engine of innovation, and Thomke reveals how it works today.

... Read more

Reviews (8)

Innovation redefined
Observation, exploration and experimentation have been the three basic means of learning for scientists. Of these, experimentation calls for the highest levels of external intervention and as a topic by itself has always been of interest to statisticians who have developed powerful techniques to derive maximum information through the least possible number of experiments. Application of these statistical techniques has resulted in substantial reduction in research expenditure, quicker understanding of scientific principles and shorter time to convert ideas into useful products. On the other hand new technologies like simulation, CAD/CAE that harness the advances in computing have completely changed the experimental landscape by providing powerful techniques for rapid and economical experimentation on our desktops and servers. To cite one example discussed in this book, car maker BMW's crash simulation test progressed from 3000 to 700000 finite elements between 1982 to 2002 while simultaneously resulting in reduction of processing time from 3 months to 30 hours. Power of computing enables "front-loaded" innovation - understanding the phenomenon before committing resources into physical manufacturing.

But the lacuna is that experimentation has never been thought as a separate management discipline cutting across functional silos to bring innovative solutions into the marketplace. Experimentation as a strategic tool that needs management attention and involvement is the core theme of this book.

Management deals with producing results under uncertainty. Uncertainty can be broadly classified under technical, production, market and customer needs. Experimentation should tell us not only what will work, but also what does NOT work. The knowledge so derived should seamlessly flow across the Design-Build-Run-Analyze cycle that cuts across departmental boundaries in large organizations. This is analogous to the concept of ERP in business processes. Though this concepts looks simple, organizational barriers prevent the seamless sharing of information for innovation. Design, manufacturing , marketing and procurement functions fail to optimize on the organizational repository of knowledge that can put winning products into the marketplace. This book is an excellent study on how management can use experimentation as a unique strategy within and beyond organizational boundaries. Case studies are quite detailed and well illustrated.

Read this book. It is worth experimenting.

This book matters!
The way to succeed is to double your failure rate. That comment by Thomas Watson, Sr. is not among the innovators' words of wisdom in Stefan Thomke's densely informative exploration of technologies and processes of experimentation but it perfectly fits the message. Central to Thomke's message in this book is the idea that iterated experimentation through the use of models, prototypes, and computer simulations is the key to learning and innovation. Getting the key to fit in the lock of increased organizational innovation capability, however, takes some jiggling and struggling. Experimentation Matters details the technologies that can transform innovation but place just as much emphasis on the changes that must be made to business processes, organization, culture, incentives, and management. Thomke provides plenty of detailed illustrations of companies wrestling with these issues, and offers six principles revolving to help companies experiment early and often and to organize for rapid iteration.

The first part of the book explains in depth the reasons why experimentation matters for learning and innovation, and how new technologies are affecting the development of both products and services. Thomke shows how the rate of learning is influenced by several factors that affect the process and how it is managed: fidelity, cost, iteration time, capacity, sequential and parallel strategies, signal-to-noise ratio, and type of experiment. Beneath the bewildering diversity of approaches to innovation in different industries, Thomke uncovers six principles that can improve how experimentation occurs: Anticipate and exploit early information through front-loaded innovation processes; Experiment frequently but do not overload your organization; Integrate new and traditional technologies to unlock performance; Organize for rapid experimentation; Fail early and often but avoid "mistakes"; and Manage projects as experiments.

In the final chapter, Thomke looks at how some companies are "shifting the locus of experimentation" to customers as a way to create new value. This approach, sometimes referred to as "co-creation", not only raises productivity but helps fundamentally change the sorts of products and services that can be created. Innovation toolkits given to customers need to enable them to iterate through the steps of experimentation, be user-friendly, contain libraries of useful, pretested and debugged components and modules, and they must contain information abut the capabilities and limitations of the production process. In addition to the development of a customer toolkit, Thomke adds four other steps for shifting experimentation and innovation to customers and, very importantly, notes how the creation and capture of value also shifts.

