Making Process Improvement Work

Making Process Improvement Work
Author: Neil Potter
Publisher: Addison-Wesley
Total Pages: 185
Release: 2002-03-22
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 0132929562

Software process improvement too often reflects a significant disconnect between theory and practice. This book bridges the gap—offering a straightforward, systematic approach to planning, implementing, and monitoring a process improvement program. Project managers will appreciate the book’s concise presentation style and will be able to apply its practical ideas immediately to real-life challenges. With examples based on the authors’ own extensive experience, this book shows how to define goals that directly address the needs of your organization, use improvement models appropriately, and devise a pragmatic action plan. In addition, it reveals valuable strategies for deploying organizational change, and delineates essential metrics for tracking your progress. Appendices provide examples of an action plan, a risk management plan, and a mini-assessment process. You will learn how to: · Scope and develop an improvement plan · Identify and prioritize risks and mitigate anticipated difficulties · Derive metrics that accurately measure progress toward business goals · Sell your improvement program in-house · Initially target practitioners and projects most-open to new approaches and techniques · Stay focused on goals and problems · Align the actions of managers and practitioners · Delay major policy documents and edicts until solutions have been practiced and tested · Use existing resources to speed deployment · Incorporate improvement models, such as SEI CMM® and CMMISM, into your improvement program For those managers who are tired of chronic project difficulties, constant new improvement schemes, and a lack of real progress, this easily digestible volume provides the real-world wisdom you need to realize positive change in your organization.

Latin American Women and Research Contributions to the IT Field

Latin American Women and Research Contributions to the IT Field
Author: Negrón, Adriana Peña Pérez
Publisher: IGI Global
Total Pages: 459
Release: 2020-12-18
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 1799875547

Although the effort to involve women in engineering has risen in recent years with the creation of new initiatives and the promotion of inclusion in technical disciplines, the active participation of women in engineering professions is continuously lower than expected. While the need for engineers appears to be constantly increasing, women still do not fill most of this role and have a long way to go to even reach an equal split in the field. This gender gap has a significant impact how women in the STEM fields are perceived as well as their experiences in their education and careers. When it comes to Latin American women in IT, their contribution to science can go unnoticed, their participation levels in these fields are very low, and they often occupy lower-level positions than their male counterparts. These issues need to be discussed, and the experiences of women who work in the field must be shared. Latin American Women and Research Contributions to the IT Field highlights the important role of Latin American women in IT by collecting and disseminating their frontier-research contributions in order to provide more visibility and inspire greater participation of Latin American women within the major field of computer science. With chapters contributed by female authors from eight Latin American and Caribbean countries, the book provides a deep analysis of these women’s trajectory paths to high quality theoretical and applied relevant research in computer science and IT. While highlighting areas such as inclusivity and STEM education, along with advancements and achievements in topics that include nonverbal interaction in virtual reality, fuzzy logic applications in education, and ant colony optimization, this book is ideal for professionals, academics, students, and researchers working in the fields of information technologies and computer science as well as those interested in gender and women’s studies.

Process Improvement Essentials

Process Improvement Essentials
Author: James R. Persse, PhD
Publisher: "O'Reilly Media, Inc."
Total Pages: 353
Release: 2006-09-14
Genre: Computers
ISBN: 0596553846

Today, technology has become too much a part of overall corporate success for its effectiveness to be left to chance. The stakes are too high. Fortunately, the idea of 'quality management' is being reinvigorated. In the last decade process programs have become more and more prevalent. And, out of all the available options, three have moved to the top of the chain. These three are: The 9001:2000 Quality Management Standard from the International Standards Organization; The Capability Maturity Model Integration from the Software Engineering Institute; and Six Sigma, a methodology for improvement shaped by companies such as Motorola, Honeywell, and General Electric. These recognized and proven quality programs are rising in popularity as more technology managers are looking for ways to help remove degrees of risk and uncertainty from their business equations, and to introduce methods of predictability that better ensure success. Process Improvement Essentials combines the foundation needed to understand process improvement theory with the best practices to help individuals implement process improvement initiatives in their organization. The three leading programs: ISO 9001:2000, CMMI, and Six Sigma--amidst the buzz and hype--tend to get lumped together under a common label. This book delivers a combined guide to all three programs, compares their applicability, and then sets the foundation for further exploration. It's a one-stop-shop designed to give you a working orientation to what the field is all about.

A Practical Guide to Information Systems Process Improvement

A Practical Guide to Information Systems Process Improvement
Author: Anita Cassidy
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 280
Release: 2000-09-26
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1420025678

When you invest in expensive technology and systems, you want to get the most out of them. Process improvement has been used for years as an effective strategy to reduce costs, shorten cycle times, improve quality, and increase user satisfaction in other areas of business such as Quality, Manufacturing, and Engineering. While there are many books a

The Power of Business Process Improvement

The Power of Business Process Improvement
Author: Susan Page
Publisher: AMACOM
Total Pages: 354
Release: 2010-02-17
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0814414796

Baffled by repeated mistakes in your department? Want to focus your employees' limited time on more valuable work? The answer to these challenges and more is business process improvement (BPI). Every process in every organization can be made more effective, cost-efficient, and adaptable to changing business needs. The good news is you don't need to be a BPM expert to get great results. Written by an experienced process analyst, this how-to guide presents a simple, bottom-line approach to process improvement work. With its proven 10-step method you can: Identify and prioritize the processes that need fixing * Eliminate duplication and bureaucracy * Control costs * Establish internal controls to reduce human error * Test and rework the process before introducing it * Implement the changes Now in its second edition, The Power of Business Process Improvement is even more user-friendly with new software suggestions, quizzes, a comparison of industry improvement methods, and examples to help you apply the ideas. Whether you are new to BPI or a seasoned pro, you will have business running better in no time.

