text:
Yes, that's why I asked the question.:). I've looked at hundreds of records from Colonial America, and married women are documented as "wife of" (as in this tombstone) or "widow of" - or with their husband's name only (maiden name quite often unknown unfortunately, unless there has been good research from wills, probate records, and vital record extrapolation).
If she had not been married her tombstone would not have said "wife of."
I have one more question about the birth date of Sarah. On the tombstone the date of death is 20/11/1711 and her age at this moment is 60. Then we calculate the birth date as before 21/11/1651. But in profile we see the date of birth - 22/08/1652?
P.S. As you see my name in Cyrillic than let me introduce myself in Latin as Timothy Romaslovsky for your convenience.
That's a very interesting question and calculation, thank you.
I do not see that her birth was recorded in Town Vital records (which is not very meaningful - it could well be there and misspelled, or pages missing, etc). There is however reference to her BAPTISM date of 22 August 1652; I've added that citation to the "time line" tab.
Now often enough the tombstone "birth date" is whatever the family told the stone mason, and not necessarily the best record for birth date. But on the other hand, unlike in Europe at that time & due to so few churches & ministers close to the farms, baptism / christening could follow the birth event by years.
I believe we should format the Geni profile with a "between" date range - before the baptism date and at least 9 months after her older sister's known birth date of 16 May 1650.
This Rootsweb database seems well referenced:
I don't understand why her children have Orton in the middle name? Middle names were not used in America until around 1700
1. For birth date - OK.
2. For surname - waiting an answer from Lilian.
3. For children's middle name I saw that Orton Dewey for children are placed not in two fields but in "Surname" field only for both. I suppose that the function "Add son/daughter" (made for Sarah) could done it automatically if at that moment Sarah's profile had Orton Dewey in Surname field. In this case we need to fix this mistake. In history of Jedediah Orton Dewey the first manager of his profile is @Robert Ditmann. How can we include him to our dicussion?
Sorry, but I see I have a very personal point of view concerning naming-order pattern. Then I only can conclude if most users would rather follow the traditional way of addressing married women by her husband's surnames, I'll leave the door open to change what you would consider is a mistake. I just only thought it would be very interesting and useful that present and future generations would get to know their married females ancestor's surnames in a very fast and simple way. I don't understand why we should have to stick to old patterns that complicate the reading of trees- For instance. If you have FOUR generations of JOHN SMITH - you have to name them John I. II. III, IV or Sr. , jr, and so on - while if you take advantage of middle surnames one can identify each member of the same family more easily. But you have the right to disagree with this standpoint.
Why not use the AKA field then? It shows easily but it's more clearly a nickname and not a "record based" name (which a researcher wouldn't be able find and verify).
What I use for dis ambiguation is record based display name or suffix field. For instance, Thomas Orton of Farmington in the display name is historically accurate.
I do see what you mean about being able to more easily follow the maternal line. But within 2 generations of Thomas' children you do get into naming patterns where maiden names were used as given names, and as recorded middle names. So it may end up causing issues also.
Oh I should make an important point about middle name, maiden name, and display name in Geni, which is that every user can customize their view to what's most comfortable for them in
So if you'd prefer to see the traditional pedigree view of birth surname only, that's very easily done.
I fully agree with Erica. As for me I use the view with visibilty of Name/Middle Name/Surname/Suffix/Maiden Name fields and have no misunderstandings.
Thanks a lot for Lilian for her explanation. It is clear that Erica now can fill Sarah's Surname as Dewey, Maiden Name - Orton and amend overview to delete that she has surname Orton and not Dewey to avoid future misunderstandings. And I think that now we can fix the Sarah's children surnames too. Agree?
Just for the sake of backing up my 'theory'
1) If you have (as I do in my tree) 2 or 3 John Wheeler OF AMPYHILL in diferent generations of the same family, then you'll also face issues...while I think we may solve the problem by using their maternal surnames as I do-
2) Or if you have several John Wheelers (as I do in my tree) of same place of birth and approx. same date of birth you'll have a high brick wall to jump over till you`d be able to identify which John is yours. While if they would bear their maternal surnames as well, the search would be simpler.
3) As to the case of people bearing maiden surnames as middle names I either use initials as their maternal surname or show both middle/maiden names - I agree that is the weakest solution.
In any case you have the right to decide.
Lilian - we have faced the problem of same name, similar location & dates on Geni, with literally millions of profiles!
In fact that's one of the big reasons members requested the Master Profile / curating program. Two MPs cannot be merged together, and we have the additional text box that floats on top where we can add "caution" notes or simplified chart info (son of X & Y, married A, B, C).
Geni is also a documentation / record match program. We are fortunate to have a free partnership with Findagrave, for instance. That data matches on the name fields. So what would happen for someone working on the Dewey tree, looking for matches into the US census after 1790, which they paid for? For Findagrave? If the name is Orton Dewey, which is a different last name from Dewey, they wouldn't get hits on that data.
Yet another disambiguation tool of course is the use of images. For some of my same / similar name ancestors I use icons representing their cost of arms (English ancestors), the town of origination (town seal for Farmington, CT), and of course - lots of tombstones.
Again, also known as / nickname is whatever you want that is a reasonable nickname - and if there's a documented "use" name that's even better, put that in the display name (Robert "the cooper" Wheeler, of Concord; Sgt. Robert Wheeler).
Hi Timothy
uploading photos to Geni is very easy, there are FAQ here
Or to say it quickly - it's 2 steps:
- save the image to your hard drive
- upload from your computer to the Geni profile
The names for the children look good to me, I made one adjustment & will explain why.
He had been written out as James Deacon Dewey
"Deacon" can be a name, but in this case, is a title, a courtesy honoring his work wth his church.
Geni does not have a prefix field and that's where it really should go, so I use "Display name" instead.
Concerning James I saw Deacon in middle name but I had no information about if it is the middle name or the suffix. So, I decided to remain it existed. What I do not clear understand are your following words "Geni does not have a prefix field and that's where it really should go, so I use "Display name" instead". Geni has suffix field and I usually put title into this field. It this case it will be shown as James Dewey, Deacon. Is this way of writing not right? What it is the difference between prefix and suffix?
I find here http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Pratt-1679 the marriage date for Margaret Orton but I do not find relationship fields in her profile in Geni. Why are they absent?
Timothy - I'll take the easy question first. When I go to
Select Edit profile > Relationships
I see
Thomas Orton was her Order Unknown (Change Marriage Order)
Married on June 16, 1641
Married in Windsor, Hartford, Connecticut
(I updated it from 1 June 1641 based on your citation)
If you don't see that it could be your permissions on the profile. So I am curious as to your view; as a curator with some "super" powers I may have a different view)
For the second question:
"It this case it will be shown as James Dewey, Deacon. Is this way of writing not right?"
It's not wrong, and as you mention, many on line trees use this method. I will explain why I prefer to use the "display name" field to capture a preceding title.
"Prefix" precedes a name, "suffix" follows it.
Firstly, these are matters of stylings & address, not documented names. So in English, from eras in time when there is good documentation, a suffix may be part of the "legal name" inscribed on birth / death certificate etc. I have a great grandfather named
James Henry Howton, Jr.
So when I source the name, I use the suffix field for what is on the document. Since his father was James Henry Howton (NOT Sr. - he didn't become "known as" Sr. until his son was born, of course!)
Now "old Uncle Henry" (a nickname - which did NOT mean he was elderly, it meant he was an "original settler" of the territory) could have also been a deacon in his church ... and a Lieutenant in his local militia. Either or both are appropriate modes of address - but I don't have the suffix field available. So my solution is to use the "display name" for "best known as" -- basically, what history remembers him best for.
In my example he is "best known as" (in my opinion! Hopefully my cousins agree)
James Henry "old Uncle Henry" Howton
During the investigation of Sarah Dewey (Orton) I discovered that a tremendous amount of profiles around her are constructed in this not correct manner when in surname field mother and father surnames exist simultaneously. In such manner all match engines will not work properly. How can we fix this? Do you know? For me it is too big task as I have not enough time to correct such amount of profiles. May be we could cooperate together with another managers to segregate the tree between them for revision? Or someone volunteers to do it?
I can help out, sure, on optimizing the profiles. Is there a target area?
Naming is hard! And when it gets to different languages and countries, such as my immigrant ancestors, it's a little like trying to squeeze square pegs into round holes. Even 150 years ago in the USA naming conventions could be slightly different.


text:
Attention Angus Breeders!
Let me tell you about MN Angus Associations fund raiser for our new Heifer Grant Program.
• The Association sells it for $10 per unit.
• The money goes toward a grant given to a young person to purchase a female at our State Angus sale.
• The grant is good for one day at the MN State Sale only.
• If not used grant funds will go back into the fund and be awarded at the next years State Sale.
This year the MN Angus Association, the Auxiliary and the MN Jr. Angus Association each put in $400 to give three grants to get the program started.
Here are the first bulls that are available:
Mohnen Final Score 131
Reg: AAA 17031399
GF New Expectation 2203
Reg: AAA 14967953
If you would like to donate semen from your bulls, purchase semen or want more information,
contact me at firstname.lastname@example.com or call me at 507-227-5331.
If you order semen before the state sale you can bring your tank to Fergus Falls to save the shipping.
If we could sell 8 half racks of semen before this years sale, we could still give another grant to some young boy or girl.
Thank You for Your Time!
Gregg Johnson
Dandy Acres Angus

