Bill Bellows presented on insights from mixed model management and how to manage projects instead of tasks. He discussed macro and micro system models for task management. The presentation covered resource management models that are proactive versus reactive, and purposeful versus reflexive. It also discussed opportunities to think in terms of continuums instead of categories to better discover opportunities to invest resources.

1. Insights from Mixed Model
Management
(on How to Manage Projects and not Tasks)
Presented by Bill Bellows
Associate Fellow
InThinking Network
Aerojet Rocketdyne
Email: william.bellows@rocket.com, Cell: 818-519-8209
President
In2:InThinking Network, www.in2in.org
Email: bill@in2in.org, Cell: 562-204-6246
SCQAA Chapter Meeting
October 16, 2013

2. Tank Engines and Rocket
Engines

3. Audiences

4. Product / Program / Project
As Conceived
The top 5 uses:
1. Replacing the screwdriver
2. Pilot holes
3. Hole saw
4. Drywall installation
5. Concrete

5. Product / Program / Project
As Conceived
As Managed

6. Abstract
What if every professional firefighter in the world followed their
country’s firefighting orders? Would there ever be another
firefighting injury? Or, in a manufacturing plant, what if standard
planning and processes were followed by every operator, to the
letter; would defect-free parts be produced time and again? The
planning model of interchangeable parts, with major contribution
often given to Honore Blanc, who resided in France in the late
1700's, offers such a vision, with an outcome of products,
processes, and services that "work" (as planned), including zero
fire fighting fatalities. The American System of Manufacturing
followed shortly thereafter when Thomas Jefferson's
implementation vision was shared with Eli Whitney, leading to
the first-ever contract with the US Congress for a product made
with interchangeable parts…..

7. Abstract
….Make that perfectly interchangeable parts, including those
who fabricate them and those who fight fires.
The simple design model of interchangeable parts, defined as a
Macro System Model, is founded upon a set of assumptions that
will be highlighted in this presentation. As a fitting complement,
a second model, the Micro System Model, will be shared in a
presentation that reveals explanations for all too frequent
consternation and problems, let alone the failed solutions.
Such are the realities when products and services are created
by processes without an understanding of the significant
difference a Macro and a Micro System Model. Mixed Model
Management offers the ability to use both models to their full
advantage and, thereby, reduce problems and increase profits.

8. Agenda
•Models
•Quiz
•Modes of Thinking
•Purposeful Resource Management
•Purposeful Resource Leadership
•Opportunities to Act
•Opportunities to Think

9. Models
Several years ago, Linda LoRe, CEO of
Frederick's of Hollywood, shared a story of
speaking with MBA students about
Frederick's and their strategy to compete with
Victoria's Secret and their supermodels,
including Gisele Bündchen. As the business
school engagement was ending, Linda fielded
a seemingly personal question; "I have to
ask...in your role as the CEO, do you get to
work with the models?"

10. Mental Models
A mental model is an explanation of
someone's thought process about how
something works in the real world. It is a
representation of the surrounding world, the
relationships between its various parts and a
person's intuitive perception about his or her
own acts and their consequences. Mental
models can help shape behavior and set an
approach to solving problems (akin to a
personal algorithm) and doing tasks.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_model

11. Mental Models
Essentially, all models are wrong,
but some are useful.
Professor George Box

12. Resource Management Model
A
c
t
i
v
i
t
y
Proactive
Reactive
“Mine”
“Ours”
Ownership

13. Resource Management
Proactive – applying effort while “good,”
“OK,” “well,” or “correct” is happening
Reactive – applying effort after “bad,”
“not OK,” “sick,” or “incorrect” happens

14. Resource Management
“An ounce of prevention is worth a
pound of cure”
“A stitch in time saves nine”
“Every dollar we invest in high-quality
early education can save more than $7
later on”

15. Perception & Thinking
“What we see depends on what we
thought before we looked.”
Myron Tribus

16. Quiz

17. Horse Trading
“The secret to selling a horse is…
Mark Twain

18. Time Management
How much time is spent discussing
parts, tasks, activities, program
milestones, etc. which are good and
completed on time?
How much time is spent studying for
the final exam, questions from weekly
quizzes and the mid-term which were
correct?

