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Wooden was right
IEs struggle to get people to see work from a process perspective, a struggle that is heightened when the work is not assembly line driven. People have no problem seeing process outcomes, which are easy to demand but often hard to achieve consistently. However, ask someone what processes they own at work and you will get a classic deer-in-the-headlights stare.
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How are we doing?
A man lands a hot air balloon in a cornfield. He asks a passer-by, "Where am I?" "In a hot air balloon in a cornfield," the passer-by replies. The balloonist says, "You’re an accountant, aren’t you?" "How did you know that?" asks the passer-by. "Because what you just told me was absolutely correct but totally useless," replies the balloonist.
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Engineering better healthcare facilities
I often get puzzled looks when I tell people that I’m an industrial engineer working at an architecture firm. I’m sure people are curious as to how the two fields relate. Master facility planning for medical centers is one aspect of the architectural process where IEs provide value.
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Sustainability education comes of age
Today’s college-age generation is deeply concerned about the long-term effects of global-scale environmental degradation and the impact of climate change. They are more aware than many of their elders that the resource-wasteful and environmentally unbalanced production/consumption models of the past cannot be allowed to continue into the 21st century. And they want to turn things around.
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Fix your process before seeking a new one
As my career evolved from IT to simulation modeling and continuous improvement, I learned to understand a process and its failure points before trying to make it better. The failure of an operational improvement program may be the result of how the organization tried to use it, not the capabilities of the operational improvement tools and techniques.
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