HOME SYSTEMS THINKING The Vanguard Method Managing Change Quality Models Customer Contact Centres Systems Thinking in the Public Sector Systems Thinking Review Systems Thinking in Service Organisations PRODUCTS Guides/Manuals Books, CDs and DVDs CapChart CD-ROM Systems Thinking Tactics Red Bead Experiment VANGUARD Articles Public Events Vanguard Network Vanguard SW Network Systems Thinking Quarterly Newsletter JOHN SEDDON Toyota for service Newsletter Latest book Seddon speaks Public Events VANGUARD CONSULTANTS Who's Who Return to Articles menu May 2013 A bad brand It was lean what done it HMRC's 'brand' in action Universal shambles Bullies at work Two readers on health Some good news in housing Kittens are Evil Seddon on lean Calling Canadians Call for beta-testers Action-learning events April 2013 Hunt promises culture change It's the system, stupid! The truth from an insider Gilson on targets A culture like Google's? Fear in Job Centres Intelligent policing Kittens are Evil A date for Canadians Call for beta-testers March 2013 On health and horsemeat Ask a legal Politicians move in It's the system, stupid Horsemeat is the same How markets drive costs up in care Politician = instant expert (just add power) Sorry is too late A bright spark February 2013 Net Promoter Score: working on the 5% It's the system stupid From lagging to leading Does Mr Hunt agree? Other ministerial madness Is anyone listening? Call for beta-testers Kittens are evil Action-learning in Hull January 2013 Looking forward to 2013 December 2012 Special issue: Announcing Vanguard's new web site November 2012 'We don't do that' Oh yes you do! Labelling people as 'blockers' Incontinent policy-making Chile portentous for UK education? Perfect Flow: a true innovation Interview with a blogger A blog in Spanish Forthcoming Vanguard events Vanguard in health October 2012 Cornish patsy? DWP 'nudges' claimants HMRC resists going 'digital' Profligate agility More doubters for Universal Credit DWP hides the truth More targets than ever Will Cameron still prefer Blond? People in glass houses... Snouts and troughs The diseconomies of scale Pretty d' awful Clever people decamp to Buckingham Seddon speaks Public-sector book now translated into Spanish Social care in Sweden September 2012 Avarice over service quality Volume won't solve the problem SW1 continues south NLGN meeting Troubled families or troubled system? Universal Credit Should we give up on health? More IT failure Regulation sans knowledge The Evidence Tour August 2012 Rank and yank Another mad'n The eminence grises Better project management? Is Prince 2 world class? Beyond the costs of initial failure User testing? DWP 'loses' reports onUC An insider's view More desperation Policy-based evidence PR Dave The Evidence Tour July 2012 Me to a T No shrinking violet Whitehall doesn't do evidence Mad Maude The Evidence Tour Evidence: adult care services Failure demand pays! BT did it to me Who's the worst? Another shocker Banking 'culture' June 2012 Making public services work May 2012 Unreasonable Learners petition Scottish Government New case studies book Inspector Guilfoyle Speaks Evidence under noses Argument misses the point Universal Credit in difficult waters But let's make them do it The Achilles heel More on shared services down-under We don't know what we're doing Can I come to your place? Vanguard Method in higher education Job opportunity in financial services Stuart Corrigan's new book Profound results event in Newcastle April 2012 NAO - good data, wrong conclusions Plan for sharing goes awry More on 'tell us lots' Pass the parcel? One success under threat Scots minister illustrates Vanguard Method: manifesto for Policing in Sussex Hull seminar Vanguard and IT: Iceland and the USA Benchmarking: a fast way to mediocrity March 2012 Desperate for evidence Le Grand Drivel Motivated to meet targets A cop knows the answer Solid evidence Commissioning drives up costs The eminence grise More bad news from SW 1 Out-sourcing: a disaster in the making How do we change thinking? The DWP don't get it Down at the coal face Shared services Academics notice Citizens notice Mums notice Smaller is cheaper An inspector writes February 2012 My missive to Dave Wolverhampton transforms planning Looking in the right place Another way to get curious Improving our universities IT development the Vanguard way Implementation trumps delivery Government and IT - 'a recipe for rip-offs' Little on mediocrity Lean leader lost Radnor on failure demand Six Sigma sold without 'special sauce' Tell us lots The obsession with 'channels' With leaders like this More on Finnish schools South African cops caught cheating Is this 'making the numbers'? RSA event A new book Vanguard events january 2012 Dave's promise NHS 'production line' Whose idea is this? And what about IT? Can't get out of the doo Educashun's germ From accountability to responsibility How to change the system You don't get it Better care costs less December 2011 A good day to fly A good day for industrial diseases Bandwagon of minor achievements The evidence mounts The cost of IT failure Getting the IT to work Digital talent or digital madness? A reader quotes A policeman fights back Dumbest targets of all The minister's on TV Fiddling while people suffer Pretenders duck the big lever November 2011 A trip to the NAO More wrong stuff righter £2m spend on 'digital talent' Universal Credit London Assembly baffled Prison officer baffled More grief in Australia