Performance Improvement: In from Left Field In the first three Columns of their series on the Process Centered Organization, Alan Ramias and Cherie Wilkins presented examples that started in the “core of the business” and that were initiated and driven by line of business executives. In this, the final Column of the series, they discuss […]
Alan Ramias is a Partner of the Performance Design Lab (PDL). He has had twenty-five years of experience in performance improvement and organization effectiveness.
Alan was employed by Motorola for ten years as an internal consultant on organizational performance. As a member of the team that founded Motorola University, he was the first person to introduce Geary Rummler's pioneering concepts in process improvement and management to business units within Motorola. Alan advocated and led several of the first groundbreaking projects in process improvement that evolved to the invention of six sigma and Motorola's winning of the first Malcolm Baldrige Award in 1988. Alan was also involved in major restructuring projects at Motorola, and in job design work, compensation planning, workplace literacy, and educational program development.
After joining The Rummler-Brache Group in 1991, Alan led major successful performance improvement engagements within Fortune 500 companies. His experience spanned several industries and the full spectrum of corporate functions and processes, such as strategic planning, manufacturing, product development, financial management, and supply chain. Major clients included Shell, Hewlett-Packard, 3M, Citibank, Motorola, Steelcase, Citgo, Hermann Miller, Louisiana-Pacific, and Bank One. After leading many high-profile projects, he became a partner and Managing Director of Consulting Services at RBG. He led development of much of RBG's products and services, and was responsible for selecting, training and mentoring RBG's consultant teams. Upon leaving RBG, Alan founded his own consulting company, where he continued to practice in the field of performance consulting. He was also involved in several organizational restructuring initiatives in the U.S. and in Asia.
Alan can be reached at aramias@ThePDLab.com.
Ms. Wilkins is a Partner of the Performance Design Lab, where she specializes in the design of Measurement and Management Systems and the application of the Performance Logic methodology to strategy formulation and performance improvement. She has extensive consulting experience in implementing measurement and management systems in the financial services, retail, chemical, petroleum and manufacturing industries. Cherie also has extensive experience in leading Business Process Architecture Definition efforts as the foundation for making the transformation to a process focused/process managed organization.
Prior to joining PDL, Cherie was involved in Technology Development and process improvement consulting with the Rummler-Brache Group. Before joining RBG, she consulted in the area of communications, specializing in internal communications for organizations undergoing large scale change efforts. Prior to that, Cherie worked eight years in the television industry, five of those with the McNeil/Lehrer Newshour.
Performance Improvement: The Process Centered Organization—oh, for a Crisis
September 6, 2011 , By
Performance Improvement: The Process Centered Organization—oh, for a Crisis In their May Column Alan Ramias and Cherie Wilkins discussed process-centered organizations (PCO) that take a slow, gradual approach. In this Column they focus on organizations that become process-centered because they are in deep trouble. They explore the critical elements that need to be in place […]
Performance Improvement: The Process-Centered Organization—The Long Road
May 3, 2011 , By
Performance Improvement: The Process-Centered Organization—The Long Road In their February Column, Alan Ramias and Cherie Wilkins defined a process-centered organization (PCO) and gave an example of a company that became process-centered in a relatively short period of time. In this Column they reflect on the more frequently experienced approach—the long road. Read about the obstacles […]
Process Improvement: The Process-Centered Organization—Do You Know Where You’re Going?
February 1, 2011 , By
Process Improvement: The Process-Centered Organization—Do You Know Where You’re Going? In the first of a four-part series on the (PCO) Process-Centered Organization, Alan Ramias and Cherie Wilkins define the characteristics they believe must be in place for an organization to be “process-centered.” These characteristics are derived from their experiences working with organizations to help them […]
Performance Improvement: Who is Responsible for Process Performance?
December 7, 2010 , By
Performance Improvement: Who is Responsible for Process Performance? In their May 2010 Column on process performance measurement, Alan Ramias and Cherie Wilkins provided some principles to avoid complications in creating effective process performance measurement systems. In their September Column they provided a tool for identifying appropriate process metrics linked to both customer and business requirements. […]
Performance Improvement: Building Metrics for Process
September 14, 2010 , By
Performance Improvement: Building Metrics for Process In their May Column, Alan Ramias and Cherie Wilkins began a series on process metrics. They cite some of the recurring problems and pitfalls they have encountered in working with clients, including: creating metrics that were unlinked to management of the business; creating disorganized piles of metrics instead of […]
Performance Improvement: Measuring Process Performance
May 4, 2010 , By
Performance Improvement: Measuring Process Performance In the first of three Columns devoted to process metrics, Alan Ramias and Cherie Wilkins cite some of the pitfalls they have encountered over the years, including some of their own mistakes as well as those committed by others. They name and define the five most common pitfalls and end […]
Process Improvement: The Role of the Performance Architect
January 5, 2010 , By
Process Improvement: The Role of the Performance Architect In two previous Columns on process ownership in July and October 2009, Alan Ramias and Cherie Wilkins discussed various approaches to process ownership and what process owners actually do. In this, the final installment in the series, they focus on the critical role of the performance architect. […]
Process Improvement: What do Process Owners Do
October 6, 2009 , By
Process Improvement: What do Process Owners Do In their July Column, Alan Ramias and Cherie Wilkins discussed various approaches to process ownership. This month, they focus on what they have observed individual process owners doing and offer some advice on what they should be doing. The difference between tasks performed and those that should be […]
Performance Improvement: Varieties of Process Ownership
July 7, 2009 , By
Performance Improvement: Varieties of Process Ownership In their Column this month, Alan Ramias and Cherie Wilkins describe the evolution of process ownership. Besides identifying various approaches to process ownership and citing examples from their own experiences, they also suggest the advantages and disadvantages of each approach. The question arises; do we need process ownership at […]
