TL;DR: OKRs often fail because leaders react to month-to-month noise instead of real improvement. Process Behavior Charts (PBCs) show whether key results reflect true system change or routine variation–helping leaders coach better, avoid blame, and focus improvement efforts where they…
Measures matter. The proper analysis of data and performance metrics allow us to separate good changes from bad, progress from stagnation. The methods in my book, Measures of Success, help us determine if our performance is getting better, getting worse, or essentially remains unchanged. Having the right set of balanced scorecard metrics is important. But the role of leaders is important, too. How do leaders interpret measures? How do they respond to changes in metrics? How do they know if a change is worth reacting to?
Last month, I saw this article from the publication Hospitals & Health Networks (H&HN), where they summarized a speech given by the legendary Dr. Don Berwick at the National Patient Safety Foundation annual conference: Don Berwick’s 7 Roadblocks to Improving…
I received another reader question (submit yours here) and it’s about statistics, “daily Lean management,” and visualizing performance data. Hey Mark: I like your posts about control charts and data. Our health system is rolling out a “Daily Lean Management” system…
Presented by Mark Graban on July 27, 2016. In this webinar, you will learn: How organizations use Strategy Deployment (or Hoshin Planning) to create alignment and focus The iterative PDSA-based cycles of this management approach Four key hypotheses that senior…
Reminder – I’ll be a guest for an 8- to 10-minute video interview on the show Quality Digest Live, today at 2 pm ET. Click here to watch live or watch live via YouTube (it will also be available as a recording).…
TL;DR: In Part 2 of this series, I explore two hypotheses that often derail strategy deployment in practice: deciding which initiatives truly matter and understanding the organization’s real capacity for change. Treating focus and capacity as testable hypotheses–rather than fixed…
Back in November, I had a chance to meet Nate Hurle, from Cleveland Clinic, as he was giving a presentation about their work with Lean and continuous improvement. As we chatted, I mentioned that I’d be in Ohio in early…
tl;dr: In this post, Mark discusses the concept of “Model Lines” and “Model Cells” as strategies for Lean transformation. He outlines how these designated areas serve as experimental zones within an organization, allowing for the focused implementation and testing of…
Thanks everybody for reading my blog here in 2015! It’s been a great year so far… I appreciate you taking time out of your busy day to read and participate in the discussion and I hope you’ll continue visiting the…
TL;DR: Strategy deployment works best when leaders treat it as a series of testable hypotheses–not a fixed plan to execute at all costs. Using a PDSA mindset helps organizations focus on a few true-north priorities, learn from results, and adjust…
Episode #144 is a discussion with Dean Gruner, MD, the president & CEO of ThedaCare, talking about Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) and how ThedaCare is using this approach, along with Lean methods, to improve the coordination of care for patients.
