Why should you care? Employees who are happy in the job are more productive and more content. They have fewer sick days, better attendance records and higher morale. They are more loyal and less likely to seek other employment.

Do you want a high performance team? Then find out what you employees want and give it to them. Trust me, they are not asking for much.

Dear Manager,

I love my job and I think you are a good manager, but there are some things I would like to hear from you and some things I would like you to do.

1. I want you to give me praise. I want to know when I have done a good job. Don’t let the only time you have a serious conversation with me be when I have done something wrong. Let me know when I have done something right.

2. Tell me what my job is, how to do it and what rules I need to follow. I want to clearly understand what my job is, how you want me to do it and what policies I need to follow. Be specific and give me clear instructions.

3. I want to be excited by my work. I don’t want a dull, boring job where I never know what is going on. Get me excited about what my role is, what our project is, about our department and our company. Show me how I fit into the plan.

4. Challenge me. I don’t want to keep doing the same job each day. Give me something new to do. Challenge my skills and my mind. I can contribute more than you think.

5. Give me opportunities to improve myself. I am a good worker, but I want to be a better one. Train me in something new, send me to a class, let me learn a new skill from a coworker. Help me develop my career. Help me to be better able to help you.

6. Delegate to me. When you need something done let me do it. Let me prove that I am capable of doing more. Trust me to get the job done right and on time. It will build my confidence and my respect that you can trust me with a task.

7. Deal with my coworker. You explained the policies I must follow, but you need to back it up by enforcing those policies. Be fair and treat everyone equally. It kills my morale when a coworker is not disciplined for consistently breaking the rules.

8. Inspire me. Show me you are passionate about your work, about our team, about our project. Share your vision for our department and our team. Tell me what our mission statement is and why it is important.

9. Ask for my opinions and ideas. I have worked here a long time and I know what works and what doesn’t. Ask me how things can be improved and what we can do to make our team and our department more productive and successful.

10. Improve my work environment. My desk and chair are. My computer is old and slow. I need a new one with a monitor that does not hurt my eyes. You need to remodel our break area. I will be happier and be more productive in an improved work environment.

Sincerely,
Your Employee

Management is About People

Never forget it is your employees who get the work done and that they are human. They have needs and they look to you to fill them. When you ignore them they become unhappy with their job even though they may like their work.

Here are a couple of posts that will help you connect and learn the needs of your employees.

• The Gemba Walk – A Tool for IT Management and Leadership
• Management by Walking Around MBWA

Leadership and management should never forget who does the work. ITPS. Be sure to take the time and make the effort to meet the needs of your employees. It will benefit them, you and your company.

Related posts:

1. What Makes Employees Happy?
2. What to Do With Under Performing Employees
3. Four Essential Skills For Managers to Master

Do you talk with a team member about an issue but the behavior or problem continues? Do you assign tasks that are not done they way they should be? If so the problem may be you are not being specific enough when communicating with them.

When you communicate using general or vague terms you risk the listener not getting the message. How well you communicate can determine how you are seen as a a manager and as a professional so it is important that your message is clearly understood. You can make sure of this by learning to be specific.

Are You Being Specific?

The inspiration for this post comes from a recent conversation I had with a colleague about problems with his team.

“Frank needs to be more of a team player. Eric needs to act more professional. Jane is always late for work. None of them seem to listen to what I say. They are driving me crazy. I have talked with them many times and they still do not get the message.”

I asked him to be more specific about the problems. He basically repeated everything he had said about each team member he was having a problem with.

If he spoke to his team members about the problems the way he spoke to me about them it was clear why his message was not getting across. I offered him two words of advice. Be specific. When you talk to your team members always be specific about what you say.

Be Specific

If you want to clearly get your message across to someone you must be specific when talking to them. You can not generalize an issue and expect them to understand what you want them to do. Telling someone that they need to be at work on time is not specific enough to be effective.

• When discussing an issue with a team member refer to the specific problem or behavior. To illustrate your points give examples of actual situations.

“I want to talk with you about your attendance. This month you have been late for work seven times.” (read them the specific dates and times from their PLog).

“On the 9th you were 20 minutes late. On the 13th you were 40 minutes late. Last Monday you did not arrive at work until 9 AM. This is unacceptable.”

“Last Monday I did not know if you were coming in or not since you did not call me. I had to pull Tim over to cover your job. This meant Tim had to do his job and yours.”

