Tag Archives: production

North SA Chamber offering online, on-demand training

By North SA Chamber Editor
Posted on by Email to a Friend

North Chamber logo 4c stackedcoggno logo (1)As part of our efforts to improve business resources for our members, the North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce is now offering an online training web shop – thanks to a partnership with Coggno.com, the premier Internet source for thousands of online training courses that businesses can access anytime, anywhere. Now member businesses can utilize online courses to create a well-trained, knowledgeable workforce in an efficient, convenient and cost-effective manner; and courses can be accessed at computer workstations, as well as from home computers, tablets and even smart phones. All that’s needed is an Internet connection and a desire to learn.

“We understand that our member businesses are operating in a fast-paced work environment and can’t always send every employee out for essential training,” says North Chamber President/CEO Duane Wilson. “Through the delivery of this comprehensive, online training catalog that aggregates courses from the top online training providers, we’re addressing the need for a more prepared workforce and time scarcity with on-demand course availability,” he adds.

The North SA Chamber online training catalog features hundreds of high-quality affordable courses created by world-class training developers, and covers virtually all industries including human resources, management, healthcare, safety and many more. Most staple HR and compliance courses are available for about $20, while other, more specialized courses range in price.

Additionally, members receive a free Learning Management System (LMS) along with the training they purchase. The LMS allows organizations to distribute courses easily to their employees with just a URL link; track and monitor employees’ training progress; and report and archive training results for compliance purposes.

Top Benefits of Online Training

  • Reduced costs: no need for travel, employee down time
  • Access to talent: highly specialized curriculum
  • Geographic reach and scalability: ability to train employees with distance learning
  • Compliance: for organizations that are required to comply with a multitude of regulations
  • Mitigate risk: training helps to prevent failures, liabilities and litigation
  • Focus on core business: outsource training development, management and delivery
  • Convenience: courses available on-demand, are self-paced and supervisors may distribute to and track courses for each employee via the free Learning Management System (LMS)Take advantage of this opportunity to build a more productive, skilled workforce. Visit the North SA Chamber Training Online Shop today.

Follow these steps to access training

  • Visit www.northsachamber.com and click on Training Online Shop to explore the online catalog
  • Click on a course category from the topic menu
  • View the course options
  • Click “Add to Cart” to select a course for purchase
  • Click “Checkout” when you have selected all the courses you want to purchase

Broadway Bank: Everything is a process

By North SA Chamber Editor
Posted on by Email to a Friend

BroadwayBank_Logo_tagOLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAArticle by John A. Wood
Broadway Bank Senior Vice President
Process Improvement Coordinator Finance

Better … faster … cheaper … are common objectives for businesses that understand that long-term success and survival depends on their ability to achieve continuous improvement. When we get down to it, “everything is a process.” It’s often a challenge to understand or recognize the larger processes involved in completing a project. Instead we focus our attention on discrete acts and moments to get through the task at hand in order to move on to the next one. This is a survival method for those who just see the overwhelming number of tasks that must be completed. However, seeing the big-picture process helps us prioritize or even question the need for theses various tasks.

Preparing a meal, conducting a financial transaction or building a piece of equipment each require a series of steps that produce a product, service or desired outcome. We must determine if the process produces desirable results and then we can see how changes in process steps can affect and/or improve the final output.

So, who determines if the process outputs are desirable? If I am the only person who eats the meal I prepare, then I decide if the process of making it was successful. However, if I’m the chef at a five-star restaurant, then my customers make that determination.

Most small and large businesses are aware of their various processes, but they may not understand the true quality of their process outputs. If they do not understand where process quality occurs, they cannot determine which process steps to improve or modify to achieve the greatest positive gains.

The optimal “process for managing our processes” would include the following steps:

1. Define the process — What is the overall output we are trying to achieve? For example, an auto mechanic might define the completion of his overall process by saying the output is a repaired vehicle.

2. Define the process steps — For vehicle repair, the steps might include: 1) receive a vehicle, 2) diagnose a problem, 3) order needed parts, 4) replace those parts, 5) rerun diagnostics, 6) collect payment, and 7) deliver the finished vehicle.

3. Define the quality standards of the process — What are the “critical to quality” (CTQ) elements of the process output? An auto mechanic might determine that passing a final diagnostic test indicates a satisfactory process outcome. But, is he the one who ultimately determines the quality of the process? What if the repair is made using substandard parts that won’t last long? What if the car is returned to its owner with grease stains on the upholstery? What if the repair took too long to complete?

4. Adjust or improve process steps to achieve the desired outcome from the perspective of the ultimate customer — The mechanic might want to consider changing the step where parts are ordered, or using a protective covering on the upholstery or revising the scheduling step so repairs are completed in a timely manner.

The steps in this example are simplistic. They don’t consider that various constraints like budgets, legal requirements and culture will possibly impact our work. But understanding how our efforts are part of a larger process will both help us take advantage of opportunities and deal with constraints.

Businesses need to understand their primary processes and whether those processes truly achieve the best quality outcomes in the eyes of their customers. Only then can they achieve the ongoing improvement that is so critical to their long-term success!