HPC

We help companies improve processes, organizations, information systems and facilities. But often these changes are not enough. Performance measures must also change.

We help our clients improve the measurement of customer service, cost, productivity, quality, cycle time and safety. We have helped clients measure results and processes in the following areas: sales, forecasting, planning, engineering, purchasing, manufacturing, inventory management, and distribution.

Our services include assessment, definition and implementation. When needed, we benchmark the measures and the actual performance of other companies. We also create baselines and measure on-going progress. Our services are based on our associates' experience in conducting dozens of performance measurement projects for some of the world's leading companies. Their experience as managers and consultants spans a wide range of industries and organizational cultures, including union and non-union environments.

Our independent and unbiased position helps your team create fair performance measures and accurate baselines. We use our own proven methodology and a broad range of tools and techniques, tailored to each client situation. We freely share our methodology in the course of our assignments. Our role is to help clients build the measurement systems that best meet their needs.

We work at all levels of your organization. Our associates assist in all phases of change -- from planning through implementation of new measures and reward systems. Our specific services are as follows:

Strategic Planning: Documentation and clarification of corporate strategies and business unit plans, and their impact on performance measures. Decisions on the need for a management scoreboard or dashboard.
Orientation of Teams and Projects: Identification of critical issues and forces. Developing project scope and objectives. Orienting senior management and gaining their commitment. Developing project teams and work plans. Training the project team in specific analytical and performance measurement techniques.
Assessment of Performance Measures, Data Collection and Reporting: Identification of the measures required for the organization to meet its objectives. Understanding and assessment of current individual and group performance measures, data collection and reporting. Our assessment includes: effectiveness, complexity, gaps, overlaps, surpluses and shortages. Mapping of activities, processes, events and outcomes in order to identify those that should be measured. Benchmarking and baselining if needed (see below). Understanding and documentation of issues and problems. Identification and prioritization of performance measurement needs and opportunities.
Baselining: Independent, accurate quantification of current performance. Collection and analysis of information from work sampling, observational time study, data collection by employees, computer data, and management reports.
Benchmarking: Information gathering and comparison of the client company's performance vs. other divisions and companies. Planning, execution and analysis of benchmarking surveys and visits. Summary of learning's and applicable recommendations. Review of business and process performance levels. Education about how high performance is accomplished.
Design Future Measures, Data Collection and Reporting: Decisions and plans on how to best fill the gaps. Definition of measurement requirements. Agreement on criteria for performance measures. Identification of alternatives. Objective evaluation against costs, benefits and intangibles. Selection of a preferred alternative for each measure. Agreement on a set of future performance measures. Definition of "who, what, when, where, why and how" for each measure, including calculations. Definition of required reports and supporting data. Identification of sources of transaction, event and audit data. Procedure writing to support baselining, piloting and implementation of each new measure.
Resource Planning and Justification: Establishing the costs and benefits of proposed performance measures.
Software Functional Specifications: Definition of system function and data requirements to support performance measurement and reporting. Preparation of written specifications, transaction definitions, and feature-function checklists to guide packaged software selection or custom development work.
Communication: Planning and execution of communications to maximize success and minimize risk through the involvement of all key stakeholders. Plans include stakeholder, objective, message, medium, timing, and responsibility for critical communications.
Implementation Planning: To bring about change, one must determine who will change, what will change, and when, where, why and how the change will occur. Plan includes testing, training and implementation of the measures.
Project Management: Coordination of all of the above as well as assistance in coordinating company, supplier and consultant resources during implementation. Manage the project to assure high-quality results - on time and within budget.
Program Management and Integration with Other Changes: Linking and coordinating improvement projects. Coordination of performance measurement improvements with changes in processes, organizations, information systems, and facilities. Integrating the performance measurement effort with ongoing programs of continuous improvement, empowerment, total quality management, …
Education: On-site team training on types of measures, key concepts, evaluation criteria and methods.

Please see our list of Typical Projects to learn how we have helped our clients.

We often deliver Performance Measurement services together with one or more of our other services. For information on our other consulting services, see below:

There is always a better way…

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