• You want to paint a clear picture of what you are talking about and the effect it has.

“You are an important member of this team and I depend on you to be on time each day. Your morning report  must be sent out by 8:30 each morning. Other people depend on that report to do their job.”

“When you are late for work and do not call me I don’t know if you are going to be five minutes late or an hour late. If you call me and let me know when you will be in I will know if I need to ask Tim to do your report.”

• Describe in detail how you want things to be done differently.

“Anytime you are going to be more than five minutes late for work you must call me and let me know. You must work on this issue and be on time for work every day.”

• Be specific on the outcome should they fail to follow your instructions.

“The next time you are more than five minutes late for work and do not call me you will be written up. If you are late for work more than three times in a month corrective actions will be taken.”

• Ask them if they have any questions and get feedback to be sure they understood your message.

“Do you have any questions about what you need to do? Tell me how you are going to correct this issue.”

That will be far more effective than just telling someone “You need to be at work on time”?

Always Be Specific

A manager must always be specific when communicating. When you are giving someone a task to do are you clearly communicating to them what you want them to do? Do they come back to you for clarification or is the work not done the way you wanted?

You need to include the why, when and how when assigning a task. They need to clearly understand why they are doing it, when it needs to be done by and how they should do it. Ask them if they have any questions and get feedback on what you just told them to be sure they understand.

If you want to learn more about how communications works read these posts.

• Leadership Skills – Communications Part 1
• Leadership Skills – Communications Part 2

Be specific with your team members, your boss, your vendors, with everyone. By being specific in your communications you will see better results. You will be a better coach, resolve issues without having to revisit them and have tasks completed the way they should be.

Best of all you will keep your sanity and not be at your wit’s end like my colleague was.

Related posts:

1. Management Skills – Professional Communications
2. Four Essential Skills For Managers to Master
3. Leadership Skills – Communications Part 1

With proper problem management any problem or issue can be dealt with in a timely manner to ensure the continuity of IT services the business depends on.

An emergency room is a good example of a team that deals with large and small problems each day. They often work under extreme pressure since lives are at stake. So let’s look at how an ER handles problems that roll through the door each day and learn how their methods can be applied to the IT world.

How An Emergency Room and IT Can Stay Prepared

Have a Plan

An ER has a plan to deal with nearly every issue that comes up. When the issue comes through the door they know exactly what to do and the team executes the plan. IT has disaster recovery plans, but we should not only plan for disaster.

Small issues can have an impact on IT services and a well laid out plan will allow you to quickly restore them. Many fly by the seat of their pants when dealing with problems. Relying on their experience and expertise to deal with it. You should be proactive in approaching a crisis or problem management.

What happens when the help desk receives a call about a problem and vital team members are not there? Running up and down the halls trying to find someone to deal with it, that is what happens. With a well thought out and detailed plan everyone maintains composure and the problem is dealt with in a timely manner.

Sometimes in an ER an issue can roll in the door that there is no plan for. Something nobody ever anticipated. This is when they rely on their past experience to guide them. In the same way you can rely on your past experience to guide you through an unforeseen issue.

These are the times when you do fly by the seat of your pants, but you should have a well-trained team that is multifunctional and  well skilled to help you. This is the time for your A-Team.

Be Well Stocked

Look in any modern ER and they have the supplies and tools needed to deal with every issue that can come through the door. Carts sitting in designated areas and teams of qualified staff are always ready to deal with nearly any problem.

IT should be prepared in much the same way. Important pieces of equipment needed to restore IT services should be ready for use when needed. Qualified and skilled staff should always be on-hand and ready to deal with any problem.

If your network goes down can your business really wait hours or worse days for the needed equipment to arrive?

Have a Well Skilled and Professional Team

The staff in an ER consists of many professionals with the specific skills needed to handle any issue. Nurses, technicians, doctors and many more skilled team members. Each one knows their job well, when to step in and when to get out-of-the-way.

In the same way IT should have teams with various skills ready to jump into action when an issue arises. The makeup of the team and the skills needed will depend on the issue. This is why planning is so important. You want to know the right people to contact that have the skills needed to get the job done.

IT Triage The Help Desk

When a patient first comes to the ER they are seen by a triage nurse. Here the patient is evaluated to determine the severity of their issue. A chart is created, vital signs are taken and any relevant information about the issue is recorded. A priority is then assigned depending on how severe the issue is.

