Best Management Ideas Awards - Update #2

Reminder: I am holding the Best Management Ideas contest. Your entries need to be in by the end of day this Friday. I have received several entries but I want MANY more. I think everyone has at least ONE great idea to share. Hey, what have you got to lose? Send in your entry today! Do you have a hack that works wonders? A favorite management practice that makes your day more fruitful? Tell me about it and you could win big.

Here's what I need in your entry:

1. Your name, home city, home country, and position.
2. One paragraph sharing the your entry. Feel free to include links to websites and such.
3. Why you are nominating this management idea/habit/hack - what benefit have you enjoyed as a result of using this technique/idea.

Send entries to lhaneberg AT gmail DOT com by Friday, February 3rd - midnight.

On Monday, I teased you with a little bit about the prizes. Here is a bit more information:

I already told you that the grand prize winner and the three runners up will receive a copy of my favorite writing program, StyleWriter. This, alone, is worth sending your entry in for, don't you agree?

But there's more. The grand prize winner will ALSO receive:

A copy of Stretch Break - great software that reminds you to stretch throughout the day and even shows you how to do each exercise. Mac or PC! I have this and love it. My shoulders don't get nearly as tight while writing. And besides it is fun and relaxes my mind.

The grand prize winner will ALSO receive:

A $25 gift certificate to Hip and Zen. This is a wonderful online store. Super cool. Has stuff for men and women. I love this place. Here is a nice computer bag made out of recycled plastic bags. Cute!

The grand prize winner will ALSO receive:

An autographed copy of Tom Peters' Re-imagine! Yep, Tom is sending along the book just for this contest.

The grand prize winner will ALSO receive one spot in my next 2 Weeks to a Breakthrough Program. This a $300 value and could change your life!

And there are more prizes to announce for ALL winners......coming soon...

One other update: I have signed on a fourth judge, Jeffrey Phillips from the Thinking Faster blog. His whole world revolves around idea identification and management. Thanks Jeffrey!

The four judges will receive your entries without your names or identifying information and will select the top ideas. Each judge does this independently and then I will compile the results and the winners will be revealed.

Thanks to those who have submitted ideas and I look forward to seeing many more!

Comments

[Brad Isaac]

Lisa,

I have to say, this is an amazingly generous package. I'm going to see if I can go back to my old management days and remember some of my tricks. :) But wow! It's great you are doing this.

[Lisa Haneberg]

Bring it on, Brad! And everyone else out there, too! I look forward to seeing your tips and tricks.

[Dean Webster]

In ordeer to improve the execution of critical business processes our company has re-focused resources to manage these business processes from end to end.

For example, instead of the New Product Introduction (NPI) process being managed and devided along functional lines and adopting an 'over the garden wall' mentality, we have appointed NPI managers who manage the process 'end to end'. They are the fulcrum around which all the activities of the NPI process revolve.

The first action is to draw together a project team from the various functions involved in NPI. These resources are appointed to the project on a part-time basis but within their functions it is their responsibility to drive the NPI actions and task that are the responsibility of their function. The NPI manager develops the propject plan, co-ordinates activities, hold review meetings and manage conflict resolution.

These managers are supported by an NPI process manager (programme manager) who's responsibility is to remove barriers, co-ordinate the wider NPI programme, to liaise predominantly with other functional managers and directors, to facilitate the process. Amongst their most important roles is process improvement, looking for ways to reduce time to market, to review project performance, and ensuring leasons learned are captured and encorporated in the NPI process going forward.

This arrangement has also been adopted, as yet in a looser form, for re-engineering project.