Lawyers fight back Another big idea Ministers carry on regardless Lean failing in Canada Tool heads destroy care service Academic taxes my patience If I were on twitter Policing in austerity Seddon speaks October 2011 NHS IT: I told you so UC will go the same way Passport Office IT costs 'Flogging' the dead horse Challenging the great and good Let's make it all up Seddon on the radio Head stays stuck on wrong Procurement - the other fad Managing costs causes costs Health shows massive scope for improvement Managers conditioned on the front line Audit Commission lament Special event in Scotland September 2011 Same the world over Blair's admits he got it wrong Seeking evidence to support prejudice Exposing the dishonesty of narrative Compelling evidence that is ignored IT people get it Social media bites back Cram full of nonsense August 2011 Special summer issue: an essay on The Big Society July 2011 Universal Credit: has the train has left the station? It gets worse HMRC: An accountant laments And more And more It makes workers sick It makes citizens sick too Big society is big business The voluntary sector campaigns... The cost of CBL How to feel better You couldn't make this up The Vanguard Method and policing Some dates for diaries June 2011 A friendly picnic One angry man Innovator slammed by numpty inspectors CPA: the truth is out Health in trouble in Alberta HMRC in the news again Private-sector did it first Out-sourcing drives costs up Someone should have told Birmingham SW1 lurches even further into trouble Aussies make the same mistakes It's not the people, stupid Eat out in Great Yarmouth Care services May 2011 Terry Moran listened DIY dismays Policy-based evidence Fear is alive and well More costly thinking in housing 'Professional' procurement? Caulkin explains A useful thing for Whitehall to do One sane cop I'm coming to Australia Hayley is a star Targets make performance worse Come to the Deming Forum Systems Fundamentals - open programmes April 2011 The secretary of state replied I got dumped! HMRC: never out of the news The Audit Commission - not dead yet Whitehall is still at it Disability benefit tests disable Vanguard Method in the press Teachers see through 'deliverology' Some up-coming events Derby action-learning programme Come to the Deming Forum March 2011 Open letter didn't get through Early warning of the same problem Only two types of claimants? Statist logic on benefit errors HMRC manager in denial Pickles' savings Why don't nurses care? Policy versus practice You have to get permission to improve Some bad advice on failure demand Good news in health 'Kata', the new 'lean' Taking control out of care Post Office managers in need of help Audit Commission net dead yet I'm speaking at a Lean event! Back to Sweden Derby action-learning programme A date for your diary February 2011 A campaign is born HMRC does it again NHS hooked on the same drug Minsters think shared services is a no brainer DWP call centres 'living hell' Lean on the wane The penny dropped Are academics about to revolt? Systems thinking in care services The better way to develop IT Derby action-learning programme A new book Video on targets January 2011 Looking forward More, for sure Simon Caulkin is back! Health, at last! Ministers stick to their promise Speeding up change in the public sector Helping you avoid the pretenders Normal service will be resumed December 2010 The Leaders Summit Owen Buckwell wins leadership prize Health will get going in 2011 Consultation limited to doing the wrong thing righter But commissioning is a problem Councils have been 'set free' When 'set free' means sacked One review you must send evidence to If it looks like a duck... NHS inquiry looking into systemic issues D-I-Y Fundamentals Two events for the New Year November 2010 Some good vibrations Just a reminder Last throes Do we know why? Probophilia Feeding the probophiles Targets alive and well in policing IDS: a novel politician Tool-heads let loose on baristas The difference between lean and systems thinking The tool-head collection October 2010 HMRC in the news again Lean in government services Industrialisation of legal services The fallacy of scale What's up with me doc? Contracting removes thermostat No idea still has no idea Inspectors maintain the status quo Policing as processing Lean loonies are doing it to their kids The Leaders Summit September 2010 Whitehall watch: business plans will stymie innovation Whitehall watch: CQC dysfunction still reigns Whitehall watch: Benefits fraud and errors Whitehall watch: one good move Mr Page makes a bad move Hey Bruce and Sheila, speak up! Failure demand in the command-and-control streets What got you curious? The Leaders Summit August 2010 Whitehall watch The regime plays on in Scottish schools They have to have a 'narrative' Evidence and policy Two beliefs that need to be challenged Lots of problems out there... Tools and fools The systems approach to IT The systems thinking quarterly Introduction to Systems Thinking in North Wales Introduction to Systems Thinking in Sweden Process Mapping and Analysis for Performance Improvement Systems Thinking in the Public Sector: Profound Results, Profound Challenges Systems Thinking: Delivering efficiency beyond imagination in your organisation The Leaders Summit July 2010 The regime is over An economic benchmark Advice UK: systems thinking and advice explained Keeping my powder dry On planet O'Higgins The Leaders Summit June 2010 More on