Alan Nicol

Business improvement and cultural change leader

Alan Nicol, the executive member of AlanNicolSolutions LLC, is an experienced business improvement and cultural change leader with a background in engineering and product development. His skills and experience include cultural change leadership, continuous improvement, business performance improvement, lean, Six Sigma, design for Six Sigma, product development, innovation methods, engineering design, systems engineering, engineering management, reliability engineering, value engineering, project and program management, system integration, total quality, and ISO 9001. He writes a blog, Business Wisdom Within.

Tue, 09/15/2015 - 13:18
Innovation Is an Attitude We’ve yet to perfect the ultimate utopia of fast and flawless
Wed, 10/23/2013 - 16:00

Recently I took a day to volunteer at my children’s elementary school. It was their annual field day where students get to spend half of the school day outdoors, on the game field, participating in a rotation of team-building and fitness…
Quality, Process Improvement, and Uncomfortable Truths Product quality is not necessarily guaranteed by a process improvement methodology
Thu, 09/12/2013 - 10:24
Engineers speak a different language. My fellow engineers will label me a traitor for confessing this, but it’s true. Of course, engineers use the same regional language as everyone else, but the words themselves have meanings that are specific to…
Improve, Redesign, or Walk Away Understand which performance outcomes are important before you begin
Wed, 08/28/2013 - 15:31
There seems to be doubt about the real potential of process improvement methods. This is a repeated theme in blog comments, emailed questions, and discussions about various process and business improvement methodologies. Can we really improve…
Our Customers Know Continuous Improvement, Too We’re just fooling ourselves if we think we can fool them
Mon, 07/29/2013 - 09:11
Today’s true tale was told to me by a close friend, and it contains at least two very important messages from which we can learn if we choose. Let me retell my friend’s experience this week, and then we can dig into what we might learn. My friend’…
SPC Relieves a Common Lean Paradox It is value added
Wed, 07/03/2013 - 14:23
Statistical process control (SPC) is generally a Six Sigma tool. A few people and organizations will use SPC as a stand-alone methodology. Generally, it is not a tool found in the lean toolbox because conducting SPC is considered, by some, to be a…
Recognize Your Value Stream Self-deception comes at enormous cost
Fri, 06/21/2013 - 13:33
At the heart of lean methodology are the seven classic wastes (eight or  nine if you subscribe to evolved methods). Waste is the enemy of lean. Strategies such as pull systems, first-in-first-out prioritization, takt time management, and kaizen are…
Continuous Improvement Tools for Everyday Don’t limit yourself to using a specific tool for a specific purpose
Thu, 05/23/2013 - 09:55

I write a great deal about the difference between lean, Six Sigma, and kaizen on the production floor and in the office. Despite the fact that many of us have figured out that the same tools can be used in those very different environments…
5S Your Digital Workspace, Carefully Think long-term use, not short-term easy
Wed, 04/17/2013 - 10:04

The lean tool known as 5S was conceived and developed in a manufacturing environment. It is a very effective tool at eliminating some of the most senseless and aggravating sources of wasted time and energy. Most commonly, it stops the wasted…
The Apocalyptic Threat of Undead Projects Don’t feed the zombies. Give them a merciful death.
Fri, 03/22/2013 - 10:06

Are there any of us who haven’t been assigned to the “undead” project? You know, those projects that seem to go on forever without ever possessing the priority or proper resources to finally launch. Or the ones that are constantly redirected…
Don’t Sing the Outsourcing Blues Don’t buy the most capable solution; buy the one that will do it your own way
Thu, 11/15/2012 - 11:21
Outsourced solutions are some of the simplest for the business improvement analyst and the biggest nightmares for the process improvement analyst. They are simple for the business improvement analyst because, on the surface, outsourcing expertise…