TQM Facilitators Guide or The Measurement Nightmare

TQM Facilitator's Guide

Author: Jerome S Arcaro

In this competitive age, the need for qualified facilitators is constantly growing. A facilitator is a mediator and a negotiator, an organizational development consultant and process observer, a statistician and TQM expert, and an agent for positive change within an organization. A facilitator trains and educates, builds successful teams, and solves problems by listening and communicating well with others. The TQM Facilitator's Guide is for those interested in becoming facilitators and those who want to improve their present facilitation skills. It gives clearly defined standards on the role of a facilitator in an institutional organization and elaborates upon the characteristics of effective facilitators-flexible, constructive individuals who enjoy working with people. It also classifies facilitators into three distinct performance levels: Facilitator I for highly performing teams, Facilitator II for non-performing teams and Facilitator III for an organization's most critical teams. Both a practical handbook and a self-directed learning workbook, the TQM Facilitator's Guide is packed with interactive exercises and detailed descriptions of the Total Quality Management process and the methods by which facilitators go about initiating one. This book can help you transform your currently dysfunctional workplace into a productive, highly functioning environment full of teamwork, understanding and cooperation.

Table of Contents:

	Preface
	Author
1	Identifying Your Motivation to Become a Facilitator	1
2	Pre-Course Self-Assessment	7
3	Facilitation	11
4	Facilitator Roles and Responsibilities	27
5	Basic Principles of Total Quality Management	41
6	Getting Started as a Facilitator	53
7	Conducting Effective Team Meetings	59
8	Problem-Solving Tools and Techniques	81
9	Team Formation	87
10	Creating a Customer Focus	93
11	Basic Tools of Quality	97
12	Seven Management and Planning Tools	149
13	Post-Course Self-Assessment	169
	Appendix: Worksheets	173
	Index	195

Go to: Slavery Atlantic Trade and the British Economy 1660 1800 or The Crisis of Vision in Modern Economic Thought

The Measurement Nightmare: How the Theory of Constraints Can Resolve Conflicting Strategies, Policies, and Measures

Author: Debra Smith

Today's competitive environment requires that companies distinguish themselves in the marketplace using factors other than prices. Companies that excel at on-time delivery, short cycle/leadtime, quality, and fast response to the market gain a competitive edge - and have the ability to market based on these features. A proven approach to achieve this is the Theory of Constraints (TOC) production solution known, as drum-buffer-rope scheduling. Just in time (JIT), Total Quality Management (TQM) and other philosophies aim at exploiting these competitive edge factors. However, accounting systems, financial, and incentive measurements continue to be the biggest stumbling blocks to companies wishing to improve their financial performance with these tools. Agreement on the need for a measurement system that encourages local actions in line with bottom line results is common, but solutions have remained elusive. Whether a company is pursuing JIT, TQM, or TOC, cost accounting is the common enemy. Attempts have been made to introduce "new" costing methods such as activity based costing and economic value added, but they have failed to recognize the basic difference between product costing for financial statement purposes and collective management information to make real time decisions. The Measurement Nightmare shows you how to resolve the conflicts and remove the accounting systems, financial, and incentive measurement roadblocks to adopting TOC, thereby gaining improved performance and sustaining competitive advantage. The techniques that the author, leading authority Debra Smith, has implemented and tracked at various companies highlight "the productivity measurement nightmare". Especiallyimportant are the day-to-day tools she developed to ensure successful implementation.

Booknews

Shows how to use the Theory of Constraints to solve conflicts between local and global optimization goals for improved performance, and explains how to align executive strategy and decision making with both short- and long-term results for improved incentive plans. Explores basic financial strategic decisions from a Theory of Constraints and direct costing approach, and illustrates varied consequences of different costing approaches. The author is a partner with an international partnership committed to helping organizations use solutions offered through the Theory of Constraints. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)