The Velocity Scheduling System Coaching Program

Here is a one page overview of the Velocity Scheduling System Coaching Program:

https://www.velocityschedulingsystem.com/VSSonesheet.pdf

The Velocity Scheduling System Coaching Program is based on Eliyahu M. Goldratt Theory of Constraints and the Drum Buffer Rope approach to scheduing. It was specifically designed for scheduling job shops and for scheduing machine shops, both of which tend to be highly custom environments.

To determine how and if Velocity Scheduling System will work for you and your company, you can sign up for a private Strategy Session.  We will discuss your company, your unique scheduling challenges and your situation to determine if VSS is a good fit.  There is no charge for this session.

If you’d like to sign up for this free Strategy Session go to https://www.VelocitySchedulingSystem.com/private

Or, if you haven’t yet attended the How to Get More Jobs Done Faster, you can sign up for that here: https://www.VelocitySchedulingSystem.com/webinar

Yes.

First, every company gets 2 private coaching sessions with Dr Lisa included in the program to ask any questions you may not want to ask in the group coaching.  During these sessions is a good time to really dig into any confidential circumstances you have or to address any buy-in issues that your team is struggling with.

The first private session is done BEFORE you put your Velocity Board up to make sure we are in agreement and heading in the right direction.  This session is required.  Dr Lisa wants to make sure everything is lined out.  The second private coaching session can be done at any time during the 14 week program.

Most, but not all, companies take advantage of the 2nd private session.  Some companies get all their questions addressed with the content videos and during the group coaching sessions.  There is typically tons of time to get all your questions addressed during the group coaching calls, but the second free private coaching session is highly recommended.

Dr Lisa records these free private sessions and provides you a video of each GoToMeeting session.

In addition there are private coaching options and on-site visit options.  But again, these are not necessary to get the results, but some companies prefer the personal attention.  Velocity Scheduling System Coaching Program clients are extended these opportunities for additional private help:

• Additional private coaching with your team via phone and/or GoToMeeting at $750 per hour.  Depending on how long each session takes you can get multiple sessions from each paid hour.
• $12,500/day plus travel for 2 (discounted from $15k/day for VSS clients).  There may be a minimum of 2 days depending on where you’re located.
• If I’m in your area, $7500 per half day plus incremental travel.  If you’re interested in this option, just let Dr Lisa know and you will be notified if we are in your area.

The majority of past participants in VSS Coaching Program only take advantage of 1-2 of the free private phones/GoToMeeting coaching sessions.  A handful have taken advantage of the on-site coaching.  None of these options are required, but if you and your team prefer a more private environment, we can make that happen.

Almost everyone who starts thinks that THEIR job shop is too complex and it won’t work for them.  But at the same time, they’ve tried everything else and on the crazy chance that the Velocity Scheduling System can help, they decide to try it.

First let me give you some idea of the types shops that are DOING the Velocity Scheduling System.  This is the short list, you can see the full list here –> job shop scheduling

• shops that do all repair work
• shops that do 80% repeat work
• shops that do all prototypes or all one offs
• shops that actually do make parts of space ships!
• shops that do repair
• shops that work only in-house
• shops that work off site (on customer sites) and in-house
• shops that do shutdown work and maintenance
• shops that just machine and fab new custom complex stuff
• shops that do some repeat work, do repair, do maintenance, and do completely new stuff
• shops that do a lot of outside processing (plating, heat treat, coatings, sand blasting, etc)
• shops that do no outside processing (and some that do it in house)
• shops that have 15 employees and shops that have 300 employees and lots in between

But what all of them have in common?  They are complex and they have to deal with many of the 9 Challenges.  And, because the Velocity Scheduling System is a COACHING program, we walk you through how to customize it for your situation.

Don’t just take my word for it.  Here’s Vint Massimini owner of Gulf Engineering.  They do some repeat work, do repair (off site and on site), do maintenance, do completely new stuff, and provide resources for shut downs.

Implementing the Theory of Constraints drum buffer rope on your own, in a highly complex environment, is tough to do.  However, with experienced guides, the results are  — frankly — unbelievable.

Do YOU want to improve?  Are YOU motivated to be the strong encouragement to your team? 

If yes, then I will take care of explaining what we are going to do, why we are going to do it, what to expect as your implementing, and I will provide some accountability and even a little motivation.  You just keep you team honestly trying what I’ve asked — and you can join our list of success stories! 

The cool thing about this program is that it’s a COACHING program.  Not  just training that leaves you to figure things out.  Ask questions, challenge your thinking, be willing to try and you won’t have any regrets. 

If you’re willing to try what I suggest, then you should go for it!  If you are not willing to try, then please don’t sign up. 

At most I need one person on your team to be the voice that says “let’s try it, if it doen’t work we can always go back to doing it the old way.”

Look —  if you try what I’m suggesting and it doesn’t work for you, you can get a refund of the Velocity Scheduling System Coaching Program.  So are YOU willing to try?

Yes, VSS works with all ERP packages.   We have had clients that have used Job Boss, Visual Manufacturing, Global, no ERP and everything in between.  We have also had participants that were doing very detailed job shop scheduling or very little scheduling when they started.

