This is an important first step to assure we meet our customer requirements and expectations while eliminating costly and unnecessary steps.

We can visualize this process as follows:

•Customer needs and expectations define what process will do. •Upper and lower expectation limits are set. •Analysis of each process within system is completed. •All defect causes and waste are eliminated. •Design specifications are created.

Many companies who gross at least five million dollars in a fiscal year could save $250,000 or more and increase their customer satisfaction at same time by eliminating wasteful variances from their processes alone.

Human systems are handled in an entirely different manner. Businesses should spend more time and effort in selection of candidates to assure only high performing individuals make grade, these individuals should be thoroughly trained in human relationships and leadership skills along with their respective technical skills. Individuals and teams should be autonomous and in charge of whole processes. They should present with all of skills necessary to not only complete work but to interact with their customers.

We can visualize a good human system as follows:

•Careful selection of employees. •Personal Development. •Professional Development. •Value Individual. •Empower Individual. •Attain Synergy.

Businesses should concentrate on both human and process systems in following order:

•Human Systems •Process Systems

Processes can be designed but only by people who are capable of design and who understand business and customer.

It is hard work to achieve true synergy but once it is mastered businesses can expect hard working and customer centered employees working in total cooperation with other human systems and process systems, which together create a base for total customer quality and internal efficiency.

Mr. Maceda is president of Applied Knowledge Systems Inc. a Washington D.C. metro area consulting firm specializing in high performance for human systems and process systems.

So, what is a business seller to do when he didn’t want to be in lending business to start with and now has a need for immediate cash? What many people don’t realize is that business note can be sold. The former owner can sell all or part of note to get a lump sum of cash. In this way, both goals of selling business and getting cash out of it are met.

In summary, selling a business note is an excellent way for former owner of a business to get his cash out of business. Whether reason for selling note is that seller would have preferred all cash all along, that he now has large debts to pay, or that he has opportunity to pursue other investments, sale of a business note is a tool of which you should always be aware.