CRO Pulse Blogs and Articles
CRO Pulse Blogs and Articles
Global supply‑chain shocks and tariff volatility are prompting U.S. firms to reconsider offshoring. Jim Womack’s "leanshoring" model combines lean manufacturing with reshoring, demanding a full‑cost analysis that accounts for risk, intellectual property and skill loss. GE Appliances illustrates the approach, having invested $6.5 billion since 2017 to bring production home while embedding lean principles across product development, supply chain and customer engagement. The company’s success hinges on continuous innovation, co‑creation hubs like FirstBuild, and a micro‑enterprise structure that speeds decision‑making.
Theodo transformed a failed client project into a catalyst for a 14‑year lean‑tech evolution, merging agile practices with lean thinking to build a learning‑focused delivery system. By embedding visibility, problem‑solving tools and shared responsibility, the firm grew from two founders...
Procurement is at a pivotal crossroads as global uncertainty, rapid technology adoption, and heightened business expectations demand greater influence. Ben Farrell, CIPS CEO, draws on his military and retail experience to argue that procurement leaders must grant teams freedom within...
Ryan McCormack’s February 2026 Operational Excellence Mixtape warns that change fatigue is eroding continuous‑improvement efforts. He urges leaders to anchor teams to core values, embed quality as the operating architecture, and use process confirmation to lock improvements into daily work, citing Toyota’s...
In this episode, Adrian Gonzalez and a panel of supply chain executives explore whether the metrics used today truly reflect performance drivers across manufacturing, retail, and distribution. Participants reveal a gap between commonly tracked KPIs—like on‑time delivery and inventory turns—and...
The article argues that "caring" is not an emotion but measurable engagement, and that many professionals default to going through the motions because system‑driven metrics reward activity over depth. It highlights how short‑term tenure cycles—especially the average 18‑month CRO lifespan—encourage...
In 2013 Dr. Eric Dickson took the helm of UMass Memorial Health as the system teetered on the brink of default and faced declining patient and caregiver satisfaction. He introduced a CEO‑driven lean management system that standardized nine core processes and...
Medtronic is revamping its indirect procurement model to become a strategic, business‑focused function. By segmenting its supplier base, the company concentrates resources on high‑risk, high‑spend vendors while using digital pathways for low‑complexity suppliers. Leadership emphasizes speaking the language of EBITDA...
In this episode Adrian Gonzalez examines the modern "build vs. buy" dilemma for transportation management systems (TMS) in the age of AI‑driven vibe coding. He references Dave Clark’s rapid custom CRM build and recent market jitters over AI’s impact on...
GE Aerospace’s Q4 2025 report credits its lean management system with double‑digit revenue and profit growth, highlighting an employee‑led innovation called the “Gerald” tape dispenser as proof of measurable value. The article argues that most continuous‑improvement programs fail because they...