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Apple to Introduce iPhone on Verizon
Reported by Bloomberg Business week, Apple will introduce the iPhone powered by the Verizon network in early January sometime after the Consumer Electronics Show. Las Vegas, Nevada is the host to this show. Yes, there was a rumor Apple was going to introduce this phone the end of the year, but that was just a rumor. Since this is the beginning of January, we will have to wait and see if this is just another rumor or the truth this time.
This time there is mounting evidence that 2011 will be the magical year. It will be the year iPhone customers will have a choice in carriers. They would have a choice of AT & T or Verizon as their carrier.
DigiTimes is reporting that Apple is planning to ship five to six million CDMA iPhones in the first quarter of 2011. Some people may be wondering why this is an important piece of information to consumers. It is important because Verizon network runs on CDMA and AT & T does not. In October, The Wall Street Journal reported that a mass production of phones would begin by the end of the year. If this is true, then the other information must be true but it is too early to decide since these phones have not shipped yet.
The strongest evidence that Apple is going to offer a choice of carriers for their iPhones is that Apple, for the first time, is facing serious competition in the smart phone marketplace. Android handsets outsold the iPhone in August 2010. In addition, Android and other smartphones are challenging Apple in the price market. For example, the Verizon Mobile Samsung Intercept costs consumers plans that start at $25.00 a month, which includes unlimited data.
When the iPhone does come on the market using Verizon network, it will probably not compete with that price but the customers will be able to get an iPhone with level functioning at a considerably lower monthly payment.
Consumer Reports called AT & T "the worst carrier." This statement was based on a customer satisfaction survey taken by 58,000 iPhone users. The move is overdue to offer customers a choice between two carriers, Verizon and AT & T, plus a lower monthly bill. Will it happen after the Consumer Electronic Show in mid-January? Customers with the iPhone will have to wait and see, but there is a strong possibility that it will happen sometime in 2011.
Apple knows it has to make the move soon, or customers are going to get tired of waiting any purchase another smartphone like The Droid.


text:
Confused about your professional path? Not satisfied with your current job but not sure what to do next? Well, in this situation, it would be a good moment is to take a break and get all the inspiration you need from a site specialized in inspiring quotes! The charm of these inspirational expressions is that they have been written with the exact purpose of providing inspiration! So, it's time to make some changes in your professional life: it's time to get inspiration from successful people!
Not sure whether you should quit or job or not? Not sure what direction your career should be heading in? This means that you are at a crossroads and that you must take a decision that will affect your next years. The problem is that you are not very sure what to do next. In other words, you don't feel inspired enough to take such an important decision!
So, what you are advised to do is very simple: you must read at least a couple of inspiring quotes and find the inspiration you need. The trick with these inspirational phrases is that they have been written with this specific goal: to reach people and to make them question, wonder and think. And they seem to work, most of the times!
Let's assume that you are curious to see what a famous CEO recommended you. Or how a famous writer solved a problem like yours. If you want to see what other people said about one topic or another, it is enough to turn on the computer, connect to the internet and stop at a site specialized in inspiring quotes. After all, who has time and energy to browse hundreds of sites in order to find the best inspirational phrases?
On the other hand, the team of this site has already done all the hard work for you, selecting and organizing literally hundreds of inspiring quotes. The beauty of the site is that it is very well organized in categories, thus facilitating your browse. In other words, you won't be spending more than a few minutes online before finding at least a couple of interesting inspiring quotes.
Of course, you don't have to look at all the list of inspirational quotes: you can narrow down the list by jumping straight to the category of interest. For instance, if you are interested in faith quotes, simply access that particular category and see what interesting quotes you will find there. Use your time wisely online: spend some time on a site specialized In inspiring quotes!


text:
Home made porn pics - just the right kind of thing you need to have some fun of your own! On any lonely day just come by and see hundreds and thousands of horny girls taking care of the fuck itch in their tight pussies, with extreme pleasure.
2017 © HomeMadePornPics.com. All Rights Reserved.


text:
The hack, although very difficult to perform for the casual user, has helped other hackers greatly.
"This hack seriously opens up the doors with what the Apple TV could be used for," said Tom Anthony, administrator of Apple TV Hacks, in an e-mail.
With the OS X installed, soon we should be able to see almost anything able to run on the TV, including Windows Media Center Edition or Linux.
The Apple TV has some powerful specs including a "Pentium M processor, as much RAM as Sony's PlayStation 3 and a faster graphics chip than a Nintendo Wii" and it was only a matter of time before hackers used that power to open up the TV to its full potential.
Apple so far has not made a statement openly about the hacks.
As of today, here are the hacks you can perform (and void your warranty with) on the Apple TV:
· Upgrade the hard drive
· Run Xvid movies.
· Attach a keyboard and mouse.
· Enable SSH.
· Install VNC remote desktop.
· Boot Apple TV from a USB drive.
· Turn it into a web server.
· Install OS X.
· Install the Asterisk open-source VOIP system.
You can learn how perform those hacks by following the source link below.


text:
A couple years ago I did a Valentine's Day countdown and I am missing it this year! The girls loved it too.
I guess there's always St Patty's day… people get excited about Leprechauns as much as they do with hearts and chocolates, right? I mean those little guys dressed in green are pretty dang adorable.
The above advent is from Eat Sleep Cuddle. Pinned it here
Pinned these flowers too… it's a guys' guide to flowers so they can place orders for our favorite. I remember I used to say, "Don't get me flowers…" and I actually meant it. I think that was before babies and endless dishes and kids waking me up all night. Now I am like, "I better get the biggest freaking bouquet and box of chocolates it's too heavy to carry and you need a forklift to bring them to my door." Nothing says I love you quite like ranunculus… Yes, it's kind of a girls' holiday. Guys get Super Bowl Sunday…! ; )
Goodies from my advent calendar…


text:
How would one describe Canadian cuisine? While tourtière, P.E.I mussels, fèves au lard and Saskatoon berry jam represent typical regional foods, new cultural hybrids such as sushi pizza, Lahmajoun "sandwiches" and Churrasco chicken now characterize Canadian cuisine as well.
In our nation of immigrants, multiple foodways form a distinctive and evolving repertoire that is neither hodgepodge nor smorgasbord. How we as Canadians procure, produce, cook, consume, and think about food creates and defines our cuisine.
McGill University is pleased to present CuiZine: The Journal of Canadian Food Cultures / Revue des cultures culinaires au Canada, a new peer-reviewed e-journal that aims to nourish intellectual exchanges on the subject of food in Canada from multicultural perspectives. A Montreal launch party will be held on Jan. 14 at 12 p.m. at McGill's Institute for the Study of Canada, 3463 Peel St., and a Toronto launch party will be held on Jan. 9 from 7-9 p.m. at The Healthy Butcher, 565 Queen St. W.
Destined for both academic and general audiences, CuiZine is an innovative academic forum for interdisciplinary discussions surrounding the diverse culinary cultures of Canada. It provides a venue for dynamic creative content on the subject, featuring original creative pieces such as poetry, short fiction, and visual essays on eating and cooking in Canada. Edited by Nathalie Cooke, Associate Dean (Research and Graduate Studies) of McGill's Faculty of Arts, and Lara Rabinovitch, doctoral candidate at New York University, CuiZine publishes in both English and French.
CuiZine emphasizes site-specific, regional food cultures from across the country, including historical examinations of first-generation immigrant foodways, nutritional analyses of children's lunchboxes in neighbourhood schools, socio-economic studies of seal hunting, and literary analyses of the culture of Montreal smoked meat in Mordecai Richler's novels.
CuiZine will foster cross-cultural exchange and demonstrate the centrality of foodways to Canada's evolving identity. In its inaugural issue, one of the things you will find is a video recipe for Canadian Shield Shortbread Cookies, a regional variation of a traditional Christmas culinary classic.
CuiZine is available online only, in partnership with Erudit (the multi-institutional publishing consortium comprising the Université de Montréal, the Université Laval and the Université du Québec à Montréal), and is published by the McGill University Library.


text:
Dollar Still Vulnerable
The US dollar was broadly mixed last week. Its gains were strongest against the New Zealand dollar and Australian dollars (~3.6% and 1.70% respectively). The Norwegian krone and Canadian dollar lost almost as much ground as the Aussie.
On the other hand, Swedish krona and Swiss franc were the strongest currencies (~0.5%), owing in part to a pre-weekend recovery, helped in part by unexpectedly poor July US new home sales (fell 13.4% compared with expectations of a 2% decline and the June pace was more than halved to 3.6% from 8.3%). The subsequent US Treasury rally, that saw 10-year yields fall 6 bp, helped knock the wind out of the dollar sales against the yen too; against which it had traded above JPY99 for the first time since the beginning of the month.
Although the UK recovery was confirmed as Q2 GDP was revised up and evidence suggest the pace of expansion has not slackened, sterling drew little succor. Sterling peaked mid-week above $1.57 and slipped lower in the second half of the week, giving back every thing it gained in the first part plus some and finished the week off by about 0.4%.
Broadly speaking, we still see some near-term downside risks for the US dollar. We note that the US-German 2-year interest rate differential finished last week near 9 bp, the lowest in two months. More importantly, with Fed tapering so widely expected, and arguably overly discounted, the dollar is particularly vulnerable to disappointing data, or anything that encourages the market to scale back its expectations.
Read more: http://www.zerohedge.com/contributed/2013-08-24/dollar-still-vulnerable


text:
This editorial will appear in tomorrow's print edition.
The public is at last seeing Judge Michael Hecht's defense against the accusations that have sidelined him in the Pierce County Superior Court. We wish it were more convincing.
Hecht, who was elected to the court last fall, is charged with hiring a prostitute and threatening to kill another. Those issues plus two lesser ones (stealing campaign signs and using racial epithets) prompted the state Commission on Judicial Conduct last month to charge him with violating ethical guidelines.
The criminal allegations have been hanging over Hecht for months. His 62-page answer to the commission's charges finally tells his side of the story.
Much of the response consists of sworn statements by friends and acquaintances. One ally speculates on a possible smear campaign against him on Tacoma's Antique Row, where some have told police they saw Hecht cruising and picking up young male prostitutes. His response to the commission counters that he was "cruising" to find places to park, and that he picked up young homeless men to feed them and give them work.
Hecht also offers what appears to be plausible evidence that the prostitute he's been charged with threatening did not give credible accounts of earlier sexual contact with the judge.
But Hecht's defense rests heavily on the testimony of Joseph R. Pfeiffer. Pfeiffer originally told police he'd had sex with Hecht on occasion from August to January in exchange for money. Now Pfeiffer has changed his story – somewhat. In his sworn statement, he says he had sex with Hecht and also accepted money from Hecht, but the sex wasn't a quid pro quo for the money.
Pfeiffer was 20; Hecht was in his late 50s, married with children. Pfeiffer was living on the margins of society; Hecht was a lawyer and then an elected judge. Set aside the question of prostitution; the power imbalance alone would seem to make this a predatory relationship.
And this is part of Hecht's DEFENSE.
Let's take everything in these 62 pages at face value. We're still left with at least one instance of Hecht providing financial favors to a vulnerable young man from whom he was – at the same time – receiving sexual favors.
That's hardly builds confidence in the judgment of a man who's being paid $148,000 a year precisely to exercise good judgment on the bench.


