Anyone who has tried to get things done in an organization has probably had two realizations. First: Everyone seems to have their own way of doing things, and Second: It would sure be nice if this happened the same way every time. It takes discipline to accomplish standardized and streamlined processes, but is this discipline really the most difficult part of creating streamlined processes?

Daily Standup meetings, also known as daily “Huddles,” are a tool for focusing a team on their work for the day. Standups, whether held in person or virtually, are designed to be short – hence the standing format. Typically, there are three questions, and they can be used for any team working for any desired result. These three questions align the team in three distinct and important ways (and yes, Daily Standups can be performed virtually - see the end of the article for tips).

Great vision, great strategy, great project ideas – all areas on which business leaders spend countless hours and dollars annually. The real question is, whose job is it to organize the team and maintain accountability for execution?

AJC loves facilitating Process Mapping sessions with cross-functional teams! There are distinct roles involved in Process Mapping which are not always intuitive. This article describes the roles involved in a team Mapping exercise, as well the responsibilities each role plays. These R&Rs can be applied to Value Stream Mapping and many other types of facilitated session.

Ready to start a new project? Do you have someone internally who you can assign as the Project Manager? Like anything else, there are pros and cons to “doing it yourself” (DIY) when it comes to Project Management. Here are somethings/areas for consideration when deciding whether this approach is right for you.

There is a lot of talk around being an “agile” organization these days – since COVID began so abruptly, many organizations are reconsidering how they adapt to change, and being “agile” sounds appealing. Learn as Alex Jones discusses the fundamentals of Agile, its birthplace from Lean, how to use the Agile frameworks of Scrum and Kanban to make knowledge work visible, and what the role is of leaders in an Agile organization.

The Tuckman Model, coined by psychologist Bruce Tuckman in his 1965 article entitled “Developmental Sequence in Small Groups” describes “Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing,” as a typical path that most teams follow as they work together. As would be expected, the “Storming” part of team interaction is not always sunshine and rainbows. The take away is to be aware that teams do go through these phases. It is normal, and that in and of itself can bring confidence that you WILL get through it!

We have all heard a variation on the justification to *not* undertake certain tasks that runs something like: “but we don’t have anyone who has time to do that.” Many organizations prioritize their work based on who is capable and available to do it. Using a resource-based prioritization model, however, is a dis-service to your organization. We recommend an Economic-Based Prioritization Model.