Book Description
If you are looking to significantly upgrade your management practices to better meet the needs of today’s increasingly volatile, complex, competitive, and global markets, look no further. Best Practices in Planning and Performance Management Reporting, Second Edition provides you with an accessible framework to help any business unite its reporting and budgeting functions to achieve its strategic objectives.
Customer Reviews:
Excellant resource; well written.......2007-10-08
This is a very practical book that quickly gets to to best practices. I like the case study of how American Express eliminated budgets.
Best Practices to create value.......2007-07-23
Author David Axson provides practical best practices for the company interested in solving one its most crucial bottlenecks in creating value. It provides a clear roadmap for the "integration" of strategic planning, budgeting, forecasting and reporting. In most companies today these are fragmented or disparate processes that lack synchronization.
This book is an excellent reference guide with clear, concise examples. A real interesting read.
At last a reasonable definition for best practice.......2007-06-29
What Axson does is define what a best practice is. How it does not apply only to one company or industry. How anyone can adapt an existing one or, in fact, invent a new one for the benefit of other companies and industries.
Plenty of examples what companies do right and wrong and how to find the "low-hanging fruit" of common mistakes and right those mistakes using best practices.
How to shorten cycle time and implement decisions.......2006-11-15
According to David Axson, traditional planning and management reporting processes "are simply too slow, too detailed, and too disconnected for today's competitive world. Managers are seeking new decision-making processes and tools that enable them to shorten the cycle time to make and implement a decision." This book offers processes and tools to meet that need, what Axson characterizes as "the current "state of the art" practices, based on the benchmarks and client experiences of The Hackett Group of which Axson was a co-founder. As with so many other business books, this one responds to an important question, in fact to two:
What is the best level of performance to be achieved?
How is it to be accomplished?
Axson organizes his material with three Parts. First he explains why best practices can be "a vehicle for performance improvement," then describes the best practices for "each element of the planning and management reporting process - strategic planning, operational and financial planning, management reporting, and forecasting." Finally, in Part III, he provides insights into "the steps required to design a benchmark, build a best practices process, understand the critical success factors for implementation, and the importance of effective leadership. As I read Axson's book, I felt as if I were examining the contents of a "tool kit," with the book serving as an instructions manual.
Over recent years when retained by corporate clients to help them reduce cycle time while improving first-pass yield, I was frequently aware of the fact that the cycle time and first-pass yield of those initiatives were themselves "too slow, too detailed, and too disconnected for today's competitive world." I mention this because the same may be true of initiatives to identify and then implement best practices. Quite properly, Axson does not suggest which best practices to select but he offers invaluable advice as to how to ensure that their implementation is both effective and (key word) efficient.
He asserts that best practices must effect a measurable improvement of performance, be applicable across a broad spectrum of comparable organizations, be proven in practice, take full advantage of proven technologies, ensure an acceptable level of control and risk management, and get the skills and capabilities of the given organization in proper alignment. It is important to note that (a) his observations and recommendations are anchored in an abundance of real-world experiences and (b) are best viewed within a continuous and integrated process rather than as separate, autonomous initiatives.
On pages 19-20, Axson identifies the basic steps of best practice marketing: identify an opportunity for improvement, determine whether or not it justifies taking action, investigate the reasons for a "shortfall" in performance, identify the best practices which can be applied, and then focus on implementing the change(s) to achieve substantial improvement of the given organization's operations. To me, some of the most valuable material in this book is provided in Chapter 6, "Operational and Financial Planning: Translating Ideas into Action." He guides his reader through the step-by-step process.
In this context, I am reminded of what Peter Drucker once said in an article written for the Harvard Business Review in 1963: "There is surely nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency what should not be done at all." Hence the importance of determining, first, which "shortfall" in performance is in greatest need of reduction, if not elimination. However, when making that determination, beware of responding to symptoms rather than to root causes. It is often helpful to use the "fishboning" technique: When discussing with associates a specific question or problem, ask "Why?" and in response to the answer, ask "Why?" again and continue to do so in this manner to each of least five subsequent responses to it. This admittedly an irritating but frequently productive process.