text: Just 3.7 mi (5.9 km) from the airport, Hotel Fabrizio puts you within a 10-minute drive of Tempio Malatestiano and Arch of Augustus. The restaurant is the perfect spot for a bite to eat, and after having fun at the seasonal outdoor pool, you can unwind with a drink at the bar/lounge. Other highlights include a garden, and rooms offer balconies and flat-screen TVs.


text:
Dubaijamaat.org - Dubaijamaat Website Traffic Estimation
We have pulled stats for you about dubaijamaat.org to help your research.
Based on Alexa.com findings, dubaijamaat.org has a global traffic rank of 2,077,469. dubaijamaat.org also reaches roughly 652 unique users each month and has 4 backlinks according to Alexa. The estimated monthly ad revenue is $ 0.00.
We estimate the website value of dubaijamaat.org is currently at $ 0.00. Traffic and Revenue of dubaijamaat.org is estimated to be increasing within the last 3 months. The Site was launched at Wednesday, 09 January 2002 and is 16 years and 1 month old. The domain dubaijamaat.org is a .org domain with the name dubaijamaat preceding it.
The Server of dubaijamaat.org is powered by the Apache/2.2.29 (Unix) mod_ssl/2.2.29 OpenSSL/1.0.1e-fips mod_bwlimited/1.4 PHP/5.5.23 webserver software and the server is physically located in United States (Texas) and uses the IP address 126.96.36.199. The average loading time of dubaijamaat.org is 2189 milliseconds - this is faster than 31% of all other websites. At the DMOZ open directory project we found no listing for dubaijamaat.org at this time.
Updated: 11/16/2017 19:59, 101 days ago
|Worldwide Rank
|Monthly Users*
|Monthly Pageviews*
22 per day*
45 per day*
|Website Value*
|Monthly Earnings*
|Daily Earnings*
|$ 0.00⇑
|$ 0.00⇑
|$ 0.00⇑
|*Estimated Traffic and Value Data
Site TitleAnjuman Najmi Dubai jamaat
Site DescriptionNo description for dubaijamaat.org at this time.
Keywords and Tags
Below you will find additional research and charts about dubaijamaat.org.
Be sure to leave any comments about dubaijamaat.org using Facebook below.
Estimated Value and Traffic
Traffic Charts
Alexa Traffic Trend
Alexa Reach
Compete.com Traffic Chart
Google Trends
Server InformationThe webserver of dubaijamaat.org is powered by Apache/2.2.29 (Unix) mod_ssl/2.2.29 OpenSSL/1.0.1e-fips mod_bwlimited/1.4 PHP/5.5.23 webserver software. The server is located in Katy in United States. The IP address of dubaijamaat.org is 126.96.36.199.
More detailed:
|IP Address
|AS Number
Access Integrated Technologies, Inc.
|Access Integrated Technologies
|Katy, Texas, United States
Bookmark or share this sitePermalink for this site:
Or bookmark / share this:


text:
Well hello everyone!
I hope you're having the most amazing fall so far. I regret that it has been awhile since my last post but wow, parenting is busy!
My daughter is now 13 months old and is running around and getting in to everything. Oh the adventures she can have with a whisk in her hand and the ring of a tart pan dangling from her wrist. I'm loving spending my days with her but there is just never enough time to sit down and write while chasing that busy body around the house.
Speaking of the past year, this week DIY Vegan turned 1! To celebrate Nicole shared the outstanding chocolate cake recipe from the book with a new frosting recipe on her blog. That chocolate cake is incredibly reliable. I have been to parties where it was served and I served it as cupcakes at Isla's 1st birthday. It bakes up so beautifully and always gets rave reviews. I suggest you give it a go.
Okay, on to the reason I sent my husband and daughter out for a walk, a cookbook review! I know all of you are already familiar with Angela Liddon. She has been delighting the tastebuds of blog readers for years. Her first book Oh She Glows hit all the bestseller lists. Lucky for us she poured her heart into another beautiful book, Oh She Glows Every Day which debuted in September.
I was sent a review copy and dived right in. This book is perfect for my current life situation – you know, no time for complicated recipes but in need of awesome, nourishing meals. Angela's new book hits the mark, simple, satisfying solutions for your everyday eats.
I have given this book a very thorough test run.
Some of my favourite elements:
- Lots of nut-free recipes! Isla (my daughter) has a severe peanut allergy. I can't tell you how delighted I was to see recipes like Vanilla Super-Seed Granola, Sunflower Seed Butter and a seed-based parmesan.
- Crowd pleasing desserts that you can make ahead. Angela did not include a lot of sweets in her last book but she has made up for it with a stellar selection of desserts in her new cookbook. The Nut-Free Dream Bars alone are worth buying the book.
- Ingredient lists that don't intimidate. When a recipe needs two pages to display the ingredients, I give up on it. I just can't fathom having time for all that chopping or measuring. Oh She Glows Every Day keeps everything feeling manageable without skimping on flavour. I don't know how she does it but this is why Angela has such a loyal and loving following. She's something special.
Now, on to what I've tried.
Isla and I enjoyed matching bowls of Magical "Ice Cream" Smoothies. Anything with an ample amount of blueberries and she will gobble it up. This was a great treat on a busy morning.
I made a big batch of Homemade Sunflower Seed Butter. This consistency of this butter is perfect, not too dry and not too wet. It is a great staple recipe, but I saved my batch to turn into something sweet (see below).
I made a batch of Every Day Lemon-Garlic Hummus to pair with veggies and pita for an easy grazing lunch. It was garlicky but I'm not one to shy away from flavour. Isla enjoyed it too so two thumbs up.
For Isla's birthday party (53 people showed up) I made two big bowls of the Crowd-Pleasing Caesar Salad. They were a big hit.
The biggest hit at our house so far has been the Fusilli Lentil-Mushroom Bolognese. We all LOVE this recipe. I have already added it (a few times) to our meal plan for November because it has been a few days and we're craving it again already. I can't believe I don't have a picture to share but trust me, you should try this one.
A nice bowl of Soba Noodle Salad hit the spot for a weekend lunch. It came together quickly and was a nice switch up on our regular Saturday soup routine.
I made a couple of batches of the Chocolate-Dipped Vanilla Bean Macaroons to serve at Isla's birthday party. One guest ate four of them. They are amazing! I loved that I could make them ahead and they freeze beautifully.
Finally, my personal favourite, the Nut-Free Dream Bars. I used the sunflower butter I made earlier in this rich, layered dessert. It is a show stopper! I forgot (ha ha) to serve these at the party so I found myself sneaking bites from the freezer for weeks. Oh, such wonderful weeks of sweetness.
So, that's what I've tried so far. Not a disappointment in the bunch, but that is what we have all come to expect from Angela, reliable recipes. If you're looking for ways to add some excitement to your everyday meals with a little extra nutritional boost this book is a must have. It has been a delicious addition to our regular repertoire already.
Thank you Angela!


text:
November is National Novel Writing Month: Write a 50,000 word novel by midnight the 30th. It's not a contest, just an awesome opportunity to do more than talk about that book you want to write.
Inspired and egged on by my daughter and son (both professional writers) I began the challenge last Friday. Now all I have to do is write 1667 words per day every day for thirty days. And voila a first draft of a novel is born. No guarantee that every word will be brilliant or even spelled correctly, but I'm pushing ahead because a) I'm an overachiever, b) I've got a story squirreling around in my head and invading my dreams and c) it's the only way I'll ever get a good night's sleep again.
So I'm plugging away at this novel and won't post new blogs this month. But I will be treating all you lovely people to some seasonal golden oldies. Starting with:
Need Some Help, Mom?
The following essay is an excerpt from my book, Teaching Kids to Be Good People
Not too long ago I read a letter to Dear Abby from a distraught martyr . . . oops! I mean a mother who signed off as "Alone in the Kitchen." She plaintively described how her adult daughters arrive for the holidays each year expecting the guest treatment. For some mysterious reason, these two able-bodied young women never think to offer dear old Mumsie any help with the annual banquet she produces for 20+ guests. Their work avoidance goes on for a day or two until Mom, frazzled and frantic, slumps to the linoleum and whimpers like a pathetic dog. At which point the princesses roll their eyes and deign to lift a sponge for a fleeting moment, before disappearing again.
As I read the column, my blood pressure spiked. But my target wasn't the daughters as much Mom. I mean, really, where did she think her lovelies learned to act like guests at home? How in the world had they reached adulthood totally lacking the common courtesy to pitch in?
Abby called out Mom for overindulging, but I gave her answer a C+ because she neglected to offer the woman any suggestions for fixing the problem. If it had been my column, here's what I would have said:
Dear Alone in the Kitchen,
Wondering where Drizella and Anastasia picked up their royal sense of entitlement? Look in the mirror because it's self-reflection time. If you really want to change the dynamic in your family this holiday season and forevermore, start with an apology. I'm serious! You have failed to teach your children the first thing about being helpful. Instead, you've taught them that their job is to sit back and let you cater to their needs. You've also held them back from developing a cooperative spirit by rewarding them for being self-centered. Admit the ugly truth. Forgive yourself. Apologize. And move forward, quickly, because you've got a turkey to stuff!
In friendship,
There are always things that need to be done to make a home livable. (Of course, it's our living in it that makes it messy, but we can't get around that, can we?) Whether you're prepping for a special family event or needing to dive into seasonal household chores, make a master task list. Gather the troops, post the document, and announce to your family, "Here's what needs to get done. Which tasks are you taking responsibility for?" (Speak as assertively as possible. No shouting, asking, pleading, guilt-tripping, etc.) If you have no confidence in someone's promise to help (due to past flakiness) then get it in writing. After each self-selected assignment, smile, and in your best coach voice say, "Thanks. We're all counting on you."
My personal, unscientific research clearly indicates that when we want something done, the chance of compliance drops to less than 20 percent when our request comes in the form of a spineless question like "Can someone please help me?" ("No thanks.") "Can I ask you a favor?" ("Sure, but I'm not doing it.") "Do you have a minute?" ("Not now.") See what I mean? Instead, try this: "Hey guys, I need some help in here." See? It's a statement, not a question. Practice it on your own so there is no trace of pleading in your voice.
Breaking patterns isn't easy, but it's easier than breaking your back doing all the work with little or no cooperation from anyone. It's also better for your soon-to-be young adults to learn to notice the needs of others—essential in teaching them to be good people.
As for any male or female martyrs within the sound of my voice, that would be anyone who believes if s/he doesn't do it all single-handedly, s/he won't be a "good" parent, nor be loved and appreciated: You are already loved, appreciated, and admired. And when it comes to holiday celebrations, if you do much more than your fair share, you may end up with a sore back and feelings of resentment, and where's the holiday spirit in that?
So teach your children to help. Otherwise, how can they possibly learn to make a killer Thanksgiving dinner on their own some day? And how will they teach your future grandkids to be helpful people at home and out in the world?


