This document discusses visualizing excellence through paradigms, people, processes, and problem-solving. It outlines seven key improvement paradigms including defining quality through the customer, continuous incremental improvement, focusing on people, process-centric thinking, systems thinking, horizontal structures, and effective teams. It then discusses the four P's of excellence - paradigms, people, processes, and problem-solving and provides details on each.

1. Visualizing Excellence
Paradigms, People, Process, and
Problem-Solving
Jerry Linnins, Director – Transformation & Acceleration

2. What IS Excellence?
Burning Platform Compelling Destination
 Increased competition  Safe, productive, efficient
 Increased regulatory workplace
oversight  Value Adding work for
 Demanding Customers customer
 Supplier of Choice
 Costs
 Employer of Choice



3. “Eye Diseases”
 Nearsighted
 Farsighted
 Blind
 Stigmatism
 Poor Peripheral
 “Floating spots”

What keeps YOU from seeing?

4. The Four “P’s” of Excellence
1. Paradigms – Mindset, attitudes, mental
models, assumptions and “rules”
2. People – individuals, workgroups & teams
3. Process – simplified & standardized
4. Problem-Solving – disciplined & structured

5. Seven Key
Improvement Paradigms
1. Quality/Value is defined by the Customer
2. Focus on Better not Best! (Kaizen)
3. People REALLY are the key
4. Understanding Process as Key to World
Class
5. Systems Thinking (Whole and Parts)
6. Horizontal Structure (end to end process)
7. Teams as the “fuel” for success

6. Paradigm 1 - Quality
THINGS THE CUSTOMER IS
LOOKING FOR …
 Quality is meeting or exceeding  PRODUCT
the requirements of the  Performance
 Features
customer  Conformance
 Quality (right thing/right way)  Timeliness
 Serviceability
actually costs less  Durability
 Aesthetics
 Present/Pass performance is no  Reputation
guarantee of future success
 SERVICE
 Quality is an ever-rising bar  Reliability
 Remember the 1-10-100 Rule!  Responsiveness
 Competence
 Access
 Courtesy
 Communication
 Security
 Understanding
 “Tangibles”

7. Paradigm 2 – Focus on Getting
BETTER
 Continuous – every day, effort, task, person
 Kaizan – incremental improvement
 Competing against YOURSELF
 Listen to Voice of the Customer, Your Process, Your
Team
 Achieved through disciplined application of
following:
 LEAN – reduce waste/increase value
 DMAIC – reduce variation/improve process
 Operational Excellence – planned, predictable
performance

8. Paradigm 3 – People ARE Key
 To engage yourself and your team, think
P.R.I.D.E!
 Purpose – focus on what is important/alignment
 Recognition – reward behaviors you want –
team based
 Involvement – no “opting out” – engagement –
everyone together!
 Development – depth/breadth of
skills/growth/”Bold Moves”
 Empowerment – ownership, decision, action,
accountability

9. Paradigm 4 – Process Focus
 Well-defined and documented:
 SIPOC (Supplier, Input, Process, Output, Customer)
 Process Flow Diagram/VSM
 RACI (roles and responsibilities)
 Service Level Agreements
 Performance Measures
 Other Policy/Guidance documentation
 Gap Analysis/Desired State/”Closure Plan”
 Define/Measure/Stabilize/Control/Improve
 End-to-End view (touchpoints and handoffs)
 Planned, consistent feedback and
communication that is constantly improved

10. Paradigm 5 – Systems Thinking
 Thinking in terms of the Whole v.s. Parts
 Making the routine “routine”
 No heroics – no need for “knights on white
horses” or “firefighters”
 Supportive Behaviors – walking the talk!
 Integration of People, Process, and
Technology
 Think GLOBAL, act LOCAL

11. Paradigm 6 – Horizontal Structure
 Seamless internal execution from Supplier all
the way through to the Customer
 Feedback loops to enable continuous “real time”
communication (VISIBILITY!)
 Series of processes involving multiple teams,
functions, and departments (Core, Support,
Enabling)
 Developing strong customer-supplier
relationships between EVERY team involved in
a work process

12. Paradigm 7 - Teams
 Teams own parts of the whole process
 Teams measure their own performance
 Teams improve their part of the process
 Teams exist to add value to the product or
service received by the customer
 Characteristics of an effective team:
 Common goal
 Common identity
 Common language/tools/procedures
 Common work space/environment

13. The Perfect Employee?
 Behaviors:
 What do they say?
 What do they DO?
 Keys to Developing/Keeping:
 Role Clarity – Do they know what to do?
 Ability – Can they do it/have resources?
 Willingness – Do they want to?
 Leadership – self/team/formal &
informal/relationship
 Effective Change Management

14. Process As Key
 Supplier Keys to Effectiveness
 Input  Well defined
 Requirements  Well documented
 Your Value-Adding  Used Measured
Work continuously
 Outputs  Constantly Improved
 Requirements  Visible, Open Book
 Customers
 Critical to Quality
(CTQs)
Plan your work, work your plan, Continuously improve!

