Strategic Sourcing: Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
June 28, 2022 · 2 min read
Strategic sourcing -- the structured process of analysing spend, understanding the supply market, and selecting and managing suppliers to maximise value -- is frequently confused with procurement. Here are the mistakes that prevent organisations from realising its benefits.
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PDCA as a Daily Habit: Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
June 27, 2022 · 3 min read
Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) is a simple improvement cycle, but most teams that try it make the same mistakes. Here is how to make PDCA a genuine daily habit rather than a monthly ritual.
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Fresh Retrospective Techniques: Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
June 26, 2022 · 3 min read
Retrospectives that follow the same format every Sprint lose their effectiveness. Here are the most common retrospective mistakes -- and how to keep your retrospectives generating genuine improvement.
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Acceptance Criteria That Prevent Disputes: Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
June 25, 2022 · 3 min read
Acceptance criteria define what 'done' means for a deliverable. Poorly written acceptance criteria are one of the most reliable predictors of project disputes. Here are the most common mistakes -- and how to avoid them.
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Make-Versus-Buy Decisions: A Practical How-To Guide
June 24, 2022 · 3 min read
The make-versus-buy decision -- whether to produce a product or service internally or procure it from an external supplier -- is one of the most consequential supply chain decisions an organisation makes. Here is how to approach it rigorously.
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A3 Problem Solving on One Page: A Practical How-To Guide
June 23, 2022 · 3 min read
The A3 report is a Lean problem-solving tool that constrains an entire improvement project to a single large sheet of paper. The constraint is the point: brevity forces clarity. Here is how to use it.
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Facilitation Skills for the Scrum Master: A Practical How-To Guide
June 22, 2022 · 3 min read
The Scrum Master's primary tool is not authority -- it is facilitation. Skilled facilitation makes Scrum events productive, ensures every voice is heard, and helps teams reach decisions they can commit to. Here is how to build that skill.
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Planning for Quality, Not Inspecting It In: A Practical How-To Guide
June 21, 2022 · 3 min read
Inspection at the end of a process can catch defects but cannot prevent them. Planning quality into a project from the start -- through requirements clarity, design reviews, and work standards -- is the only way to reduce defect rates sustainably.
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Demand-Driven MRP: Lessons from a Realistic Manufacturing Scenario
June 20, 2022 · 3 min read
Demand-Driven Material Requirements Planning (DDMRP) is a supply chain planning approach designed to reduce the nervousness and bullwhip effect of traditional MRP systems. Here is what a realistic scenario teaches us.
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The Gemba Walk Done Respectfully: Lessons from a Realistic Scenario
June 19, 2022 · 3 min read
A gemba walk -- going to where the work happens to observe, learn, and ask questions -- is one of the most powerful tools in Lean. Done poorly, it is demoralising and counterproductive. Here is what a realistic scenario teaches us.
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Building Psychological Safety in a Scrum Team: Lessons from a Realistic Scenario
June 18, 2022 · 3 min read
Psychological safety -- the belief that you can speak up, ask questions, and raise concerns without fear of punishment or embarrassment -- is a foundation of high-performing Scrum teams. Here is what a realistic scenario teaches us about building it.
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Tying Payments to Contract Milestones: Lessons from a Public Infrastructure Project
June 17, 2022 · 3 min read
Milestone-based payments are a common feature of capital project contracts. Getting them right -- or getting them wrong -- has a significant impact on project delivery outcomes. Here is what a realistic scenario teaches us.
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