The Velocity Scheduling System is made up of a visual scheduling board, a visual planning board, detailed planning and POOGI (process of on-going improvement).  The interface between VSS and your ERP will occur at Detailed Planning.  You may use your existing ERP for Detailed Planning or you may chose to use the Excel file we provide, or some combination.

You don’t need drum buffer rope software or any other scheduling software.

Some companies complete the Velocity Scheduling System Coaching Program getting great results but know that they can still improve more.  And these companies have requested continued access to the group coaching sessions and on-line content.

If after the 14 week program you want to continue to get support and you want continued access to the on-line content as it gets updated and as new content is added, you can get continued access to the on-line content through our Mastermind Program.  This is not mandatory or necessary, but it is available if you want on-going support, have a new employee, or want someone to hold you accountable.

You can add this option immediately following the completion of your course or at anytime later.  So if one month after you’ve completed your program you have more questions, then this is a great option to get all those questions answered.  And if I’ve added more bonus material or updated the Detailed Planning or VSS Dashboard Excel files you will also have access to those.

In addition, you can also add private sessions during your course or at anytime after.  To read more about the private options see the FAQ above.

Once you’ve graduated from VSS you may be invited to join our VSS Mastermind program where we focus on helping you to achieve a 20% return of sales.  More on that later.

Yes. Each member of your team that participates in the Velocity Scheduling System Coaching Program will get a “Certificate of Completion”.

Here is what the certificate looks like:

VSS Certificate of Completion

Yes. You can  spread your payment over 4 months.  And if that doesn’t work, we’ll work with you to determine a plan that will work.  The key is that you’re committed to really giving the system a try.  If you are, then we’ll the payment worked out.

No. When you sign up you are getting 1 license for the Velocity Scheduling System. That license is good for 1 company and only 1 shop/location at that company. If you have multiple locations, you will need to purchase a license for each location. The Velocity Scheduling System Coaching Program is such a great deal that even if you need to purchase several licenses, the ROI is through the roof.  And, the guarantee applies to each license.

You can have as many people (your employees only) you like anywhere in the world participate in the program, but you will need to purchase a license for each location where you plan to run the Velocity Scheduling System, in whole or part.

You should have your entire team participate. Anyone who is affected or interacts with the schedule/planning and/or anyone whose buy-in you need for full cooperation and participation.

Shops typically have anywhere from 3 to 15 people participating. What you DON’T want to do is listen by yourself then try to go back and convince everyone to take action. Let me do that for you. Just gather your key people and ask them to give this a try.

No problem. All the sessions are recorded so they can catch up upon their return. And typically your team is going through the program, so even if a couple people are out, the rest of the team can continue to make progress.

Each group coaching session is about 1 hour, but Dr Lisa stays on until all questions are answered.  Webinar software is used for all group coaching sessions so that the sessions can be recorded and so that there is a visual component as well.  Anything you want Dr Lisa to see can be shared through this system.

Private coaching sessions also run about an hour.

For members of your Velocity Team you should plan about 4 hours per week to participate in the program.

• 1 hour to watch this weeks video
• 1 hour to discuss the homework assignment that was assigned in the video with your Velocity Team
• 1 hour to prepare for the group coaching session.  Preparation includes answering:
  • What did we do? This tells Dr Lisa how you interpreted the homework assignment
  • What effects have we seen?  This ensure that you’re getting the expected results.
  • What questions do you have?
• 1 hour for the group coaching session — every Monday at 9:30 am MT

That’s for the first 10 weeks.  The last 4 weeks, there is just the 1 hour group coaching session.

Velocity Scheduling System Coaching Program Grants:

TAAC provides up to $75,000 in matching funds for those manufacturers that are “trade impacted”, whose sales are down 5% or more, and whose average employment is down 5% or more. There are 11 locations nationally and to find out if you quality please check out: http://www.taacenters.org/locations.html

Also check with whichever trade associations you belong to and see if there is a Manufacturers Extension Program in your area.

Several companies have already used grants to pay for this (and the Mafia Offer Boot Camp), so it is possible.

What you’re seeing in some of the testimonial videos is the Excel template that IS INCLUDED in the Velocity Scheduling System Coaching Program. We use Excel and/or your current ERP to aid with the Detailed Planning part of the Velocity Scheduling System.

Our Excel template is complete with all the programming your likely to need. You’ll just need to import your raw data into the provided Excel template.

In addition you get our Velocity Dashboard spreadsheet for tracking all the key metrics to ensure your profitable and stay on track.

And, we are working on software that would interface w/ your ERP or quoting system to make the detailed planning easier than it would be in Excel. When/if we are successful at creating software that meets my requirements (simplier and easier than Excel) it will be made available to those companies that have completed the Velocity Scheduling System Coaching Program for a nominal fee.

That being said, software is NOT necessary and by itself will do nothing. The key is to change how you think. If you first change how you think (your patterns) then the right software can make life a little easier.

