ABSTRACT
The implementation methodology was developed at Middlesex University Business School (Ghobadian, 1993). The fishbone diagram in figure 1 depicts the five key elements of the Middlesex approach: market focus; process focus; people focus; communication and measurement; and management process. This methodology, unlike those proposed by Oakland (Oakland, 1993), Juran, Crosby, and Deming (Ghobadian and Speller, 1994) is neither sequential or prescriptive. The improvement initiative under each major heading is identified by the host organisation. A spreadsheet is then used to develop the detailed implementation plan. For each improvement initiative the implementation team needs to address the following:
(a) Description of the existing position; (b) Strengths of the existing position; (c) Weaknesses of the existing position; (d) Description of the desired position; (e) Actions required to attain desired position; (f) Financial resources requirement; (g) Human resources requirement; (h) Scheduled completion date; (i) Responsible person; (j) Priority; (k) Other areas affected by the programme; and, (l) Nature and consequence of the impact.
