By Duncan Troup on Thursday, April 20th, 2017 in Customer-centric Thinking, Lean and Agile, Workforce Planning.

The Tingle Tree Group is a pretty unique organisation. To really understand the value we create, it is important to get an understanding of how we work from the inside – and that has a lot to do with lean thinking.

If lean is new to you, here is a quick reminder about the 8 Wastes to help you get a better understanding of how we structure ourselves internally, which ultimately drives our value proposition.

Transport – Moving people, products & information

Inventory – Storing parts, pieces, documentation ahead of requirements

Motion – Bending, turning, reaching, lifting

Waiting – For parts, information, instructions, equipment

Over production – Making more than is IMMEDIATELY required

Over processing – Tighter tolerances or higher grade materials than are necessary

Defects – Rework, scrap, incorrect documentation

Skills – Underutilising capabilities, delegating tasks with inadequate training

The wastes of most interest here are inventory, waiting, overproduction and skills. In support of reducing these wastes, our team can flexibly engage depending upon your needs. We will adapt to suit you, whether it is a large project with a long delivery cycle, one with multiple external dependencies with slow overall progress, or a short and sharp engagement. To support you, our team will execute the days needed for the work, not blindly filling a seat 5 days a week waiting for external dependencies to clear. This means we can react to changes in demand in your project life-cycle to ensure overproduction is limited and you don’t generate inventory – i.e. we ramp up and down to suit your needs with expert delivery, just in time.

So, how do we do this…?

First up, we focus on deliverables and outcomes not time-sheets.

As the Founder, I regularly remind the team that contractually we may be T&M but by reputation it is always fixed price. But what really sets us apart is that the Tingle Tree Group regularly utilizes people who have been lost to the market because mainstream organisations cannot support their mix of interests and work needs – typically driven by the need to work flexibly. The benefit to customers is gaining the skills and expertise of very experienced people with multiple responsibilities across diverse organisations. You get highly focused and passionate individuals determined to deliver value in a short period of time. And importantly, at a fair price for all concerned. With the Tingle Tree Group it is a win for the consultant, our business and our clients.

By reflecting deeper, it is interesting to see how our model is consistent with how cultures are changing and the way work is done. For years it has been clear that enabling people with the flexibility to take time out: to teach school kids about technology or train to climb a mountain or simply the ability to pick up and drop children off to school on a daily basis, provides the space to enable much greater productivity and creativity. There are a huge amount of studies out there that confirm that fact, to the point where organisations like Harvard Business Review have whole sections of their publications devoted to the benefits of work/life balance. We really take that to heart at the Tingle Tree Group and embrace highly skilled people who want to make a great contribution with a balanced view of life. This embodiment of Lean and Agile thinking in our team and business model is my passion and the essence of what delivers our customer’s success.

The difference with the Tingle Tree Group is our team make their lives lean and agile, not just their work, and this is reflected in the value we create.

WANT TO FIND OUT MORE?

Reach out via email at Duncan.Troup@TingleTreeGroup.com