One great strength of Thomke's book is the attention given to the managerial and organizational challenges of implementing new technologies such as computer modeling and simulation and combinatorial and high-throughput testing. As other writers have repeatedly emphasized - but many managers have not yet understood - new technologies *must* be introduced only in concert with revised business processes, structures, and management approaches. Iterated experimentation helps learning by increasing the number of failures. But if incentives continue to punish failures, the new technologies will be underused or misused. Financial incentives, organizational culture, and management communications will have to change if experimenters are to feel free to fail at the most productive rate.

Thomke illustrates and details the crucial role of organization, process, and management in realizing the potential of experimentation technologies with a range of illuminating cases. He devotes a chapter to these effects in the integrated circuit industry, examines the challenges faced by Bank of America in its bold service experimentation efforts, and shows how managers at Eli Lilly struggled with non-technological aspects of high-powered experimentation in the drug discovery process. A study of experimentation in the auto industry, particularly at BMW, suggests several lessons regarding the reality of technology introduction: Technologies are limited by the processes and people that use them; organizational interfaces can get in the way of experimentation; and technologies change faster than behavior. Thomke also shows how managers can look at projects as experiments, reiterating, refining, and learning from them as they proceed through the stages of design, build, run, and analyze.

Buy This Book!
Buy this book!! Thomke's important new book on innovation is the best that I have read. As a lecturer in product development, I would recommend it highly to anyone with an interest in innovation. In particular, it will be of benefit to company executives wishing to improve the efficacy and efficiency of new technology generation and product development within their firms and students of all levels in this area.

New technologies have allowed for experimentation to be conducted on a much larger scale and in a much more cost effective fashion than ever before. However, what most organisations do not realise is that merely employing new technologies is not sufficient to unlock their true value. The organisation itself must be structured to fully exploit their potential. In today's competitive environment, innovation is crucial and speed is the essence. How this can be done most effectively within organisations is the critical issue addressed in this book. Six simple yet practical principles have been promulgated by Thomke to help senior managers optimise value from experimentation.

The importance of experimentation in driving innovation is wonderfully highlighted and Thomke discusses important paradigms such as failing often to succeed sooner as well as contemporary issues thrown up by new technologies such as what to do with the opportunity to experiment more. He even delves into real-world issues of engineers not trusting computer simulations resulting in the seeming paradox of even more physical prototyping.

The book is written in a highly readable style which engages the reader. Particularly fascinating are the case study examples which illustrate vividly the importance of experimentation in driving innovation and the practical value of the principles which he advocates. These studies cover such diverse companies as Eli Lilly, BMW and there is even one on the design of yachts for the America's Cup! User-friendly boxes explaining important concepts such as computer simulation make the book accessible even to those unfamiliar to this field.

All in all, this is an excellent book and it is highly recommended. Five Stars!

Innovation through Experimentation
Stefan Thomke has produced a landmark book that beautifully reinforces an often ignored aspect about innovation -- experimentation matters. Indeed, experimentation is at the heart of innovation, and Thomke has delivered that much-needed message very well. Drawing upon his extensive research and with many insightful case studies from across the industries, Thomke's book is a powerful account of how new technologies and processes
can be leveraged to innovate and compete. This book is a "must read" for anyone who believes that innovation will increasingly be the driving element of competitive success, and that strategic experimentation design and management are at the center stage of innovation. Those not believing so, needless to say, will obviously be left behind. Read this book now and implement its ideas faster than your competitors.

Sound Experimentation
The book's significance lies in Stefan Thomke's idea that sound experimentation is at the crux of the innovation process. This is a departure from either the fairly generalised thinking about product development and/or innovation, on the one hand, and the overly specific focus on techniques like simulation, on the other, that one tends to find nowadays. Experimentation is, of course, an old and commonplace idea in scientific circles and in some specialised management areas. But I believe this book will lead the way in making experimentation a crucial part of mainstream corporate management.

Thomke has developed his own conceptual framework for this purpose consisting of the four stages of "design-build-run-analyse". He focuses on a wide range of new experimentation technologies (including simulation) and he has studied how they are applied in a wide range of industries. He makes it a point to distill the knowledge thus gained into sets of principles, key factors, steps, findings etc at regular intervals. Thus the book's contents have been made highly accessible to a managerial audience. Managers will appreciate the challenge Thomke presents of tapping into the full potential of experimentation.

