2001 Professional's Guide to Process Improvement: Maximizing Profit, Efficiency, and Growth (with CD-ROM)

The approach of this book is step-by-step, from the initial understanding of the business through measurement after implementation of process change. The focus is on major, discrete change and improvement in groups of projects. Information technology is a major theme. Not only do you need a strategic systems plan for the enterprise and key departments, but a strategic plan is also an integral part of designing and implementing improved processes. Measurement is also a theme throughout the book.

With the material in this book, you will be better equipped to do the following: Understand the business and select the most appropriate processes for improvement; assess technology and develop a strategic systems plan for the enterprise and for key departments; create new business processes that work; define a project plan and team that can implement process improvement; market the new process to management and employees; develop an implementation strategy and plan; implement the new processes and measure the results; and, identify and solve problems and issues that arise during the entire project.

Bennet P. Lientz is Professor of Information Systems at the Anderson Graduate School of Management, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Dr. Lientz was previously Associate Professor of Engineering at the University of Southern California and department manager at System Development Corporation, where he was one of the project leaders involved in the development of ARPANET, the precursor of the Internet. He managed administrative systems at UCLA and has managed projects and served as a consultant to companies and government agencies since the late 1970s.

Dr. Lientz has taught process improvement, information technology, project management, and strategic planning for the past 20 years. He has delivered seminars related to these topics to more than 4,000 people in Asia, Latin America, Europe, Australia, and North America. He is the author of more than 25 books and 70 articles on process improvement, information systems, planning, and project management. He has been involved in more than 70 process improvement projects in 15 industries.

Kathryn P. Rea is president and founder of The Consulting Edge, Inc., which was established in 1984. The firm specializes in process improvement, project management, and financial consulting.

Ms. Rea has managed more than 65 major technology-related projects internationally. She has advised on and carried out projects in government, energy, banking and finance, distribution, trading, retailing, transportation, mining, manufacturing, and utilities. She has successfully directed multinational projects in China, North and South America, Southeast Asia, Europe, and Australia. She has conducted more than 120 seminars around the world. She is the author of eight books and more than 20 articles in various areas of information systems and analysis. She has been an e-business project leader on ten projects and has been involved in several start-up e-business companies.