the chiefs Demand the evidence It's worse in the health service Ideas will be punished Audit Commission follows Vanguard tweets Factory managers compound their mistake Economy is in flow, not scale Lean is a wicked disease Lean is everything Lean is everywhere Pretenders screw up Is procurement a profession? The risk is letting the nutters loose The other nutters Good news for children's services What got you curious? Some dates for your diary May 2010 A 'germ theory' moment Onward and upward 'Deliverology' to deliver misery in California Leaving children behind Care services: a system problem Special versus common cause Avoidable contact Witness for the Scottish Parliament Benefits service creates costs No business without a customer Commissioning fails to deliver NHS Direct leaders miss the point The next big thing In-house job for systems thinker Seddon speaks Vanguard events coming up April 2010 What happened at Toyota? Lean is falling off the rails Lean is mean for wheelchair users Sack people, earn belts Can we do it faster? Stroud's benefits service in the press NI 14 label is 'political' Advice UK Campaign Tools from fools Shared services myopia Making life difficult Another childish idea A factory approach to understanding demand More factory junk Bort från styrning och kontroll Some seminal moments Join me at the Deming Forum Vanguard events coming up March 2010 The new book Evidence? Just deny it! Oneplace... a waste of space Total Place: total con Ofsted doesn’t help Caulkin will be back The front-line speaks out Freedom in Swedish Housing events coming up Systems Fundamentals in Derby Looking for an interim systems thinker? Jobs for systems thinkers in housing and financial services February 2010 Do charities soak up the cost of failure? HMRC doesn't pick up the phone Lesley is too busy... Culture change is free Should we legislate to drive costs up? IT goons reap as taxpayers pick up the costs Evidence on the folly of out-sourcing Volume is not value CBL doesn't provide choice Re-thinking lean service, the video A new book Looking for an interim systems thinker? January 2010 HMRC failing to achieve purpose Systems thinkers get to grips with the downstream problem Lean is mean in the car industry The economic consequences of Mr Brown Is Mr Brown 'smart'? The Tories are at it too Rebellion in London boroughs The Audit Commission doesn't get it I'm feeling optimistic Forthcoming events December 2009 The godfather of lean Then God sent an angel An encounter with Bundred A bonfire of the specifiers Vote for a sound policy HMRC help-lines don't help Regime bears down on benefit claimants From efficiency to effectiveness Systems Thinking - introductory days Open Fundamentals programmes November 2009 Bundred gets his defence in first Our opportunity to influence a new inspection framework More on my spat with the audit commission Big prices, big mistakes Voluntary sector gets its act together Poor old BT Talking to the Tories A FREE event for Welsh public-sector people Other up-coming public events October 2009 What Jim doesn't get Re-thinking lean service Bad management on steroids Three things on costs The tyranny of planning Systems Thinking in Wales Systems Thinking in Northern Ireland Systems Fundamentals in Hull Systems Fundamentals in the USA Systems Thinking - an introduction September 2009 Total Place - total denial More frightening bureaucratic denial Driving up alienation Anti-social behaviour policies do the same Doing less of the wrong thing Putting patients last Features over benefits in choice-based lettings Lots of good news in housing Systems thinking in the South West Don't share - redesign Bundred blunders on Public sector inefficiency costing £58.4bn Re-educating the tool heads Vanguard events coming soon August 2009 A spat with the Audit Commission Spoken from the heart Would you like to give a little of your time? Do targets kill people? Meanwhile out in our hospitals… And back at the factory… More snippets on factory costs While we put up with the rubbish services What happens to people when they become ministers? Something else that didn't go quite right At last - a good decision Music to get it off your chest July 2009 On being a Tsar My manifesto Factory folly started in the private-sector IT providers given opportunity to flog their junk Targets killing people And now, new from our PM, targets on steroids Failing on complaints management New Housing regulator = more of the same Council takes on the Audit Commission Get badges, punish our children June 2009 Audit Commission fesses up? Satisfying audit, not citizens Back offices: bad method Provider pleas for ministers to push harder Total Place: total nonsense NI 14 blunders on A last desperate attempt? NI Housing gets it wrong Can we stop the TSA wasting £6m? The private sector did it first May 2009 Alistair Darling's £15bn Back in this mad world HMRC still in the news The Help Desk - a modern oxymoron CAA blunders on Ohno warned about top-down standard-setting ISO 9000 on the wane? The dead hand attacks voluntary agencies Fudging the numbers It's centralised, it's nutty, it's miles from reality Targets don't work Schools kill creativity Systems Thinking in Sweden and Denmark Systems Thinking in New Zealand Other events coming up April 2009 Death in Stafford More on Baby P Why doesn't your doctor listen? Why can't your hospital do the right thing? Targets in schools Partners 'shaft' Final score or end of the game? Hats off to