text:
Green Hills emerged as the most active area during early voting for Metro's general election, continuing a trend in which the affluent southwest quadrant of the county historically outperforms other areas in voter turnout.
The Metro Council's District 25 had 1,971 people vote early, according to the Davidson County Election Commission, the single largest turnout among the council's 35 districts. The district includes the race between incumbent Councilman Sean McGuire and challenger James Kaminski, a contest that has garnered minimal media attention.
Voting early in Green Hills is made easy because the Green Hills Library served as one of Metro's nine early voting locations.
"I think the mayor is very popular in District 25, and you have a lot of his supporters coming out," said McGuire, who enjoys Dean's backing. The mayor lives in District 25. "You have almost the same amount of people who early voted in 2007 as voted this past early voting cycle."
The early voting period wrapped up Saturday, with 33,050 voters taking part, putting the overall turnout on pace to perhaps clear 60,000. Election Day is Aug. 4.
Second in early voter turnout was District 24, with 1,867 citizens voting. The Sylvan Park-area district features Councilman Jason Holleman's high-profile race against attorney Sarah Lodge Tally, whom Dean has endorsed.
Third in turnout is District 22, where 1,687 people having voted. The ballot there features the race between Sheri Weiner and Seanna Brandmeir to replace term-limited Councilman Eric Crafton
Fourth and fifth in turnout is the Belle Meade-area District 23, which saw 1,672 voters, and Bellevue's District 35, which recorded 1,657 voters. Councilwoman Emily Evans is running unopposed in District 32. Incumbent Councilman Bo Mitchell is in a heated race against challenger Tonya Jones.
The next highest turnouts by council district are as follows:
• 1,604 people have voted in District 34 (Forest Hills area) where Councilman Carter Todd is running unopposed.
• 1,567 people have voted in District 4 (south Davidson County). Candidates there are Brady Banks, Eugene Batsuk, David Patterson, Carolyn Petrone, Renee Rathburn and Peter Tuttle.
• 1,554 people have voted in District 1 (North Nashville) were Councilman Lonnell Matthews Jr. is running against Charles Hoosier, David Phillips and Roosevelt Williamson.
Districts with the lowest turnouts are as follows:
• 401 people have voted in District 10 (Goodlettsville) where Doug "Dukie" Pardue is running against Danny Turner to replace term-limited Councilman Rip Ryman.
• 477 people have voted in District 21 (North Nashville) where Councilwoman Edith Langster is running unopposed.
• 488 people have voted in West Nashville's District 20 where Councilman Buddy Baker is running against Mary Carolyn Roberts and J. Gower Mills.
• 506 people have voted in District 19 (downtown and part of North Nashville) where Councilwoman Erica Gilmore is running against Bob Ries and Curt Wallen.
• 523 people have voted in District 5 (East Nashville) where voters are picking a replacement to follow Councilman Jamie Hollin, who is not seeking re-election. Candidates are Scott Davis, Priscilla Eaton and former Councilwoman Pam Murray.


text:
Tag Archives: black marlin
Watch A 600-Pound Black Marlin Jump Into A Boat (Video)
Reeling in a 600-pound fish is no easy task. In fact, at times it can be so tough that you have to believe there are some fishermen who wish the fish would simply save them the trouble and jump into the boat themselves. The crew aboard "Little Audrey" may have been wishing for just that […]


