2001 Professional's Guide to Process Improvement, Maximizing Profit, Efficiency, and Growth [With Word 6.0 or Worfperfect 6.0 for Windows]

I used this book for a university management subject (my own idea, there was no set text) and it was great. It's simple to follow and easy to read, and very practical. It helped me understand what Process Improvement is when I had no prior knowledge. It's even just interesting to read cover to cover, it reads so well. I would give it 5 stars, but I haven't actually used it in real life yet!

This is the second book I have read by Team Lientz and Rea. It provides a clear roadmap to implementing process improvement, and does so with structure and a rich set of tools on the accompanying CD ROM. Book: This is a step-by-step guide for process improvement projects. With the exception of the last two chapters (managing the project and examples) the material is sequential and needs to be read and used in order. I rarely read introductions, but in the case of this book I am glad I did because it sets the context and provides questions and a checklist that will prove invaluable as you go through the book. Critical success factors are the key to process improvement initiatives and this is where the book starts. Next you are lead through the development of a project plan that establishes your direction and the time and resources that need to be devoted. This is a go/no-go hurdle to determine the cost/benefit of a process improvement initiative. You are then lead through the tasks and deliverables of business analysis and technology/process assessment to nail down the "as-is" processes. The section on determining the new process, and the follow-on section on implementation and measuring results are definitely based on best practices. The authors' approach is to the point and complete. I especially liked the chapters on defining and measuring success, and follow-up after implementation - both of which are too often glossed over at the end of a project. Also valuable was the chapter on measuring strategic systems, which is a mature step in a process improvement initiative that is rarely done. Overall: an exhaustively complete set of steps for implementing process improvement that is augmented by a well-written chapter on how to manage the initiative, and a collection of examples and outsourcing and downsizing considerations. This book could be the project manual for an internal process improvement initiative as well as a manual of methods and procedures for a consulting firm.Software: The array of software tools that come with this book is simply incredible and will cut hundreds of hours off of the planning and execution of your initiative (or if you're consulting company, provide ready-made tools). There are three Microsoft Access databases: Issues, Lessons learned and planning issues. Each database has well-designed data entry screens and numerous reports. There are also 114 Excel spreadsheets that are both numbered by project step and descriptive name. The same numbering/naming scheme applies to the 21 Word documents that are checklists, templates and other artifacts that you will need in order to effectively execute a process improvement project. The authors also provide ten PowerPoint presentations for you to fill in the blanks and present to stakeholders. And, the best for last, there are six Microsoft Project plans: two that illustrate an example project used in the book, two Gantt charts, a resource pool and an outsourcing

Our company has tried reengineering and it failed. A member of my staff bought this book. The method works. We have followed the steps in the book and found them to be easy to use, can be done in parallel, and address many of the problems that we encountered when we tried reengineering. There are many useful suggestions on how to overcome problems such as resistance to change, the role of IT, how to get employees involved, how to make presentations to management, and how to organize and perform the work. It is organized for easy access. The CD-ROM was very useful and saved time since it contains files that help implement the material in the chapters. Overall, this is probably one of the best books in process improvement.