Speed Test Your Process

If NASCAR pit crews can have 6 guys change four tires, fill 18 gallons of gas, make a suspension adjustment, clean the grill and the windshield in 14 seconds why do you have to drop off your car to get your tires rotated?

If you are pre-approved for a mortgage, have the number of a surveyor, house inspector and a bug guy who can give you a termite letter, not to mention an a real estate attorney on call; why does it take three weeks to get through the process with today’s available technology?

Go to the store to buy a just released CD you gotta have? Nope, just hit the computer and download it in a matter of minutes. Walk though a book store to see the latest new books on leadership? Hit the computer. Need to check your balance at the local credit union? Fire up the computer from the chair in your office.

Speed is the new defining factor that sets the best from the rest. Food, cars, vacations, buying airline tickets and even emergency room waits -- speed is important.

How are you analyzing your processes to find more speed to get it to the customer faster? Car loans, customer orders, oil changes, getting a doctor into a waiting patient, people are making speed choices all the time. As a society we no longer expect to wait. We want what we want and we want it now, or we will find somewhere else to get it. This just isn’t for those serving consumers, this is even more important in the B2B world.

Define your processes and gather realistic data as to the current speed. Using this as your baseline get information on what potential speed improvements you can make. Include those who operate that process and give them a goal of a 10% improvement.
You will be as amazed as I have been with the results. Once you get those involved who know the process and take emotion out of the problem solving process, new insights occur and results happen.