The Process Improvement Handbook: A Blueprint for Managing Change and Increasing Organizational Performance

The Process Improvement Handbook: A Blueprint for Managing Change and Increasing Organizational Performance
Author: Tristan Boutros
Publisher: McGraw Hill Professional
Total Pages: 412
Release: 2013-10-13
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 0071817670

The Definitive Guide to Process Improvement & Operational Excellence. This complete body of knowledge for process improvement professionals provides an easy-to-understand foundation for process maturity capability in any company. Gold Medal Winner of the 2015 Axiom Book Award for best business theory book! The Process Improvement Handbook: A Blueprint for Managing Change and Increasing Organizational Performance introduces an all-encompassing body of knowledge for anyone looking to improve their operating environment. It presents a practical way to build and improve processes, and can assist professionals whether they are learning the basics of Process Improvement, planning their first improvement project, or evangelizing process oriented thinking throughout their organization. All of the concepts explained in this book encapsulate everything needed to enable process excellence from start to finish, saving time, conserving resources, and accomplishing more in a competitive timeframe. These practical insights will make you more effective in any Process Improvement role: from contributor, stakeholder, executive, team member, department, business division, supplier, and customer. Highlights include: A comprehensive framework that outlines the methods, tools, and competencies used to create sustainable Process Improvement efforts An industry-leading architecture approach for building organizational processes - Process-Oriented Architecture (POA) Demonstrating the importance of end-to-end process improvement, and the pitfalls of individual and isolated improvement methods Capitalizing on practical agility principles to deliver faster results Sample learning materials such as instructions for getting started, practical guides, real-world case studies, and templates available in the book and on an affiliated website A self-sufficient reference guide that all employees can easily use or self-train with A common vocabulary within the Process Improvement profession for discussing, writing, and applying Process Improvement concepts A robust tool for educating or training organizations and professionals Includes a Foreword from Dr. H. James Harrington, prolific author of over 35 Process Improvement books and winner of numerous quality awards including ASQ's Distinguished Service Medal.

The Power of Business Process Improvement

The Power of Business Process Improvement
Author: Susan Page
Publisher: AMACOM
Total Pages: 407
Release: 2015-11-04
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0814436625

This book provides business professionals with the clearest, easiest roadmap to achieving highly effective departments and organizations. Are you baffled by how your department can keep making the same mistakes? Do you feel you have been climbing an unending, uphill battle trying to focus your employees’ limited time on more valuable work? These obstacles are so common in business that the solution to getting past them even has a name--business process improvement (BPI). Thankfully, though, you don’t have to be a BPI expert to resolve these situations and find the results your business needs to find success again. Written by experienced process analyst Susan Page, The Power of Business Process Improvement is the resource you need to find a simple, bottom-line approach to process improvement work. By implementing its proven 10-step method, you will be able to: Eliminate duplication and bureaucracy Control costs Establish internal controls to reduce human error Test and rework the process before introducing it Implement the changes Complete with software suggestions, quizzes, a comparison of industry improvement methods, and examples to help you apply the ideas, The Power of Business Process Improvement is your solution to turning your business into the well-oiled machine you know it can be.

Foodservice Manual for Health Care Institutions

Foodservice Manual for Health Care Institutions
Author: Ruby Parker Puckett
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 594
Release: 2012-11-19
Genre: Medical
ISBN: 0470583746

The thoroughly revised and updated fourth edition of Foodservice Manual for Health Care Institutions offers a review of the management and operation of health care foodservice departments. This edition of the book which has become the standard in the field of institutional and health care foodservice contains the most current data on the successful management of daily operations and includes information on a wide range of topics such as leadership, quality control, human resource management, product selection and purchasing, environmental issues, and financial management. This new edition also contains information on the practical operation of the foodservice department that has been greatly expanded and updated to help institutions better meet the needs of the customer and comply with the regulatory agencies' standards. TOPICS COVERED INCLUDE: Leadership and Management Skills Marketing and Revenue-Generating Services Quality Management and Improvement Planning and Decision Making Organization and Time Management Team Building Effective Communication Human Resource Management Management Information Systems Financial Management Environmental Issues and Sustainability Microbial, Chemical, and Physical Hazards HACCP, Food Regulations, Environmental Sanitation, and Pest Control Safety, Security, and Emergency Preparedness Menu Planning Product Selection Purchasing Receiving, Storage, and Inventory Control Food Production Food Distribution and Service Facility Design Equipment Selection and Maintenance Learning objectives, summary, key terms, and discussion questions included in each chapter help reinforce important topics and concepts. Forms, charts, checklists, formulas, policies, techniques, and references provide invaluable resources for operating in the ever-changing and challenging environment of the food- service industry.