In IT triage is done by the help desk. Their goal is to learn and document everything they can about the issue and determine the priority of the issue. Once this is done the proper person or team can be notified to handle the issue.

1. Determine what the problem is and document all the circumstances surrounding the problem.
2. Determine how critical the problem is. This will decide how quickly it must be dealt with.
3. Route the problem to the department, team or person who can best deal with it.

Putting It All Together

• Detailed steps to be taken to deal with the problem and restore full service
• One or more designated leaders with contact information who will oversee the execution of the plan and alternatives should they be unavailable.
• A list of team members needed to execute the plan with contact information and alternatives should they be unavailable.
• A list and contact information of outside vendors and technical contacts who can provide information if needed.
• A good supply of inventory that can be used to fix any problem that may arise.
• Detailed instructions on how to setup and install the equipment or bring back the service.
• Plan alternatives should the primary plan not fix the issue.
• A review session after an issue to see what went right, what went wrong and how the plan can be improved.

Any issue can best be dealt with if there is already a plan in place. A plan should include:

Summary

IT deals with major and minor problems each day just like an ER. An ER can respond to any problem that rolls through the door because they are well-trained, highly skilled and have a plan. Planning for problem large and small will restore IT services quicker and with less disruption to the business.

Plans should have detailed steps, designated contacts and alternatives with contact information. Equipment should me maintained on-site to enable teams to quickly restore vital services.

Related posts:

1. How To Work Under Pressure
2. Project Management Problem-Solving Skills
3. How a Proactive IT Manager Can Handle Any Crisis

Read the article The Gemba Walk – A Tool For IT Management and Leadership for more on the Gemba walk.

In the book “In Search of Excellence” by Thomas J. Peters, Robert H. Waterman, Management By Walking Around or MBWA is described as “Getting management out of the office”. At United Airlines, Ed Carlson labeled it Visible Management or management by walking about.

The Hewlett-Packard (HP) version of management by walking around” describes this technique as “marked by personal involvement, good listening skills and the recognition that everyone in an organization wants to do a good job.”

The concept expands on the open door policy of management by getting managers out of their offices and communicating face-to-face with the people who do the work.

The Benefits of Management by Walking Around

If you wait for people to come to you, you’ll only get small problems. You must go and find them. The big problems are where people don’t realize they have one in the first place. – W. Edwards Deming

Be an Active Participant

By using the MBWA method you become an active participant in the work and with the team. You are not sitting behind your desk delegating by email and phone calls. By getting up and going to the employees who do the work you can clearly communicate what needs to be done to them. You can offer suggestions and answer questions on the spot.

Feel the Pulse of What is Going On

Management by walking around will help you stay on top of the work being done and your employees. You will see who is doing what, and who is not. You will be able to spot small problems before they become large ones. You will learn who needs more training to do their job better. You will have a better idea of what is going on with the work and your employees.

Listen to Employee Suggestions, Problems and Complaints

Often employees are reluctant to bring issues to a manager. They feel the manager is to busy or does not care about their issue. When you engage your employees on a regular basis they will see you care about them and will open up. You will learn about problems they have doing their work, problems with co-workers, and suggestions for doing the work better. This will enhance communications, raise morale and productivity.

Improved Team Dynamics and Performance

When employees see you actively engaged with them and the work you will build better relationships with them. You will build trust which is vital to a high performance team. You will be able to motivate your employees to reach higher goals and improve themselves. All of these benefits will build a stronger team and improve performance.

Read the article Why Management Should Go to Gemba for more benefits of MBWA.

How to Manage By Walking Around

The first thing you must do is commit yourself to it. If you walk around and act like you care people will see right through you and you will do more harm than good.

• Do this as often as you can, preferable each day.
• Be in a relaxed mood when you start.
• Find a corner or other area where you can watch the employees, but don’t freak them out. You can learn a lot just by watching.
• When people tell you about issues or problems take care of them as soon as possible and follow-up to make sure they were resolved.
• Ask for ideas on ways to improve the work being done. Those who do the work know how to do it best, but business rules or rigid processes my prevent them from doing so. Everything can be improved and some of the best ideas will come from your employees.
• Don’t approach it as a hovering boss or job inspector. This is an excellent time to coach employees and to work on mentoring them. Your goal is to improve relationships and improve performance, not spy on them.
• Have fun with it. Share personal stories, bring up old times, ask about their family. You want to engage them with a human side not the “boss” side just telling them what to do.