The book should also prove a valuable academic resource in management given the rigour of the research and its great managerial relevance. In fact, Thomke's cutting edge idea of customer toolkits for innovation (which catapult experimentation from the corporate realm to the customer domain) is already germinating in India. I, myself, have published a scholarly article on it very recently and I know others who have devoted sessions to it in top-flight MBA and executive programs here.

The book should make for absorbing reading by the management community worldwide and I recommend it highly. ... Read more

Book Description

A groundbreaking, up-to-date look at the Best Practice in Inventory Management

"This book is aimed to show how good inventory control can be used in practice. It is a result of working continuously on inventory control with a large number of companies over many years. It contains the distilled techniques which have been tried out and proved to work. . . . [It] is a driver's manual of inventory controllers. It will cover the working of the engine (how inventory control techniques work), how to use the controls (what the techniques do and how to manage them), and how to get the best out of the vehicle (how to optimize inventory). Understand the text and it will show the way to guaranteed improved inventory control, reduced stock levels, and higher availability."—from the Preface

"The development of inventory management is a dynamic activity, with new approaches being made, techniques being refined, and new challenges being met. . . .

It is imperative that [these] challenges are met, since continuing competitiveness is based on ever-improving customer service and ever-reducing inventory costs."—from the text

As a vital function of an organization's operational structure, effective inventory management is key to improving a company's customer service, cash flow, and ultimately, its profitability margin. While it may sound simple, it is, in fact, far more complex than most managers perceive, requiring very specific knowledge and understanding. It is based upon a framework of unique tools and techniques essential to achieving complete success. Best Practice in Inventory Management gives you these essentials, with in-depth coverage of the latest practices in the field. The book delivers a wealth of solid solutions for lowering inventory overhead, bettering customer relations, and increasing productivity and performance.

An ideal reference for APICS certification candidates, as well as participants in training programs, this authoritative resource outlines basic techniques, describes how and where to apply them, and explains how to ensure their effective implementation. The techniques are placed within the context of stores operations, which can be applied in a variety of situations, from manufacturing and distribution to warehousing, consumable stores, and spares and service.

Best Practice in Inventory Management follows a logical progression, beginning with targets and moving forward through inventory structuring, individual item control, and coordination. In the process, it probes cutting-edge strategies, including Pareto analysis, Just in Time (JIT), and Material Requirements Planning (MRP), and offers a rational approach to the risks of stockouts. Aided by a host of new applications, practical methods, and real-world examples, you'll learn to implement a variety of processes vital to inventory structure and control. From effective stock monitoring to forecasting, setting, and assessing stock level guidelines, this book outlines the crucial steps in having suitable product available at an acceptable price and within a reasonable timescale. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Stock problems? Look no further....
If you work in stock control, sales, purchasing, or production planning and really do not have a clue where to start in order to maximise the profitability of your inventory (both raw materials and finished goods), then there is no better place to start than with this book. It gives much practical advice that is easy to implement in real business life and emphasises the genuine cost savings and improved cashflow that can be gained.

What I like most about the boook is its structure - it starts with the basics (why inventory control is important financially), and takes you through basic forecasting methods to more advanced levels (e.g. double exponential smoothing). You can implement most of the advice in Excel or similar spreadsheet. I am no mathematician and I must admit I found some of the formulas difficult to understand at first, but please do not be put off - perserverence will pay dividends and you will see this perseverence hit the bottom line!

very practical
Pragmatic view to inventory management

This book is useful.
This book is useful. It is expected, however, to be revised in some points. There are some miss specifications in terminologies and in some chapters, explanations are not good enough to understand the equations or methods the auther used.