text:
Throughput Accounting
Goldratt Theory of Constraints Throughput Accounting Training Courses and Workshops
Our Throughput Accounting training goes beyond knowledge. We also provide workshops that convert knowledge into skills showing you how to do things. Our training courses are mainly given in-house at our clients and we have public courses as well. See our events pages for public courses. Where possible we will try to include you at our in-house venues when public courses are fully booked.
Using Excel to do Throughput Accounting calculations and prepare reports is easy if you know how. Learn how to integrate TA performance measures in management reports. This course teaches you how to create Throughput Accounting tables and charts that are used to report performance critical to achieving business goals. A basic knowledge of Microsoft Excel is a prerequisite before registering for this course. Use your own notebook or rent one of ours at an additional fee.
Price: $450.00 US Dollar or equivalent currency excluding applicable taxes. Additional fee for laptop notebook rental: $100.00 US Dollar or equivalent currency excluding applicable taxes.
To register your interest or to request more information please fill out this form.
Throughput Accounting Workshops teach the conceptual concepts and how Throughput Accounting is applied in businesses. There are three levels:
Beginner – basic overview (e.g. non-accountants and junior accounting personnel)
Advanced – general subject coverage (e.g. accountants, operations and marketing managers)
Executive – interpretation of reports (e.g. decision makers who need to understand the reports that finance produces)
The workshops are given in-house at clients that provide their own facilities and at public venues. We encourage clients to share facilities to save costs and to share the knowledge.
Study material and meals are included. Our venues are specially chosen for suitability.
The TA Workshops are endorsed by the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. In order to keep standards high, attendees are limited to twenty per workshop.
Price: $450.00 US Dollar or equivalent currency excluding applicable taxes.
To register your interest or to request more information please fill out this form.
MAXIMIZING PROFITABILITY WORKSHOPS — FREE half day workshop in Denver
In this highly interactive presentation, "Dr Lisa" Lang engages the group in discussion and hands-on participation to discover how to LEVERAGE their existing resources using the Theory of Constraints to maximize profitability. An approach to developing a "Mafia Offer" and to achieving rapid sustainable growth (a Viable Vision) is discussed, along with:
If you are frustrated with your profit level and are tired of playing Whac-A-Mole, then this event is for you!
Price: FREE for C-Level Executives, Business Owners, Vistage/TEC Members or Employees of Vistage/TEC Members. $99.00 for Managers and Consultants.
To register on line click here or by fax click here.
Dr Lisa's Max Profit Blog – Theory of Constraints, Throughput Accounting, Mafia Offers
Your "To-Do" List May BE the Problem! A Theory of Constraints Lesson
Sun, 01 May 2011 17:22:00 -0500
You know that song by Sugarland called All I Want To Do? There's a line in it that goes something like "I got better things to do than my to do list anyway …"
Every time I hear that I just think – then you're not doing your "to do" list correctly!
I know, I know – I'm weird. But, I think it's true for a lot of people.
The traditional way of making a "to do" list is to brain storm all the things we need to do. But that is NOT how we do it in Theory of Constraints (TOC).
To make sure that you don't have better things to do than your "to do" list, don't use the brain storming method. Instead, understand what you're trying to achieve and ask "What's keeping me from that?"
List each obstacle to your goal, the result you're after or to completing your project (depending on your situation). What it takes to overcome each of those obstacles is what you want on your "to do" list. That way you are only doing what needs to be done to get the result and aren't getting side tracked by doing (or procrastinating doing) what really isn't necessary to get the result.
In this way you will end up with a list of things "to do" that, when completed, should be getting you closer to your goal or whatever it was that you're trying to achieve.
Too often when we brain storm, we put "to dos" that really are NOT needed to get the result we are after. This just delays the result.
Can you think of a time you brain stormed a "to do" item that really didn't need to be done? Let me know by leaving a comment on this post.
Wishing you success.,
Dr Lisa
President, Science of Business
P.S. For those of you keeping score at home this is part of the Theory of Constraints Thinking Processes and it's how we build a Prerequisite Tree (PrT).
Live from the eye of the storm (a Theory of Constraints lesson)
Sun, 27 Mar 2011 19:00:00 -0500
"Now let's go live to Suzy who is reporting live from the level 5 hurricane… Suzy, how is it out there?"
- You lose 25% of you business in 1 day. (heaven forbid, knock on wood)
- A customer threatens not to pay $750,000 in products or services.
- You get sued.
- You way oversell your capacity.
- You work through your entire backlog (while sales remained constant) because you're using the Velocity Scheduling System or Project Velocity System.
- You're NOT going into the red zone of the buffer anymore which is slowing your ability to continuously improve. (Remember we expect to go into the red zone of the buffer about 5% of the time so that we can collect those whys and identify our biggest disruption to flow so we can identify our one and only improvement project.)
- And, what's your trigger to go out with your mafia offer – how will you know when your operations are ready?
I need help … Theory of Constraints Mafia Marketing
Sun, 13 Mar 2011 18:53:00 -0500
We all want to increase sales, but getting new customers can be a challenge. In fact, this was the number 1 challenge readers of this newsletter listed (click here to sign up).
And it's no wonder, according to a 2009 Marketing Sherpa study if you have 100 opportunities only 4 are likely to move from "sales ready lead" to "qualified prospect" to an actual customer.
And those numbers are based on "averages". If you have a more technical sale (which many of you do) requiring a higher quantity of information transfer where the quality of that information, the timing of the delivery and the method/quality of that delivery can all cause your actual average to be lower.
But there is some good news. One proven way to increase conversion rates is to get the prospect to seek YOU out.
How much do you love it when a customer or prospect comes to you with what basically amounts to "I need help…"? If you're like me, you LOVE it LOVE it LOVE it!
WHY do we love it?
* Because if they were willing to ask for our help:
* They know enough about what we do that they think we have the expertise to help; and
* That they, at some level, already trust us.
Which means the normal conversion rates don't apply — we have a much higher likelihood of winning this business.
If you didn't trust someone, would you ask them for help?
If you didn't think someone could help you, or thought they were an idiot, would you ask them for help?
No! So if someone does ask you for help. This is a really good thing.
So one of the key marketing questions (if you want more sales) is – how do I get more existing customers and new prospects to ask me for help on work I want to do and I'm qualified to do?
Here's the formula we've been using to elicit the "I need help" response:
1. Shine a light on the problem. (there needs to be a message to market match)
2. Verify or validate the problem.
3. Show that it's even worse than that. (don't exaggerate, be truthful in all of this)
4. Provide the light at the end of the tunnel.
And yes, for the Theory of Constraints fans out there you'll notice that this is based partially on the TOC Buy-in process. Step one would be equivalent to "Agree on the Problem" and step four would be equivalent to "Agree on the Direction of the Solution".
Let's go through this with an example. Let's say that I sell tooling for machine shops. And shops that use my tooling can reduce their setup times typically by 25%.
1. What problems do your customers or prospects have, that are significant, but that you can help solve?
They have long setup times. So long that a fair amount of their production capacity is spent setting up machines. Capacity that could be used for shipping more jobs.
2. How can you verify or validate this problem?
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST.gov) reports that US manufacturers waste 25% to 65% of their capacity being "ineffective"[1]. That's a large portion of US manufacturing capacity that is not productive.
[side note: I had to go find this statistic, but it wasn't hard to do. And look at the power of having a government agency showing that what I'm writing about is important.]
3. How is it even worse than that for your particular target market?
And custom machine shops are undoubtedly at the highest end of that spectrum. Machine shops rarely have the luxury of staying in one setup for any length of time. The nature of a custom business is small runs that don't often repeat.
4. What kind of hope is there for solving this problem?
But, a number of custom machine shops are turning these statistics around using tooling that's designed for quick setups. This tooling costs the same as traditional tooling, the only catch is that you will need to do a little up front work with your tooling supplier.
Now, I do not sell tooling. But if I did, I could use this information in my marketing to get existing customers and prospects to respond and fairly quickly ask for help designing tooling that will reduce their setups. Will everyone? No, of course not. But the best ones will (the ones that really relate to the problem) and they are much more likely to turn into a sale.
The response you're after could be to get them to download a report on using tooling to reduce setup times or to sign up for a webinar or to sign up for a consultation with you (depends on your sales process and what you're selling).
We are closing over 67% of the people who contact us from this type of marketing. That means 67 sales out of 100 instead of 4. And selling Velocity Scheduling System and Mafia Offer Boot Camp is not only a technical sale, it's a counter intuitive one. So before you go dismissing this technique, convinced it won't work for you – I suggest you give it a try.
If YOU generated your marketing materials or wrote your newsletter and articles with the objective of getting prospects to ask for help – would you get a few more quality leads? (that's Mafia Marketing)
If you wanted help applying this concept to your business — getting more customers and prospects to contact YOU – wouldn't you contact me? 🙂
Let me know what you think, by leaving a comment on this post. I read ALL your comments!
Wishing you success,
Dr Lisa
President, Science of Business
P.S. FOR CUSTOM JOB SHOPS ONLY: The next Velocity Scheduling System Coaching Program starts on March 28.
P.P.S. Ready to increase sales? Need a Mafia Offer? The ON-LINE Mafia Offer Boot Camp is open for registration!
Sun, 27 Feb 2011 22:12:00 -0600
One of the key differences in his thinking is that management attention is the constraint.
While your bottleneck may move around, the only reason it moves or that you even have an internal bottleneck is because either 1) you're not paying attention; and/or 2) you're not focused on dealing with it; and/or 3) you're not taking the right actions.
So the issue is one of focus (at least initially). Most management teams are not working on the right things and waste a lot of time doing what really doesn't make a difference, most of which doesn't need to be done.
A management team will be effective if they do the things that need to be done and don't waste time doing what doesn't need to be done, shouldn't be done or multi-tasking between too many things. Doing the latter is what consumes all your time and leaves you little or no time to do what should be and needs to be done.
So, here's my advice.
1. Understand what you need to be focused on to meet your goals. I'm assuming that you ARE clear on your goal.
2. Focus on that and nothing else (stop multi-tasking and stop your people from multi-tasking).
3. Get'er done, one tactic at time.
If you are not sure of any or all of these – get yourself one of those TOC consultant types. A good TOC expert can get you focused, help you figure out how to stay focused, and get you set up with the right strategy and tactics (specific actions to take) to achieve the results you're after.
And the return on this investment should be fast and substantial. If you are not sure what your next step should be, contact me for a free 1 hour strategy session. There's no charge, we'll see if we can get you pointed in the right direction.
Wishing you success,
Dr Lisa
President, Science of Business, and your favorite TOC Consultant type!
P.S. FOR CUSTOM JOB SHOPS ONLY: The next Velocity Scheduling System Coaching Program starting soon!
P.P.S. Ready to increase sales? You need a Mafia Offer? The ON-LINE Mafia Offer Boot Camp is open for registration!
2011 Copyright, Science of Business. All rights reserved.
The Fastest Way to Increase Cash Flow using Theory of Constraints & Throughput Accounting
Sun, 13 Feb 2011 23:27:00 -0600
This week I have a new video for you. This video was taken during the 2009 TOCICO conference in Tacoma and this is the first time I'm making it available.
Many of you listed Throughput Accounting as one of your interests. So I dug this video out and uploaded it for your review. Prior to today, this video was only available if your purchased it through the TOCICO.
It's called "The Fastest Way to Increase Cash Flow" and it's 48 minutes long. Please let me know what you think of it, by leaving a comment on this post.
Let me know what you think, by leaving a comment on this post.
Wishing you success,
Dr Lisa
President, Science of Business
P.S. FOR CUSTOM JOB SHOPS ONLY: The next Velocity Scheduling System Coaching Program is starting soon!
P.P.S. Ready to increase sales? Need a Mafia Offer? The ON-LINE Mafia Offer Boot Camp is open for registration!
Copyright 2011 Science of Business