19. Time Management

20. Satisfaction
How important is customer satisfaction?

22. Expectation Management
Value
Expectation
Disappointment

23. Buying Watermelons and
Briquettes

24. Grades
What letter grade is required for all
purchased parts and services, as well
as tasks completed internally?

25. Task Flow
Handoff Requirements?
P
D
E
F
I
H
G

26. Task Grades

27. Task Management

28. Macro System Model
Task Completion
Step 1
Step 2
Step N
Step 1
Step 2
Step N
Step 1
Step 2
Step N
Step 1
Step 2
Step N
Assembly
Final Assembly
GOOD
Task A
GOOD
FIT
SubAssembly 1
Task B
FIT
Product
Assembly
GOOD
Task O
GOOD
Task P
FIT
SubAssembly 2

29. Macro System Model
Task Completion
Step 1
Step 2
Step N
Step 1
Step 2
Step N
Step 1
Step 2
Step N
Step 1
Step 2
Step N
Assembly
Final Assembly
GOOD
Task A
GOOD
FIT
SubAssembly 1
Task B
FIT
Product
Assembly
GOOD
Task O
GOOD
FIT
SubAssembly 2
Task P
WORKS

30. Task Grades
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90 100

31. Cutting Wood
Given a piece of wood that will be cut into
2 pieces, how many lines will be drawn
across the top face before the cut is
made?

32. Cutting Wood
1 line
(target)

33. Cutting Wood
2 lines
target

34. Examples of Task
Management
PAGE COUNT
HOLE DIAMETER
MIN
MAX
OUTER DIAMETER
MIN
20
25
DISTANCE FROM THE DOOR
MAX
0 FT
100 FT

35. Macro System
Task Management
HOLE DIAMETER
PAGE COUNT
=
=
MIN
MAX
OUTER DIAMETER
20
DISTANCE FROM THE DOOR
=
MIN
25
=
MAX
0 FT
100 FT

36. Micro System
Task Management
HOLE DIAMETER
PAGE COUNT
=
=
MIN
MAX
OUTER DIAMETER
20
DISTANCE FROM THE DOOR
=
MIN
25
=
MAX
0 FT
100 FT

37. Resource Management
Contrast
HOLE DIAMETER
MIN
HOLE DIAMETER
MAX
MIN
OUTER DIAMETER
MIN
MAX
OUTER DIAMETER
MAX
MIN
MAX

38. Resource Management
Contrast
HOLE DIAMETER
MIN
MIND
HOLE DIAMETER
MAX
THE TASK
MIN
MIND
OUTER DIAMETER
MIN
THE GAP MAX
OUTER DIAMETER
MAX
MIN
MAX

39. Taguchi’s Quality Loss
Function
“Loss to
Society”
Lower
Specification
Limit
TARGET
(desired
value of
parameter)
Upper
Specification
Limit

40. Micro System Model
Task Completion
Step 1
Step 2
Step N
Step 1
Step 2
Step N
Task A
Degrees of
GOOD
Assembly
Degrees of FIT
SubAssembly 1
Task B
Step 1
Step 2
Step N
Task O
Step 1
Step 2
Step N
Final Assembly
Degrees of FIT
Product
Assembly
Task P
Degrees of FIT
SubAssembly 2
Degrees of WORKS

41. Modes of Thinking

42. Modes of Thinking
 Categories
 Absolutes
 Discrete / Digital
 How many students
at CSUN? How
many faculty?
 Continuum
 Relative
 Wholeness / Analog
 Better/Faster/Cheaper/
Smarter/etc.
 Students are different,
faculty are different

43. Modes of Thinking
 Categories
 Absolutes
 Discrete / Digital
 How many students
at CSUN? How
many faculty?
 Continuum
 Relative
 Wholeness / Analog
 Better/Faster/Cheaper/
Smarter/etc.
 Students are different,
faculty are different

44. Purposeful
Resource
Management

45. Resource Management
A
c
t
i
v
i
t
y
Proactive
Reactive
REFLEXIVE
“Mine”
P
U
R
P
O
S
E
F
U
L
“Ours”
Ownership

46. Purposeful
Resource
Leadership

47. Assumptions
 A better way to operate an organization is
to invest resources with the ability to
manage customer delight, satisfaction,
and disappointment
 Better investment results from discovering
opportunities to invest
 The discovery of opportunities for
investment is limited by how thinking is
conditioned

48. What is needed ?
Thinking that
promotes
better
discovery

49. Opportunities to Act

50. Opportunities to Act
(differences that make a difference)
 Category Thinking vs. Continuum Thinking
 Macro Systems vs. Micro Systems
 Attention to “Good” elements
 Customer Satisfaction vs. Customer
Delight

