7SIM Frequently Asked Questions

Here is our list of our frequently asked questions about 7SIM.

Q: What is 7SIM?

7SIM is effective business process improvement training that adds change management skills to your professional development.

7SIM training will skill you up to improve business processes with a 7 step method that is Simple, Inclusive and Methodical

7SIM is a simple improvement framework that can be used in two ways:

To systematically improve processes by using a highly integrated, robust 7-step method.
To bring improvement to daily operations using a series of clever business tools.

See 7SIM explained in less than 60 seconds. What is 7SIM?

Q: What can 7SIM be used for?

7SIM is Focused Systematic Improvement; a team-based seven step method to:

Solve complex business problems.
Improve current business processes.
Make creative ideas a new business reality.
Convert strategic plan initiatives into real action.

Q: How can I apply 7SIM?

You can apply 7SIM in two ways:

Conduct Continuous Improvement Projects: to systematically improve processes by using the highly integrated, robust and team-based seven-step method.
The Daily Use of Clever Improvement Tools: to bring improvement to daily operations using a series of easy-to-apply business tools.

Q: Briefly walk me through how a 7SIM project might work.

Here is a typical situation in conducting continuous improvement projects:

Your business has a particular opportunity to improve its operations. A senior sponsor takes responsibility for the solution by firstly identifying members for a project team that will address the opportunity. The sponsor then scopes the project with the team. Once all parties agree, the project is started by communicating the project and its benefits widely.

Once the scope is complete, the team, with the support of the sponsor, follows the 7SIM steps to:

Define what success for the project will look like.
Measure current performance.
Seek root causes to problems.
Design solutions to tackle the problems.
Implement the solution.
Monitor ongoing performance.

The outcome of a 7SIM project is radically improved operations as well as a team of people confident that their efforts can actually be transformed into better business results.

Q: What can I do with the 7SIM Tool Guides?

The great advantage of 7SIM is that there are 7 Tool Guides to help you improve operations every day! You will develop the skills to (immediately):

Comprehensively scope a project so everyone is clear on its intent.
Create deployment flowcharts to understand how processes work.
Conduct controlled brainstorming to get a larger team engaged in improvement.
Design measures that are actually useful to the business you are in.
Conduct root cause analysis to identify the real problem behind the symptom.
Design solutions to address shortfalls in operations.
Develop action plans, risk assessments and communications schedules to implement change.

Q: How will my organisation be different after 7SIM implementation?

In short, your people will ‘think improvement’.

When you train in-house teams in 7SIM’s systematic improvement, the energy for making positive change is spread across a wider group. Responsibility for improvement shifts from being the efforts of a select few specialists or external consultants, to being the responsibility of every person in the organisation. 7SIM tools and templates enables people to be creative and they are encouraged to use them every day. Organisations begin to think more systematically and are better organised so people have time to be even more resourceful about how they do their jobs.

People will see their input to improvement realised in the benefit to the organisation.

Q: What makes 7SIM so different?

7SIM is simple; simple to use, simple to train and simple to communicate. An improvement method should always be simple because change is not easy.

7SIM taps into extensive research into why most improvement and reengineering efforts fail. Within the 7SIM method are keys to address all those issues. There is no other method in the market that comprehensively deals with the cultural issues that underpin successful change.

7SIM is team-based improvement. Home-grown teams are examining issues; home-grown teams are recommending profound solutions. While not ruling out external support completely, 7SIM is about team-based improvement; the most effective way to sustain successful change.

Finally, 7SIM has integrated linkage between its steps that lead to successful, executable improvement. For example, measurable objectives in step 1 allow for an easily identified set of measures in step 3, allowing easier analysis in step 4 which precipitates clear recommendations in step 5 which convert into a simple set of implementation steps in step 6 which are monitored in step 7. No other method has such integrated linkage as 7SIM.

Q: How can I benefit personally from 7SIM?

7SIM is the key to advancing your career and speeding up your promotion prospects. You will think differently about your workplace. You will think in a more systematic way. 7SIM tools will help you to be more creative, more organised and you will make better business decisions. 7SIM is written in simple language so you can communicate improvement much more easily. You will become less inclined to 'shoot from the hip' with business decisions and more inclined to apply simple business tools to fix problems and create opportunities.

Q: What else is in this market space?

7SIM is the only method that comprehensively addresses the cultural issues that underpin successful change. 7SIM focuses on enabling improvement to be shared throughout the organisation allowing maximum contribution to any improvement. Other improvement programs include six sigma, lean manufacturing, theory of constraints, TQM and Plan-Do-Check-Act. I encourage you to compare the attributes of 7SIM with any of these programs.

Q: Who uses 7SIM?

The following sectors have companies using 7SIM - Energy, Water, Health, Pharmaceutical, Telecommunications, Agriculture, Defence, Infrastructure & Roads, Non-government Organisations and Furniture production. The following pie chart indicates the 7SIM Training by Industry Sector

Q: Give me a summary of the 7SIM benefits?

