Conference 7.286::digital

    re: .0 
    
    As I remember Heald Pond is the name of K.O.'s 'camp' in Maine.
    (USA).
    
    regards,
    Moose Man

    
    On VTX you can find a more complete description of this course.
    
    1)	At $, type:  VTX ESCOURSES
    
    2)  Then select the Course Title option and type in:
    	New Management Reporting Systems
    	             
    
    

Re: 1581.2 
Thanks for the pointer.  Here's what is there.  Answers and comments still
invited.

Pat
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 USA                                    Educational Services Course Information
 
 Course Code:   EY-6694E                                     Organization:  DME
 Course Title:  New Management Reporting Systems

 INTENDED AUDIENCE                             1   Overview
  This one day seminar is designed for         2   Features and Benefits
  intact groups of managers across the         3   Prerequisites
  corporation.  It is also appropriate for     4   Objectives
  individual contributors to gain an           5   Outline
  understanding of the direction of the      
  company.                                     6   Course Type/Length/
                                                   Complete Course Code
                                             
                                               7   Course Schedule
                                             
                                                   Print or mail the above
                                                   Course Information for
                                                   Course EY-6694E
                                                   (available soon)
 
 OVERVIEW
  The New Management Reporting Systems course presents the vision and
  conclusions that were reached by senior management during two strategic
  meetings at Heald Pond.  The results of these meetings include a
  rethinking of the way the company will be managed.  "Entrepreneurship",
  the key concept to emerge from Heald Pond is defined.  Structure and
  operating principles to support entrepreneurship are also presented.
  The course is interactive, inviting discussion and problem solving to
  move the Heald Pond process to it's next steps.

  Course Outline

  I.  Introduction to New Management System Concepts and History
 II.  The Concept of Entrepreneurship
  III.  Business Unit Theory Application:  A Three Dimensional Approach
 IV.  The Entrepreneural Business Unit
  V.  A Discussion in Managing Profit
 VI.  New Management System:  Focusing on Results
  VII.  Next Steps

 FEATURES & BENEFITS
  N/A

 PREREQUISITES
  None.

 OBJECTIVES
  1.  Create an environment of entrepreneurship and teamwork in all managers
    and supervisors across the company.

  2.  Establish an understanding of Digital's Operating Principles and
    Business Unit Theory consistent with Digital's values.

  3.  Ensure knowledge and skills are available for Business Units to create
    and manage to their operating plans.

  4.  Create and ensure an understanding of Digital's Management Reporting
    System for Business Units.

 OUTLINE
  N/A

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Course Code:   EY-6694E                                     Organization:  DME
 Course Title:  New Management Reporting Systems
 Country:       USA
 
 Course type/Length/Complete Course Code

                                 Length       Complete
 Course type                     in days      Course Code
                            
 Seminar                            1         EY-6694E-Y0
 Seminar                            1         EY-6694E-S0

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 Course Code:   EY-6694E                                    Organization:   DME
 Course Title:  New Management Reporting Systems
 
 Course Schedule                                                Screen 1  of 1
 Through 05-MAR-92
                            Training
 Start    End      Course   Center      Complete      Session    Sponsoring
 Date     Date     Type     Site Code   Course Code   ID         Organization
                   
 12-SEP   12-SEP   SEM      ACI         EY-6694E-S0    100070     DME
 16-SEP   16-SEP   SEM      BUO         EY-6694E-S0    101426     DME
 16-OCT   16-OCT   SEM      MRO         EY-6694E-S0    101609     DME
 11-NOV   11-NOV   SEM      BUO         EY-6694E-S0    101285     DME

The meeting was held by senior management, with selected middle management
invited for particular periods of time, to strategize how to move the 
company forward.  I believe sometimes refered to as the Woods meeting?

However, I think K.O. would barf at the description, especially:

>The results of these meetings include a rethinking of the way the company 
>will be management (managed?).  "Entrepreneurship", the key concept to 
>emerge from Heald Pond, is defined.  Structure and operating principles to
>support entrepreneurship are also presented.