Summary

Too often managers manage from behind their desks and rarely venture out where the work is being done. This isolates the manager from the work and from the employees. By using the management by walking around method you will become more aware of the work and build better relationships with your employees.

It does not take much time from your busy day and the benefits you reap will make it time well spent. It improves the lines of communications which is so vital to team performance. Objectives and tasks are more clearly communicated face-to-face and you can answer any questions on the spot.

MBWA makes you an active participant in the work being done and allows you to handle problems and issues before they grow into larger ones. If you want to build a stronger team and improve performance get up out of that chair and go out to where the work is being done.

Never forget who does the real work. The Keys to Successful IT Service Management – ITPS, the people.

Related posts:

1. The Gemba Walk – A Tool For IT Management and Leadership
2. Ten Things Your Employees Want
3. Why Management Should Go to Gemba

It is what you do that makes you successful. That is why these 20 leadership principles are mainly about actions. To be a successful manager you must get up out of that chair and show leadership. If you want to drive performance for the business and success for you and your team, you need to learn to be a better leader.

20 Leadership Principles for Managers

Show Leadership

• Leaders should always lead by example. You can not expect employees to do what you say if you do not do it yourself.
• Leaders must be an active participant in the work being done. Don’t just give your employees marching orders and say “Go do it”. Get out there and help. Make sure the work is getting done the way it should.
• Leaders must establish a clear vision for the future. One that aligns the work being done to meet the needs of the business.
• Leaders must establish shared values and ethics at all levels. Leaders are trustworthy, honest, dependable, and motivational. Leaders are not uncooperative, egotistical, irritable, and demanding. Leaders must show these values and demand them from employees.
• Leaders must always consider the needs of all stakeholders. This includes customers, owners, employees, and vendors. All of these groups that have a stake must be kept informed and involved.
• Leaders must consult and delegate well. Consult with others and to make sure you are clear on the objectives. Fully inform an employee of the goal and objective and then delegate it to them. Follow-up and be sure the job is getting done.
• Leaders must create and implement a strategy to reach the goals and targets of their team. Without a plan you are like a ship without a rudder.

People Oriented Team Approach

• Leaders must inspire, encourage and recognize the accomplishments and the contributions of their employees. Every employee wants to know that their contributions are appreciated.
• Leaders must create an environment that promotes honest and open communications without the fear of retribution.
• Leaders must train and coach their employees and monitor their work so they can help the employee when needed. Invest in training your employees and you will reap the benefits of better work and more productivity.
• Leaders must set challenging goals and targets for their employees. Bored employees are not as productive as those who are not challenged.
• Leaders must build trust with their employees and eliminate the fear if employees fail to meet requirements. If they do fail leaders find our why and take action. Do they lack training? Were they unclear of the goal of objective?
• Leaders must provide employees with the resources they require and the freedom they need to get the job done. Employees then must be held accountable and responsible because they have no excuses.
• Leaders must use terminology their employees can understand. Break down complicated terms and processes so employees will have a full understanding of what they are doing or what you are talking about. Ask them for feedback so you are sure they understood.

Established Processes and Systems

• Leaders must be proactive to address issues before they become problems. Don’t be a reactionary leader. Look for issues and deal with them.
• Leaders must understand and respond to changes. Objectives and goals change, new tasks and new responsibilities always come. Change is a natural part of business and leaders must properly communicate this change and how it effects their employees.
• Leaders must demand that employees follow established procedures for getting the work done. Do not accept deviations from the process. There is only one way to do something and that is the right way. Deviations create errors and poor products.
• Processes and systems can be improved so leaders must always look for ways to do the work better. The employees are often the ones who give the best feedback on ways to improve a since they do the work. If a change improves the process, make it the established procedure and demand that it be followed.
• Leader must foster an environment of continuous improvement and eliminate waste. Reports that are not needed, complicated processes with too many steps and other wastes of time and productivity must be eliminated. Encourage employees to always look for waste and ways to improve the work being done.
• Leaders must use a defined process improvement model (PIM) such as PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act).
  Plan – Establish the objective or reason for improving the process.
  Do – Implement the new change to the process on a small-scale.
  Check – Monitor and measure the change to see if the process has improved.
  Act – Determine if the new change is improvement, then implement it or try again.