For the CEO, 7SIM provides:

SUPPORT TO YOUR DIRECTION. 7SIM skills people to make the leader’s vision a day-to-day reality. Your people are equipped to apply improvement tools to make better (aligned with vision) decisions.
SUSTAINABLE IMPROVEMENT. 7SIM provides a systematic method that ensures improvement that can be sustained.
OPPORTUNITIES TO THINK IMPROVEMENT. 7SIM provides clever improvement tools to help people make better decisions (rather than shooting from the hip).
CONSISTENCY. 7SIM enables projects to have a common language, framework and templates.
OPPORTUNITIES TO LEAD. 7SIM provides skills for people to lead teams to improve operations.
ISO 9001 QUALITY MANAGEMENT. 7SIM provides the most effective framework to facilitate the continual improvement required by ISO9001 (Clause 8.0 Measurement, analysis and improvement, QOP-85-01, Continual Improvement and QOP-56-01 Management Review).

For the HR and Training Manager, 7SIM provides:

BEST PRACTICE TRAINING EXPERIENCE. 7SIM provides state of the art online training experience to skill the workforce quickly to improve enterprise operations.
SKILLS TO MAKE CEO’S DIRECTION A REALITY. 7SIM provides business improvement skills that everyone can use to support the direction that the CEO desires to take the enterprise. 7SIM is priced to train every person in the enterprise so the CEO now has skills embedded within to realise the vision for the enterprise.
VALUABLE INVESTMENT. 7SIM Online Training is available for $990 ex GST per training position. This represents less than 1/3 of the investment for the same training face-to-face.
STRETCHES THE BUDGET. The size of the investment for online training allows the training budget to stretch to more people, allowing a larger critical mass of 7SIM specialists that can bring the improvements.
ADMINISTRATION ASSISTANCE. 7SIM Online Training allows access by authorised persons, allowing real time monitoring of individual and group progress.
FLEXIBLE & CONVENIENT TRAINING. 7SIM provides a business improvement training option that is flexible and convenient. The online experience can be conducted at the pace that the enterprise desires rather than less flexible face-to-face training. 7SIM training is available online to the participant for a one year period after initiation of the training. Participants can use ‘just in time’ refreshers if needed during that period.
TRAINING SUPPORT. During the 7SIM training period participants are able to ask questions via forums within the 7SIM Online training site. 7SIM Coaches are available to provide additional assistance at an agreed rate.

For people that are highly respected and influential; that get onboard with positive change straight away; people that want to have an impact, 7SIM provides:

Easy-to-adopt tools that can be used for improvement immediately.
An integrated methodology that is a systematic way to improve operations (rather than adopting a ‘shoot from the hip’ decision-making).
A mechanism to influence others in a team.
The opportunity to share learning and get advice from coaches and colleagues.

For the Professional that is promoted and needs assistance to manage and lead people, 7SIM provides all of the benefits, listed above, plus:

Opportunities to develop better management and leadership of teams.
Augmentation of your technical skills with management and leadership skills.

For the Improvement Expert that wants to stand out in the job market as a business improvement specialist and team builder; who need the skills to deploy projects and deliver profound improvements quickly, 7SIM provides all of the benefits, listed above, plus:

Knowledge of the keys to successful improvement to ensure project success.
The ability to influence others to bring about successful change.

Q: Can 7SIM be used within an ISO 9001 framework?

For certified organisations that use the ISO standard seriously to improve their offering to the customer, 7SIM is the most effective framework available to deliver Clause 8. Clause 8 requires the systematic measurement, analysis and improvement of important processes. (Refer Clause 8.0 Measurement, analysis and improvement, QOP-85-01, Continual Improvement and QOP-56-01 Management Review).

Q: I don't want any more external 'experts'; how can I minimise that overhead?

This is one of the fundamental reasons for developing 7SIM Online Training. 7SIM is simply written and easy to apply. 7SIM requires little or no external consulting support. Once staff has reached the appropriate level of training and experience, organisations can grow the capability within the business (including training) without external support.

Q: Will 7SIM cost me the Earth?

No. 7SIM is an investment! Firstly, 7SIM encourages homegrown teams to examine and implement improvement so the benefits realised go straight to your bottom-line. Secondly, the cost of training teams and conducting 7SIM projects pales into insignificance when the benefit of the cultural change becomes tangible and people realise that their inputs are valued and will result in sustained success for the organisation.

Q: In one catch phrase, sum up the effect that 7SIM Online Training will have on me?

7SIM provides you the rare opportunity to THINK differently - ACT deliberately - SUCCEED greatly.

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7SIM Testimonials

7SIM makes the management and carriage of change management easier for the novice. For the experienced change managers, it allows you to focus on the complex and large change projects without having to create the tools to undertake the work so your attention is on your people and the change. I love 7SIM.

Pelagia Markogiannakis, J-SAP WAM Jemena

I came to 7SIM needing to learn some ways of transforming strategic initiatives into real actions for front line staff. CALM succeeded spectacularly in equipping me in that regard.

Julian Rouse, Western Power

I did 7SIM training very early on in my career. It has been one training course which I have walked away with real tangible skills and knowledge in which I could apply immediately to my work and workplace. It has fundamentally changed they way I work and the way I run my projects. It provided me with a toolbox and skills which I still draw on and refer to today. The methodology taught within 7SIM is transferable across organisations and industries. This is a highly recommended course.

Rowena Leung, Manager Business Readiness AGL Retail