Don’t Use Case Studies!

Try using your brain.

Do you really need to read another story about how project management and statistics helped some organization save money and meet their goals? Why are you even looking for case studies? Did your boss ask you to do some research to see if “this stuff” works? Well, let’s see... Yes! It works. Now quit wasting your time and start doing real work.

Benchmarking isn’t going to save you one penny, in fact it’s going to waste your money faster than flushing it down the toilet or giving your teenager a credit card and sending them to Cancun for spring break. Benchmarking is something we are all familiar with; it’s simply looking around to see how everyone else is doing and seeing how you compare to the rest. Why do that? Tell me this. How often do you see an Olympic swimmer looking around to see how well they’re doing? If you stop to look around it means you’re not winning the race. Do you want to look around or win the race? Yes, you are in a race.

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Comments

Great advice!

I like the way Jim Womack puts it (paraphrased): don't benchmark, just move toward perfection.

Dozier is trying to be provocative

His bio says that he is certified in 6 Sigma. Why did he bother going through this? He knows exactly what to do -- just ask him.

Case studies are very good models. We can learn what works and what does not.

Don't Use What?

Wait. What?
Mr. Dozier mentions Google and the Red Croos then asks, "How can you expect to do the same thing by reading how other people fixed their company.[?]"

And immediately follows with an example of a successful company that did just what he told us not to do.

"The creators of the Toyota Way (the 14 principles which are the foundation of the Toyota Production System) took ideas from Ford and the United States in general (i.e., from grocery stores, from NASCAR pit crews, and even rowing teams)."

So do we NOT use case studies of Ford, Nascar, and the grocery store, or Do we use those case studies?

I'm confused.

Don't Use Case Studies! or Don't Read This

Hello,
"Don't Read this" goads us into reading this...if only to satisfy "Inquiring Minds Want To Know." I am sure that Sean knows what to do because he does it, or tries to do it every day.
I have done benchmarks on several occasions for companies in different geographical areas. Sometimes, all the CIO wanted to know was if they were competitive. I agree with Sean, that was a waste. Others used it to examine their own practices with the goal of modification, if necessary.
Benchmarks can be done correctly, or incorrectly, depending upon the Guru or methodology. Use a statistician or someone who knows how to do this.
We like to quote that "Winning is Everything..." (Lombardi). Is It?
Process IS EVERYTHING!
Statistically a normal, in control, process has a "What?"... a 3% chance of a random variance more than 3 standard deviations away from the Average (Mean)? Processed to death, are you? Well consider this; an out-of-control process has the same 3% chance of producing an acceptable outcome as an in-control process has of producing an unacceptable outcome...maybe even worse.
How many of you built plastic models as a kid? If you did not follow directions (follow the "good" process), how good was the finished product? Pieces left over? Ill-fitting pieces? Laughter from your friends when they see the Rube-Goldberg model?
How many of you parents tried to build your kid's toy on Christmas Eve (or Chanukkah) with instructions that were poorly written (apparently untested or peer reviewed)? Frustration? Cussing? Did the kid wake up?
Process is Everything!
We need benchmarks to act as landmarks on the process highway to let us know the environment (business) that we are in. They provide us with information which helps us to modify our own process or change direction.
Buddy in Huntsville