Theory of Constraints Lesson on Evaluating an Idea
Sat, 05 Feb 2011 11:00:00 -0600
This text is from a county emergency manager in Minot, North Dakota
Isn't this interesting? I don't know if it's really true, that it was sent by an emergency manager in North Dakota, but I love the message.
Now for the Theory of Constraints lesson …
If you were in charge of emergency management for your county how would you prepare?
In Theory of Constraints, one of the things we use to prepare is the phenomenal human ability to find anything and everything wrong with an idea. We call it the "yes, but".
Whenever we are presented with an idea or solution that did not originate in our own heads, we think and sometimes say "yes, but …".
We are saying yes to part of the solution, BUT we have a concern about another part of the solution or about a negative that we think could result.
And in some cases the "yes, but" could be the result of our misunderstanding of the solution.
But in any case, and in many company cultures saying it out loud is frowned upon, at least depending on whose idea it was. So many "yes, buts …" never get verbalized.
What a shame and what a missed opportunity!
We use the "yes, buts" technique in the Velocity Scheduling System and our Mafia Offer Boot Camp.
"Yes, buts" can clear up miss understandings, improve already good solutions and help you to find a solution for what seems like an impossible situation.
So if you were in charge of emergency management, would you encourage "yes, buts"? Would you follow every potential negative to see where it leads and determine if it's worth being prepared for?
I think you would. So why not do that as you're making decisions in your company? Why not make voicing "yes, buts" a positive thing?
Let me know what you think, by leaving a comment on this post.
And you may also want to check out this related article:
Dr Lisa Lang
President, Science of Business
2011 Copyright, Science of Business. All rights reserved.
I've NEVER disclosed this … Traffic Geyser
Sat, 29 Jan 2011 14:01:00 -0600
Back in 2008 I did a presentation at the TOCICO conference called "Achieving Success with a Mafia Offer." In this presentation I covered how we increased leads for one of our clients (a custom machine shop) using the internet, among other things.
Sometimes having a great offer, a Mafia Offer, is NOT enough to increase sales. Often you have to let the world know about your offer. In this video I explained how we did that. What I did NOT reveal was one of the TOOLs we used to do that.
????????? ???
We were able to drive leads to their website using videos. We could get a number of positions on the first page of Google for their appropriate keywords. And they had a big jump in sales as a result.
The reason I did not reveal the tool was twofold:
1) It wasn't available even if you wanted it.
2) I wanted a head start with it. (We now have over 95% of our business coming from the internet, so we're all set there.)
So I'm now ready to reveal my little secret and it is now available for you to try and then purchase if you like.
They open up these trials and allow purchasing for only short periods of time. That's so they can control the number of subscribers and keep their service levels high.
If you're interested in using videos and video distribution to drive your Google positions, then give Traffic Geyser a try. You can do a 30 day trial for $1 by clicking this link.
Seriously, this gives you the tools to blast your content out in the form of video, podcasts, audio, articles and more, and have the world at your fingertips. I've used the system 2008, and it's been my little secret until now. Definitely the best dollar you could possibly spend today.
Whether you need or want this tool or not — watch the video above. It was very well received and I covered what it takes to be successful with a Mafia Offer.
If you have questions or comments, please leave them on this post. I'm happy to answer questions about how to get started with Traffic Geyser.
Wishing you success,
Dr Lisa
President, Science of Business
From time to time I may bring you news of books, seminars, audios, and other products or resources I have reviewed and want to share and recommend to my readers. In the interest of full disclosure, I am an affiliate for some of these products, which means if you buy it through this newsletter, I get a commission on the sale. But the commission comes out of the seller's pocket; you do not pay extra.
COPYRIGHT 2011 Science of Business
Velocity Scheduling System Named Key Domestic Manufacturing Growth Strategy
Thu, 20 Jan 2011 02:08:00 -0600
Check out this article 5 Strategies for Growing as a Domestic Manufacturer
where the Velocity Scheduling System is named a key strategy for growing domestic manufacturing.
Job Shop Scheduling Secret Revealed!
Thu, 20 Jan 2011 01:31:00 -0600
In this new article recently published by Roll-Kraft, Dr Lisa reveals the secret to scheduling a custom job shop or machine shop. She explain where shops typically go wrong and specifically what to do differently. If you follow these instructions, expect improved due date performance and reduced lead times.
Check out that new article here: Job Shop Scheduling SECRET
The Goal Movie DVD by Eliyahu M Goldratt is ON SALE
Thu, 09 Dec 2010 18:27:00 -0600
Available in English, Spanish, Chinese and Hindi.
|Order Here
Theory of Constraints Mafia Offers: Dealing with a Market Constraint EXCERPT
Fri, 13 Aug 2010 14:37:00 -0500
Here is an excerpt from of Chapter 22 Mafia Offer: Dealing with a Market Constraint of the Theory of Constraints Handbook.
Introduction: What Is a Mafia Offer?
A Mafia Offer sounds like something out of a movie, not something that could seriously help you make more money in your business by increasing and controlling your sales.
Dr. Goldratt first introduced the concept of a Mafia Offer in his book It's Not Luck (Goldratt, 1994, 133). Later, he defined a Mafia Offer as "an offer they can't refuse" (Goldratt, 2008, 67). But in writing, he more frequently refers to it as an unrefusable offer (URO; Goldratt, 1999, 120) and more recently he (and Goldratt Consulting) emphasizes the need to establish, capitalize, and sustain a decisive competitive edge (Herman and Goldratt, 2008).
For this chapter, I will use the term Mafia Offer and have defined it as follows: An offer so good that your customers can't refuse it and your competition can't or won't offer the same. In addition, I will refer to the operational improvements required for a Mafia Offer as the decisive competitive edge, operational advantage, or competitive advantage.
A Mafia Offer is simply the offer you make to your market—your prospects and customers—to make them desire your products or services and something that your competition cannot quickly match. And, of course, the offer you make is a combination of your products, services, and how you deliver them. Moreover, for your offer—the solution you're selling—to be unrefusable, you are most likely offering something of equal or greater value than the price you are charging.
Many people confuse a Mafia Offer with a unique selling proposition (USP), customer value proposition (CVP), or a sustainable competitive advantage (SCA).
At first blush, it would seem that a Mafia Offer is similar to these other terms; however, when most people are talking about these alternatives they are actually quite different from what TOC experts mean by a Mafia Offer.
USPs, CVPs, and SCAs take what you already do and state it succinctly and with more specificity aimed at one or a few of their customers' problems or gaps in current market offerings. These alternatives can be Mafia Offers, but most of the time they are not. Furthermore, an SCA is, in my view, an operational or technological (although these are not typically sustainable) advantage and not an offer per se.
Most companies offer solutions that solve their customers' various problems or symptoms. With a Mafia Offer, we are addressing our customers' core problem as it relates to doing business with our industry.
A Mafia Offer typically requires that you do something different (make operational improvements to establish a decisive competitive edge) to address your prospect's core problem. These operational improvements allow you to actually deliver something unrefusable to your customers and something that your competition can't or won't do because they are not willing to or don't know how to make the same improvements. In other words, you have to establish an operational advantage.
In this way, a Mafia Offer is a sustainable market offer built on this advantage. Mafia Offers are not a positioning or a tag line and "can only be created by satisfying a significant need of the market to the extent that no other significant competitor can" (Herman and Goldratt, 2008). A Mafia Offer is where we start if you have a market constraint.
Spend just two hours reading this chapter and if you don't get at least one good idea for your business, contact me and I will give you a refund!
—Dr. Lisa
That's a Mafia Offer and it's real. The purpose of this chapter is to introduce you to the Mafia Offer—the Theory of Constraints (TOC) marketing solution. The chapter progresses from the discovery of what a Mafia Offer is, to the guidelines for creating an offer, to how to present an offer, and ends with how the reader can create their own Mafia Offer.
The best way to read this chapter is in order. Each section builds on the subsequent sections, so that when you reach the summary you will have a very good understanding of what we in TOC call the "Mafia Offer."
Copyright 2010 Science of Business
Theory of Constraints Cloud Thinking Process Tool 4 Conflict Resolution
Thu, 05 Aug 2010 14:05:00 -0500
I just completed my first Stompernet faculty office hour where I covered the Theory of Constraints Thinking Process tool called the Cloud or the Evaporating Cloud. The cloud is used to understand the root cause of undesirable effects and/or conflicts.
While the cloud is part of the complete Theory of Constraints Thinking Processes, it is also a very useful stand alone tool. You can use this quick reference guide to get you started.
Here is the one page overview I created for quick reference: http://www.scienceofbusiness.com/Evaporating-Cloud-1-Page-Summary.pdf
If you want a book on the subject, here's a couple that I recommend:
Thinking for a Change by Lisa J. Scheinkopf.
The Logical Thinking Process by H. William Dettmer (Bill Dettmer)
And in this one, Dr Goldratt talks about how to think and why clear thinking is so important:
The Choice by Eliyahu M Goldratt (it's a novel)
If you want to be notified when the video is ready, sign up for the Theory of Constraints Ask Dr Lisa newsletter, here: /free-newsletter/
Here's to Maximizing Your Profits!
Dr Lisa
(c)Copyright 2010, Dr Lisa, Inc. All rights reserved.
7 Synergies for Business Success — Dr Lisa interviews Pam Watson Korbel
Tue, 03 Aug 2010 17:19:00 -0500
Who can deny that they want more money, less work, more fun.™ In fact, no one has ever told me that this SmartGrowth brand promise was senseless. More often, they want to know the formula to achieve this level of freedom. The seven synergies for business success will lead you to this fountain.
Many of you will work hard to set goals and devise business plans to achieve growth… in sales, in profits, in business valuations. At the same time you probably feel a little "befuddled" about what to expect given the current state of the economy and business environment.
The following list of "tried and true" business synergies come from over 20 years of experience working with hundreds of small and mid-sized companies throughout the United States. The principles work during an economic upturn or downturn. Whether it was the Mid-western recession of the mid-80's, the early 90's California recession, the late 90's boom or today, time has proven these growth principles. Keep them in mind as you plan today and in the future. Each synergy includes a checklist of tangible actions you can take in your business to implement each principle.
1. Grow from the inside out.
To profitably grow your sales, build off the foundation already proven successful in your company. Focus on your customer base and your product and service portfolio. Prioritize opportunities according to this list:
• The easiest way to grow your sales and profit is to sell more of your existing product to your existing clients.
• The second easiest way is to sell new products to existing clients.
• The third priority should be to find new clients for your existing products.
• Do not create new products for customers you don't have yet.
Another way of looking at this is that it is easier and less expensive to find new products for existing customers than it is to find new customers.
___ an ideal client profile exists
___ sales and marketing budget that targets existing and new customers
___ system for competitive research
___ defined process to generate leads
___ defined process to maintain client relationships
___ defined process to submit bids and write proposals
___ a process exists to identify opportunities for new products and services
___ existing customers are served first each day
2. Develop a "brand promise" and live it daily.
Once you have been in business for two or three years, your customer base is large enough that, through a focus group or interviews, you can uncover why customers "really" buy from you. That is brand promise. When you know and understand that promise, integrate it into every aspect of your business. Just think of McDonald's brand promise to provide you with consistency. Do they live that promise daily? Would they be where they are today if they had not?
___ clients provide referrals
___ company maintains a client/prospect data base
___ system for regular customer feedback and research
___ system for gathering input about products and services
___ incentives provided for repeat business with company
___ the company has a written definition of quality
___ vendors must meet standards for quality
___ company defines a competitive market position that is unique
___ the company can measure "real" image and reputation
3. Put people first.
On one of my new motivational calendars this saying appears: "Keep your employees happy and they will keep your customers happy." Another page says, "Companies don't succeed, people do." Whether times are good or not, the most successful companies have found that people are the critical difference to long-term success in a competitive environment.