Decision-makers in any organization (regardless of its size or nature) will benefit substantially from the information, insights, and suggestions which Axson provides in this volume. To repeat, he does not suggest which benchmarks to select but does correctly emphasize that benchmarks must meet four primary requirements. They must be objective, quantifiable, credible, and actionable. Implicit, presumably, is another requirement: that a benchmark is relevant. One final point: What is a best practice today can soon become the norm and then the "shortfall" in need of attention. In that event, Axson's book will have provided an excellent preparation to respond to it effectively.
illuminating insights.......2003-08-05
An entertaining, insightful book - I found it useful in describing how benchmarking can be used to good effect in practise - in real situations - from someone who has definitely been there and done it. Our organization can certainly use the advice here - big time - and save ourselves a bunch of consultancy fees into the bargain!
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Book For the Beginning Benchmarker.......2000-03-01
Bogan and English do a great job of introducing benchmarking, give great examples, and follow up with a nice set of "practice problems". They provide success stories and pitfalls to be avoided. Most importantly they give an excellent planning chapter for the company just beginning benchmarking. Great introduction to the topic.
Must reading for anyone implementing benchmarks.......1999-09-16
As a responsible management consultant, virtually every one of my engagements involves measurement and benchmarking in one form or another. This is one of several books I turn to time and again to assist me in ensuring that my clients' initiatives are (1) meeting expectations (2) providing competitive advantage and (3) delivering customer satisfaction. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me - adamleft@webspan.net.
Adopt a we-can-learn-from-anyone culture or else.......1997-01-09
Bogan and English have created a blueprint for creating this we-can-learn-from-anyone culture of benchmarking that is easy to read and use. They give literally hundreds of examples and suggestions for how to select benchmarking targets, organize for rapid learning, and implement these strategies. Learning by borrowing from the best and adapting their approaches makes sense. Buy this book before your competitors do
Amazon.com
Responding to the familiar observation that what you don't know can and will hurt you, American Productivity and Quality Center leaders Carla O'Dell and C. Jackson Grayson Jr. have countered with a contention that the "hidden reservoirs of intelligence that exist in almost every organization" can, with work, be efficiently tapped "to create customer value, operational excellence, and product innovation--all the while increasing profits and effectiveness." If Only We Knew What We Know is their detailed examination of the resultant groundbreaking but common-sense methodology they have dubbed "knowledge management," along with their analysis of several companies such as Amoco, Arthur Andersen, Buckman Laboratories, and Xerox that are successfully employing it today. By studying the execution and evolution of this practice in over 70 companies involved with their non-profit management organization, the two have observed how top practitioners are turning internal information that's already selectively available into dynamic improvements that are apparent throughout the companies. They describe how to implement knowledge management in your own firm and describe the "enabling context" (including infrastructure, culture, technology, and measurement) that help or hinder the process. --Howard Rothman
Book Description
While companies search the world over to benchmark best practices, vast treasure troves of knowledge and know-how remain hidden right under their noses: in the minds of their own employees, in the often unique structure of their operations, and in the written history of their organizations. Now, acclaimed productivity and quality experts Carla O'Dell and Jack Grayson explain for the first time how applying the ideas of Knowledge Management can help employers identify their own internal best practices and share this intellectual capital throughout their organizations.
Knowledge Management (KM) is a conscious strategy of getting the right information to the right people at the right time so they can take action and create value. Basing KM on three major studies of best practices at one hundred companies, the authors demonstrate how managers can utilize a visual process model to actually transfer best practices from one business unit of the organization to another. Rich with case studies, concrete examples, and revealing anecdotes from companies including Texas Instruments, Amoco, Buckman, Chevron, Sequent Computer, the World Bank, and USAA, this valuable guide reveals how knowledge treasure chests can be unlocked to reduce product development cycle time, implement more cost-efficient operations, or create a loyal customer base. Finally, O'Dell and Grayson present three "value propositions" built around customers, products, and operations that could result in staggering payoffs as they did at the companies cited above.
No amount of knowledge or insight can keep a company ahead if it is not properly distributed where it's needed. Entirely accessible and immensely readable, If Only We Knew What We Know is a much-needed companion for business leaders everywhere.
Customer Reviews:
Very easy to read and usefull KM book.......2007-02-12
KM is about People, IT, Infraestructure and Metrics, I agree with Carla on that. KM is the key of today business.
