Baseline budgeting for continuous improvement.

This article is designed to introduce the techniques used to convert traditionally maintained department budgets to baseline budgets. This entails identifying key activities, evaluating for value-added, and implementing continuous improvement opportunities. Baseline Budgeting for Continuous Improvement was created as a result of a newly named company president's request to implement zero-based budgeting. The president was frustrated with the mind-set of the organization, namely, "Next year's budget should be 10 to 15 percent more than this year's spending." Zero-based budgeting was not the answer, but combining the principles of activity-based costing and the Just-in-Time philosophy of eliminating waste and continuous improvement did provide a solution to the problem.     

A strategy for up-dating continuous surveys

Summary The need for regular up-dating of the selection probabilites in continuous surveys is emphasized in this paper. A simple strategy (selection method for the initial sample with the revision procedure) is presented and its application to the Canadian Labour Force Survey is discussed.     

Dynamic capabilities through continuous improvement infrastructure

We examine the content of continuous improvement strategies and identify infrastructure decision areas that are important for continuous improvement initiatives. We present a framework of infrastructure based on the idea that continuous improvement can serve as a dynamic capability when it includes a comprehensive organizational context. Further, we study continuous improvement initiatives in five companies to investigate the practices used by them in each of the decision areas of our framework. This research adds to the conceptual understanding of continuous improvement and results in grounded propositions about critical areas of infrastructure for continuous improvement.     

Strategic planning to drive integrated continuous improvement

This case study describes how one company involved multiple levels of all functions to develop a comprehensive strategic plan that drives the continuous improvement initiative. The process involves clearly defining a mission, assessing the current situation, developing goals designed to achieve a preferred future status, and establishing the specific tactics to move toward that preferred future. The plan then drives integrated efforts throughout the organization to help manage the business of providing the highest quality products and services to meet current and anticipated customer requirements.     

Developing performance measurement systems that support continuous improvement

Many organizations are in a perpetual state of change. Changing markets, changing competition, changing organization structures, total quality initiatives, and reengineering are often the rule rather than the exception. Often these initiatives fail to yield the desired results or, in the extreme, fail entirely. The reasons for this failure, of course, can be many and multiple. However, one that often stands out is the lack of change in the performance measurement system as the needs for measurement change.     

Quick and continuous improvement through kaizen blitz.

It is our objective to provide you with a step-by-step approach to conducting a kaizen blitz within two days and describe how to achieve dramatic performance improvement with employee buy-in through this process. Kaizen blitz has been used dozens of times by the authors, and in some instances the same area has been blitzed as many as four times, with significant improvements each and every time. Employees have even taken it on themselves to conduct informal blitzes as a continuing improvement effort after a formal blitz has been conducted in their area. Blitzes can succeed in a variety of environments. The morning after the employees of one company attended this presentation, they self initiated a mini-blitz and discovered opportunities for improvement that they enthusiastically presented to management.     

连续式沥青混凝土拌和机组的缺陷及改进

ASTEC双滚筒沥青混凝土搅拌设备在沥青拌和工艺上是一项重大技术进步,但在使用中发现设备存在一系列问题,文章论述了通过对设备进一步调试、修正误差及改造硬件等一系列措施,使得产品质量大大提高,拌合料的配合比精度能够达到高等级公路的施工要求。     

Success factors for continuous supply chain process improvement: evidence from Japanese manufacturers

This study explores how firms can realise ‘continuous’ supply chain process improvement. Specifically, this study proposes the success factors of routinised activities (also called ‘repeated activities’) in the supply chain process improvement. Eight Japanese manufacturers are selected for the case studies. These firms are selected based on their supply chain process operation capabilities. From the case studies, we find that the planning of supply chain process improvement depends on the existing stage of the firm’s Supply Chain Management reform. In addition, even firms with high scores for supply chain process operation capabilities do not have supply chain performance systems. Furthermore, quite surprisingly, many Japanese manufacturers tend to improve their supply chain processes in the absence of such systems.     

An integrated structural model toward successful continuous improvement activity

This paper provides a different view from Bassent et al.'s (2001) toward a successful continuous improvement (CI) activity. Their concept encourages a business that is resting on its present accomplishments to seek greater gain. However, their behavioral model is not easy to operate for managers. In order to operate CI activity effectively and obtain company-wide involvement for management, we need a system which can meet the current CI status and lead the firm toward the correct road as described by Bessant et al. This system has to be open in the way that it can fit into any organization so that it can easily embed the necessary regenerative input into its physical structure. This system has also to be super in the way that it can successfully lead the organization structure toward the evolutionary route.Thus, we propose an open super system which places a pyramid composed by problem, models and tools, and promotion, at its core. Using Bessant et al.'s five evolutionary levels as a time map, this system can analyze a firm's improvement ability from the presentation of cases and find the proper regenerative input from the failure status. A firm can inject this input into its structure to upgrade its level of capability.Applying this open super system on our previous studies, we derived five improvement levels and the different ability types in each level. From there, we discovered some failure status in each level. We also drew some important perspectives on the injection of regenerative input from failure status, including the promotion of the technique-excellence ability, the value problem, and efficiently solving problem. To help the readers to understand this system better, we give ‘AB two stage’ system as an example to show how to inject regenerative input into the physical structure to fulfill the expectations from different perspectives.     

