^The APQC Blog

During APQC’s 2016 Process Conference Shelley Sweet of i4Process explored common roadblocks and provides a proven model for successfully implementing process improvement initiatives throughout the entire organization.

Go here for more information about APQC’s Process & Performance Management Conference. 

Within this decade, no organizational function will experience greater transformation from the Internet-of-Things than supply chain management.

The digital transformation is allowing all parts of the business to collect data that will drive decisions and operations. But the supply chain is the clear point of entry for businesses to start connecting devices that will generate tremendous volumes of data and transform operations.

I’m going to start off this blog with a few (seemingly) random facts. First, it’s springtime. Second, my friends and I are in our late twenties. Finally, I participate in social media. These facts are relatively meaningless on their own, but, when taken in combination, they can mean only one thing: I see lots and lots of wedding photos each and every day. 

What’s on the minds of other process and knowledge practioners? Ask Us Answered is an APQC blog series that shares a sample of the questions members submit to APQC’s Ask Us service along with the resources and expertise provided.  If you’re an APQC member and have a question you’d like us to answer please Ask Us!

You can also follow us on Twitter @APQC  

This post is part of a short series that will walk you through the 14 principles of Toyota’s production system (TPS) as described in Jeffrey Liker’s book, The Toyota Way, and provide you with practical tips on how and why to apply these principles at your own workplace.

In the past, APQC has talked at great length about the Process Classification Framework® (PCF) in terms of APQC’s offerings: process management, content/knowledge management, and benchmarking. Inspired by my colleague Holly’s recent research, I started thinking about how APQC positions itself in the enterprise architecture (EA) space. How can organizations that are focusing on enterprise architecture leverage APQC’s PCF for better EA outcomes?

Do you have a child or grandchild who plays competitive sports? If so, then you may be familiar with my weekend world of tournament baseball. For those of you not familiar, tournament baseball is for boys aged 8+. It is the more rabid and expensive alternative to Little League. People pay lots of good money for their sons to go to hours of practice during the week with professional coaches, followed by 2 games that could start as early as 7 am on Saturdays, and if you win on Saturday you could be treated to up to five sequential games starting as early as at 7 am on Sundays.

There is one quality that all successful business professionals share--regardless of their industry, talent or background--they read. So, whether you’re just starting out in your career, or consider yourself a seasoned professional, here’s a shortlist of five must-reads that are guaranteed to make you more effective in the workplace.

5. The Lean Startup by Eric Ries

When I was in secondary school learning how to write essays, my teachers beat me over the head with the following adage about how to structure a paper: “tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them.” Well, I’m about to tell you what I’m going to tell you, only what I’m going to tell you is going to take the form of 12 months of research content instead of a high school English paper.  And (mercifully) I’m not going to be the only one doing the telling.