You Can be Great If You Really Want To

Stephen Parker, CEO of Datacraft proudly noted, “Our exclusive digital kanban solution continues to be an innovator with software applications that support Lean best practices. “Outsourced manufacturing is a major trend and there are a limited number of tools available that help companies realize this type of success within a Lean program. Signum allow Datacraft’s customers to dramatically reduce inventory, shorten cycle times and eliminate stock-outs in this key business area.”

Solutions, the world leader in lean manufacturing software, noted that its flagship product, Signum Digital Kanban, is designed to help manufacturers reduce inventory by up to 75% while eliminating stock-outs. Only true digital kanban solution allows shop floor operators to manage and track all material as well as components that are sent to outside processors. This critical product feature allows manufacturers to achieve additional inventory reduction and fewer stock-outs, using a single integrated set of material replenishment processes for all products.

One of the key features to Datacraft’s technology is its ability to manage outside processing to increase visibility to all material and work-in-process both on and off-site. As a result, companies can better manage sub-contracted processing such as heat treatment, sheet metal operations and component manufacturing. For the first time, material managers will have real time inventory and scrap data for all material at their outside processors. This allows manufacturers to reduce production cycle times by days (and sometimes weeks) while significantly reducing unnecessary raw and component material inventories. The ability to track and identify scrap rates also improves inventory accuracy while holding suppliers to committed performance objectives.

The digital kanban software allows plant management to track inventory reduction, increased inventory turns and reductions in supplier lead times as they are achieved.

Datacraft Solutions (www.datacraftsolutions.com) delivers a revolutionary digital kanban process of automation solutions to lean manufacturers through a secure Internet gateway, eliminating the need to install and maintain a complex IT infrastructure. The company has experienced significant growth in the past twelve months by eliminating complicated, expensive, time-intensive software implementations as well as extensive training regiments and the need for internal support. The Datacraft Solutions’ replenishment supply chain digital kanban lean system allows customers access and fully utilize powerful lean benefits immediately for a low, predictable monthly fee. Services are scalable so manufacturers can design an appropriate digital kanban solution.

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As leaders, we know that setting good goals for ourselves is hard enough. And for most people, actually achieving them on a consistent basis is even more of a challenge.

Learning to guide your employees through the process of setting and then achieving their goals can prove to be even harder – but it will reap significant rewards for you, your employees, and your organization.

Leaders of all kinds – bosses, managers, and supervisors – all need to learn how to become better at helping their employees learn how to effectively set and then consistently achieve their goals. This applies to both their personal goals and the goals related to their jobs. The good news is that you can learn how to do goal setting better.

In fact, these are the two most important things that as a leader you can learn to do that will have a measurable impact on your company’s bottom line. These two key skills are critical to your success as a leader, and the success of your company.

1. Learning how to help your employees to effectively set and then consistently

achieve their goals, and

2. Learning how to help them align their personal goals with their organizational

goals.

Here are some guidelines to keep in mind to help you work with your employees to motivate and challenge them to effectively set and then more consistently achieve both their personal and their organizational goals.

• Top level leaders should work together to develop a strategic level vision and the direction for the organization. They should then involve all leaders within the organization to help determine what key goals need to be met for organizational success.

• Don’t set goals for your employees. Give them the tools (teach them the process) and then let them set their own goals. It is much more powerful to work together with your employees to help them to learn how to more effectively set both their own personal and their own organizational goals – and to recognize the need for alignment between them. Ownership = greater commitment.

• Work with your employees to set goals annually, but review them with your employees formally once a quarter or as appropriate for the position.

• Informally discuss and review progress towards goal achievement with your employees periodically to ensure progress is being made.

• When new employees start, provide them with some “extra help” to learn how to set their goals for the first two to three months.

• Help your employees to learn how to set three to five main annual goals for success as individual employees, then for their department, group, or team, and finally for their overall organization. Ensure that each individual understands this need for alignment between individual, group, and organizational goals.

• Remember to make your goals “SMART”.

o Specific

o Measurable

o Attainable

o Relevant

o Timely

• Help your employees learn how to set project and performance related goals, but also remember to set professional development goals for your employees (and yourself). Continuous learning is the path to growth and success.

• Have each employee keep track of their own performance measurements. It will motivate them more to track their own progress and will help keep them from feeling like you are micromanaging them. Of course, they need to keep you up-

to-date with their progress as part of the bargain.

• Demonstrate a genuine interest in hte progress of your employees. If they do not think you care about their goals, they are not going to be motivated to improve their performance or meet their goals.

There you have it. Two key skills critical for your success. Learning to help your employees to (1) more effectively set and to more consistently achieve their goals, and then (2) to align their personal with their organizational goals will reap significant benefits for you, your employees, and your entire organization.

To your collective success!