An extremely helpful book, full of good ideas.
This book has helped us organize our inventory management in a way that promises to lead to much better cash flow and customer satisfaction. The author provides an excellent introduction to the use of statistical methods in inventory management ... Read more

Book Description

The process known as Collaborative Planning, Forecasting, and Replenishment (CPFR) is supply chain management taken to the extreme. The first book to document this cutting-edge technique that's been adapted by companies like Wal-Mart, Pillsbury, and Procter and Gamble, Collaborative Planning, Forecasting, and Replenishment collects case studies and contributions by the foremost experts in the field to give readers an insightful introduction to this revolutionary new supply chain method.

The CPFR technique involves supply chain members sharing information in real time over the Internet, enhancing the collaborative dialogue between retailers and vendors. The process allows long- and short-term planning to happen instantaneously, as information is shared regarding forecasts, shipping and production, point-of-sale data, and order generation. Based on groundbreaking research done at Harvard Business School, this book shows anyone involved in long-term strategic planning how CPFR can be implemented -- quickly, successfully, and in almost any setting. ... Read more

Book Description

If you read one book about managing your supply chain, read this book.There has been a tremendous amount of energy focused on improving efficiencies within a business organization.The results have been, at best, mixed.Streamlined: Building and Managing the Lean Supply Chain changes everything.This insightful and comprehensive book covers the activities of all businesses involved in the flow of products, services, finances, and information from the initial suppliers to the ultimate users.Presented using 14 simple, yet powerful, principles for building and managing the lean supply chain, Streamlined develops the thought process that managers need to lead their enterprises into the twenty-first century.It presents specific steps and instructions to help the manager deal with the complexities of running the business from a logistics and operations perspective. The book stresses systems thinking.It uniquely integrates two management philosophies: the theory of constraints and lean thinking, illustrating how they complement and reinforce each other to create the smooth flow of goods and services through the supply chain.Srinivasan provides candid discussions of managers tasks and responsibilities and how they may be best accomplished by applying these conceptual tools.The concepts in this book can be applied to any organization, regardless of the industry one works in. Veteran managers will gain a new perspective as they view the supply chain from a holistic approach. The 14 principles in the book are presented with common-sense explanations. Less experienced managers will benefit from the case studies that provide living examples of how each of the 14 principles has been applied successfully in practice. The summaries and conclusions throughout the book effectively reinforce the content in each chapter. ... Read more

Book Description

Class A ERP is often misunderstood and confused with software tools and implementations but is actually a management system for continuous improvement. This book will resolve these myths by thoroughly describing the definition of Class A ERP and giving specifics for achieving Class A performance in a reasonable timeframe. Examples from successes will be referenced and the author will build a case for breaking the journey to world-class performance into bite-sized, doable focus areas. Class A ERP Implementation will help organizations set the stage for maximum effectiveness of both Lean strategies and Six Sigma and establish ERP disciplines as the prerequisite to success.

Key Features:
-Facilitates detailed understanding of Class A ERP in a "how to," approachable format
-Describes how ERP, Lean and Six Sigma can be combined to create the perfect environment for continuous improvement
-Offers detailed coverage of all aspects of ERP including top management planning, cost planning, Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP), master scheduling, execution planning, procurement process planning, supply chain management, shop floor control and customer service
-Illustrates audit criteria for confirmation of Class A performance
-Presents valuable insights into management systems and accountability infrastructures allowing more employee involvement and successful sharing of business goals through the use of ERP disciplines ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Excellent tutorial guide
This is an excellent tutorial guide to "one-piece flow" concept. For that purpose it is excellent. In its quest for ideological purity, it fails to consider the more difficult (and useful) problem of "optimal lot size", typical real world manufacturing processes. Had the authors put in a short chapter on that issue, I would have given it five stars. ... Read more

Book Description

As business moves into e-business and m-commerce, our lexicon must keep pace. This practical glossary contains nearly 2,000 terms, phrases and acronyms to help project managers communicate with client, senior management, team members, internal sponsors and other project managers. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Project Management Terms
This book is a great resource for anyone involved with Project Management who needs acessible, concise, and accurate definitions to over a thousand key terms. A comprehensive listing, this book provides valuable information in an easy-to-use format. A must have for anyone invloved in the Project Management Field. ... Read more

Book Description

Practical, up-to-date coverage for a new generation of engineering and management professionals.