the Kiwis More 'best' nonsense Off shoring and failure demand Seddon speaks in Scotland Deming Forum - I recommend it March 2009 What do cops need? Presentation over reality Never mind the evidence Snow puts targets at risk Probation Officers get mugged Council sued for 'unlawful' move Councils revert to 'in-sourcing' Lights go on in housing Housing Association looking for systems thinking leader Systems Thinkers looking for new challenges Vanguard public events February 2009 Pass the patient Transactions as 'efficiency' Standard times: 'should take' vs 'does take' Failure demand is a systemic phenomenon Audit Commission gets it wrong Will CAA be the Achilles heel? A new Vanguard web site Vanguard USA January 2009 More on Baby P More of the same coming soon Cabinet Office bullies local authorities More evidence of failed 'reform' Deliverology down-under Will they listen now? What is the right noun? Getting leaders to change The power of the plonker December 2008 Action over knowledge Inaction despite knowledge Blame over knowledge Narrative over knowledge Ideology over knowledge Belief over knowledge Prejudice over knowledge Achieving targets, not purpose NI 14 brings out the vultures Lament from the front-line What do you do in a downturn? Tool heads fess up November 2008 Dyson excels in service design Still no service from HMRC Only in America Audit Commission gives SW1 thumbs up More support for the ideology Don't get on the wrong side of the Audit Commission NI 14: The Petard Tools for fools October 2008 Don't tell my staff targets don't work! IBM = I've Been Managed (by the numbers) Top cop denounces inspection From the horse's mouth: NI 14 What shall we call NI 14? Something David Varney urgently should read Minister set to create more failure demand Taking justice from our children Regulation task force does the wrong thing righter Systems talk for the i-pod generation Seddon speaks Vanguard events this autumn September 2008 EoN team wins award Systems Thinker MBE Is perfect possible? South West One in the news HMRC and DWP fail again And again What do dolts do? The right to create waste Spinning participatory budgeting More on the cost of targets It changes your life! August 2008 Are ministers psychologically incompetent? Insider tells all on Prison Service's 'shared service centre' The experience you get with HMRC The experience you get with the NHS The experience you get with tax credits How do we feel? Real nonsense, real damage Regulator favours targets over purpose Targets damage your health How bold was the minister? How bold are the managers? I remain optimistic! July 2008 'Old' factory thinking And dreadful for customers More on HMRC's mean lean Spoke in the wheel of Southwest One 'Shared Services' consultant confesses Audit Commission chief promotes ideology over evidence Did your nurse smile? A 'bed manager' laments A patient laments A mother laments A spouse laments 'Lean' advice on meeting targets What is the purpose? Public Sector Accreditation Programme Systems Thinking People - a new service Going to the theatre? June 2008 Choice-based letting 'under-funded' DfT shared services initiative 'costs rather than saves' Shared services: more on the wrong way Failure demand and benefits processing Social networking - the new 'big idea' CSCI inspectors caught cheating Washing our hands, not our old people Policy runs ahead of evidence Sorry - that's confidential NHS to sack 'failing managers' A lament from the NHS A lament from the probation service Cops 'rebel' on target culture Private-sector call centre fraud Systems Thinking in Telcomms CapChart - a new product from Vanguard May 2008 On tour Son of Chartermark The man with tools for everything Why don't the numbers come through? Lean as mean How many miles does a nurse walk? NHS Direct compounds mistake Incapacity to do the right thing You see what you want to see A novice 'gets it' with NI 14 Systems Thinking in the public sector - case studies April 2008 The book and the tour Calibration tourism Avoidable contact guidance bonkers I put it to the minister The minister is being groomed NI 14 a 'classical' mistake The classical sycophant Audit Commission keeps ahead of the game The paradigm is the problem Coercing doctors to behave stupidly How to engage ingenuity in the wrong things March 2008 The book is coming! And I am coming to a place near you HMRC worker speaks Bad guidance on service design Systems thinkers strike a blow The struggle to find an alternative Why NI 14 should not be a target Targets are killing people How not to motivate your workforce Audit Commission gets it wrong From clueless to hopeless KTP opportunity Senior leader seeks appointment February 2008 CRM not designed to improve services Managing the wrong problem Despite it all, people try Another one bites the dust Is the penny dropping on NHS targets? It started in the private sector The two Johnnies New book – publication date I’m coming to a place near you Vanguard in The Netherlands January 2008 Command and control lean The frustration of being told to do the wrong thing The paradigm determines the problem Progress of the ‘Vanguard’ target A powerful little book Service factory failure System thinker looking for work in the North West The two Johnnies ‘Lean’ Universities Can I come to your place? December 2007 From great to outstanding How not to share Care that doesn't care HMRC staff blame 'lean' 'Lean' is becoming a bad brand Any tools interventions we can