Evolving densities in continuous strategy games through particle simulations

Many cases of strategic interaction between agents involve a continuous set of choices. It is natural to model these problems as continuous space games. Consequently, the population of agents playing the game will be represented with a density function defined over the continuous set of strategy choices. Simulating evolutionary dynamics on continuous strategy spaces is a challenging problem. The classic approach of discretizing the strategy space is ineffective for multidimensional strategy spaces. We present a principled approach to simulation of adaptive dynamics in continuous space games using sequential Monte Carlo methods. Sequential Monte Carlo methods use a set of weighted random samples, also named particles to represent density functions over multidimensional spaces. Sequential Monte Carlo methods provide computationally efficient ways of computing the evolution of probability density functions. We employ resampling and smoothing steps to prevent particle degeneration problem associated with particle estimates. The resulting algorithm can be interpreted as an agent based simulation with elements of natural selection, regression to mean and mutation. We illustrate the performance of the proposed simulation technique using two examples: continuous version of the repeated prisoner dilemma game and evolution of bidding functions in first-price closed-bid auctions.     

Performance assessment and improvement of control charts for statistical batch process monitoring

This paper describes the concepts of statistical batch process monitoring and the associated problems. It starts with an introduction to process monitoring in general which is then extended to batch process monitoring. The performance of control charts for batch process monitoring is discussed by means of two performance indices: the overall type I error and the action signal time. Problems associated with the existing approach are discussed and highlighted. Improvements are suggested and checked with the performance indices. To evaluate the effect of the proposed improvements as well as to assess the performance of the existing approach, an industrial batch production process is used.     

Performance evaluation,public management improvement and democratic accountability

The results-oriented management reforms fostered by the New Public Management movement are often argued to emphasize the search for efficiency, quality and other typical market values at the expense of democratic accountability. On the other hand, challenging this view, some authors claim that results-based management reforms have the potential to enhance political accountability and representative democracy. There is however, limited empirical evidence of this relationship. This article uses some of the findings from a comparative study of public management evaluation systems in four Latin American countries to illuminate this relationship in practice. We discuss the fact that, in two of the four countries surveyed, the design features of the new systems were based on the explicit search for increased political accountability and the deepening of democracy. We also discuss the possible causes for the finding that the outcome and performance information generated is not being applied for decision-making purposes yet, as expected.     

我国水务工程招投标现状分析及改进策略

文章对水务工程招投标中的现状及其存在的问题进行了阐述,并提出了相应的改进策略.     

加分优势六西格玛,持续改进助霍尼韦尔公司荣获波多里奇奖

在霍尼韦尔联邦制造和技术公司(Honeywell Federal Manufacturing &Technologies,FM&T),质量无疑是被整合到公司内,而非附着于表面.基于FM&T所从事业务的敏感性和严肃性,除此之外别无他法. “很多组织都在尝试看把质量移植进来,迫使其发挥作用,”FM&T卓越运营经理芭巴·瑞兹(Barb Rich)说,“我们是在运用质量进行改进,所以,它已被切实地整合到了公司中.而这与将质量附着于组织之上的做法在思维上是有区别的.如果质量是被融入到企业中,那么它就能持续下去.”     

Performance improvement in new product development with effective tools and techniques adoption for high-tech industries

Utilization of appropriate tools and techniques in the process of new product development (NPD) can assist firms to achieve better performances in launching new products. However, in practice, many useful tools and techniques are not utilized effectively. This study undertakes an in-depth empirical investigation of the appropriate tools or techniques that can be used at each stage of the NPD process. The study also analyzes the impact of individual tools or techniques both on overall NPD performance and on individual performance indicators within the process. The study finds that several NPD tools and techniques (for example, DOE, FMEA/DFMEA, and supplier involvement) have a significant effect on the overall performance of NPD and on a number of performance indicators, but that their utilization is not especially high. In addition, the study finds that DFX, conjoint analysis, and concept test, which also have a significant effect on NPD performance, are relatively neglected by the firms. The study provides valuable guidance to firms in using such tools and techniques more appropriately and effectively.     

Business process reengineering: a pathway for performance improvement

Health care materiel management executives are coping with a revolutionary environment. Demands and constraints are being placed on hospitals that necessitate both long-term solutions and rapid responses. Materiel management executives can play a vital role in transforming their areas from a passive service center to an active command center. It is essential that the materiel management executive play an active role in the change process.     

How project management office leaders facilitate cross‐project learning and continuous improvement

The purpose of this study is to shed light on how project management office (PMO) leaders facilitate cross‐project learning and continuous improvement. Twenty leaders of PMOs were interviewed; findings were validated by two focus groups. The research reveals that PMO leaders facilitate cross‐project improvement by embedding accumulated knowledge from past project experiences into project management routines that are utilized across multiple projects. The research also points to the phenomenon of “red light learning,” where lessons learned sessions can be enculturated as punitive, undermining individual and organizational learning. Recommendations focus on enhancing the social capital of the PMO leader and improving the quality and quantity of reflective practice over the course of the project life cycle.