51. Perception & Thinking
“How the world we perceive
works depends on how we think.
The world we perceive is a world
we bring forth through our thinking.”
H. Thomas Johnson
Source: (article) A Different Perspective on Quality, Johnson, 1997

52. Opportunities to
Think

53. An InThinking Roadmap
AKA The Hotel California
Leading Systems
(12 hrs)
The New
Economics
Study Session
(14 hrs)
(AKA the “Organization
Workshop”)
Managing
Variation as a
System
(9 hrs) Resource Leadership
(8 hrs)
OD
(4th week, Th/Fri, 12-2pm PT)
BTA…webinar
InThinking Together (9 hrs)
(Formerly known as “ET” and “Understanding Variation”)
Kepner-Tregoe
(24 hrs)
(Problem Solving and
Decision Making)
DATT(16 hrs)
Six Thinking
Hats(8 hrs)
(2nd
week, Th/11:30-1pm PT)
Design of Experiments &
Taguchi Methods – An
Overview (16 hrs)
Understanding
Taguchi Methods – Part 1
(40 hrs)
Lateral Thinking
(16 hrs)
Understanding Taguchi Methods – Part 2
(40 hrs)
Prerequisites

54. An InThinking Roadmap
TARGET AUDIENCES: Members of management,
individual contributors, suppliers, and customers who
are providing leadership in "enterprise thinking"
activities. Family members, "members of the
community" and students are welcome to attend.
"Members of the community" are citizens who are
involved full or part time, or in a volunteer capacity, in
community related work. Examples include hospital
employees, teachers, religious leaders, scouting
leaders, and youth sports volunteers.

55. An InThinking Roadmap
AKA The Hotel California
Leading Systems
(12 hrs)
The New
Economics
Study Session
(14 hrs)
(AKA the “Organization
Workshop”)
Distance Learning
Opportunities
Managing
Variation as a
System
(9 hrs) Resource Leadership
(8 hrs)
OD
(4th week, Th/Fri, 12-2pm PT)
BTA…webinar
InThinking Together (9 hrs)
(Formerly known as “ET” and “Understanding Variation”)
Kepner-Tregoe
(24 hrs)
(Problem Solving and
Decision Making)
DATT(16 hrs)
Six Thinking
Hats(8 hrs)
(2nd
week, Th/11:30-1pm PT)
Design of Experiments &
Taguchi Methods – An
Overview (16 hrs)
Understanding
Taguchi Methods – Part 1
(40 hrs)
Lateral Thinking
(16 hrs)
Understanding Taguchi Methods – Part 2
(40 hrs)
Prerequisites

56. Monthly Announcement

57. In2:InThinking Network 2014 Forum
Succeed with Inquiry: Insights, Knowledge, Action
June 18 - 22, 2014 in Los Angeles, California
The In2:InThinking Network was formed in
2001 by a group of students of the work of
W. Edwards Deming and related theorists,
including Russell Ackoff, Edward de Bono,
Tom Johnson, Peter Senge, and Genichi
Taguchi. The aim of our network is to make
thinking about sub-systems, variation,
knowledge, and psychology, and their
interaction – which comprises Deming's
System of Profound Knowledge - more
conscious. We believe that such thinking
about thinking, which we call “InThinking," will
allow people to better perceive relationships
and interdependencies in human endeavors, and consequently act to make those
endeavors more valuable, more satisfying, and more joyful. The aim of our 5-day In2:IN
2014 Forum is to continue to elevate the consciousness of individual and collective
thinking. Join us in learning, connecting, and improving how we can work, learn, and
think together. Registration fee: $400, with a $50 discount for registering on or before
May 7th.
Learn more about our 2014 Forum at our website at www.in2in.org

58. “Little progress can be made by
merely attempting to repress
what is evil; our great hope lies
in developing what is good.”
Calvin Coolidge

59. “All that we have comes from
people who are responsible only
to themselves.”
W. Edwards Deming

60. Insights from Mixed Model
Management
(on How to Manage Projects and not Tasks)
Presented by Bill Bellows
Associate Fellow
InThinking Network
Aerojet Rocketdyne
Email: william.bellows@rocket.com, Cell: 818-519-8209
President
In2:InThinking Network, www.in2in.org
Email: bill@in2in.org, Cell: 562-204-6246
SCQAA Chapter Meeting
October 16, 2013