research? Varney's people a bit short on method Is this the nuttiest target? The new 'Vanguard' target The two Johnnies 'Lean' Universities November 2007 A message from South Africa 'Check' in a week Understanding was Ohno's favorite word Takt time used to delude Private sector learns faster Failure to learn is systemic in public sector A dumb new target October 2007 A bout of depression The Vanguard Village Learning from industrial tourism Mind-numbing logic driven by the regime New procedures for persistent complainers The system and behaviour Command-and-control lean A message from the engineers September 2007 UK disease adopted down under Target regime alive and well in Iraq Vanguard's claims 'unsubstantiated' Tool heads get in wrong in the NHS Writing about success VELUX job vacancy Upcoming Vanguard events August 2007 Does Varney have any evidence? Varney's 'lean' machine 'Lean' doesn't work either Hospital cheats appointments NHS is going down the tools route Clients talk about success Why talking can be the wrong thing to do Lexus has much to learn So does Amazon New videos on the web site Upcoming Vanguard events July 2007 Getting to the minister Out-sourcing attractive to investors Public sector being urged to take the same road Six Sigma on the rocks Tartan Blitz Should I write about success? June 2007 The Quality Renaissance Kaizen Blitz Tool heads threaten client Womack on sustainability 'It's a system problem' More HMRC nonsense Ambulances making their numbers Cops do the same Choice-based lettings Is this customer stupid? The Case Against ISO 9000 - in Spanish May 2007 Credit card companies that give good service HMRC creating failure demand The DWP is next And who picks up the tab? How do I differ from other lean thinkers? Doomed to succeed Why Kaizen Blitz gets on my... Seddon in the Antipodes The Quality Renaissance Watch out for the pretenders Up-coming Vanguard events April 2007 I've had it with Barclaycard CRM is a misnomer Fear drives bankers What drives Mrs Kelly? Public services fell into a trap Vanguard in the Antipodes The Quality Renaissance Up-coming Vanguard events March 2007 What went wrong on the railways? Not the time to have a huff CPA results show ‘improvement’ From wrong to wronger Forget risk, think knowledge Just returning your call – to the UK It’s the system stupid Deming Forum Out and about Other Vanguard events February 2007 Command-and-control 'lean' Lean bananas Lean in the NHS Rapid Improvement Events: tools from fools A dumb vision Solving the wrong problem Citizen-centred services: my second response to the White Paper Deming Forum Vanguard in Holland Other Vanguard events January 2007 The future of lean On the receiving end Learning to see Public sector targets Shared services Other Vanguard events December 2006 Where does ‘lean’ go next? Errors are a system problem A letter from the front line Call centre in trouble Inspection is unreliable - official Regulation drives feeding frenzy The case against sharing benefits processing Shared services event Victimising young people Vanguard in South Africa Vanguard accreditation Vanguard job opportunities November 2006 ‘Insurance giant faces storm over call centres’ A view from the inside Dealing with the symptoms It’s a method thing Shared services Is business about profit? They want to hear what we have to say Telecomms event and a Vanguard workshop Financial services event Wanted: systems thinking IT person October 2006 Shared services – what works and what does not work? IT does not compute Benchmarking: a waste of time Is there a call centre ‘industry’? The ASBO line Your doctor is not immune Do Targets Help Or Hinder? ‘Lifting burdens’ task force The Toyota System for service organisations September 2006 BIG boys on the 'lean' bandwagon Small boys trying it too 'Lean' health care requires supervision The Vanguard senseis speak Shared services - what works and what doesn't? Vanguard getting IT partner Criminal justice: solving the right problem 'Reform' of legal aid Working to standards Spaces available on first Lean MSc The Toyota System for service organisations August 2006 Don’t let the ‘public sector’ thing stop you thinking 80% of the activity on targets is wasteful! Which targets should we ‘cut’? ‘Give us a wish list’ But ‘freedom’ requires compliance Shared services – sharing Vanguard’s knowledge Now we know why Tony does not understand Audit Commission ‘having a huge impact’ HMRC does ‘command-and-control lean’ Vanguard opens in Denmark Seddon speaks in South Africa UK October event selling fast July 2006 Something must have been more important A classic tool-head problem Praise for a Vanguard client Fraud and benefits processing On being a ‘customer’ Auditors drive the wrong behaviour Tony gets his blaming in first Mystery shopping doctors Vanguard event – October 17 and 18 Vanguard gets around the world Watch out for the pretenders June 2006 Some very good news Some disappointing news The management factory is the problem People who care don’t bother any more A disturbing encounter It’s not the way we do things Lean in the cupboard The Toyota System for service organisations Vanguard on the curricula May 2006 Please write to the minister The first step is unlearning Instead of unlearning managers pursue the wrong things When ‘lean’ is mean Making numbers, not serving customers NHS joins the tools bandwagon The management factory ruins your health The money is being spent on IT More on ministerial targets