Summary

As managers we do lead. By applying basic leadership principles you can improve your team, your results for your company and yourself. Leadership is not a title it is the principles and the actions you take. There are many more good principles and skills to becoming a better manager and a better leader. Explore, search, learn and go lead.

Related posts:

1. Leadership Skills – The Top 5 Skills Needed For IT Leadership Roles
2. Leadership Skills – Leaders Drive Change
3. Leadership Skills – Communications Part 1

The guide starts with the basics of troubleshooting networks, then steps into troubleshooting the physical layer, troubleshooting the network layer and troubleshooting switches.

Be sure and look around the rest of their web site as they offer a wealth of information on a lot of network related topics. You will find whitepapers, on-demand webcasts, featured topics and a helpful “Learn About” section. Sign up for their “Eye On Networks” monthly E-Newsletter for find out about new products and technologies, expert technical advice and industry updates.

The Fluke Networks Solutions Center

They have a great  “Solutions Center” for nine types of network specialties.

• Network Engineer
• Cabling Designers and Consultants
• Cable Installation Technician
• Network Technicians
• Service Provider Technicians
• Managing Service Provider Networks
• Designing and Implementing Application Services
• Industrial Ethernet
• LAN System Integrators

Fluke makes great network tools for testing, monitoring and analysis of enterprise and telecommunications networks. Their Etherscope Series II Network Assistant is an excellent example for quickly troubleshooting LAN and Wi-Fi installations. They even offer a free 5-day evaluation of the product.

When you purchase the Etherscope Network Assistant and the DTX Cable Analyzer you get 25% off. Two very useful tools for a network technicians toolkit.

The Free Frontline LAN Troubleshooting Guide

This 115 page, comprehensive guide provides frontline network troubleshooters with practical advice on how to maintain LANs and solve common layer 1 and 2 problems. This guide outlines eight key steps every technician should know to aid in successful troubleshooting. Learn how to troubleshoot physical layer problems, quickly resolve common network user complaints – “can’t connect, connection drops and network is slow” and get an in-depth overview on troubleshooting switches.

Visit the Fluke Networks web site to download the free E-Book “Frontline LAN Troubleshooting Guide”

Related posts:

1. dVUE6 Lighthouse – Latest Free Network Gadget
2. ESI International Offers Free PMBOK® Guide Update Webinar
3. Nagios Free Network Monitoring Software

Most project managers are about the business side of the project. The resources, time, money and scope of the project. They do not need a deep technical knowledge to do their job. This is usually not a hindrance since any good project manager is going to surround themselves with a technically knowledgeable team.

As a manager skilled in a particular area of IT you have the technical expertise that a lot of project managers do not have. Since you are already a manager you have many of the business and soft skills a project manager uses. Adding project management skills will make you more well-rounded and could lead to more opportunities. The goal is not to become a project manager, unless that is a path you want to take. The goal is to learn more about project management and the skills used to manage projects.

The Benefits of Project Management Skills

There are many benefits for an IT manager to learn project management skills.

Allow You to do Your Job Better

By adding project management skills you will be able to do your own job better. Look at some of the tasks you do now. Hardware and infrastructure upgrades, deployments, enhancing services, and much more. These may not be fully blown projects, but you can manage them that way. Project management skills will allow you to better plan, initiate, manage the budget, manage resources and deliver the product.

The Ability to Manage Simple Projects

IT is full of projects large and small. Not every project needs a dedicated project manager. With project management skills you will be able to manage small projects. Experience is the best teacher so by showing you can manage a small project, you may get tapped for something larger. This will enhance your reputation and your value to the company.

Better Able to Contribute to Projects

With knowledge of project management you will be able to better contribute to projects you are involved in. Not only will you be lending your technical expertise, you will be able to be a more active participant in the project. This benefits the project, the company and yourself.

Learn Project Management Jargon – For some project management has a language of its own. If you are not a trained project manager and attend project meetings you are likely to hear terms and phrases that are Greek to you. Learning the language can be very beneficial by giving you a better understanding of the projects you are involved in.

