This book has been compared to The Goal by Eli Goldratt, which uses a fictional-prose-narrative approach to describe theory of constraints (TOC). This book provides a similar story approach to describe a methodology that goes beyond lean Six Sigma process improvement techniques and the Balanced Scorecard.
In this easy-to-read book, four MBA friends (Hank, Jorge, Wayne and Zack) discuss during golf outings their organization’s attempts to enhance their business. The implementation and deployment shortcomings of the traditional process improvement and performance-measurement techniques of Six Sigma, lean, and the Balanced Scorecard are discussed.
During evolving conversations, Jorge uncovers the Integrated Enterprise Excellence (IEE) system. Jorge shares with his friends the benefits of IEE.
The business management system of IEE provides a leadership system framework for addressing the business management system needs of the Baldrige award, ISO 9000, Sarbanes Oxley, Deming management and Shingo Prize.
IEE provides the framework where plan do check act (PDCA) and plan do study act (PDSA) techniques can be applied to the business system. IEE provides a problem solving system at both the process improvement and business management system level.
The 9-steps of the IEE business process management system are highlighted in this MBA book, where IEE execution details are provided in other books of the IEE series. Highlights for each of the IEE nine steps are:
- Creation of a governance system that is in alignment with both organizational vision and organizational mission.
- Establishment of an IEE value chain, which describes what the organization does from an end-to-end process viewpoint and associated predictive analytic business scorecard measurements for each organizational function. An IEE value chain can be clickable with Enterprise Performance Reporting System (EPRS) software.
- Enterprise analytics and data mining techniques are used to determine where to focus improvement efforts so that the business as a whole benefits. Among other statistical and non-statistical assessments Voice of the Customer (VOC), Theory of Constraints (TOC), business innovation, and business competition are addressed in this step.
- Financial metrics tracked from a predictive performance point of view; e.g., mean monthly profit margins are estimated to be 13.5% with 80% of the months reporting between 12.5% and 14.5%. If increased monthly profit margins are desired, SMART goals need to be established with targeted process enhancement efforts.
- Creation of targeted strategies that are in alignment with financial SMART goals.
- Development of an Enterprise Improvement Plan (EIP) that highlights performance metrics and associated process improvement efforts which benefit the big picture.
- Execution of improvement EIP projects, where each project metric has an owner. Approaches to improve processes include a kaizen event or lean Six Sigma project effort.
- Assessment and demonstration of the benefits from process improvement efforts.
- Maintain the gain can be achieved by making processes error proof and periodically monitoring automatically updated IEE predictive scorecard report-outs.
Other books in the three volume IEE series provide:
- IEE II describes implementation details of the 9-step IEE business management system.
- IEE Vol. III in 1100+ pages provides step-by-step details for executing improvement efforts that enhances targeted organizational performance metrics.
Forrest W. Breyfogle III is the CEO of Smarter Solutions Inc., a company he founded after a twenty-four-year career with IBM. Over the years, he has developed the Integrated Enterprise Excellence (IEE) system, which takes Lean Six Sigma and the Balanced Scorecard to the next level. He and the Smarter Solutions team teach companies how to implement and benefit from the IEE system. He has conducted his training workshops for both individuals and organizations all over the world. In 2004 Mr. Breyfogle received the American Society for Quality Crosby Medal for his book, Implementing Six Sigma, 2nd edition. He has authored and contributed to seven books and published over seventy technical articles on Six Sigma and Lean methods. He is a professional engineer, an ASQ Fellow, and a member of the board of advisors for the University of Texas Center for Performing Excellence.
