New Book Part 2

Sorry for the delay on my next blog post, but I have been very busy.  But I am back now and will continue my series of blog posts on my new book.  As I said in my last post, I will be presenting the highlights of my new book entitled The Focus and Leverage Improvement Book.  In this post I will complete a summary of the contents of this book, so that you have a general idea of the book's contents. And just so you know, even though I am the only author listed for this book, much of what's in it were written by Bruce Nelson and it's why I use the term "we" so much.  Bruce was unable to work with me on this book, but rest assured, I consider him a co-author.

Throughout this book, we have presented case studies which were based mainly on work that both Bruce and I have been a part of in our careers. For example, in one of our chapters, we present case
studies on Aviation Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) as well as a Hospital Emergency Department setting. You’re probably thinking that we may have lost our minds thinking that Healthcare and MRO should be discussed in the same chapter, as though they were related in some way. But as you’ll see, they are not so dissimilar after all.

We also discuss our technique on how to achieve a motivated work force to actively participate in improvement initiatives. We discuss something we refer to as active listening. In presenting this
technique, we described how it has never failed us and how usually it left the leadership team scratching their heads, wondering why such a simple technique has eluded them for all these years.

Another subject that is very important for any organization is which performance metrics they should be using to measure and track their performance. Performance metrics stimulate organizational behaviors, so it’s important that an organization selects metrics that result in behaviors that benefit the organization. Closely related to selecting the right performance metrics is the type of accounting system being used.  Traditionally, Cost Accounting (CA) has been the system of choice for most organizations. We discuss in detail another brand of accounting known as Throughput Accounting (TA), which will dramatically influence your organization’s profitability. We demonstrate that the
key to organizational profitability is not through how much money you can save, but rather through how much money you can make. And the two approaches are dramatically different!

There are other discussion topics added as needed, but the ultimate objective is to share the information that has guided us throughout our careers. We value knowledge and experience sharing above all else, and it is our hope that as you read this book and see all that it has to offer, you will share your learning experience with others. But equally important, it is our hope that you will learn and apply these subjects to improve your company’s products and services. Good luck, but as we have written in our other books, luck is Laboring Under Correct Knowledge. You make your own LUCK!
Bob Sproull