Become a Project Manager

Who knows you may like project management so much you will want to make a career move and commit yourself to becoming a project manager. Project managers are in high demand in IT and other departments. It will take a real commitment and a lot of time, but the payoff may be well worth it.

Open New Doors and New Opportunities

Over time as you prove your capabilities you may be called on for special projects. Ones that require both technical expertise and project management skills. Any new skill, technical or otherwise can open up new opportunities for you. Project management skills are highly valued and sought after.

How Managers Can Obtain Project Management Skills

CompTIA Project+

The CompTIA Project+ certification covers the entire project life cycle from initiation and planning through execution, acceptance, support and closure. Unlike some project management certifications, CompTIA Project+ can be earned quickly and cost-effectively. There are no prerequisites, and candidates are not required to submit an application or complete additional hours of continuing education.

The CompTIA Project+ exam consist of 80 questions and requires a passing score of 499 on a scale of 100-900. You can self-study with books, take a class or learn through online resources.

For more information visit the CompTIA Project+ web site.

Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)

The Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) is given by the Project Management Institute. It is intended for those who contribute to projects. It requires a high school diploma or equivalent, and 1500 hours experience or 23 hours of project management education. There is an application process and a multiple-choice 150 question exam.

For more information visit the Project Management Institute web site.

Self-Study

If you do not have the time or money to pursue a certification you still have options to learn project management skills. The goal is to learn project management skills, not to become a project manager, though it could lead to that on some scale.

For starters there is a wealth of information on the Internet. Just head to your favorite search site and type in Project Management Skills. If you are an avid book reader like me head to Amazon, your local public library or local college or university library. There are many resources out there that will make you more knowledgeable about project management.

Where You Work

If there is a Project Management Office (PMO) where you work take some time and talk with them. Explain that you want to increase your knowledge and skills about project management and ask them for suggestions. Some companies know the value of project management skills and offer in-house project management basics training.

Summary

As an IT manager adding to your skill sets makes you a more valuable asset to the company. Much of what IT does is project oriented so knowing the language and how projects work is important. As a manager you already have some of the business and soft skills needed in project management.

To move up the company ladder, increase your reputation and your salary you need to continuously improve your skills. Adding project management skills will put a very useful tool in your managers toolbox.

Related posts:

1. Important Project Manager Skills
2. Top Five Project Management Skills for IT Professionals
3. Project Management Problem-Solving Skills

Come back after the game for a full lineup of the best of the 2010 Super Bowl ad’s.

If you want to know when to look for your favorite Super Bowl commercial USA Today has a list of ads and when they will play during the game. According to USA Today’s ad meter the Doritos snow globe ad was the best of best from the 2009 Super Bowl.

Doritos Snow Globe 2009 Super Bowl

Super Bowl 2010 Commercials

CareerBuilder.com Casual Friday Super Bowl 2010 Commercial

Hyundai Brett Farve Super Bowl 2010 Commercial

Audi Green Police Super Bowl 2010 Commercial

Top Funny Super Bowl Ads

Bridgestone Scream Super Bowl Ad

E-Trade Baby Super Bowl Commercial

Reebok Terry Tate Super Bowl Commercial

EDS Cat Herders Super Bowl Commercial

Ameriquest Super Bowl Commercial

Budweiser Donkey Dream Super Bowl Commercial

Hulu An Evil Plot to Destroy The World Super Bowl Commercial

Budweiser Talking Frogs Super Bowl 1995 Commercial

Visa Yao Super Bowl Ad

Nationwide Insurance K-Fed Super Bowl Commercial

Banned Super Bowl Commercials

GoDaddy Super Bowl 2010 Commercial Lola

CareerBuilder.com Worst Seat Super Bowl 2010

Doritos Super Bowl 2010 Commercial

KGB In The Hole Super Bowl 2010 Commercial

Budweiser 2007 Super Bowl

Come back. As 2010 Super Bowl ads are released this post will be updated.

Related posts:

1. 2009 Super Bowl Commercials
2. Download Microsoft Office 2010 Beta
3. Microsoft Unveils Exchange 2010 With Public Beta

5S refers to a list of five Japanese words which are part of the Kaizen philosophy of workplace management. It is a method of organizing and managing your workspace and work flow to improve efficiency, eliminate waste (muda) and improve processes.  Another benefit is that a clean workplace will improve the morale of those that work in it.

