Increasing overall effectiveness
of laboratory operations
NCSLI Annual Conference
National Harbor, Maryland
Presented by Dean S. Williams
© 2011 Effective Focus Insights. All Rights Reserved
How?
Knowledge
&
Motivation
Knowledge
Tough to do what
you don’t know
how to do
Effectiveness
can
be
Very Simple
Motivation
’cause it just won’t
happen on its own
Effectiveness
is
like
Staying in Shape
You can do it
Once upon a time …
10
Woke up facing
a BIG problem
1400
Instrument Backlog
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
12
13
real
effectiveness is about
Chain – talk about underlying
principle - system level –
everything is part of a system
and church illustration
SYSTEM Effectiveness
Effective
Focus
(simple)
Insights
Principles
• Focus – Goal + a Simple Plan
• Improve – address the constraint
• Evaluate – Measure your progress
Practices
• Simplify – Creating efficiency
• Prioritize – Planning success
• Execute – Getting results
Pragmatics
• Problems – What to change
• Conflicts – What to change to
• Resistance – How to change
Principles
• Focus – Goal + a Simple Plan
• Improve – address the constraint
• Evaluate – Measure your progress
1st Principle - You need to have Focus
Focus = a goal and a simple plan
“You've got to be very
careful if you don't
know where you're
going, because you
might not get there."
-Yogi Berra
Our Goal
Ensure the Right Measurement
Resource is in the Right Place
at the Right Time.
1st Principle - You need to have Focus
Focus = a goal and a simple plan
“Enthusiasm without
knowledge is like
running in the
dark.”
- unknown
Our Goal and Simple Plan
2nd Principle – To Improve, address the
Constraint
“It’s possible to spend your
time working efficiently
on unimportant problems
which, when solved, will
bring no glory to you and
no profit to the company.”
- Robert H. Henry
System view of M&TE operations
Capabilities of each function
Plants
Receiving
10 Labs
Approval
Shipping
Total
2500
2500
Production
350
before
350
before
600
250
2500
500
after
500
500
after
3rd Principle – Measure to improve
effectiveness
“Tell me how you will
measure me and I’ll
tell you how I will
behave.”
- Eli Goldratt
Three Measures
for greater effectiveness
Throughput
Inventory
Operating Expenses
Principles
• Focus – Goal + a Simple Plan
• Improve – address the constraint
• Evaluate – Measure your progress
Practices
• Simplify – Creating efficiency
• Prioritize – Planning success
• Execute – Getting results
1
3
1st Practice – Simplify
for greater
effectiveness
32
“Almost every wellestablished organization
has a coral reef of
procedures that were laid
down to achieve some long
forgotten objective.”
- John W. Gardner
What don’t you need?
David?
Get rid of
everything
that doesn’t
look like David.
It’s OK to…
2nd Practice – Prioritize
for greater effectiveness
1
3
38
It is not enough to be
busy; so are the ants.
The question is: What
are we busy about?
-Henry David Thoreau
PRIORITY GRID
Not Important /
Important
Urgent
/
IMPORTANT
And you let then become
URGENT
1
3
NOT IMPORTANT
but they act
URGENT
Not Urgent
IMPORTANT
And not yet
URGENT
2
4
NOT IMPORTANT
And not
URGENT
Focus on Quadrant 2, the “green” zone
3rd Practice – Execute
with singleness of mind for greater effectiveness
41
“Plans are only good
intentions unless
they immediately
degenerate into
hard work.”
- Peter Drucker
Multi-tasking
"To do two things at once, is to do
neither.“
- Publilius Syrus
Learn
from
the
Gerbil
Be
the
Relay
Runner
Eat
the
Frog
Practices
• Simplify – Creating efficiency
• Prioritize – Planning success
• Execute – Getting results
1
3
Need
Goal
Symptom Symptom Symptom
Cause
Cause
Root
Cause
Want
Conflict
Need
Effective Change
Want
Un-verbalized fears
Obstacles
Negative side effects
The complete solution
Direction of the solution
Type and nature of the problem
Pragmatics
• Problems – What to change
• Conflicts – What to change to
• Resistance – How to change
1st Pragmatic– Problems
getting beyond the symptoms to find lasting solutions
Symptom
Symptom
Cause
Symptom
Cause
Root Cause
“When we find and
work at removing the
actual cause of the
problem we will never
find it repeating.”
- Brahma Kumaris
Go beyond dealing with symptoms
and start
addressing
the
underlying
causes.
52
2nd Pragmatic– Conflicts
breaking the barriers to greater effectiveness
Need
Want
Conflict
Goal
Need
Want
“We are never so likely
to settle a question
rightly as when we
discuss it freely.”
- Thomas Babington
Move from arguing about wants
and start
talking
about
needs and
common
goals
55
3rd Pragmatic– Resistance
planning for more effectiveness solutions
Effective Change
Un-verbalized fears
Obstacles
Negative side effects
The complete solution
Direction of the solution
Type and nature of the problem
“There are no
problems we cannot
solve together and
very few we can solve
by ourselves.”
– Lyndon Johnson
Overcome resistance to change
by effectively
engaging the
stakeholders
– determine
and address
their concerns
58
Need
Goal
Symptom Symptom Symptom
Cause
Cause
Root
Cause
Want
Conflict
Need
Effective Change
Want
Un-verbalized fears
Obstacles
Negative side effects
The complete solution
Direction of the solution
Type and nature of the problem
Pragmatics
• Problems – What to change
• Conflicts – What to change to
• Resistance – How to change
Principles
• Focus – Goal + a Simple Plan
• Improve – address the constraint
• Evaluate – Measure your progress
Practices
• Simplify – Creating efficiency
• Prioritize – Planning success
• Execute – Getting results
Pragmatics
• Problems – What to change
• Conflicts – What to change to
• Resistance – How to change
Recommended Reading
•
•
•
•
•
•
7 Habits – Stephen Covey
The Goal – Eliyahu Goldratt
Finally Focused – Dean Williams
Switch – Chip & Dan Heath
Strengths Finder – Rath
Well Being Finder – Rath & Harter
What’s your next step?
Effective
Focus
Insights
Principles
• Focus – Goal + a Simple Plan
• Improve – address the constraint
• Evaluate – Measure your progress
Questions? Comments
Practices
• Simplify – Creating efficiency
• Prioritize – Planning success
• Execute – Getting results
Pragmatics
• Problems – What to change
• Conflicts – What to change to
• Resistance – How to change