Pay for ‘performance’ in the police Senior job in a Vanguard client “Freedom from Command and Control” – coming soon on DVD Date for your diary April 2006 Inspection: making it up as you go along A systems thinker meets his inspector If things look bad, change the measures Cranking up executive power? If you don’t make the target... A view from the front Fresh thinking about schooling The Toyota System for service organisations: a Vanguard Event Lean Fundamentals Other Vanguard public events OK, OK, I am a professor March 2006 The Lean Six Sigma snake oil show Tool heads at work in the NHS Adult Social Care Expensive misguidance from the ‘big boys’ Housing PIs – an opportunity to do the right thing The Audit Commission gets it wrong again Will ID cards protect us? Upcoming Vanguard public events February 2006 Tool heads confess What is the cost/benefit? It’s the wrong question Have you noticed the truth about analyses and plans? Is stopping the wrong thing doing the right thing? Some of the wrong things are really awful The man with no policies develops a stupid one The Audit Commission leads in the wrong direction Vanguard available in Universities Will they ever learn? January 2006 The black belts bite back The Six Sigma con Obvious to those who know Why would people go sick? Ministers drive up health costs Newsletter content Would you believe it? The customers do! Adult Social Care Vanguard’s housing solutions “Freedom from Command and Control” – the show December 2005 Dumb sigma Fear and therapy No benefit from redesign No credit on tax design The blame game (NHS) The blame game (Benefits) Common sense from the Swedes The Mayor on Education A low appetite for change They don’t know what they don’t know Any Japanese readers out there? Join us for breakfast in Ireland November 2005 How do you take out waste? Toyota is the exemplar Service is not like manufacturing Management factories are part of the problem The Minister is grateful And for starters… Scotland is being Blitzed October 2005 Special issue: What is a good target? September 2005 Freedom from Command and Control – the show The doctor cannot see Minister has new idea Doing the right thing The boozing problem I blame the food Caulkin on leadership Beacons of insanity It’s nothing to do with us ODPM pilots: evaluation published Six Sigma on the wane August 2005 “Freedom from Command and Control” now available in American The ‘sweat shop’ phenomenon Private sector does it better The real costs of off-shoring Sandra Davison goes public The minister replies Missed the target? OK, we’ll change it A social worker writes Establishment didn’t turn up Seddon for Tory leader? July 2005 Freedom from command and control – the show You please some and upset others Seddon is a ‘lone voice’? Absenteeism is a symptom Minister defends targets The consequences of health policies Ambulance service gets the wrong solution Less “excellence” decreed in the public sector June 2005 Freedom from Command and Control… the show Vanguard is “the most exciting thing…” Why the CCA ‘best practice’ standard should be called the ‘sweat shop’ standard IiP takes a dive Audit Commission forces spend on doing the wrong thing righter Local politician likes Vanguard Minister gets benefits wrong How does the Prime Minister ‘get them to do it’? May 2005 Freedom from command and control… the show Want this show in your country? What went wrong in Rover? Ministers interfere with scanning Camden Council goes barmy The cops go barmy too Tony Blair speaks the truth!! Watch out for pretenders Vanguard’s housing solutions Vanguard creeping through ‘official’ channels April 2005 Want to be in the movies? Am I political? Is it 'political' to disagree with government? Mr Flight suffered a political downfall The reality at the coalface Am I a politician? Call centre rebellion Dates for your diary March 2005 Incredible CRM Get a tick? It makes you sick Consultation is not knowledge Evaluating Vanguard in Housing The tool heads are out there Going native A new event February 2005 Watch out for the toolheads NTL gets bad press Good cop Bad cop Solving planning problems Will new Labour save the NHS? Education suffers Performance indicators undermine performance Reflections from a financial services manager January 2005 The diseases started in the private sector Hello, how can I not help you? They are all doing it The ‘Customer Experience Director’ You are the BA representative More dumb telecomms design Automated work constipation BSI to the rescue! A happy and hopeful New Year December 2004 Rationalising government’s failure The evidence is on the table Coercion and ignorance are the modus operandi Ministers push up costs of NHS Civilian in disguise Calling the cops Making inspectors happy. Is anybody there? The Vanguard Academy November 2004 The seven sisters? Vanguard better than ‘Best Value’ Minister is in the dark The customer’s view Win awards! Push up costs and make service worse! NHS IT system costs up And government drives the human costs up De-regulation leads to worse service Bullying is on the up Bonuses reward speed over service October 2004 Dan agrees to acknowledge my ideas ISO lapse is an easy decision ISO numbers keep going down and up Assessors are known as the ‘seven sisters’ The NHS don’t want improvement A and E demand grows, but why? Sad, mad and glad: an intervention designed by dummies Systems observations of security Fit for the Future in German The Gershon Report September 