Good 'outside the box' thoughts on KM.......2006-11-04
This book offers useful 'outside the box' reasons that knowledge management is needed and helpful. People generally think of knowledge management as being internally focused (i.e. "didn't we solve that problem last year"), this book goes beyond that to deeper levels of knowledge management. An example is you hire a person with 10 years experience (read: KNOWLEDGE) but peer teams aren't made aware of past experience (KNOWLEDGE), they are only made aware of the current job position. Knowledge management from a technology stand point is both a searchable repository and a broker service that links people with questions to people with answers. Creating a knowledge management system is challenging and should always involve outside council, use a good consulting company that won't try and sell you software but will provide a well designed solution. [...]
Useful introduction to KM .......2006-07-19
KM was a vague and fuzzy terminology for me, before i read this book. We had a KM subject as a part of the IT management course in Graduation and this book was suggested as a good reference to get insight and understanding. I found this book useful in giving a clear picture on KM - the concept underlying KM, the way to approach it, implementation methods, challenges, common pitfalls, lot of practical examples, success stories - all of this is covered. Another salient aspect is, the book is very easy to read - it doesn't thrown in too much of jargon or heavy-duty management stuff. This can be an easy read for anybody(the casual reader, the management junkie, student etc).
This book was written almost eight years ago. Much has changed due to the Internet revolution and the spawn of great IT tools. Even though the material of the book is still relevant (remember: IT is only a enabler and not be-all of KM), it would have been useful to have an updated version of the book with examples of implementation of KM in the current environment.
Here are some intresting excerpts from the book:
*******************
-Knowledge is what people in an organization know about their customers, products, processes, mistakes and successes, whether that knowledge is tacit or explicit. It is dynamic - a consequence of action and interaction of people in an organization with information and with each other.
-Knowledge Management is a conscious strategy of getting the right knowledge to the right people at the right time and helping "people share and put information into action" in ways that strive to improve organizational performance.
-It's guaranteed that exhortation to "Share more!" will not work. It takes systems and systematic approaches like internal benchmarking, mapping the knowledge terrain, creating new practices, which costs time and money. That's why having a clear business case and a value proposition is important.
-Culture is important, because learning and sharing knowledge are social activities. They take place among people.
-while new technologies are making the transfer of practices and knowledge more affordable then ever before, companies that think that simply by developing an intranet they will make sharing happen are dangerously wrong.
-Technology is a catalyst for KM but no panacea.
-Business Values Drive Transfer benefits
-Having the right culture is critical
-There is no conclusion to managing knowledge and transfering best practices. It is a race without finishing line
**************
Solid Theory, But More Execution Tasks Needed.......2004-04-19
This book focuses on making the case for a knowledge management system. If you're already convinced and need specific, measurable steps, try a different book.
Very Relevant and Excellent Read.......2003-05-12
This book provides a terrific introduction to knowledge management and so much more. The authors have gone well beyond the theoretical treatment that most have provided on the subject and provide real world examples and processes for implementing knowledge management in your own company. The authors did not spend much time talking about applications that support KM, since the market is still growing, instead they touch upon the concepts that the software applications address. Although it was written in late 1998, the information presented is very timely and still accurate.
-- Highlights --
The first section of the book (3 chapters, 30 pages or so) get you up to speed on what knowledge management is and is not. It also addresses some barriers and benefits of KM.
The second section of the book makes you think about the reasoning behind a KM initiative. This should be standard management-type thinking, but I've found it to be often overlooked in today's IT environment. Why are we doing this? The authors give you three reasons (customer intimacy, time-to-market, and operational excellence) and tell you the type of data to focus on for each of the three reasons.
The third section talks about enabling the enterprise to effectively use a KM system. The authors note that it is vital for the processes to be aligned witht he strategy of the company and the job tasks people currently undertake. To that end, they look at the cultural, technological, infrastructure, and measurement requirements of the KM initiative.
The fourth section gives some case studies of Texas Instruments, Buckman Laboratories, and Sequent. The text refers to these case studies throughout the earlier chapters of the book and now gives them each a chapter to overview how they went about building a successful knowledge sharing infrastructure.
