Brownbag University July 10th (Voc focus)

Brownbag University Brownbag University “Improving Your Business “Improving Your Business Through VOC and VSM”Through VOC and VSM”

VOC Focus SessionVOC Focus SessionMike PircerMAP Business Solutions, Inc.(248) 379-8344www.mapbizsolutions.com

Dan WalkerRiver’s End Consulting(248) 770-2554www.riversendconsulting.com

Today’s AgendaToday’s Agenda• Introductions• Voice of Customer

– Background and theory– Observation skills– The process– Outcome– Next steps

• Questions and Answers• Brown Bag Series

Our customers are unaware of many of our capabilities?

It would be nice to:•Match our customers unknown expectations•With our unknown capabilities

We are unaware of many of our customer expectations?

© River’s End Consulting, llc

Can We Agree?



We are going to ask our Stakeholders about:•Experiences with our products and services•Experiences with competitor products and services


What We Will Do

2. Identify what we already know


The Process

1. Build a small team of internal experts

7. Take the information forward to future state mapping

3. Identify what we do not know

4. Develop specific topics of conversation and generate questions

5. Interview select individuals

6. Sort and analyze the interview responses


The Team

Cross FunctionalCooperativeFocusedCommitted


Purpose: Why interview people

To Learn What Services and Resources Should Be Available to Maximize Alumni Involvement.

Scope and Focus


What Do We Already Know?Textual Analysis (What we already know)

Functions

Current Events Previous Events Services

Wine Tastings Campus Tours Resume Writing

Networking events Career FairsInterview Skills training

Business Seminars


Unknown, for further investigation1 How are stats used??

2 Impact of cost of events

3 What events "work"?

4 What is event "value"?

5 What does "invite" mean?

6 How to market to alumni?

7 What advertising works?

8 Why do grads choose level of involvement with college Post Grad?

9 Level of involvement with other university grads?

10 What makes the Alumni feel connected to community?

What We Do Not Know?


Objectives: What we want to know1 Define alumni perception of value.

2 Define most effective method for communicating value to alumni.

3 Understand population definition of "involvement".

4 Define what Alumni desire in a community.

5 Understand the impact of online classes on the alumni community.

6 Understand the perception of event value.

7 Understand graduate concept of "giving back" to the college.

8

9

What Are We Going To Learn?


Selecting People To Interview


Objectives:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Define alumni perception of

value.

Define most effective method

for communicating value to alumni.

Understand population definition

of "involvement".

Define what Alumni desire in a community.

Understand the impact of online classes on the

alumni community.

Understand the perception of event value.

Understand graduate concept of "giving back"

to .

Question 1

Tell me what your understanding of what the Alumni Assoc. does.

Describe the most efficient way to communicate info to you.

Describe a charity, church, group, team that you've been involved with.

How would you define a community of alumni?

How do online classes hinder your participation in the alumni association?

Please describe a good Alumni event that you've attended.

Tell me why you feel compelled to give back to college.

Question 2

Describe to me what the Alumni Association should do for you.

What compels you to act on the info you received?

How frequently would you like to be involved with the Alumni Association?

What would you like to see in a Alumni community?

How would an established social networking community benefit you?

Please describe a bad Alumni event that you've attended.

Tell me why you don't feel compelled to give back to college.

Question 3

To you, what would be the value of being a member of the Alumni Association?

How well was the value of participating in the Alumni communicated to you?

Tell me about your involvement in other organizations.

What is your desire to be part of a community?

Describe the online class community.

Tell me the value of regularly scheduled Alumni meetings.

How would you define your responsibility to post graduation?

Question 4What does being a Graduate mean to you?

How would an established social networking community benefit you?

Tell me about how you are involved with virtual/social networks.

How do you define a community?

Describe your "connectivity" to the College based on the amount of online classes you have taken.

What types of events are valuable to you?

What does being a Graduate mean to you?

What We Going To Ask?


Interviewee/Objectives: _Full Time Faculty Member (5,6,7,1,2,3,4)Questions Interview Team (___)

1

What does being a Graduate mean to you?