Although entrepreneurship is not a totally amorphous blob, the attempt to 
put too much structure and too many operating principles around "a spirit"
just show that the "red tape machine" defies learning new ways at this point.

*I think* K.O. knows full well what the word means and has even sent around
a memo (mentioned in another string) chastizing his managers for stifling
NMS with rules and regulations.

TNMRS is simply the mechanism to tell the company how well you are doing -
it has turned into anything but a simple mechanism (reason for K.O.'s 
displeasure).

Barb

    Since the New Management System terminology has become so popular
    lately, many people have asked what it means. Because so few really
    knew the right answers (but we answer anyway) our management did decide
    to get DME to develop and deliver some short explanatory seminars.
    
    I believe there are ones specifically oriented to accounting/financial
    reporting; others for managers in general; another for just plain
    people.
    
    At  least one of these seminars include a number of video clips from
    Ken Olsen. I think this is where the references in the infomercial come
    from.
    
    ?Should you care?
    My opinion is that you should care as much about NMS if you are at DEC
    as you would about peristroika (sp?) if you were a Soviet.  I say this
    because many believe it is indeed revolutionary; it's effects will be
    pervasive; it is already changing major functions and institutions like
    the budget process and the nature of cross-functional work.
    
    Unfortunately the seminar I attended did not help answer many of the
    questions we had.  In fairness I guess no one knows the future,
    especially when dealing with the new.
    
    /pope
    
    
    

    re: 1581.5
    
    "Perestroika" failed.  The government, the Soviet Union, failed.
    Understanding it is irrelevant.
    
    NMS as an end in itself will fail.  Anything that requires more
    consensus, more buyin, and more delay will cause Digital to fail.
    
    When IBM can make $10K, $100K, and $1M decisions in two weeks from the
    time the opportunity is presented to an individual contribur, d
    Digital has yet to return the phone call, I think you know that NMS
    is more cross than cross-functional.
    
    The only criteria for success of any management system: past, present,
    or future will be if addresses the classic problems Digital has faced:
    making decisions, sticking to commitments, and open communication with
    the customer.

The following mail message is being posted with Mel's permission.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date:	 6-SEP-1991 11:55:33.10
From:	FSOA::HGORS9::MELADAMS "06-Sep-1991 2348"
Subj:	George
To:	FSOA::PSOHA
CC:	MELADAMS

    Pat,

    	The used to be a George Cann that was an instructor in Bedford
    Mass.

    	I think he was the North East Region Training Manager for a while.

    	As this sounds like an Edu Services offering, I suspect it is him.
    If so, then he has many years in Edu Services.

    								Mel

    Here is a very poor attempt to give a quick definition to NMS and
    TNMRS.
    
    The New Management System is an attempt to push profit and loss
    responsibility to the lowest possible point in the company.  Each
    account manager, for example, has a profit and loss budget for their
    account.
    
    The New Management Reporting System is simply the mechanism for
    generating the reports necessary for managers to keep up with how they
    are doing, and for the company to measure performance.
    
    For those of you who have so negatively responded to this topic, let me
    assure you that this new management system is unique in the industry
    and carries the potential for truly turning our company's future in new
    directions.  Already, you see managers in the field that aren't willing
    to give unnecessary allowances on equipment/services, that are
    questioning meetings/entertainment/etc. that in the past were thought
    to be sacrosanct, that are making much better decisions relative to
    doing what's best for the customer and for Digital.  Sure, there are,
    and will be, problems related to the new process.  It will take several
    years for this process to mature.  But, when your P&L is being affected
    by some other organization within the company, you become a much
    tougher animal to deal with.  Bet your bottom dollar that you will see
    other companies following our lead in this matter.  Every customer I
    have talked with about NMS are amazed that we have the guts to try it. 
    And every one of them think it's an outstanding move.  Only time will
    tell.  I, for one, think NMS is long overdue.
    

re: .8

Unfortunately, most of what I have seen is profit centers trying to maximize
their own profit with no regard for the impact on others. Cooperation and Do
The Right Thing seem to have gone out the window.