The fifth and final section of the book gives a framework for pursuing the sharing of knowledge and best practices. This is the "What do I do on Monday?" section, according to the authors. It gives a 40 page prescription for the planning, designing, implementing, and scaling phases of a knowledge management program.
The next several years will be very interesting in the I.T. arena. These authors were somewhat ahead of their time in writing this book. Companies across the globe have been storing knowledge in their silos for the past decade as they have taken products to market, built disconnected customer information systems, and as employees have given feedback on internal business processes. The coming business intelligence revolution will seek to organize that information and put it in the hands of people who can create value and grow the business based on the intrinsic knowledge it contains. This book provides a great framework for those who have to conceptualize, design, and build information systems to meet those needs.
Book Description
Over the past decade, companies have redirected their maintenance operational focus from internal cost-cutting to profit-maximization. This approach is referred to as profit centered maintenance. Peters provides maintenance supervisors and managers with a benchmarking/best practices road-map called the Maintenance Operations Scoreboard. The Scoreboard will allow maintenance managers to: a) determine and quantify benefits and savings, b) improve craft productivity and c) define a strategy to improve efficiency and productivity. These things are at the heart of a successful Profit Centered Maintenance organization. The author-devised Maintenance Operations Scoreboard is used to perform over 200 maintenance evaluations in over 5,000 profit centered maintenance organizations. For example, at Honda of America, it was used extensively to direct maintenance strategy. It was later translated into Japanese for presentation to key Japanese executives. Another excellent example is Boeing Commercial Aircraft Inc. Boeing combined elements from this same Scoreboard with their company-wide maintenance goals to develop ‘The Boeing Scoreboard for Maintenance Excellence.’ Over 60 facility maintenance work units, at region, group and team levels, are evaluated at on-site visits using the Scoreboard criteria.
Book Description
This groundbreaking reference is for middle managers in industry (in marketing, manufacturing, administrative and support, finance, and personal functions), not-for-profit organizations and government agencies, as well as quality improvement projects. Detailed examples show you how to relate benchmarking to your own circumstances. Reference guides help you get started.
Robert C. Camp guides you through all phases of the ten-step benchmarking process, from the planning stage to maturity. It also contains case study examples from Xerox's successful benchmark of L.L. Bean and over 50 tables and figures.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Book on Benchmarking.......2006-08-06
This is a well written book on the concept and practice of benchmarking. The book gives a comprehensive coverage of a wide range of topics on benchmarking including a clear explanation of what benchmarking is all about, how to use it and the benefits from employing it.
The author did a good job of coming up with a reference book that can be used by managers in all departments of an organisation. He clearly explained and illustrated the subject, making it interesting and easy to follow by anyone with a responsibility for the performance of a section or department. The book is well written with easy to follow explanations and worked examples. One can quickly learn about benchmarking through studying reference guides. The author provides valuable tips that help the reader to implement the concept to their own circumstances. The reader will find the book easy to follow due to the author's extensive knowledge and experience in the subject.
The book is recommended reading for managers in all departments of an organisation in a commercial enterprise or non-profit organisation.
Excellent how-to book on benchmarking - worth every minute.......1996-10-05
Camp does a marvelous job of providing the reader with the why's and wherefore's of the
benchmarking process. Very easy reading yet quite complete and informative on the
methodology and the use of benchmarking analyses.
Product Description
There are seven best practices that are indispensable in this era of rapid change, increasing customer demands, and intense global competition. These seven best practices address the people, processes, and technology elements of which every enterprise is comprised. Without them firmly in place, an organization will eventually flounder. When driven by top management, instituting 15 business principles based on these seven best practices will transform an organization from mediocrity to a powerhouse referred to as The Best Practices Enterprise. These proven principles and practices are supported by nearly 50 real-world case examples and excerpts from actual projects to demonstrate how multiple organizations have institutionalized these best practices.