A 5S System is not just about cleaning up. A 5S System will get rid of anything that is not needed, organizing everything that is needed, cleaning on a daily basis, standardizing to support the system and having leadership and team members exercise the self-discipline to make it a daily habit.

Here is an overview of the 5S System we have adopted in our IT Service Depot. Over the next series of articles I will go over how to plan a 5S System launch and each step in the 5S System.

SORT

• Sort through each workspace and remove anything that is not needed. The goal is to reduce the number of items in the area.
• Keep only what is needed in a workspace. Dispose of or put in place what is not needed.
• The goal is to leave nothing in a workspace except work in progress and the tools and supplies needed to do the work.

STRAIGHTEN – “A place for everything and everything in its place”

• All tools, parts and equipment to be tested or repaired have designated areas. They should be kept in and returned to those designated areas.
• Do not stock equipment to be repaired in the shop. Only bring in what you will be working on.
• All boxes to be reused will be stored outside of the shop in the designated area.
• All carts and hand trucks will be stored outside of the shop in the designated area.
• All large parts are to be stored outside of the shop in the designated areas or in the parts room.
• Parts and supplies will not be stockpiled in the workspace with the exception of a small quantity of the most used parts in 2-3 small boxes that go under the bench or on a shelf or in part bins.
• Your goal will be to have your work completed and the workspace cleared of equipment you are working on 20 minutes before it is time for you to leave for the day.

SHINE – Cleanliness

• Clean at the end of each day and as you work. Dispose of trash, scrap and cardboard in the designated areas.
• Dispose of anything no longer of use as you work.
• Benches should be wiped down daily and testing equipment cleaned as needed.
• Floors should be swept at the end of each day and mopped once at least once a week.
• Trash cans more than half full should be emptied at the end of each day.

STANDARDIZE

• Parts should be put up when they are received in their designated area.
• Trash can liners will be used. No heavy parts are disposed of in trash cans.
• The SORT-STRAIGHTEN-SHINE Checklist is performed during the last 20 minutes of your work day.
• Detailed system maps show the designated areas for everything.

SUSTAIN – Self-Discipline

• Maintaining a stabilized workplace is an ongoing process of continuous improvement.
• Service technicians should take pride in keeping their workspace clean and organized.
• The 5 S’s should become a part of your daily routine. Make it a habit.

Low Cost, Big Return

One of the best things about a 5S System is it cost nothing to start. Often a 5S System is implemented then forgotten. The only way to make sure this does not happen is to make it visible and measurable. Put up 5S posters. Create a checklist for each workspace to be carried out at the end of each day. They are a visible reminder at each workspace what should be done.

On the last day of the month have a Sort, Straighten and Shine event. Bring in snacks, drinks and music. Be creative with the event. Involve everyone in the event.  A solid 5S System should be the cornerstone of your cycle of continuous improvement. One that you can build on to create a lean and efficient IT Service Depot.

As with any workplace system a 5S System should be subject to continuous improvement. There is always a better way to do something and you should continuously look for ways to improve the system. IT departments are in a constant state of change with new technology in need of service. You must improve your 5S System to adapt to these changes.

Related posts:

1. A 5′S System for Your Service Depot
2. 5S System Step 3 – The Shine Step
3. How to Plan a 5S System Launch

Remember Steve Jobs uses a lot of visuals in his presentations. See “Learn to Give Better Presentations From Steve Jobs”.

If you use Microsoft Power Point to create presentations Microsoft has released a series of eight downloads totally over 150 professionally  designed Power Point templates for Power Point 2007. With each set you will also find tips and instructions for using these templates and for making better presentations.

Free Microsoft Power Point Templates

Each link shows you the set of templates so you can preview them before you download.

• Free 3-D shapes and objects template for PowerPoint 2007
• Free animated organizational charts with SmartArt graphics for PowerPoint 2007 presentations
• Free animated picture effects template for PowerPoint 2007
• Free animated text effects template for PowerPoint 2007
• Free background templates for PowerPoint 2007
• Free picture and text effects template for PowerPoint 2007
• Free picture effects template for PowerPoint 2007
• Free text effects template for PowerPoint 2007

Related posts:

1. Learn to Give Better Presentations From Steve Jobs
2. How to Improve Your Professional Skill Sets For Little Money
3. Free E-Book: Introducing Microsoft SQL Server 2008