2004 On being controversial Dan’s a naughty boy Simon’s a good boy ‘Not lean’ lean ‘Mean’ lean Good service is anything but standard Government beats public sector up Government wastes our money while doing nothing for our health You can’t be sure of Shell Vanguard goes Dutch August 2004 Ohno said Ohno didn’t say The purpose of lean Watch out for the tool heads Have the tool heads done it to you? Seddon at the Cumbrian IQA I’m glad I didn’t go to the NHS Audit Commission people are just like managers Doing the wrong thing righter July 2004 Ohno said The customer sets the nominal value The customer sets the nominal value (2) BSI chief should retract false claims for 'Quality' standard ISO 9000 just doesn’t work Is this excellence? The MBA not to avoid Another way to cheat our health The ministerial mind Vanguard funded by ODPM June 2004 ISO 9000: making work as if working Education, education, education = waste The talent of a current leader What is management’s job? Health minister does the wrong thing righter Doctor reveals the truth Will IT work in health? Vanguard events coming up May 2004 Leak reveals public sector reform is failing What does the Prime Minister deliver? The US is doing it too The burden of measurement The real causes of waste Institutionalised call centre waste And lawyers cause waste too Another example of designing waste in Feedback on Six Sigma April 2004 What the press is saying The plausible sold to the gullible The problems are the wrong problems You don’t need all that training Reporting distorts the system A grain of truth The statistics are misleading TQM on steroids Advance notice: The Lean Summit March 2004 Minister dumps targets NHS Direct A sure sign of madness No idea More nonsense in education Shall we save the monster? Next month SIX SIGMA: the beginning of the end February 2004 Reflections on the management factory Skiing – bad service by design What is the cost/benefit? You can’t change the factory with argument Urgency should come from leaders, not events So how do you set a target? January 2004 Change means change the system Why don’t ministers learn? Another bad ministerial habit I ask for a change of policy Targets just don’t work Unions make the wrong call The balanced score card Education: who loses? December 2003 Seddon shouldn't turn up Why does service cost more? Indian call centres eat our 'muda' Step 1 is 'get knowledge' The purpose of policing? How bad does it get? Feedback on the book Edinburgh group looking for friends November 2003 So how do you like the book? The man from the Audit Commission BSI must be desperate Managers fire the wrong people No need to cheat and lie The lean service machine I’ve never taught a tool in my life The Magician October 2003 Freedom from Command and Control The minister should be in the dock ISO 9000: the end is nigh NHS ‘Direct’? A visit to the Modernisation Agency September 2003 My new book: special offer to Newsletter readers We KNOW targets don’t work Stressed out Tony’s employment strategy More Six sigma feedback More on Intelligent management August 2003 Six sigma feedback ISO 9000 stalling in Japan No problems on the Japanese trains Health care set to go downhill in Germany The minister should change the measures Intelligent management? Lean Fundamentals – a new programme from Vanguard Seddon speaks! July 2003 How great was Jack? Did Jack ‘do’ six sigma? Call Centre NVQs The costs of poor service The Support Economy You have performed an illegal operation Seddon goes to Dublin June 2003 Vanguard opens in Ireland Audit Commission chairman declares regulation as waste A letter to the Health Secretary Government busted Vanguard Standards now available in Spanish May 2003 Regulation, regulation, regulation A lament on measurement Customer service? BSI and snakes BSI’s search for new markets The Case Against ISO 9000 – in Spanish April 2003 CRM is in trouble Vanguard call centre solution in the press Is BSI desperate? On the buses March 2003 Leadership: we need some theory Ignoring variation Causing variation Getting out into the work Using measures that pass the test How not to do it February 2003 Evidence to Select Committee Government web sites quiet Seddon and clients speak Planning tools tamper! Confusion marketing January 2003 What Tom Peters doesn't talk about Seddon gets bumped! Changing Management Thinking December 2002 Do lean manufacturing methods translate to service organisations? Seddon’s law Seddon promotes ‘tosh’ Will the Chancellor call? Public Sector news Targets - a dead horse? November 2002 Leadership - learning to see 2-D and 3-D: it is quite logical Call centres: the true purpose Seddon upsets the British Quality Foundation The balanced score card ISO 9000: 2000, will organisations convert? Seddon goes to Government October 2002 Incentives always get you less Learning to ‘see’ Destroying morale in the public sector Making targets in the health service But we know its all c**p Leaders just deny and blame Review of measures avoids knowledge Lord Goldsmith gets it right! Systems Thinking in the Public Sector Going lean in Dutch September 2002 Thanks to my readers! This call may be taped.... Heads Roll Design against demand Making it easy for ministers Systems Thinking in the Public Sector August 2002 Is anyone listening? Lets make more sales! Crime detection rates worsen - who is to blame? What is the purpose? What is a capability measure? Egan and the Housing Sector Systems Thinking in the Public Sector