This Focused Performance Weblog is a "business management blog" containing links and commentary related primarily to organizational effectiveness with a "Theory of Constraints" perspective. TOC is noted for its applications in Project Management and Multi-Project Management (Critical Chain) and Operations Management (Drum-Buffer-Rope), as well as in Marketing, Strategic Planning and Change Management (TOC Thinking Processes). If you are on an archive page, current postings are found here.
These intro sections have a lot of what I expected, and a few intriguing teasers. "Services on Demand" reviews the nature of services versus manufacturing, with a focus on what Rickett's considers the most extreme type of service - Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (PSTS).
The chapter on TOC runs through the basic applications of TOC, with a high level intro on how they're used in producing and delivering "goods" and nodding at how they might or might not apply to delivering "services."
About to get into the meat of the details of how he's adapted the TOC apps to services. The most intriguing teaser - for the next chapter - is in applying Replenishment to Resource Management. Even without getting into the details, the mere mention of that triggered a "DOH!" a-ha moment, as I'm expecting to see something about keeping a pipeline of resource inventory loaded for quick access when needed. I'll see over the weekend if I'm on track on this.
Ricketts' list of TOC applications for services also mentions replenishment as part of the multi-project solution for services as well. Interesting, though no prediction as to where he's going with this yet.
Watch for further comments as I move through the book.
DigitalGrit, where I've been since 2004, has, along with it's sister companies at Adverb Media, been bought and combined with the e-mail house Zustek, to form Zeta Interactive, a really full service interactive marketing agency offering one-stop shopping for a unique set of services.
"The company combines the talents and technologies of five interactive leaders to offer marketers complete solutions across all media and channels-from email and search marketing to creative, web development, business and branding intelligence, and more. Zeta Interactive is comprised of Zustek Corporation, an industry-renowned email communications leader, and Adverb Media, a holding company which includes under its umbrella DigitalGrit, a highly acclaimed direct response and search marketing firm, Temel, an award-winning brand strategy and creative agency, and RelevantNoise™, a ground-breaking technology firm dedicated to mining the social Internet for business intelligence."
Met our new CEO, Al DiGuido, yesterday in a kickoff presentation of his background and plans for Zeta. This is gonna be fun.
the other day. So far, I've read the first "Foundations" section with it's Introduction and chapters on "Services on Demand" and "The Theory of Constraints."
