What is a “ Brown Paper Exercise “ and What is its’ Value?

At Group50®, we have brought back to life an old form of Value Stream Mapping called the Brown Paper Exercise. Long before computers were invented, the only way to do Value Stream Mapping was on paper.  Utilizing paper allows you to be produce maps that are not limited to the size of a computer monitor or projection screen. It is interactive, fun and can be done via a hybrid model of in-person and virtual. 

Group50’s Brown Paper Exercise is an important tool that we use every day in process reengineering. It is part of our Value Stream Mapping process.  It provides an engaging, non-threatening way for …Read More

The implications of Industry 5.0 and the Internet of Everything ( IoE ) are not fully understood by leadership teams.  How to get there is a larger challenge.  It needs to be a strategic discussion in the board room and in the C-Suite.  Its impact, while seemingly obvious is not! Technology …Read More

A lot has happened since the creation of blockchain in 2009, including the great hype of 2014-2017, when hundreds of books were written and blockchain was continuously in the news – At that point, more of a fantasy than a practical business reality.  Over the last few years, blockchain systems have matured and are going mainstream with companies now accepting cryptocurrencies for payments, issuing fungible tokens for digital assets, and notable companies such as Maersk, IBM, Walmart, and others having implemented blockchain in their supply chains.  Just as the internet was in its infancy in the late 90’s, …Read More

• $6M in annual savings
• $15M in future cost avoidance
• $2+M working capital reduction
• 900% ROI
• Reduced new product cycle times from weeks to days

…Read More

The concept of “system selling” is applicable to all products and services. System selling extends the lifecycle revenue of products and services. The wisdom of offering products and services that don’t stand alone, but which intimately fit into a greater system for the end user or client, continues to be sound and exploitable by marketers. It is a necessary element in OMNI channel strategies, product management and the Product Lifecycle Revenue Model. Why? …Read More

We recently published a blog on Virtual Strategic Planning and have received many inquiries from readers for more information.  We believe that getting your strategic plan right for 2021 and beyond is the most important thing a company can do.  Because of that we have decided to offer our strategic planning playbook free to anyone who requests it.  If you want a copy, send us a request to info@group50.com or request it here. …Read More

The majority of our consulting work has been virtual and like everyone else we have adapted by developing a virtual strategic planning and strategic execution process. To us and our clients, this remote workforce thing has not been as bad as people feared. Many leaders believe that employees are more productive when working from home and several companies are reducing office space and headcount because of it – one part of their strategic plan. They all agree that executing strategy has presented more challenges because …Read More

The development of a global world class supply chain is a challenge in good times, but is really tested when a supply chain is significantly disrupted. During periods of supply and demand disruptions, like we are currently experiencing, the concept of world class is severely tested. As companies are attempting to understand the resiliency of their supply chain, …Read More