Client Success Stories - Semiconductor Equipment Company
| A well-known semiconductor
equipment company had struggled for a couple of years
with problems including excess particle damage on its
machine that it sold for $1.5 million used for chemical
vapor deposition on wafers. With sales floundering and
major customers wishing to jump ship, the company issued
a do or die edict to that division in the fall of 1998.
That's when Rick, the director of Engineering, and General
Manager of the PCVD Division decided to bring in QRPD.
In 60 days nothing short of a miracle transpired. The
COO, or Chief Operating Officer, of this 4000-person company
later said that in those 60 days more technical progress
was made on the development of that machine than in the
two prior years. |
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At first reluctant but willing to give this process a chance,
Rick embraced QRPD fully. He had most of his 60-person team
go through not only the 2-day QRPD foundation course but also
deeper trainings of 1-day courses in Project Planning and
Control, Meeting Management, and for a smaller group of his
leaders, a 1-day course in Project Leadership.
Rick says, "Before my organization took QRPD training,
we were trying to do too much at one time. Of all the QRPD
teachings, "do less sooner" had the greatest impact.
Saying the words helped, but the regular, consistent coaching
by the Global Brain (QRPD) team enabled us to live the words
and walk the talk. Now there is no one in my organization
who does not know what project they are working on or what
the goals of the organization and project are. As a result,
I work less hard today but get more done than before."
Rick had the courage necessary to "Invest Now to Save
Later". Not only did he send much of his organization,
including himself, for nearly 5 days of these trainings, be
he and his group used QRPD's guideline of using 25% of your
schedule for planning. With "their world ending in 60
days", they used 15 precious days to complete phase 1
and got aligned and clear on setting "SMART" goals-Specific,
Measurable, Accurate, Risk-Assessed/Realistic, Timely-and
how to accomplish them.
Many people in his group thought Rick had lost his marbles
and couldn't understand spending this time given the urgency
of their drop-dead deadline. They would have much preferred
spending that time doing actual technical work (although they
did do some of course, needed to validate their planning).
Rick realized they had to do something different as they had
already tried it the old way for a couple of years. In time,
as interim successes began to surface, more and more people
got on the bandwagon and a critical mass formed.
By Christmas the group had attained 85% of their very aggressive,
written success metrics that they had signed up for in the
60-day period. In return, the executive management promised
them substantial size bonuses if they achieved their goals.
The group received 85% of them. But Santa's best present that
year was that they now finally had a working machine they
were proud of!
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