The Maryland World Class Consortia holds regular meetings each quarter for members, potential members, supporters, and guests. Each meeting is a half-day “mini-conference” that provides new developments among Consortia members, examples of World Class tools in action, and networking with active practitioners. The next quarterly meeting will be held on September 27th, 2012.
I have the honor to speak at the morning meeting on Lean Service Design and that afternoon host a half-day workshop on Lean Service Design. Below is the write up for the presentation. 
In many organizations, services were not intentionally designed, but were, instead, “grown and evolved” to sell a product. Many believe that all they need to do to win is to create better, more innovative products. But can we really stay ahead by focusing on products alone?
Even many so-called “service” organizations miss the mark. (Think about your last business service disappointment, or working with a government office or non-profit.) It seems that many would-be service organizations think of service as just a verb, or an activity that is consumed by customers. They think of service through departments or functions, and they tend to focus on their own activity, versus solving customer problems.
In this presentation, author, blogger, and lean trailblazer Joe Dager will introduce you to the tools and methods of Lean Service Design. You’ll be blown away by Joe’s energy and his common-sense approaches to using lean for systematically improving the process of service design and delivery. Joe has an enormous body of work, and this presentation will just scratch the surface. Sign up for our Lean Service Design half-day mini-workshop right after lunch!
Tell all your sales, marketing, product/process design, and service/customer support people about this presentation and workshop — This is one lean leader you don’t want to miss!
I would like to thank the Maryland World Class Consortia for inviting me. Through the years, I have heard many good things about the Consortia and look forward to meeting the members and attendees. Remember, you do not have to be a member to attend.
80% of Companies believe they deliver a Superior Service, only 8% of Customers agree.
Lean Service Design: Closing the Gaps between Perception and Reality