John, Acme Corp.’s new CEO, just heard a brilliant idea for making his numbers this quarter. He needed it. During a conference call with the financial press last month, he made certain promises. If he couldn’t keep them, the company’s stock would surely take a hit. The trouble is, John’s estimates assumed that Acme’s biggest customer, We Be Widgets, would place its usual large order for widget subassemblies. However, due to the sluggish economy, the order was smaller than expected. The result: revenues amiss and earnings below expectations for the quarter.

Fiona, Acme’s chief financial officer, had a suggestion that could save the day. “We have that order from Widget International for next quarter,” she observed. “If we fill and ship it early, we could make this quarter’s numbers.”

John smiled. “Let’s do it.”

Fred, Acme’s plant manager, shook his head in dismay when he received the large order prominently marked RUSH. It reminded him of the bad old days before Acme became a lean Six Sigma company. Expediting orders was the norm then. There were piles of inventory everywhere and frantic production-control expediters running paperwork from one workstation to another. Since implementing lean Six Sigma, everyone stayed busy, but the plant was calm and orderly. Build-to-schedule was replaced by pull systems. Acme’s ledger went from red ink to black.

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