2

Tell me about your involvement in other organizations. (other alumni associations)

3

Describe to me what the Alumni Association should do. (generically)

4

Tell me what your understanding of what the Alumni Assoc. does.

5

How do online classes hinder the student's participation in the alumni association?

6Please describe a good Alumni event that you've attended. Please describe a bad Alumni event.

7

What types of events are valuable to you?

8

What compels you to donate money and/or time to the College?

9

Describe the most efficient way to communicate info to you.

10

What compels you to act on the info you received?

The Interview Guide?


The Interviews

One interview facilitatorOne or two note

takersWriten, verbatim notesVery conversational format

Red Dot Reduction and KJ Analysis

This group reduced from 387 down to 29 individual comments/observations

Ways to Connect The Alumni Community

An alumni association holds a body of memories and

builds relationships

Community Building

Business Networking

Event Characteristics

An alumni association should hold regular monthly

meetings

You need a come-to-Jesus meeting. Most people don’t

know you’re trying to do something.

A Walsh grad needs to help another Walsh Grad. That’s

the connection.

Everyone expects networking to be part of

events

He feels the WCAA could bring new contacts and the

chance to make sales.

Valuable events would include information and

contacts to build a sense of community.

I liked that Stephanie Bergeron took the time to

visit the networking event in Novi.

Has liked all events he has attended, but does notice

that many of the same people attend the same

events.

Reaching Out with Effective

Communication

He also feels it is important to be part of an institution of higher learning. He

wants to be on the cutting edge of information and feels Walsh

community should provide that to him.

Consistent and Regular Updates

on Relevant Insights

Methods of Communication

2.0

Traditional Methods of

Communication

As a member of the Walsh community, I would like to

hear about cutting edge stuff.

For me, staying involved in an institution of higher learning is

important because I want stimulating conversations, banter, politics, cutting

edge discussions.

Email and paper are good ways to communicate with me. Email is easy

to get, paper can be shared easily and put on the table for reference.

I can’t recall exactly what brought me into WCAA, but after I started my business I got Walsh email newsletters.

LinkeIn or Facebook page would be a good social

networking tool for Walsh to use.

In print, I’d like to see a longer-term calendar of

upcoming events.

Print, email are best ways to communicate with me.

I’ll discard more email than paper mail.

Reasons for Getting Involved

Motivation to Giveback

Involvement Barriers

To contribute back to Walsh, the college would have to go back to its roots, foundation

and ideals

I feel compelled to contribute to Walsh because I wrote the college something

on a personal level – I got good PR from the college for business

purposes via a publication/newsletter.

I think the Alumni association is for fund

raising.

It’s difficult for graduate students to get involved. Undergrad is a better fit.

With online learning, there is no way to build deep

relationships.

Lack of Visibility

Once they pass by on graduation day, there’s no

further connection.

I have NO IDEA what the Alumni Assoc. does

He wants to get involved or at least learn his options but

has no idea how to get started.

Alumni Feeling Disconnected

I was disconnected for 10 years then got reconnected to my Alumni association at

MSU.

Not involved with other alumni associations, all ask

for money or I felt no connection when in school.

Questions and AnswersQuestions and Answers

Mike PircerMAP Business Solutions, Inc.(248) 379-8344www.mapbizsolutions.com

Dan WalkerRiver’s End Consulting(248) 770-2554www.riversendconsulting.com

Brown Bag Webinar SeriesBrown Bag Webinar Series

Friday, July 24 (11:30am – 12:15pm)Linking VOC and VSM

Recommended ReferencesRecommended References

Books• Learning to See, Mike Rother and John

Shook

• Value Stream Management for the Lean Office, Don Tapping and Tom Shuker

• Voices into Choices, Gary Burchill and Christina Hepner Brodie

• Synchronous Management, Mokshagundam Srikanth and Michael Umble

• Throughput Accounting, Thomas Corbett

Websites• The Lean Enterprise Institute (eVSM

software can be purchased from this site)www.lean.org

Training:• cpd.engin.umich.edu: University of

Michigan Lean Certification Program.

• www.villanovau.com: Villanova University Lean Six Sigma Certification Program