How many times have you heard the expression: "good enough for government work?" Too often I am sure. Sometimes it may even apply to your business or other activities. Of course, that is not your standard of excellence. Most of the time you strive for better than 90 percent perfection. Don't you?
If the question were asked, many would say that they do much better.
What if we strived for 99 percent? Sounds good, doesn't it? No more than one error in a hundred. But how good is that really?
99 percent means the following: loss of power for 7 hours each month; 24 problem landings or takeoffs at O’Hare airport each day; 30 million incorrect drug prescriptions annually (2002 data); unsafe drinking water for 15 minutes each day.
Not a very pretty picture. 99 percent does not sound so good when put in terms we can understand. How many miss-billed invoices a month does that mean to you? What is the cost? How many shipments go out with the wrong product, the wrong count, or to the wrong address? How much does this cost the bottom line?
To read the full, original article click on this link: INNOVATION: How good is 99 percent? | St. Louis Globe-Democrat
Author: Steve Epner is founder and president of the Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group. The company assists clients with the integration of strategic business planning, information systems and tactical requirements. Epner currently is an Innovator in Residence at Saint Louis University. www.bswllc.com