Key Features
Reveals how to improve top-line and bottom-line performance by transforming typical strategic planning methods to a program-centric strategic planning approach
Delineates how IT environments can be designed and built to reach optimal levels of reliable responsiveness and speed to market, while maximizing returns on technology investments
Demonstrates how portfolio-based project management reduces risk and minimizes costs
Illustrates how diversity and inclusion programs and results-focused communication practices can be used to increase effectiveness, profitability and shareholder value
Includes free downloadable tips for effective best practices implementation and business transformation available from the Web Added Value Download Resource Center
Customer Reviews:
Excellent resource.......2007-03-29
This book is an excellent resource for any organization seeking to improve its business practices. Kerr identifies seven key elements to proven success and provides a roadmap to institutionalizing them. The who, what, where, when, and why of each technique is clearly defined and demystified.
Unlike many theory guides, this one is written with executives, managers, and business professionals in mind, providing insightful material for all levels. The sample materials and actual case studies reinforce each strategy presented.
This book is highly motivating and will give you and your company the business practices to effectively execute and succeed in today's global market.
Best All-In-One Available.......2006-07-18
I highly recommend this book. It is the first of its kind -- containing real-life examples from industrty as well as thorough how-to methodology segments. This book is a great companion to the many theory books that are so popular today among business readers. Pick it up, you'll be glad you did!
Roadmap To Success.......2006-06-29
For Leadership teams faced with the challenge of developing a strategy for long term success, this book is absolutely a "must read". Kerr offers a holistic approach and a pragmatic plan for overcoming cultural and operational barriers to success, backed by real life examples. I'll introduce the principles in my practice and also recommend The Best Practices Enterprise to colleagues, clients and anyone else interested in solid solutions to tough problems facing enterprises today.
It's a competitive world!.......2006-05-26
"I really like this book! Its premise is that an organization needs to do these best practices extremely well in order to perform higher order activities that seem to be more glamorous (i.e., Six Sigma, Privacy Management, Business Globalization). I couldn't agree more, we need to go back to basics in order to remain positioned for new opportunities ... it's a competitive world.
My one gripe is that the core material is not particularly novel. But, it is presented in a fresh, new way. I've read Kerr's other books and many magazine articles over the years and he does have a way of reducing complex concepts into their simplest forms so that everyone can understand them. He has done a nice job here, too. If you're an executive, or just want to be one, you should give this book a try."
A Great Guide for Today's Business Environment.......2006-05-24
"The Best Practices Enterprise" is unique in that it contains both visionary and methodolology elements under one title. I particularly like the way in which the author ties the best practices tightly together.
While organizations struggle with the challenges associated with subjects like global stability, privacy management, the environment and energy, Kerr offers a framework through his best practices that all businesses can use to develop the action plans needed to remain successful.
Book Description
- Provides a clear, concise benchmarking methodology
- Clearly explains and interprets the most current maintenance benchmarks.
- Contains a benchmarking database from more than 100 companies.
- Features current maintenance/asset management philosophies.
- Includes a new chapter on benchmarking theory.
- Offers more information on self-analysis.
Customer Reviews:
Good basic overview is allways needed.......2005-11-22
This book will not help you to solve the most complicated and advanced problems in maintenance management, but usefulness exists with no doubt.
- If you are inexperienced it will do a very good job in introducing you to many features of maintenance management.
- Even if you do complex maintenance management tasks it can serve as reminder to bring you from deep-diving into some task back to overall common sense of maintenance management. Good book structure helps in that.
- It gives you useful and backed data about trends, common thinking in field of maintenance. You allways think about that when you are maintenance practicioner.
- It is great book to be borrowed to your colleague - technical or non-technical but technically inclined manager. If you persuade your colleagues to read it they will have much better overall understanding of your work, they can buy these idea expressed in authoritative bu simple manner. Their better understanding of your work will make your job easier, no doubt.
Not even approaching best practice.......2005-10-21
This book contains very little information on benchmarking and even less on best practice. I have also read "developing performance indicators for managing maintenance" by the same author - equally poor. In summary, if you want a VERY broad overview and currently have NO experience then this book may represent some value - otherwise look elsewhere.
Very Disappointing.......2005-10-18
I was drawn to this book by the promise of a 'benchmarking database from more than 100 companies'. There is no database and very little useful information other than elementary waffle.
Effective Maintenance Management by Narayan is a far better investment and suited to all readers not just learners.
Very good benchmarking reference.......2005-08-09
This book is very useful, if you are searching for benchmarking information in the maintenance sector. The benchmarks which are listed in the book are based on the experiences of more than 100 companies and are therefore quite reliable.
