Knowledge Bank – P to T
P
Performance Management – Performance Management can best be described as a process which contributes to the effective management of individuals and teams in order to achieve high levels of organisational performance and productivity.
Peak Performance – The term Peak Performance is used to describe an individually-based development and mentoring approach that attempts to raise the performance of individuals as sports coaching does for athletes. It has been used extensively in sales, which is often an individual, rather than team activity, but the concept has been extended to team-based working, and even to organisational development.
PESTEL Analysis – Is a framework or tool used to analyse and monitor the macro-environmental (external marketing environment) factors that have an impact on an organisation. The result of which is used to identify threats and weaknesses which is used in a SWOT analysis.
Portal Power – An Internet portal is a website that provides an added-value entry point or gateway to the Internet. Common added-value services are mechanisms to search the Web (search engines), directories, news, financial information, and links to related websites but the range of services is widening, see below.
Predetermined motion time systems (PMTS) – Predetermined motion time systems (PMTS) are work measurement systems based on the analysis of work into basic human movements, classified according to the nature of each movement and the conditions under which it is made.
Process Charts – Process Charts are one of the simpler forms of workflow charting and are still in regular usage but are less common than they once were.
Process Mapping – Process mapping can be regarded as a marriage between a traditional process chart and a computer system flow chart. It offers the same range of benefits; aiding communication about processes, and acting as a basis for process improvement (or re-engineering).
Psychological Safety – Google in 2015 published the results of a two year study into what makes a great team. The study results clearly indicated that it wasn’t necessarily the teams that had the most senior people, those with the highest IQs or even teams that made the least amount of mistakes.
Q
Quality Function Deployment (QFD) – Quality Function Deployment (QFD) is a technique introduced in Japan by Yoji Akao in 1966 and used extensively by Toyota (and since by many other companies around the globe).
R
Reliability-centred maintenance (RCM) – Reliability-centred maintenance (RCM) is a systematic process of preserving a system’s function by selecting and applying effective Preventive Maintenance (PM) tasks.
S
Scenario Planning – We live in uncertain times, in times of great change, in times of intense competition. Organisations understandably find it difficult to plan far ahead. If they do, the external environment or the technology might have changed around them. They know they have to include the changes in their preparations for the future, but are not sure how.
Self Managed Teams – In recent years self-managed teams have become a useful and important approach to improving team performance. Alternative names for this style of team structure/organisation are ‘self-directed teams’ and ‘semi-autonomous work groups’.
Simulation Software – A simulation model can be helpful for obtaining insight into the functioning of systems and, subsequently, for the step by step improvement of these systems. Manufacturing and logistic systems normally have waiting time in them; waiting times of resources (under-occupation), of products (stocks) and customers (delivery reliability). Simulation software can help you to make the right trade off between these.
Simultaneous/Concurrent Engineering
Six Sigma – The ideas behind the Six Sigma concept arose from a realisation that technology changes the way we should think about quality and especially about manufacturing non-conformance rates. When automated processes are responsible for much of current manufacturing, quality levels should be very high.
Six Sigman – D.M.A.I.C. – What problem would you like to fix or what is the Goal that needs to be achieved? The Define Phase is the first phase of the Lean Six Sigma improvement process. In this phase the project team creates a Project Charter, a high-level map of the process and begins to understand the needs of the customers of the process. This is a critical phase in which the team outlines the project focus for themselves and the leadership of the organization. Without a clearly defined Objective or Problem the project team could begin to go off track and end up not resolving the issue or resolving another issue that was not part of the project.
Supply Chain Innovation – Supply chain innovation is essential if manufacturing organisations are to remain competitive.
Supply Chain Software – SCM is a part of the general move towards e-business and towards the kinds of network connectivity that allow organisations to communicate with each other, to co-operate and to act as a co-ordinated, even integrated, single entity.
Systems Thinking – Systems thinking is a management discipline that concerns an understanding of a system by examining the linkages and interactions between the components that comprise the entirety of that defined system.
T
Taguchi Methods – Development work undertaken by Dr Genichi Taguchi whilst working at the Japanese telecommunications company NTT in the 1950s and 1960s attempting to use experimental techniques to achieve both high quality and low-cost design solutions.
Time Management – The Eisenhower Method – Eisenhower recognized that great time management means being effective as well as efficient. In other words, we must spend our time on things that are important and not just the ones that are urgent. He devised a system for managing his time and deciding his priorities which has become known as the Eisenhower Method which basically allowed him to distinguish between what was urgent and what were important tasks. He is quoted as saying:
Time Study – Time study is a structured process of directly observing and measuring human work using a timing device to establish the time required for completion of the work by a qualified worker when working at a defined level of performance.
Total productive maintenance (TPM) – Total productive maintenance (TPM) is the systematic execution of maintenance by all employees through small group activities.