In Faster Cheaper Better Hammer and Hershman study both the successes and the failures of many companies—both what they had done and not done—to identify where they had run aground or what had made their efforts bear fruit. These in-depth case studies of Hammer and Company clients who used process methods include:

• US Air Force: In a classic example of excessive bureaucracy, individuals trying to access necessary training faced a wait of nearly 6 weeks to complete the registration and approval process. By focusing on process design and metrics, they were able to slash the time to one day.


• Clorox: This household name is known for quick cleanups, but internally the company was struggling with product delivery issues. The company cleaned up its act with a shift in design and process leadership and saw perfect orders increase 300% while costs went down.


• Fidelity Investments: A global leader in financial services and investment resources, the company made an investment in process by giving customer service representatives more responsibility and better measures of customer service. The payoff? Higher profits and happier customers.

 In this economic downturn, which analysts predict will continue, survival in business is going to come from eating the competition’s breakfast, lunch, and dinner. It’s trench warfare out there and it means doing things faster, cheaper, and better to get the right product, at the right time, at the right price and quality.

BIO

LISA W. HERSHMAN

Is the CEO of Hammer and Company, the global leader in business education process methods and process. She is an inspirational and sought-after speaker who has served as the Chairwoman of Avnet’s Executive Women’s Forum, as National Secretary of the Business and Professional Women's Foundation, and has served on the Indiana Commission for Women. Hershman previously served as corporate senior vice president of operational excellence at Avnet, Inc., where she was honored with the 2008 Avnet corporate Chairman’s Award. Hershman, whose career experience includes GE Aerospace, is a contributing columnist for BusinessWeek.