We’re process people. We are in awe of Ikea’s ability to standardize the design of beds, bookcases, and boudoirs using the same handful of parts. We assign family chores using SIPOCs and RACIs.  We love frameworks and good relationship maps. But not everyone shares our sensibilities.…

Strategy implementation is by far the hardest part of strategic planning and requires many of the skills project management offices (PMOs) exhibit—core competencies (e.g., time management and problem solving) and softer skills (e.g., leadership and communications). To better understand what…

Any organization developing a new product or service wants to ensure that it gets a successful and profitable project in return for its investment. But what kind of success rate and profit amount should organizations aim for? APQC recently partnered with Stage-Gate International to study how…

APQC recently held a panel discussion on how organizations can take advantage of a holistic strategy encompassing an intersection of knowledge, process, and quality management. APQC’s Travis Colton, Jim Lee, and Jeff Varney collectively responded to this follow-up discussion from the panel: Q.…

I recently spoke to Fabio Cardeso, process excellence director - International Operations General Motors Financial, about the pitfalls of outsourcing the documentation of process failures, why people hide inefficiencies, the identification of risks in processes, and why he believes a great process…

APQC was lucky enough to talk to David Shaner about his book ‘The Seven Arts of Change’ and specifically about how his ‘Golden Rule’ can help in leading change in an organization.  David will be the keynote speaker at APQC’s 2014 Process Conference on October 13-15. In part two of our…

Organizations that are successful at product or service innovation have worked to make this a critical capability within the enterprise. These organizations have recognized that innovation done right can lead to a competitive advantage within their markets. Organizations looking to achieve similar…

Project management offices (PMOs) are moving beyond typical project management activities, and are now providing more strategic insights and services that support enterprise-wide initiatives. In order to more fully understand the role PMOs are playing within their organizations, APQC conducted a…

APQC was lucky enough to talk to David Shaner about his book ‘The Seven Arts of Change’ and specifically about how his ‘Golden Rule’ can help lead change in an organization.  David will be the keynote speaker at APQC’s 2014 Process Conference on October 13-15.   In part one of our…

There are many types of benchmarking, but most organizations continue to focus on what I’ll call “descriptive” benchmarking. This type of benchmarking follows a structured methodology, which is critical to success, but is characterized mainly by collecting data from a group of benchmarking…