Ceptara

• ASQ announces a Quality Body of Knowledge (QBOK®)
• QBOK Embraces Personal Excellence
• QBOK declares Pursuit of Personal Excellence as, Personal Mastery, Quality Fit, Interpersonal Skills, Leadership, and Personal Quality Philosophy
• How will it be integrated into certifications?

Summary

• Five lessons learned: use 360 reviews, goals apply to your whole life, connect daily tasks to your goals, think win/win doesn't apply to every interaction, block time to sharpen the saw.
• Engineers (technical types) have a difficult time with the soft skills, i.e. there are soft skills?
• Self reflection and growth only comes when you're ready to hear it.  Just like many programs, you can't work on something until you admit that it's an issue.
• A personal mission statement is the foundation upon which all decisions and actions are based.

Summary

• Focusing solely on your customer can stifle growth and innovation
• Leading your customer is possible through a consultative relationship which can help find mutually beneficial ways of increasing profit margin
• Creating a new market for your products or harnessing a new technology can take a completely different business model that the one that made you successful in the first place

SUMMARY

• Small business owners should understand each of their marketing channels and have specific goals for each channel
• They should articulate their web channel needs before creating a design and selecting a technology platform
• The best sites are first designed in the small business owners mind before a technology platform is selected and implemented
• Small static sites work just as well as complex and dynamic Content Management Systems depending on the goals for the web channel

Ceptara will be participating in the Global Six Sigma and Business Improvement Awards in Orlando, FL starting on October 14th, 2009.  Nominations are being collected until June 5th, 2009.  Visit www.tgssa.com and complete the Awards Entry for the opportunity to win recognition for your organizational excellence

Join me May 9th for the ASQ Quality Professionals Career [Day]. I will be presenting Ceptara's Personal Excellence [methods] and [tool] to help folks manage their way to a new assignment. Additionally, along with Laura Gregg, we will be presenting an hour on starting a business as well. It promises to be a day of networking and seminars to enable folks re-invent themselves in the economic downturn.

On April 15, 2009, we provided a 60 minute [class] on what it means to be Personally Excellent and how to start achieving it. We had a good turn out and I promised the attendees that I would update my blog with a few pointers we talked about in class.

[Join] me on April 15, 2009 @ 1:30p for 60 minutes focused on using MS Outlook to help you better focus on your goals and projects, and to more efficiently accomplish work. This is an introductory session that covers the topics we teach in our Personal Excellence [Workshop].

Summary

• The Lean method of Value Stream Mapping (VSM) can be applied to personal productivity
• Non Value Added (NVA) activities can be summarized and remembered using the mnemonic TIMWOOD
• Remove NVA activities by reducing & processing your collection points, traveling in a straight line, using mobile technologies, being concise in what you deliver, remembering balance, and doing it right the first time.
• Recognize your accountability for how you spend your day and then you can learn how to do it better.

SUMMARY

• A problem statement is a clear description of the issue(s), it includes a vision, issue statement, and method used to solve the problem.
• The 5 'W's can be used to spark the discussion about the problem.
• A problem statement expresses the words that will be used to keep the effort focused and it should represent a solveable problem.