LEO Methodology

A next generation Process and
Product Improvement Methodology

What if you could have access to tools and processes from 5 major problems solving approaches and blends them into a custom plan for your business? What would you do if you could transform basic customer concerns and needs into your organization’s business goals? What if that methodology enhances and adds to any existing improvement program you may already be using? This is what LEO® (Listen, Enrich, Optimize) can give you:

  1. Listen: “Observe and Understand” – Go out into the field or business operation and speak directly with employees, stakeholders, and customers. Listening involves observing customers and employees to understand their patterns and motivations. Listening includes paying attention to what is not said.
  2. Enrich: “Explore and Discover” – Determine what caused the problem/issue; if you can you turn the problem on and off, you have found the reason for the problem/issue. Determine possible solutions to the problem/issue — there are always multiple ways to control, reduce or eliminate the problem/issue. When a problem or issue is identified, the nature of the problem/issue must be categorized in one of three ways which focuses the approach and effort toward an ultimate solution.
    > Reactive –Reactive problems/issues are events or defects that cause poor outcomes and often happen in production or usage.
    > Transactional– Transactional problems/issues are the inefficiencies or ineffectiveness of all of the processes that are used (directly and indirectly) to produce your products and services.
    > Proactive – Proactive problems/issues are future designs of products/processes that can be optimized or completely re-designed to increase efficiency and effectiveness.
  3. Optimize: “Improve and Perfect” – Select the best solution option and then tweak it to make it the best it can be. Break down the solution into its details to expose any potential weaknesses and implement the optimized solution.

The “Four Cornerstones”

Four foundational components support the LEO concept. The success of LEO depends on an organization embracing the following:

  • Quality is Everyone’s Business — Each person must take personal responsibility for quality – an organization cannot achieve superior quality if employees believe that quality is someone else’s job. In order to reach this state, all employees must commit to delivering quality in everything they do.
  • Value and respect your employees – An organization should treat its employees and people it depends on as valued partners. If you show your workers the respect that they deserve, they will assume a strong ownership attitude toward the organization (and its products or services). When employees understand that quality is their responsibility they will strive to make it a primary concern.
  • Everyone should have an “I-can-do mind-set” – There is a strong correlation between organizational policy and employee behavior. What employees do and how they do it directly aligns with the organization’s “quality quotient”. An organization should make policies that motivate employees as well as inspire them to do great work. Demonstrating trust in employees enables empowerment and communicates a positive attitude toward them.
  • Quality is not a “one-size-fits-all” proposition – The LEO methodology will not succeed if it is implemented in a cookie cutter fashion and must be deployed according to the unique culture, practices, and business requirements of the organization. If properly implemented, LEO will result in a respect for quality that compliments and enriches an organization’s culture, impacting all business units and functions.

Impact of LEO Methodology

  • More than 250 new patents in technology and innovation
  • In excess of TWICE revenue growth in 5 years
  • More than $2.5 Billion in cost savings