Lawrence S. Afts Productivity, Measurement, and Improvement has long served as a seminal reference for students and professionals in industrial engineering, quality management, and other related fields. Now Work Measurement and Methods Improvement brings his work right up to date with the demands of todays rapidly changing marketplace, where work measurement and methods improvement have a vital role to play in improving quality and enhancing productivity in a wide range of industries.

Accessible and easy to follow, this book presents solid, practical coverage of the key principles and practices of work measurement. It explains the purpose, use, advantages, and limitations of tools and methods for:

• Work analysis–including graphical productivity analysis and work methods improvement
• Product measurement–from time study and standard data systems to work sampling and labor reporting issues
• Product improvement–ergonomics, incentive systems, continuous improvement, process improvement, and more

With straightforward examples, chapter-end summaries, review questions, and practice exercises that emphasize the application of fundamental concepts, Work Measurement and Methods Improvement is an essential reference for current and future professionals who must do the work and manage the process to achieve better quality, higher productivity, and powerhouse performance for their organization. ... Read more

Book Description

No longer restricted to the engineering industry, project management has at long last crossed over to mainstream business. Project Management for Business Professionals is the definitive reference on the essentials of contemporary project management.
Featured here are some of the foremost practitioners and researchers from academia, consulting, and private industry, sharing their various areas of project management expertise and providing a wide range of perspectives on everything from risk management to resource planning to ethics management.
Focusing on both the technical and human sides of the field, this unique resource follows the main points of the "project management body of knowledge"-the certification standard of the Project Management Institute. The experts address the procedures and processes for planning and managing projects and explore project team/group dynamics, examining the interpersonal relations and the political and organizational considerations that can impact a project. ... Read more

Book Description

For businesspeople who have been saddled with the responsibility ofmanaging a complicated project, expert help is now here.

Based on standards established by the Project Management Institute, thiscompletely updated edition of The Project Manager's Partner teachesnewcomers the essential skills, knowledge, and practices they need to deliverquality results--on time and within budget. Whether the project is moving toanother building or developing a new software package, this authoritativehandbook uses the framework of 20 key actions and results to explain howto:

* Calculate the project life cycle, divided into specific project phases and afinal deliverables date* Determine the broad actions needed to complete the project, incorporating thebook's best practices that apply to the project * Figure out the specific steps needed to accomplish the essential actions

Complete with worksheets, guidelines, checklists, and examples--including 25 newhands-on tools--this handy reference and how-to guide is the perfect companionfor professionals in any field, at all levels of the organization. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Terrific Primer for New Project Managers
Every day, at numerous workplaces, somebody in power asks-or tells-someone to assume control of a project. In some cases, the designee is an experienced project manager. In most cases, however, the assignment is given to someone who has little or no knowledge or experience in project management. Consequently, too many new project managers stumble, flounder, look foolish, and don't achieve desired project results.

Give that neophyte some help! A partner to accompany the project manager step-by-step with guidance, advice, forms to use, and answers to the questions that are sure to bedevil you if you didn't have an expert by your side. The expert-the author-is a consultant and trainer in project management. His focus is to work specifically with people who do not manage projects as the principal element of their job, but who want-and need-to learn the techniques to do a great job.

Your learning will begin with a short introduction about how to use the handbook. This section will build your comfort and help you see the all-important big picture. Part One explores deliverables, project phases, and life cycles. After a brief time in Part Two, looking at project management processes, you'll dig right into a treasure trove of action items that take you right through the steps. The action items tie right back into the knowledge gained in Part Two, so the flow is easy to grasp.

Then come the appendices! Tips for Managing Experts Outside Your Expertise. Glossary of Project Management Terms. Shortcuts. And even guidelines for deciding when to kill a project. And this is only part of the picture.

Excellent resource for managers and would-be managers in any field.

