Robert Damelio

I am a consultant, author, and founder of Paladin Continuous Improvement, LLC, based in Jacksonville, Florida. From 1988 to 2015, I was the founder and President of THE BOTTOM LINE GROUP, a Dallas, Texas-based Management Consulting Firm.

As a result of my 30 + years working with clients, I've developed knowledge and expertise in these areas:

1. Improving flow (throughput) and reducing waste in knowledge work.

2. Designing and deploying effective "value-creating" work systems.

3. Developing the expertise of people throughout a natural work group, so they integrate continuous process improvement with their daily work.

4. Explicitly identify why a specific knowledge work process leads to results.

I continuously seek and apply "first principles" to improve knowledge work and business processes. I've identified seven principles and 29 guidelines thus far.

I share and help others apply this knowledge by:

* Coaching business leaders, improvement practitioners, and natural work groups

* Creating learning activities and materials

* Writing books

For example, one of my clients performs a particular knowledge work process thousands of times yearly. When they applied the principles and guidelines, they reduced the lead time of that process from 28 to 4 days.

Why does this matter?

The level of "fleet readiness" and "operational availability" Worldwide of the U.S. Navy's Carrier Group(s) has improved as a direct result. Every individual knowledge work transaction in this improved process increases the availability of the related equipment, services, maintenance or repair operations, or a combination of all three, to the Fleet (think of the movie Top Gun.

I describe how they applied each principle and guideline, plus what happened from doing so, in Chapter 7 of The Basics of Process Mapping, 2nd edition.