May 2006
Monthly Archive
For Immediate Release
Poplar Grove, Il, April 23, 2006: CBF Consulting, Inc. Acquired key personnel from a competing firm today, This acquisition of talent now gives CBF Consulting, Inc. a much deeper core knowledge base in project management, manufacturing execution, business value, and root cause analysis.
Mr. Phipps has over 20 years in industrial controls experience, designing and implementing systems for companies such as Owens Corning, Certainteed Roofing, GAF building Materials, Daimler Chrysler, EJ Gallo, US Steel and Ash Grove Cement to list a few. Formally trained Mr. Phipps has performed in a range of positions from plant manager to plant maintenance as well as system implementer giving him a unique perspective on various business improvement initiatives.
- Make ROI calculations and business justifications for application projects prior to implementation.
- Beware feature creep - limit growth in application scope by devising a project plan and sticking with it.
- Strive to finish on time, leaving out optional features if necessary.
- Map out business processes before implementing applications.
- Don’t customize unless absolutely necessary; be willing to adopt application best practices.
- Avoid a “big bang” all-at-once implementation; roll out applications one module at a time to minimize pain and maximize business returns.
- Carefully weigh platform and integration issues; don’t be swayed by features alone.
- Don’t dictate an implementation; solicit and act on user feedback.
- Get the business side to take ownership of an application.
- Train, train, train (and when that’s done, train some more!)
Training from CBF Consulting, Inc can be a fast and cost effective means of ensuring that you and your team are prepared for the case building challenge.
Delivering a business case on time with results that inspire confidence requires a solid grasp of case-building concepts and rationale.
Training designed for managers, analysts, consultants, and other professionals includes:
- The comprehensive two-day workshop “Building the Business Case”
For groups of 5-25, this course develops practical skills across the complete business case curriculum (see the course description).
- Onsite training for a single organization or company is always customized to reflect participant backgrounds and the business case needs of the sponsoring organization.
- Open seminars are offered throughout the year, worldwide. Here, participants benefit from the shared experiences of professionals from their own areas and from a wide range of other areas.
- Online E-Learning “Business Case Basics”
Learn, review, and test yourself at the time and place of your own choosing. Business Case Basics is designed to prepare you with a solid understanding of the business terms and concepts important for building or using the financial business case. Learn how to develop and interpret ROI, NPV, IRR and payback period—the most frequently used decision criteria in business today.
- Intensive one- to three-day tutoring Tutoring sessions are often designed for individuals or small groups who have a short term need to deliver business case results.
- Short presentations or workshops on specific business case topics
Special one-hour to half-day sessions are given on a range of topics including
- Building the business case: Keys to accuracy and credibility.
- Evaluating business case results: What can we count on?
- Putting a value on business benefits: What are they really worth?
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“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius — and a lot of courage — to move in the opposite direction.” – Albert Einstein
Many businesses suffer from ad-hoc approaches to problem solving. They suffer from poor decisions that use up time, effort and money. Effective and efficient root cause analysis offers you a competitive advantage as an employer, in addition to assisting you achieve objectives and improve employee performance
Experience the phenomenal power of a proper problem solving approach especially when applied within a team environment. Team members move quickly through the confused forming/storming phase and into the norming/performing phase. With the CBF Consulting approach you learn how to:
- Break down problems into workable pieces.
- Separate symptoms from the true causes of a problem.
- Identify the root cause of a problem before you spend time and money on corrective action.
- Improve your ability to describe and analyze root cause(s) of problems.
- Develop a common language of root cause analysis within your team or organization.
- Increase your skill in identifying criteria and assessing risks when selecting root cause solutions.
- Manage your root cause analysis projects pro-actively by forecasting and preventing problems.
- Improve your skill in managing root cause analysis meetings.
CBF Root Cause Analysis is based upon 4 basic and industry accepted approaches:
First is situation analysis, this process helps you see the whole situation behind a problem or issue, understand causes and effects, set priorities, and take the right actions needed for successful resolution. Problem analysis is used when a specific problem has been identified. Problem Analysis is a systematic questioning technique to gather problem data, and identify unique characteristics surrounding the problem environment. The process then helps generate possible causes, and identify the root cause through analytical testing techniques. Decision analysis focuses on how to select the best approach. This process systematically analyzes solution alternatives to reach one or more objectives while managing risks. You’ll learn several methods for developing criteria, comparing alternatives, and assessing risks to assure high quality results. Ultimately, after the root cause analysis has found a solution to a situation of problem, there is problem prevention. Problem Prevention is used to proactively implement solution plans by forecasting and preventing obstacles that threaten success. You’ll identify hidden “killers and cripplers” and prevent them from destroying your critical implementation process.
Engineering is the professional and systematic application of science to the efficient utilization of natural resources to produce wealth. T. J. Hoover and J. C. L. Fish, 1941
“Analysts report that as many as 71% of software projects that fail do so because of poor requirements management, making it the single biggest reason for project failure“ - CIO magazine, Nov 15 2005
Requirements are the key to project success. Gathering good quality requirements is critical to the design and development of software that must meet strict business and quality criteria.
CBF Consulting Requirements Analysis is intended to:
·Conduct a Qualitative Analysis of client pains and needs
·Build credibility and trust to establish a working relationship
·Demonstrate technical competency and industry-specific manufacturing knowledge
·Facilitate cross-departmental discussion and derive consensus on the primary inefficiencies and challenges
·Distinguish between workflow and organizational inefficiencies
·Deliverables as part of the Assessment Process:
1. Assessment Findings Summary
2. Executive Summary (Top challenges identified and possible methods of improvement)
3. Business Case
4. User Requirements (Solution requirements to meet business objectives)
5. Solution alternatives and lowest-risk migration path
6. Project Plan outlining solution path at a high level
7. RFQ/RFP development
8. Vendor proposal review with client
The assessment develops the short and long term strategies that ensure a solution is a process enabler of the company’s 21st Century business practices such as Lean manufacturing or Six Sigma.
Point of clarity: Engagement tailored to each client needs. A qualification call with a CBF Consulting representative is required before final contract price.
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