Book Description
For leading companies in the private sector, benchmarking has become a major catalyst for change and a key tool for gathering information from competitors and process leaders, as well as from within. Benchmarking for Best Practices in the Public Sector is a unique practical guide that shows public officials and administrators at all levels of government how to identify the best practices and implement them in their organizations. Using real case examples from federal, state, and local governments, this book displays how benchmarking methods have been adapted to the unique needs of the public sector and describes the tangible benefits gained by public agencies that have applied these techniques. Offers detailed how-to advice along with checklists, flowcharts, sample forms, a resource directory, and other tools to help managers take action quickly.
Book Description
A new update of the classic text on benchmarking
Strategic Benchmarking Reloaded with Six Sigma updates benchmarking, the revolutionary business performance methodology, by adding statistical concepts from Six Sigma. These two methodologies combine to form a powerful platform for improving any company's overall performance. This new revision reviews the first twenty-five years of development in benchmarking and features new appendices, case studies, and topics, making this the most complete and comprehensive coverage of the subject available.
Topics include:
-
Stimulating business improvement with benchmarking
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Linking Six Sigma to strategic planning and benchmarking
-
Understanding the essence of process benchmarking
-
Making statistical comparisons in benchmarking
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Applying benchmarking results for maximum utility
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Reviewing lessons learned from old case studies
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Conducting a strategic benchmarking study
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Performing an operational benchmarking study
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Mainstreaming benchmarking into strategic planning
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Creating a sustainable benchmarking capability
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Plus: appendices covering the benchmarking code of conduct, operating procedures, and Web resources
Book Description
International Withholding Tax explains that whether you are a private investor or an institutional investor your investments are potentially subject to withholding tax. The vital practical issues surrounding this important tax are explained as well as how it can significantly affect the value of your investments. It will arm investors and corporations with the knowledge to confront their fund managers, financial advisors and custodians with the essential questions to maintain the integrity of their investments.
For investment managers, custodians and financial institutions, this will provide a blueprint for best practice and benchmarking in the area, ensuring they can answer to their clients and shareholders, and maintain their competitive advantage.
Only a fraction of all the recoverable tax deducted on cross border investment income is ever reclaimed. With diminishing investment yields and more competitive markets, investors and financial institutions must know enough and do enough to maximise returns on their own and their client's investments.
International Withholding Tax provides detailed and practical discussions of withholding tax regimes, opportunities for investors and financial institutions, the requirements of and options for tax reclaim procedures, guidance on managing the reclaim process and a detailed discussion of the US, Irish and Japanese Qualified Intermediary regulations.
Books:
- Black Swan Green: A Novel
- Blended Coaching: Skills and Strategies to Support Principal Development
- Blood Diamonds
- Built to Change: How to Achieve Sustained Organizational Effectiveness
- Bullying and Emotional Abuse in the Workplace: International Perspectives in Research and Practice
- Business Dynamics: Systems Thinking and Modeling for a Complex World with CD-ROM
- Change Your Life in Seven Days: The World's Leading Hypnotist Shows You How
- Changing Japanese Capitalism: Societal Coordination and Institutional Adjustment
- CMMI(R): Guidelines for Process Integration and Product Improvement (2nd Edition) (The SEI Series in Software Engineering)
- Confessions of a Union Buster
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- The Brother: The Untold Story of Atomic Spy David Greenglass and How He Sent His Sister, Ethel Rosen
- Night Embrace
- Handbook of Freshwater Fishery Biology, Volume 2: Life History Data on centrarchid Fishes of the Uni
- Geometry of State Spaces of Operator Algebras
- Java Web Services Unleashed
- Mastering the ISDA Master Agreements
- Schipperkes
- Treasures of Taliesin: Seventy-Seventy Unbuilt Designs
- Golf Course Irrigation: Environmental Design and Management Practices
- Fearon's Animal Theme Activity Sheets
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Beyond Budgeting: How Managers Can Break Free from the Annual Performance Trap
Reinventing the CFO: How Financial Managers Can Transform Their Roles and Add Greater Value
Process Improvement for Effective Budgeting and Financial Reporting
The New CFO Financial Leadership Manual
Accounting Best Practices