July 2002 The not so innovative Think Tank Targets damage policing CRM in the Public Sector The Deputy Prime Minister reviews housing targets Frameworks for EGAN compliance Using measures for performance improvement Systems Thinking in the Public Sector June 2002 ICL takes systems thinking around the world Trust - we need more of it Will Egan produce change in the construction sector? Standards obviate knowledge Specifying Loyalty May 2002 UK tax on health - where will it go? More bad news for ISO 9000 How do we complain against ISO 9000? New books from Vanguard Are call centre jobs going to India? Systems thinking in the public sector Signals from noise April 2002 Incentives don’t drive sales Service damages sales Lord Macdonald won’t talk to me Systems Thinking in the Public Sector - June 6th Scottish minister visits systems thinking in action Welsh government abandons Best Value What are we teaching our children? Signals from Noise March 2002 Police reform - will it work? Can you trust your doctor? Systems thinking in the public sector - event June 6th The PM shoots low More ISO 9000 b*ll*cks Seddon speaks at the home of ISO 9000 The costs of ‘make and sell’ The simplest changes are the hardest February 2002 Systems thinking in the public sector How to get the cops out? De Bono has right analysis but wrong answer Australian AQC goes under (!) Bad management starts at school More on bad behaviour fostered by ISO 9000 January 2002 The health service lottery Do you have any difficult people? More trouble with ISO 9000 From type 1 to type 2 A New Year offer December 2001 An apology to overseas readers Command and control is bad for your health Call Centre managers are not ready for systems thinking Health Service mania Seddon is silenced.. Oh really? Never mind the facts.. ISO 9000 corruption in Japan November 2001 Why do managers plan? Sick Sigma How much time in the classroom? Will the minister call? 2nd Lean Service Conference Vanguard seeks graduate trainee October 2001 Service standards worsen service Management doesn't make a difference - is management 'MAD'? What stops management acting? Will Human Rights Act be the beginning of the end for 'sweat shops'? Will call centres improve public services? Vanguard Network Day 2nd Lean Service Conference September 2001 Second Lean Service Conference CRM fails to deliver Local Authority misses the mark with CRM 'solution' Audit Commission invites comments on modernising public services Vanguard Standard for Customer Contact Centres ICL leads revolution in Help Desk management Vanguard events August 2001 Thoughts from the Umbrian countryside A Fireman writes Civil Service Master Classes Japan suffers under burden of ISO 9000 Sizzling Summer offer July 2001 Should Ministers get out of management? Just one horrid example ICL Help Desk event Japanese book going a storm Sizzling Summer offer June 2001 Do American theories apply abroad? It's NOT the people stupid! Your doctor is too busy Japan suffers as we did from ISO 9000 ICL 'Help Desk' event May 2001 What value does top management add? Meetings - the great alternative to work Should ministers get out of management? More news from Japan New Best Value seminar April 2001 Best Value: bureaucracy as waste Minimal IT for maximum profit Performance without appraisal ISO 9000: 2000 help from Japan 'The Case Against ISO 9000' reviewed in Japan Stop the Call Centre standard March 2001 Does change take time? Best Value - there is a better way Can IT be made to compute? More Call Centre articles Steve Parry goes west ISO 9000: 2000 debates February 2001 After the honeymoon Government is bad for your health Call Centre Guide down in price Management is responsible! ISO 9000 doing damage in the Philippines ISO 9000 causing depression in Japan January 2001 Cutting costs The madness of regulation Business Excellence Best Value Seddon Speaks! December 2000 Transformation: the story of a leader Transformation: a personal account Transformation: of what paradigm? More news on ISO 9000 November 2000 The Case Against ISO 9000 - out now! The Vanguard Standards available FREE Is this a U-turn? Vanguard Standards being translated in to Japanese October 2000 It's not the people, stupid! Toyota Japan rejects ISO 9000 Lothian Quality Forum Letter from a fireman September 2000 On Target to Achieve Nothing Is your call centre a sweat shop? ISO 9000: 2000 - news that may surprise you Lean Service conference August 2000 From 'push' to 'pull' - changing the paradigm for CRM Why is service costing more? Six Sigma - an insider's view Alison Abbey joins Vanguard July 2000 New audio-tape: “Introducing lean service” Targets don’t get you what you want New series of articles on partnering Lean Service Conference – October 24th 2000 June 2000 Lean Service Conference - October 24th 2000 Customer relationship management or what? Haldanes win Fife enterprise award From Buckingham to Bologna May 2000 A new lean tactic AXA help desk wins chief executive's prize Bad advice on call centres A visitor from Japan April 2000 The new Vanguard web site Back to the drawing board? A visitor from Japan Vanguard events in the UK March 2000 Are your customers getting through? The new Vanguard web site Vanguard events in the UK A visitor from Japan February 2000 Systems thinking on the rise A rejoinder to the IT Y2K question Vanguard events in the UK The ISO 9000 year 2000 revision January 2000 Is IT bugging you? 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