Bob

  Many years ago, Gordon Bell semi-seriously proposed an award for groups
  who furthered their own interests at the expense of DEC's as a whole.
  I don't remember the name of the award or even if it had a name...
  Anyone?  Perhaps it is time to implement Gordon's suggestion.

  JP

    I think it was NOD, the "no-output department".
        John Sauter

    How about a series of trophy awards? You know, a statuette (Sp.?) of
    someone with their hand extended. If they are of the type mentioned in
    -1 then the hand would be a cosed fist (I've got mine.) If they're team
    players, a handshake posture is evident. 
    
    (This probably wouldn't work because the award isn't extravagant like a
    trip to exotica.  Oh well,...)
    

    Bell suggested a number of things.  Two famous ones are:
    
    "The XEROX Parc Award", given annually to the group which had 
    	done the least to advance Digital's future as a company.
    
    "The No-Output Division", a new division to which non-productive
    	workers should be transfered, so they'd be out of the way of
    	the rest.
    
    I'm not aware of any Bell-ism for groups which sought local 
    profit over company profit.
    
    				-John Bishop

    
    	NOD was specifically for those who have to covene a task force
    to figure out how to get across the street;-)
    
    	while that may seem hyperbolic(right word?), while helping setup
    a stage for a benefit concert the following emerged from fellow 
    digits far removed in terms of related work and location.
    
    	The task of getting a cover on the stage was taking an inordinate
    amount of time. One non-DEC fellow asked, how would you do this in
    Digital? The simutaneous response was "Setup (3-5) tasks forces, spend
    3 years getting buy-in, then launch as 24 month project with a 100
    team members, which of course will slip 18 months".  Yes, i
    paraphrased the message, but the content was consistent.  Now, any
    questions as to why we're having layoff's?
    
    
    	bob
    

I think you may have missed the point with some of us; *I do think* you
have at least missed the point from me.

I am not negative about the NMS - I believe that if we could get it moving
the way it was proposed, we would finally get a clear cut idea of exactly
what our costs are.

What *I think* is happening is that an incredibly complex bureaucracy has
taken hold of a system meant to simplify (among its goals) and bound it
up in red tape and surrounded it with a moat of rules.

<flame on>

	Says who?!!!  Really!  Your rules haven't been working very
	well in the past, now have they?  We can do a lot by using the
	simplest, most cost efficient way to accomplish a task - YOU
	do not add value, you add cost.  So, stand aside and let us
	negotiate and get the job done properly - and, if you CAN
	STAND it, recognize that we may do it 1,000 different ways and
	each one still be doing it properly.

<flame off>

Lyn, if you read this notes file, I wish you a hearty congratulations and
hope that your road with NMS has more support than roadblocks.

    	If one is interested in learning more about NMS/TNMRS, but
    doesn't feel they have the time, nor do they want to incur the
    monetary CC hit for the course[s], then what can they do to learn
    more about it?

    	Is there a notesfile on the subject?  Or, what about on-line
    documentation?  Seems to me that if this is such a revolutionary
    program, that it would be a high priority to dispense a good deal
    of information about it to people who are interested.

    				   -davo

p.s.	But do it cheaply please - no grandeous publications!

    Actually Dave, Michaelangelo has commenced the NMS fresco in the Mill
    last month, should be completed in about 30 years. When its finished,
    we can all marvel at the creation. Until then, I guess the troops will
    notice the change when we see it taking a lot quicker for someone to
    tell you NO.
    
    By the way, is NMS just an American thing? I have heard nothing in my
    part of the world (Australia)? I pulled the copy of mgmt memo for July
    91 off the shelf so I could understand how my move from engineering to
    the field could be blocked from above under this new business unit focus.
    If they are relying on this publication and the communication of the 
    managers to get the word across I maybe better waiting for the fresco.
    But please, no parchment paper, gold lettering, florid fonts...I still
    have a very ornate "Quality policy statement" on my wall, complete with
    spelling mistakes and dated 1 September which we received in late November,
    timeliness was one of the prime points. The parchment is nice though.
    
    regards,
    John
    

    In the Hughes DVN on the 23rd, KO implied that Europe had been using 
    something like NMS for some(?) time.