We’re already more than a decade into this new century, and companies are still waiting for the “next big thing” to surface. Many organizations are riding the Six Sigma and Lean wave but still seem to be waiting for the next “silver bullet.” Certainly reducing variation and removing waste are good things but, by themselves, they won’t save many organizations from continuing to work on the wrong things.
It doesn’t matter how streamlined organizational processes are or how much waste has been removed, if organizations aren’t satisfying their customers and treating them as life-time partners, they will fall short of where they want or need to be. As I’ve mentioned in prior columns, the time is ripe for quality professionals to play a significant role in their organizations.