Vital Signs: Using Quality, Time, and Cost Performance Measurements to Chart Your Company's Future [Hardcover]

Steven M. Hronec (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 9, 1993

"Vital Signs" reveals the weaknesses of traditional measurements, such as: complex, abstract ratios that have little direct bearing on the work done; measures that don't tie in to corporate strategies. This text looks at how to find the facts about a company's performance, and explains every step needed to set up and run highly effective measurement systems. "Vital Signs" demonstrates how to make powerful use of often-misused tools and techniques, such as benchmarking, competitor/market analysis, surveys and focus groups. Example from Federal Express, Motorola, Milliken and others illuminate the author's points. With Action Steps at the end of each chapter, "Vital Signs" show readers how to install truly efficient performance measures that: focus on the customer; improve processes; understand and control costs; and encourage and facilitate change.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: AMACOM (March 9, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0814450733
• ISBN-13: 978-0814450734
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,418,459 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars For corporate controllers on a mission ..., August 16, 1999

By 

Adam Lefton (Schaumburg, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vital Signs: Using Quality, Time, and Cost Performance Measurements to Chart Your Company's Future (Hardcover)

Just because this book was written to justify Arthur Anderson's best practices business doesn't mean it's not useful! Mike Hronec does a good job of making a case for developing appropriate performance measurements and sketches an outline for a robust process to get you there. Actually putting the plan into action is another story. Nonetheless, corporate controllers should read this book, if only to promote thinking about how effective their organizations' performance measures are in improving performance. Adam Lefton ([e-mail])

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Basic, but with sound approach, June 18, 2004

By 

Mike Tarrani "www.tarrani.com" (Deltona, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Vital Signs: Using Quality, Time, and Cost Performance Measurements to Chart Your Company's Future (Hardcover)

This is a relatively basic book on using key performance metrics. The foundation of the approach is TQM, with a nice focus on how to use associated techniques to gather, analyze and manage the metrics. Some of the material is wrapped in "Quantum Performance" and its associated measurement matrix. The terminology and approach embodied in these are, at the basic level, a refactoring and tailoring of existing tools and techniques.

I like the way effective tools ranging from affinity diagrams to statistical process control charts are employed throughout the book. The realistic examples using these tools and techniques the tactical and strategic levels makes this book especially valuable to companies that have embraced TQM. However, each tool or technique can be effectively used in environments in which management is seeking a systematic way to measure the right things for competitive advantage.

Another valuable aspect of this book is the focus on processes, and how they apply to the big picture of performance measurement.

Overall, this is an easy-to-read book that is equally easy to understand and apply. Aside from a few unique perspectives and the focus on TQM and associated tools, the material is not groundbreaking. That is not to say that this book does not merit a place on your reading list if you are seeking a systematic performance measurement program, because the approach set forth is valid and will prove effective in the real world. I recommend reading this book as a starting point, then augmenting the knowledge gained with "Operational Performance Measurement: Increasing Total Productivity" (ISBN 1574440993) to get a complete picture before embarking on any performance measurement initiative.

2 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Quality gibberish, but very insightful despite itself., December 29, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Vital Signs: Using Quality, Time, and Cost Performance Measurements to Chart Your Company's Future (Hardcover)

I think this book has the potential to be a New York Times #1 Bestseller if it would only change the subject matter completely.