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Nov. 27, 2005 Jack Welsh from GE was one of the forerunners with regard to the use of Six Sigma to improve his organizations performance. It was a sweeping success story and one that all realms of business, including our government, can learn some valuable lessons from. Six Sigma begins with specifically defining one's project or objectives. From there one needs to outline how best to measure the performance of your project or it's objectives. This is a critical point in any projects success because without the most comprehensive and significant measures you can not effectively control or steer your project toward certain success. Next, you analyze the critical success factors to see where you can improve your desired results. Control is the next function in this process. Control comes from having some set standards of performance (benchmarking, etc.), being able to measure that performance, identify any deviations, and take the necessary corrective action. (MGT 578, Chapter 9, UOP eResource) I doubt any of us can debate that our government is filled to the brim with inefficiencies that need correcting. A local example of such-A friend of mine that went to work for the local government in the Keys once told me that his direct supervisor told him to take things slow and easy so he didn't make the rest of the workers look like the were slacking off-even though they most certainly were. This type of behavior is the backbone for nearly all governmental agencies and needs to be changed so we can cut some of the fat from our budgets, tighten our belts, and begin to foster some sort of fiscal responsibility for the future. Our national debt is higher and more out of control than it has ever been before. Without an eye on efficiency and performance we have no where to go except further down and farther in debt. I propose that we revamp all job descriptions (from the top down-this means the White House too) and create a balanced scorecard that can accurately depict and reflect the optimum performance for any given position within our government. From there we cut all unnecessary jobs and begin to close the gap in their lost performance. We reward those that are performing at or above optimum and use their performance as the benchmark for those that are not towing the line. If there is duplication of jobs or overlap of duties, let's consolidate jobs and foster a more team based approach to getting those jobs done via cross-training and sharing the data/information collected (this should include all forms of intelligence gathering agencies too). Just because we can (and always do) increase the budget the following year and hire more people to continue and perpetuate the cycle that was founded upon those inefficient employees with pathetic work habits does not mean we should do so. Leave the money on the table and work within the means you already have. Sometimes less is more! Let's see what we can accomplish if we try. This unfounded and misguided war with Iraq is costing the American public Billions of dollars each month. Billions of dollars that could better be used to help the people of America. The same principles of Six Sigma can be applied here. With the Billions of dollars wasted on this war folly we could have comprehensive health care for ALL Americans. Eliminate outside insurance and create a government based insurance that offers the same coverage to ALL American's. Allow people to see whatever doctor they prefer instead of forcing them into only those that are aligned with the insurance agencies. Streamline the pricing and set a fixed number for any given service that might be provided. Set caps for lawsuits targeted at mal-practice. Bring all mal-practice insurance under the government umbrella so it is affordable and does not drive up the cost of healthcare. Provide all healthcare institutions with state of the art equipment that can help to diagnose and treat illnesses faster and better. We need to reward and fund institutions that provide valuable research and alternative cures for life-threatening diseases (this should include stem cell research). Level the playing field where drug companies are concerned and don't force our people to go outside of our borders to obtain their medicines at better or more competitive prices. We can wipe the slate clean from illiteracy and provide a quality education for all children. We just need to define the things that are most important and set forth a strategic and tactical plan for achieving them. The “No child Left Behind” has left more children behind than any other piece of legislation. We are no longer teaching the basic things that a child needs to get along in life, but are instead teaching a test that should be forgotten. We need to be able to recruit and hire the best qualified teachers and create a nation wide educational system where the same criteria is taught across the board and leaves no gap between states, counties, or locales. Without our children we cannot progress. We cannot advance technologically and will surely be surpassed by those nations that embrace education and have nonexistent illiteracy rates. All of this costs money. IT takes a concerted effort and takes planning on behalf of those charged with making this a better America. If we work more efficiently, cut the fat from our national budget, withdraw from Iraq, and concentrate on our issues here at home we can prosper! So I say tell your local congress/representatives that they have forgotten about the people that entrusted them to office. They have let their opinions be shaped by those welding the most power and influence. Let's get back to the basics and move America forward before it is too late! Reference: MGT 578, Chapter 9, UOP eResource ------------ About the author: Michelle Malsbury was born and raised in Champaign, Illinois. She attended Parkland College and the University of Illinois before graduating from the University of Phoenix with her degree in Business Management. Currently she is working on her master’s degree in Organizational Management while concurrently pursuing her lofty writing ambitions. Ms. Malsbury moved to south Florida in 1983 and resides between the Keys and Apalachicola, allowing her to experience the seasonal fluctuations between the southernmost and nearly northernmost beauty in the state of Florida. Travels have taken her from Europe through the Caribbean, Central America, Mexico, and across much of the United States. Michelle has been a bartender, real estate agent, flight attendant, beauty contestant, yacht broker, and commodities broker over the years, but writing is her passion. She enjoys outdoor activities like sailing, waterskiing, hiking, bike riding, working out, and fishing as well as reading, music, theatre, playing with her two amusing pets (Abu Chez, her 6 year old Australian Blue Heeler and Zack, her two year old yellow tabby cat) and writing. Michelle is a regular featured author on the web site Useless-Knowledge.com and enjoys exchanging points of view with her comrades there. “Three Years With Adonis” is the first to be published of several books that she has written. In addition to “Three Years With Adonis”, she has authored four other books and three screenplays while continuing to explore all that life hands her. Check out my new web sites. They are; www.3yearswithadonis.com, www.threeyearswithadonis.com, and www.MichelleKayeMalsbury.com. Email Michelle Malsbury: zackywacks@aol.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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