15. Systems Thinking
 LEVELS  FOCUS & READINESS
 Cell  Self
 Organ  One to one
 Organism/Individual  Work teams
 Group/Team  Between Departments
 Organization  Total organization
 Society/Community  Organization out to its
 Nations/Global environment (business,
social, governmental,
other)
There are NO “closed”
systems

16. Process View of the Organization
Company
Function A Function B Function C
Management/Guiding Process
requests
Core Process
Customers
Sub-Core Process
Support/Enabling Process
Resources
Support/Enabling Process

17. Teams as a System
 Traits of Effective  Barriers to
Teams Effectiveness
 Trust  Unclear goals/mission
 Mutual Support  Formal, tense meetings
 Communication  Talk, no communication
 Team goals/objectives  Formal decisions only
 Conflict resolution  Lack of cooperation
 Full utilization of inside and outside
members  No self-assessment
 Accountability  No results/missed goals
 Open climate

18. Teams as a System
 Stages of Growth  Dealing with Change
 FORM – why we here?  N+1, N-1
 STORM – who does what?  End, Transition, Begin
 NORM – how we agree to  Cycle:
work together  Deny
 PERFORM – getting it done!  Resist
 ADJOURN – moving on &  Explore
celebrating our success and  Accept
learning  Commit

19. Teams as a System
 Communication  Conflict Resolution
 Continuous  Conflict is normal, natural,
 Common and – if handled properly –
 Consistent healthy for
 Push/Pull teams/individuals
 Visual/Verbal/Vocal  State your case
 Feedback!  Listen to the other
 Groundrules person’s side
 9 Behaviors  Ask for and negotiate
 Agenda/Action Plans new behaviors and
resolutions
REMEMBER: When meeting as a team, there are No “Pink
Elephants!” (i.e. topics you cannot discuss)

20. Problem Solving
 Steps in…  Effective Problem-
 Identify the issue (pain Solving Requires…
or gain)  Patience
 Define the problem  Discipline
 Identify suspected  Creativity
causes  Repetition
 Verify most likely  Honesty
 Identify possible  Facts/Data/Information
solutions  Cause & Effect
 Develop an Action  Continuous Learning
Plan to test your  Courage!
solutions
 Evaluation your action
plan

21. Problem Solving
 Some of the LEAN/DMAIC/OE Tools…
 Brainstorming
 Visual Mapping (PFD, MindMap, C&E)
 Prioritizing (Pareto/Rubric/Decision Matrix)
 Interpreting (Control Charts, Scatter Diagram)
 DMAIC – Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve,
Control
 LEAN – Value, Waste, 5 S, Mistake Proofing
 Process Performance Measurement

22. Problem Solving
 Decision Making
 Asking the right Questions (5WH) (5 Whys)
 Establishing evaluation Criteria (Better, Faster,
Cheaper?)
 Conducting the Analysis (Cost, Risk, Resources,
Impact)
 Identifying/Prioritizing Alternatives (SMART, short
term, long term)
 Making the Decision (Type, acceptability, support)
 Executing (fast and flawless!)
 Evaluating (how’d we do?)
 Improving (NEXT time, we will…)

23. Skills to Improve Problem Solving
 Continuous Learning (mistakes AND good)
 Competency in the work/process and OE tools
 Communication – up/down/across/outward
 Self-management – understanding bias, culture,
politics
 Adaptability and Flexibility – individual and team!
 Team dynamics/cohesion – “It takes a village!”
 Influence and leadership – getting/using/improving
 Continuous assessment of self/team (lessons,
success)

24. Just DO IT!!!
 Project/Problem Selection…
 Pick something that everyone can agree needs
to be fixed, prevented, or improved
 Make it meaningful and relevant to real
issues/real world!
 Use your data – focus on impact if improved
 Be realistic – SMART goal it
 Fruit: on the ground, low hanging, middle, top
of the tree
Don’t Miss the Obvious! AND…Don’t be
afraid to ask for some help in “harvesting”
your fruit!