A Good Cookbook for the Desperate...
If you have no background in project management, and no time for formal training, you could do worse than starting with this book.It is full of checklists and charts to handhold you through a project from start to finish.It also gives helpful follow-up references, both in-print and online.For the curious I particularly recommend searching for other publications by the Project Management Institute, and their associated work the Project Management Book of Knowledge (aka the PMBOK).

The Project Manager's Partner (which I got in spiralbound) will disappoint project management veterans because it neither provides any case studies nor tackles some of the thornier issues encountered in real world projects.There is a disk included in the back of the book (3-1/2" floppy) which just repeats some of the pages in the book in case you want to print out the checklists for yourself.

After a fairly brief introduction in the first 30 pages the book spends the next 120 pages covering the nuts and bolts of project management, the project's action items.It is up to you to breathe life into each of these in turn.A handful of helpful appendices follow.

One thing you should keep in mind (or, maybe it's just a reminder to myself) is that a project is generally intended to involve a committed team, and it is not something that you are supposed to scribble away about in a dark corner by yourself (how would your project get funded in that case?).If you don't have a group of interested, or, dare I say, passionate, coworkers to see you through the twists and turns of planning and implementation, your fruits are likely to die on the vine.You will even require moral support, criticism and celebration on occasion together with others to make the effort ultimately worthwhile.As an aside you might want to read "Encouraging the Heart" or similar works on the topic of rewards and recognition.

Please don't snub this book because its writing is inelegant and its structure is simple.For a larger library of project management books, this one definitely has its place, and you will often find yourself dog-earing the pages as you remind yourself what stage you are in and what you should think about working on next (assuming you don't have a software package with reminders, prompts, bells and whistles).

As a criticism, if you are not inspired by your project, this book will not provide the poetry to set you in motion.If you want inspiration to vigorous action, I humbly suggest instead reading Ron Chernow's biography of Alexander Hamilton, which at 700+ pages is ten times as interesting as this book's 150 pages.Hamilton orchestrated a number of "projects" during his late eighteenth-century lifetime, including writing the Federalist Papers, reorganizing the national debt, laying the foundation for the US federal bureaucracy, and lobbying for the controversial Jay Treaty.He also worked himself to exhaustion on a number of occasions, and was embroiled in a major adultery scandal, so make sure you balance any enthusiasm you take from Hamilton's life with some time for mellowing out.

Great Foundational Guidebook
As the leader of the Project Management Office and the initiator of project management standards for a large metropolitan school district, I needed a reference to give my new project managers an introduction to the things I was asking them to do.I found this book to be an excellent reference for that purpose.Also using the associated training program, I have offered very effective training classes for many people throughout our school district.

In adapting project management standards for our district, I also drew upon many of the princples outlined so effectively in this book.It makes project management easy to understand for people who have little or no exposure to the concepts.

I also found that I, as a veteran of many years of project management, found many excellent refreshers and reminders for the best practices of how we should pursue project management.

I would recommend this book to new and experienced project managers, alike.

Excellent Foundation and Guidebook
As the leader of the Project Management Office and the initiator of project management standards for a large metropolitan school district, I needed a reference to give my new project managers an introduction to the things I was asking them to do.I found this book to be an excellent reference for that purpose.Also using the associated training program, I have offered very effective training classes for many people throughout our school district.

In adapting project management standards for our district, I also drew upon many of the princples outlined so effectively in this book.It makes project management easy to understand for people who have little or no exposure to the concepts.

I also found that I, as a veteran of many years of project management, found many excellent refreshers and reminders for the best practices of how we should pursue project management.

I would recommend this book to new and experienced project managers, alike.

Great book for introducing project management process
I have used this book for 2 purposes. Along with the facilitator's guide, I've conducted introductory project management work sessions to introduce people to project management concepts, terminology and processes. Session evaluations from attendees have been overwhelmingly positive. We have also used many of the tools on the disk, some in exact format, some with revisions, to build tools for use in developing our project planning documentation.

Also use the tools, worksheets and checklists for both work projects and personal projects at home. The book and the tools are very helpful to ensure projects get off in the right direction. The terms, concepts and exercises have been extremely well received by participants. Have so far had 75 particpants in six 2 to 3 day sessions. ... Read more