___ employees are encouraged to cross boundaries
___ turnover is below the industry average
___ an employee appreciation plan is in place
___ an employee recognition system is in place
___ managers may deviate from defined policies to be flexible with employees when it does not hurt the business
___ employees receive on-the-job and/or classroom training every year
___ employees understand what decisions may be made without management approval
___ the company has an employee manual
___ every employee has a job description
4. Values validate valuation.
Having worked at Enron in its early days of the 80's and now lived to see where it ended up, I have no better testimony as to the importance of defining company values and living them. In the end, they do validate your company's valuation.
___ prospective employees are screened for their fit with company values
___ a written, company values statement is provided in the employee handbook and visibly posted throughout the company
___ the executives discuss the company's values statement during employee orientation and at least twice a year at company meetings
5. Lead to create and maintain wealth.
Michael Gerber of the E-Myth has a great saying, "Owners need to work ON their business not IN it." How much time do you spend every week working IN versus ON your business? Your job description and duties should be oriented so that the business operates without you. Those businesses have higher valuations.
___ an exit plan for the business exists
___ succession plans exist for each shareholder working in the business and every key manager and key employee
___ the valuation of the business is re-evaluated annually
___ the industry system for establishing business value is well understood (value drivers, methods of valuation commonly used, trends)
___ owners spend four or more weeks a year away from the business
___ strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats reviewed twice a year
6. Hire both leaders AND managers.
Leaders work on strategy, vision, mission, values and goals. They rely on managers to create systems, implement goals, and deliver the brand promise. Every business needs both leaders and managers. The person who can be both a leader and manager is truly gifted and rare.
___ regular meetings are held at the shareholder, executive and employee levels
___ the company has 5-year, 1-year, quarterly and monthly goals
___ the company posts its mission, vision, values and goals
___ the company has a business plan (sales forecast, expense budget, organizational chart and plan)
___ outside advisors meet regularly with the shareholders and management
___ employees document policies and procedures
7. Monitor, Monitor, Monitor…whatever you measure will improve.
I have never seen this fail. When clients are short on cash and they start measuring it, cash improves. When businesses do not have enough sales to cover overhead and they monitor sales daily, sales increase. When employees overspend and management starts monitoring, expenses decline.
___ each business function develops monthly and quarterly goals
___ each business function has one to four key numbers that it monitors via a written report
___ each employee understands his/her one key measurement
___ each employee has a performance contract or scorecard
___ each employee has a performance review twice a year
___ employee compensation is driven by performance and merit
___ company measures itself against a budget
___ company compares results to industry standards and sets goal to exceed the industry
___ financial statements are produced by the 10th of each month
___ monthly sales reports are prepared by the 5th of each month
___ sales are measured daily
The Intangible Synergy – The quality of the CEO is directly proportional to the quality of the company.
Great CEOs incorporate the skills of discipline in their personal lives and those skills carry over to company results.
___ Company executives, managers and employees follow a time management discipline.
___ The company follows a regular meeting schedule.
___ Wellness is promoted among all stakeholders.
___ Personal balance is encouraged among employees.
___ All stakeholders are satisfied with the communication practices.
___ Stakeholders share a positive affirmation that the company will succeed.
With these simple tenets, there is no reason for more money, less work and more fun™ to be a mystery. If you have not started setting goals and developing a plan for this year, start now. If you have, did you incorporate these guidelines?
The big payoff if you follow these guidelines is simple freedom to choose your activities. By growing successful businesses, women business leaders will achieve the freedom to spend more time on corporate boards, community service and public policy.
You can contact Pam at http://www.smartgrowth.com/.
Theory of Constraints Handbook Chapter 22 Mafia Offers
Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:49:00 -0500
Chapter 22 of the Theory of Constraints Handbook is my chapter. It's titled Mafia Offers: Dealing with a Market Constraint.
Here's the Amazon description:
"Spend just two hours reading this chapter and if you don't get at least one good idea for your business, contact me and I will give you a refund!" Dr Lisa Lang That's a Mafia Offer and it's real. The purpose of this chapter is to introduce you to the Mafia Offer-the Theory of Constraints (TOC) marketing solution. The chapter progresses from the discovery of what a Mafia Offer is, to the guidelines for creating an offer, to how to present an offer, and ends with how the reader can create their own Mafia Offer. A Mafia Offer delivered correctly, can give you better control over your sales. What's better control? How about closing as much as 80 percent of your opportunities?
Because this chapter is on marketing, I thought that a good marketer should get their book to #1, otherwise you're not really practicing what you preach. So after a little marketing campaign, Chapter 22 is still number 1. During the campaign we reached #1 in two categories, but as of today July 29, 2010, here is the current ranking:
#1 in Kindle Store > Kindle Books > Business & Investing > Management & Leadership > Quality Control
Click here to get the BEST price for the Theory of Constraints Handbook! (this is for the whole book)
Click here to get the BEST price for Chapter 22 on Mafia Offers! (this is for the DIGITAL version of Chapter 22, there is not a printed version of just Chapter 22).
Here are the 4 reviews for Chapter 22 that have been posted on Amazon so far:
5.0 out of 5 stars Business can now rise way above the Blah Blah Blah, July 17, 2010
By Casinero – See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Mafia Offers: Dealing with a Market Constraint (Chapter 22 of Theory of Constraints Handbook) (Kindle Edition)
At last! Someone has written a superbly useful methodology for anyone in any situation to rise above the crowd. A must read for anyone who wants to sell "ANYTHING" including themselves, and hey! who doesn't want to sell themselves.
Fabulous job Dr Lisa.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Appreciating the Master: Dr Lisa, June 29, 2010
By Jeff 'SKI' Kinsey (Hilton Head Island SC) – See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Mafia Offers: Dealing with a Market Constraint (Chapter 22 of Theory of Constraints Handbook) (Kindle Edition)
Dr Lisa once again brings real value to the market. There are about a thousand Constraints Management folks that know how the tools work at some level that brings value to their clients. Then, there are a small handful of true experts that have applied the tools so often as to become the de facto standard bearer. When it comes to unrefusable offers (UROs) also known as Mafia Offers, Dr Lisa is a group of one. Period. I am pleased to add this chapter to my iPod touch.
5.0 out of 5 stars Great chapter on Mafia Offers, July 3, 2010
By Mr. C. J. Ching (a kiwi in Scotland) – See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Mafia Offers: Dealing with a Market Constraint (Chapter 22 of Theory of Constraints Handbook) (Kindle Edition)
This is a nice little read covering the essentials of what a mafia offer is, how it differs from other marketing approaches, and how to construct one.
Buy this chapter: it's a very small bet which could have a huge financial payoff for your business.
5.0 out of 5 Summary of Unrefusable Offers, July 16, 2010
By Lane Kagey – See all my reviews
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Mafia Offers: Dealing with a Market Constraint (Chapter 22 of Theory of Constraints Handbook) (Kindle Edition)
This is a good summary of unrefusable offers. It defines them and then gives some simple examples of what they look like and how to build them. It is a nice introduction to the topic.
Click here to get the BEST price for Chapter 22 on Mafia Offers! (I can't believe I did all that work and shared by best stuff for this thing to sell for between $5.56 and about $9 depending on where you are in the world!)
Here's to YOUR Mafia Offer,
Dr Lisa
P.S. A special thanks to James Cox and John Schleier for the effort in making this project a reality. And thanks to our publisher McGraw Hill.
Overcoming Resistance to Change (BEHIND THE SCENES)
Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:19:00 -0500
FUNNY "Behind the Scenes" of the Overcoming Resistance to Change video. This was recorded at the TOCICO conference BEFORE the video was released. Watch Eli (Eliyahu M Goldratt) draw the mermaid!
Theory of Constraints Resistance to Change and Isn't It Obvious book are worth investigating.
Theory of Constraints Overcoming Resistance To Change
Wed, 21 Jul 2010 14:03:00 -0500
Here's a couple of my TOCTips from Twitter. Both are on the subject of overcoming resistance to change from the Theory of Constraints perspective.
[TOC Tip241] Want people 2 accept change? Present THEIR + – 2 change & their + – 2 not changing. Theory of Constraints #tocot
[TOC Tip240] People do NOT resist change, they judge it. Theory of Constraints #tocot
Now here is a video on how to do it. This video was written by Eliyahu M Goldratt, author of The Goal to promote his NEW edition of his still relatively new book, Isn't It Obvious.
Leave your comments (or questions) and let me know what you think about the video and/or about the content. Do you agree with this video?
Here's to Maximizing YOUR Profits,
Dr Lisa
P.S. If you'd like to follow my daily TOCTips on Twitter, go here: http://www.Twitter.com/TOCExpert
Subject: Theory of Constraints 2 Laws of Leadership (Part 2)
Tue, 06 Jul 2010 10:10:00 -0500
In Part 1 I covered the Theory of Constraints first Law of Leadership — "Don't be a sissy!" And I have to admit I was holding my breath as I clicked the send button. I was direct (as I tend to be) and I wasn't sure what your response would be.
It stirred up a lot of response. My heart rate increased as the first responses starting showing up within 10 minutes! Here are just a few of the first responses I received:
"Liked this one a lot!""I really love this – I talk to "just do it" all the time in my work (it's in a frame on my desk). Adding "don't be a sissy" is fantastic.""Amen""Great mail Lisa!""Agreed and amen!!"
So now that you know how not to be a sissy and you've decided what you are going to go do. Just do it!
"Just do it" does NOT mean steam rolling your people (but at the same time don't let THEM be sissies!), it means to focus and get it done NOW.
Use the Theory of Constraints buy-in and "yes, but …" processes to get agreement on what you want to do and why you want to do it. These processes also serve to clarify what exactly you're going to go do and usually the solution improves in the process.
Then, if you have someone who just doesn't want to do it — do it anyway. Ask them if they are willing to try (really try) it. If so, then get on with it. If not, it maybe it's time to replace that person with someone who is.
Don't make excuses as to why you can't start now. If there are other things going on, and those things are NOT your biggest most important project (yes singular) – stop doing them. You can start them again if they become your biggest priority.
There are really only 2 Theory of Constraints "Just Do It" measures:
1) Reliability – did you do what you said, when you said you'd do it. Whatever the something was you decided to do that we talked about in Part 1 – did you do it on-time? If you are unreliable you didn't. If you are reliable you did it and finished when you said you would. Due date performance is a type of reliability measure.
2) Effectiveness – you didn't waste time being distracted on other things and/or doing things you shouldn't have been done. Ineffectiveness is the biggest cause of unreliability and "not doing". If you're doing things you shouldn't, typically you are making it very difficult to be reliable and get done what you should. Inventory is a type of ineffectiveness measure – if you have produced something ahead of when it was needed in order to be efficient or to save money.
Being ineffective is really a focusing issue – both not working on the right things and working on too many things at one time.
So get really clear on what you're going to do and what you're NOT going to do and then get it done.
And to me, that takes care of leadership. There are only 2 things you need to do:
1) Don't be a sissy!
2) Just do it!
One of the best leaders I've interacted with recently was one of my Velocity Scheduling System clients – Tanya DiSalvo, President, Criterion Tool. Her team was struggling with buying into VSS but she held firm (definitely not a sissy) and then focused on doing it. And doing it right, not some watered down version of what the group was first willing to do.
Here's the payoff she and her team got:
And I received this email update from Tanya on June 6, 2010:
"Welp it's Criterion's one year anniversary with the VSB (Velocity Scheduling System) and WE STILL love it!
A few major projects went thru our building: new product launch in Oct- Dec, another new product launch currently under way, reduction of staff thru attrition and increase in work, and in most cases we came thru with flying colors.
Attached is our score card. :)"
Wishing you unsissified success,
Dr Lisa
P.S. Make sure that you click on the links above. They link to additional information and some really good stuff.
