Surviving the Downturn: Steal Best Practices

Embedded in this rather wordy essay in Supply and Demand Chain Executive is a useful little missive that offers a good tip for surviving the downturn. Simply put, "Harvest the 'best practices' of other companies." Or steal, as the case may be. By working with such benchmarking firms and organizations as "APQC and ISBM" as the column suggests -- to this list I would also add Hackett -- it's possible to quickly glean a set of ideas to transplant to your organization. In addition, it's smart to prioritize such programs based on what areas need the most improvement. What's the best news about benchmarking and best practice grand larceny? It's often quick and relatively inexpensive. And most important of all, at least some of the findings will be easy to put into practice. So go ahead -- replace your inept processes by pilfering from those who can afford to share.

- Jason Busch