I started XONITEK in August of 1985 in Endicott, New York.  I still own its latest incarnation, now located in Sheridan, Wyoming.  Having owned my own businesses for the last 40 years makes me uniquely unemployable.  Perhaps that could change given the right circumstances (whatever those might be). Since the very beginning, the purpose of...

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I was the Chairman at an Operational Excellence and Business Transformation conference in Amsterdam this past March (2023) which was produced by CParity.  The lead-off workshop was on Design Thinking. I must admit; my first impression of the workshop was mixed.  I thought the concepts of Design Thinking and its approaches were novel.  But it...

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These approaches can also be applied to Continuous Improvement, Lean, or Six Sigma Programs. I started my first business, XONITEK, in August of 1985.   I still own its latest incarnation located in Jackson Wyoming.  Having owned my own businesses for the last 37 years makes me uniquely unemployable.  Perhaps that could change given the right...

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Summary; Most companies preparing to launch an Operational Excellence Program do not take a moment to contemplate what their program is hoping to achieve, or even if what they are hoping to achieve is what the company truly needs. These 9 Questions, asked of all the right people, help to get your program properly aligned...

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A key to success in any Operational Excellence or Continuous Improvement program will be found in the way opportunities for improvement are harvested and prioritized; and how well the projects are managed and evaluated. I have written several articles over the past few years on what it takes to successfully design and deploy an Operational...

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When you were born, everyone could see the twinkle in your eyes for the fire and passion you held.  As you grew, you became inspired by the reported accomplishments of others; and consumed with great enthusiasm and dedication every bit of knowledge that was at your disposal.  You had the good fortune of being influenced...

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I was coaching one of the national oil companies in the Middle East, offering mentorship to the director of their operational excellence program.  He was frustrated because he had invested considerable funds building a team of sixty Lean Six Sigma Black Belts over a nine-month period, and they had not yet worked on—much less completed—any...

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