P.P.S. If you run a custom job shop and are frustrated with scheduling — check out the Velocity Scheduling System Coaching Program http://www.velocityschedulingsystem.com/
P.P.P.S Download the "9 Challenges to Scheduling Your Job Shop and Why Your Schedule is Dead on Arrival" special report here: http://www.velocityschedulingsystem.com/ebook/
Theory of Constraints 2 Laws of Leadership
Sat, 03 Jul 2010 18:01:00 -0500
July 4th makes me think of being patriotic and that makes me think of the military and the military makes me think of our great leaders. So I did a little internet surfing on leadership.
In a Google search there were 154,000,000 results for the word leadership. On the National Speakers Association's website there are 650 speakers who are experts on Leadership.
I don't know about you, but as an engineer and NOT a very touchy feely kind of person, I have trouble relating to all the discussion on leadership.
I don't have anything against leadership or the people who speak on it or write about it (there are tons of those people and some of them are my friends), I just don't see what the big deal is.
Theory of Constraints is about focus, so assuming you are focused. There are only 2 things – guiding principles if you will — that a leader or manager needs to keep in mind. I call them the Theory of Constraints 2 Laws of Leadership:
1) Don't be a sissy!
2) Just do it!
Any leader, who is bold about what they want and goes after it without apology and with perseverance, has my attention. And if this direction is delivered in a respectful way, they have my respect. I will follow where they lead. (Am I alone here?)
Now that sounds easy, probably too easy. So let's apply it. Don't be a sissy means – don't let old patterns, past ways of doing things, and failures stop you from finally getting 99+% on time all the time, reducing lead-time, and from dramatically reducing chaos or whatever your goals are.
Pick a technique, a philosophy, or anything that you think might get you closer to your goals. And realize that if you want improvement, you have to DO SOMETHING different. It is also true that not all change is improvement, so select carefully, but DO make a selection.
I once told a client who wanted to do an incentive program (which generally I'm against) that I didn't care if they wanted to bring clowns in on Fridays – but to DO SOMETHING.
Now, I'm partial to my programs and Theory of Constraints for the "something to do" – but even if you don't go with the changes I recommend, you will get some improvement simply by doing something and sticking with it.
For example GE chose Six Sigma as the horse they would ride. I can tell you why that may not be the best overriding philosophy, and how they could get better results by using Theory of Constraints to direct their Six Sigma efforts (see 2 articles below), but the reality is that they did improve by making the selection and sticking to it.
Don't be a sissy also means don't make excuses and don't blame anyone but yourself for the results you get or don't get.
It is our job as managers to put systems and processes in place that get the results we want. Our systems and processes comprise the policies, procedures and measures that direct our peoples' actions. If you're not getting the results you want, just look in the mirror.
Don't listen to the voice in your head or to your employee's who say:
- "that will never work"
- "we already tried that, and it doesn't work here"
- "you don't understand …"
And one other thing that "don't be a sissy" means is that if you make a mistake, chose wrong, or fail – then get over it and find what IS going to work.
This is NOT in conflict with my prior statement of "sticking with it". I find that people either 1) don't try something long enough to see if it's going to work – they get distracted by the next new shiny thing; or 2) they stick with it forever despite the poor results.
I'm suggesting a rational balance between the two. And a good way to do that is to decide ahead of time what success and failure look like, then do everything to can to make whatever you decided to do a success.
If you want better results you are going to have to do things differently. Simply decide WHAT you're going to do and just do it.
Next time, I'll dive into the Theory of Constraints second Law of Leadership — "Just do it!"
Wishing you unsissified success and a happy July 4th, (Please post your thoughts and comments to this post.)
Dr Lisa
P.S. Here are links to 2 articles on the subject of Theory of Constraints and Six Sigma: /files/SixSigma2.pdf and /files/2006MayTLSArticle.pdf (this one includes Lean)
P.P.S Check out http://www.velocityschedulingsystem.com/ if you have a custom job shop and need to reduce time through your shop, get on-time and reduce chaos. This is a coaching program to help implement what you read in the Theory of Constraints book The Goal by Eliyahu M Goldratt. WARNING: This is NOT training, this is a go and do program.
P.P.P.S Download the "9 Challenges to Scheduling Your Job Shop and Why Your Schedule is Dead on Arrival" special report here: http://www.velocityschedulingsystem.com/ebook/
(c)Copyright 2010, Dr Lisa, Inc. All rights reserved.
The biggest constraint we Theory of Constraints consultants find is … (part 3)
Sat, 03 Jul 2010 15:47:00 -0500
This is Part 3 of a multi-part series that will be posted on the Velocity Scheduling System Coaching Program blog. We covered the biggest constraints we find as Theory of Constraints consultants.
Read Part 3 here: http://velocityschedulingsystem.wordpress.com/2010/05/10/the-biggest-constraint-we-theory-of-constraints-consultants-find-is-%e2%80%a6-part-3/
The Velocity Scheduling System Coaching Program is a guided implementation of the Theory of Constraints Drum Buffer Rope.
The biggest constraint we Theory of Constraints consultants find is … (part 2)
Fri, 02 Jul 2010 15:46:00 -0500
This is Part 2 of a multi-part series that will be posted on the Velocity Scheduling System Coaching Program blog. We covered the biggest constraints and most common constraints we find as Theory of Constraints consultants.
Read Part 2 here: http://velocityschedulingsystem.wordpress.com/2010/04/14/the-biggest-constraint-we-theory-of-constraints-consultants-find-is-part-2/
NEW Theory of Constraints Handbook TOC Handbook James Cox
Fri, 21 May 2010 07:56:00 -0500
http://www.TOCHandbook.com NEW Theory of Constraints Handbook best price and special offer for Chapter 22 on Mafia Offers. 43 Theory of Constraints Experts from around the world have contributed to this new TOC Handbook including, of course, Dr Eliyahu M Goldratt. This book is published by McGraw-Hill ISBN 9780071665544 and is edited by James Cox and John Schleier.
McGraw-Hill is offer the hard bound handbook and each chapter can also be purchased as a separate book.
Check out this video to get more information on how to get the best price for the hardbound handbook and how you can get over $500 in bonuses if you purchase Dr Lisa Langs ebook Chapter 22.
The biggest constraint we Theory of Constraints consultants find is …
Thu, 01 Apr 2010 23:21:00 -0500
This is Part 1 of a multi-part series that will be posted on the Velocity Scheduling System Coaching Program blog. We covered the biggest constraints we find as Theory of Constraints consultants.
Read Part 1 here: http://velocityschedulingsystem.wordpress.com/2010/03/30/the-biggest-constraint-we-theory-of-constraints-consultants-find-is-%e2%80%a6-part-1/
Theory of Constraints POOGI Part 68 — Employees Need Time Off? That's unproductive! (conclusion)
Wed, 24 Mar 2010 11:20:00 -0500
We are continuing our series based on The Goal by Eliyahu M Goldratt and the Theory of Constraints. {This series was co-written with Brad Stillahn}
Dr. Lisa: So business owners cope with the issue in several ways. Many let the problem happen to them. They have long-standing vacation policies that dictate how much time off people get, most often dictated by length of service. Many times, the employees get to choose when they would like off, with no limit as to how many people can be off at a time. But, some business owners do manage this, placing a limit on how many people can be off at the same time, and from the same department.
Brad: In my experience, once employees make enough money, time off becomes a high priority. And, that is in conflict with the needs of the business and business owner. I want a secure, satisfied work force to keep turnover down, but the more secure and satisfied they are, the more time off they desire.
Dr. Lisa: Interesting dilemma to have with your best and longest term employees. And, I would guess that you also have employees who constantly need last minute time off to deal with the crisis of the moment.
Brad: Yes, of course.
Dr Lisa: Unplanned time off can be very disruptive. Sometimes, it is the same people who need or take unplanned time off over and over again. That requires enough people in total to cover for the lost productivity. It may be additional "protective capacity" in the department, or in other departments that pitch in to help. Sometimes, the work just sits and waits for the employee to return, especially when no one else has that skill set. That interrupts flow, and flow is the most important thing a business needs to maintain.
Brad: Again, these problems hit small businesses especially hard. There is no one else with the needed skill set and/or there aren't enough people to get the job done in the first place.
Dr. Lisa: How did you handle it as an owner of a label printing business?
Brad: By installing a system that wasn't popular, but was very effective. For all non-exempt employees, I raised pay rates and the vacation that was possible to earn. That was the good news, and provided me the opportunity to put in a system that had some teeth to it. Everyone earned vacation by working a full work week. Any unplanned absences during regular hours (being late, sick, etc.) resulting in earning less vacation, and required using existing vacation time for the time off. No longer was vacation an entitlement that was just given, and we actually had a system for "earning" it. We coordinated employees' vacation such that two weeks of vacation were taken by employees in blocks, one week in December and another in July. Otherwise, two weeks notice was required, and we quoted two weeks lead-time, so we could predict available resources accurately.
Dr. Lisa: Would you recommend something like that for other business owners.
Brad: Only if they have a problem with availability of people.
Dr Lisa: Nice answer and as you know, I agree. We should only do those things that are necessary and sufficient to achieve the results we're after. So my recommendation is to do the Velocity Scheduling System Coaching Program first (or Project Velocity System for service companies). Then, if you have this issue, it will show up in the red zone of the buffer and you now know what to do about it.
Here's to maximizing YOUR profits!
Dr Lisa
(c)Copyright 2010, Dr Lisa, Inc. All rights reserved.
Hello? Is anyone reading? Please add your comments (just click the comments hyper link at the bottom of the post)
Theory of Constraints POOGI Part 67 — Employees Need Time Off? That's unproductive!
Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:20:00 -0500
We are continuing our series based on The Goal by Eliyahu M Goldratt and the Theory of Constraints. {This series was co-written with Brad Stillahn}
Dr. Lisa: Each employee has a life outside his or her job in a business. They have family, financial and other pressures. Time off is sometimes needed.
Brad: Of course, but business owners have to run the business to satisfy their customers, as well as make enough profit to stay in business. Time off can be a real issue. In some businesses, it is the main issue.
Dr. Lisa: In many businesses, employees have holidays and earned vacation. Normally there are paid breaks for non-exempt employees. In addition, depending on the company, they might also have paid sick leave and/or unpaid time off.
Brad: Often times, the more senior the employee, the more earned vacation they have. And senior employees are frequently the most skilled. When they are off, it's tough to maintain productivity. Early in my career, I supervised a small department of highly skilled employees. We were responsible for the production of a large group of paper mills. It didn't take me long to realize that on average, one person would be off on vacation every day. And of course, it didn't work out that way. Half the department would be gone the whole month of December. Most small businesses have this problem, although they cope with it in different ways.
Dr. Lisa: Yes, I've seen all kinds of different ways business owners cope with this, including NOT dealing with it at all. But, to maintain due date performance, there needs to be some predictability and consistency of resource availability. In the Velocity Scheduling System (based on Theory of Constraints drum buffer rope), machine shops are comparing load to capacity for several weeks into the future. Often the company policy requires less notice for vacation than the scheduling horizon, meaning that significant variability is added from even planned time off, not to speak of unplanned time off that happens with no notice. Due date performance is jeopardized.
Dr. Lisa: Then there is the impact on profitability. Paid time off is an operating expense. Throughput (Throughput equals Sales dollars minus Truly Variable Costs in Theory of Constraints Throughput Accounting) dollars must exceed Operating Expense to make a Profit. During some weeks and months of the year, there isn't enough productive time available to produce enough Throughput to make money. This puts the business owner in the position of having to make enough more money in the more productive months to make up for the loss months.
Brad: And, customers don't care about the people scheduling issues the supplier has. They expect what they want when they want it (or at least when it was promised). For sure, the demands placed on a supplier by a customer do not neatly fit into the preferences of when employees would like to work.
… to be continued in Part 67
Hello? Is anyone reading? Please add your comments (just click the comments hyper link at the bottom of the post)
Here's to maximizing YOUR profits!
Dr Lisa
(c)Copyright 2010, Dr Lisa, Inc. All rights reserved.
Critical Chain Project Management Goldratt Theory of Constraints
Mon, 15 Mar 2010 01:57:00 -0500