If you are considering the purchase of an ERP package, I recommend you wait until you complete the program to give you a better idea of which system will best meet your needs.

Implementing our system will take some time. However the process is designed to be self resourcing after the first step. This means that by implementing the first step, you should free up some time to do the next step. And by doing the next step you uncover some time which will enable you to do the 3rd step, and so on.

All that being said, there is work to be done. You will be given assignments after each workshop. You will need to do these assignments to get the results. If you don’t think that your team is willing to make the commitment and do what it takes, then this program may not be for you.

In Special Report #2, I explained some of the differences with my system.

It’s not software, it is a visual system that you customize for your situation. So there is really nothing to “show you”. The picture in the that special report is what a typical Velocity Board looks like.

The power of the system is that it is NOT off the shelf.

Here is what the system is and includes is described at the top of this page.

Yes.

The system is a visual scheduling system (the Velocity Board), so it will either complement what you have or can help you to decide what to get if you purchase an ERP sometime in the future.

Also included in the system is a visual planning component called the “To Be Released Board”.

The system includes recommendations and guidelines on how to determine your release order and how to plan/manage the rest of the backlog to keep a bottleneck from appearing.

So my recommendation – do the program first, then once you better understand your needs, decide on an ERP. I’m also happy to help you with this decision as part of the coaching program.

Velocity Scheduling System Cost

You’ll realize this is affordable.  

As you implement your scheduling system you will see your manufacturing lead-time reduce, your due date performance increase, and your work in process decrease (which improves cash flow).

The effect of these improvements is that you have uncovered capacity. You can now do more with what you have. So to have a bottom-line effect you can:

1. Sell this additional capacity. By doing that the throughput (Sales- RM & Outside Services) of the additional business goes directly to your bottom-line.
2. Or, cut operating expenses (like overtime) without jeopardizing your ability to meet customer commitments. This reduction in fixed costs goes directly to your bottom-line. With your scheduling system, it will be clear where you can cut and have a minimal impact on your operations.

Which of these actions or combination of these actions you take depends on your backlog and ability to add sales. But whatever your situation, implementing your system will allow you to do more with less and to have a bottom-line impact.

Typically our clients pay $75,000.00 (or more depending on the size of the company) plus travel for this kind of consulting help and the ROI is fantastic. However, because we have created a system that does NOT require on site help, you’re only going to pay a fraction of that.  We’ll discuss in your private strategy session.

You get your money back.

We’ve worked with a large number of different types of machine shops. So far it has worked for all of them. The key is for you to maintain involvement and support your team as they implement.

The degree of YOUR success is most dependent on your teams commitment to do what it takes. Part of our program includes guidance on the management and supervisory issues that come up and how to deal with them for an effective implementation.

But if you follow the program and it doesn’t work for you, then invoke our guarantee.

OUR 100% GUARANTEE: If you participate in all the sessions and do everything I ask you to do and you don’t get at least what you paid in value, you can receive a partial or full 100% refund.

Typically our clients get value in one of 3 ways or all of these ways:

• improved cash flow from the reduced WIP and/or faster cycle times
• reduced operating expenses with as good or better DDP performance
• increased sales without increased operating expenses

And to be sure that you are a good candidate — all shops must first sign up for a free private strategy session to discuss YOUR shop and your unique situation. I don’t want to waste my time or yours. So the purpose of the call is to make sure that it will work in your case.

This program is not for everyone. You have to be willing to do the work and lead your team. If you were brave enough to take the first action that I proposed — reducing your WIP to one half — you took action, you got results and you are a perfect candidate.

If you did not take the first step (from Video 2 – Be Unreasonable), why not? If you did not take action and you don’t think you can or will ever take it don’t sign up. That first step will still be the same first step once we start.

If you didn’t take it because you wanted the guidance and support before you took it, then you may be a good candidate if you will take action.

I would say that now is THE critical time. Implementing the system is particularly important in this economy for 2 main reasons. 1) With the system it will become clear where you can cut people and have the least effect on productivity, lead-times, and due date performance; and 2) If you have a market constraint then it is paramount that you improve your due date performance and reduce your lead-times so that you can capture more market share. This will be particularly effective as your competitors cut people, and get worse on due date performance and lead-times.

And if you haven’t experienced any of the negative effects yet, GREAT, but it may be coming. The NTMA Winter Business/Customer Forecast for the special tooling and machining sectors tracked by NTMA are as follows:

· Tools & Dies -15%

· Molds -12%

· Special Machines -17%

· Precision Machining -15%

· Aerospace Machining & Fabrication -10%

Blaming the economy is easy. Taking charge and improving your operations so that you can reduce operating expenses while simultaneously reducing lead-times and improving due date performance takes work. But if you’re willing to do it the payoff is big — you can take market share and be in a good position to acquire competitors because YOU will be in a better cash position.

Our clients’ sales and profits have either flattened (worse case) or are still increasing RIGHT NOW. We have also helped them prepare a letter to enquire about purchasing their competitors. They are not only ready for the downturn, but they are positioned to really fly when things turn.

I hope you will join our family of machine shops who are thriving!