About TCOB

During the last fifteen years the consultants at Taking Care of Business have worked with small, medium and large organisations both national and international in Australia and overseas. They have held roles ranging from Engineering Manager and Manufacturing Manager through to Operations Manager. In this time we have developed our own set of qualities that we believe are the qualities of a very successful consultancy.

A Penchant for Facts: We are drawn to facts. We get behind the superficial and we dig. We insist on facts and facts only, then we verify the facts for accuracy. We don't make decisions on conjecture alone, we may start there but we always validate by looking for facts
Sift and Filter Out: We apply filters and screens to sift out the extraneous, weeding out data and discarding it when it is found to be irrelevant to the key matter at hand. We cut through facts, opinion and emotions that can cloud the issue then we neatly summarise what the issues are and what needs to be done.
See All Sides and Angles: We see all six sides of the box and then we take a look inside, we don't just look at the top of the box and open it. We always strive to see the problem from multiple viewpoints and angles. We don't skim the surface of important issues - we do the "deep dive" Once we have obtained the relevant facts we then begin to create alternatives and multiple approaches to solving an issue or problem.
Think Ahead: We identify the steps and actions that that must occur in order to get something done. We look for the consequences and risks of each step beforehand and then prepare for the risks and the unexpected so we can act and respond immediately.
Avoid Quick Fixes: We avoid quick fixes. We refuse to just accept verbal solutions or brush offs like when someone says "We're talking about reality", that are usually used to conceal problems.
Precision: We are precise, particulary when it comes to speaking and writing. We always look for ways to convey whatever we are trying to communicate so that there is no confusion. We avoid pontificating and strive to get our point across whilst making sure that we understand the points of others.
Self Discipline: We get the task done with a commitment and dedication to the work that always serves our clients best interest. We do not cut corners and we never approximate and rationalise in order to justify errors.
Honest: We are honest to the point that we are willing to lose potential future business to serve our clients interests. We may have tell our clients things they may not want to hear but have to, in order to help them avoid future problems.
Reliable: We can be counted on to do what it was we said we would do, in the time frame and manner in which we committed to doing it. We never surpise or blindside. If we cannot do whatever it is that was promised we inform our client immediately and explain why it cannot be done.
Leadership: We build teams, communicate and work through others to get things done. We look for common goals and create a vision for the future through the project. We share or pass on the credit readily to others and make ourselves part of the team. We persuade, cajole and roll up our sleeves to do the dirty work that everybody else has to do. We know the difference between management and leadrship and when to apply either skill.

Taking Care of Business is a consultancy that moves beyond the typical consulting model, a consultancy that works in partnership with its clients to reach innovative and practical solutions to support genuine business needs.

To do this TCOB offers a combination of services each of which can be fully customised to your specific needs.

Consulting

We offer a full range of consulting services and can provide you with detailed breakdowns of business areas and expert solutions from both a Lean Manufacturing and Process Management perspective. Our expertise in this area covers a wide range of organisations from service, health care through to manufacturing and production.

Training

We have a complete range of training solutions for all types of industry. Our modules also include 'soft skills' such as leadership and communication to increase the competency of your people. Our training can also be fully intergrated with our consulting outcomes to support and sustain improvement initiatives.

Mentoring

To further support and partner your business we offer our mentoring service 'Enabling Excellence'. Providing on-going coaching and mentoring to your key staff, TCOB will support you to further develop and grow your business.

Dieting and Lean, different story same outcome
17/04/2010
Whilst out with friends at dinner the other day the conversation turned to diets. Turned out that at our table of eight people five of them were on one sort of diet or another. As I listened to the conversation it became apparent that most had been on other diets before with varying degrees of initial success but after a while the initial weight was regained, sometimes with an extra kilo or two.

Now I don’t profess to have an expertise in this field although I have always wondered why, if any particular diet works, there are so many others?

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The Lean Toolbox
02/12/2009
This article first appeared in the Quality Digest Magazine. The author makes a very important point about how just having lean tools does not support a lean change.

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You only get what you measure
24/11/2009
If you truly do get what you measure it is interesting to note that many traditional organisations rely on metrics that are focused on operational features like cost of labour, raw materials and production output vs. sales projection or forecasts. Making decisions in the current business climate on such narrowly defined operation factors, see examples in Table 1, could prove disastrous.

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