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Endorsements / Kudos

Cable Vision of New York

Blaine Stewart Director, Process Assurance
Cable Vision of New York

“Last year, I attended a BPI two-day Critical Thinking Workshop (Concern Analysis, Problem Solving, Decision Making and Planning). The curriculum and delivery were superior. We had a gifted facilitator/instructor. My whole team found the class to be enjoyable and educational.

“After returning to our regular work duties, we immediately used the process to identify observable issues related to our internal customers. We focused on the causes of our high repeat truck roll rate on cable card provisioning cases – the techniques proved to be extremely effective and we quickly identified and addressed several root causes. We were able to document an immediate reduction in our repeat truck roll rate.”

Molson-Coors

SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM
Scott Nielson, Manager
Sales Training & Development
Molson -Coors

“I was tasked with delivering ‘Critical Thinking’ for our senior management team. After a number of reviews, I found BPI to be the best product to meet our company needs.

“I and so many of the team members still use the processes. They are as valuable today as the day we learned them. The concepts are now part of our routine.

“While there are a number of “Critical Thinking” books and courses out there, I found BPI’s facilitation, materials & processes to be the only ones that can deliver it!”

Staff Leasing


COMPLEX ISSUES MADE SIMPLE!
“I truly believe that BPI’s critical thinking skills improve people’s ability to think. By directing the focus with good questions, the right issues are identified, and complex issues fully resolved.”

From Lori Hocevar

Merck, Sharp & Dohme

ANY ORGANIZATIONAL LEVEL
“This would probably be the best two days of training I have ever attended – and I’ve been to quite a few! The underlying body of analysis and techniques are excellent and capable of application at ANY level. Systems other than BPI often can only be applied in limited circumstances or with special skills (compare with 6 Sigma) but that constraint does not apply to the BPI thinking tools.”

Peter Tasker, Planning Manager
Merck, Sharp & Dohme, Sydney Australia

Electrical Training Institute


VERY EFFECTIVE

“… I attended the two-day Critical Thinking Workshop designed and delivered by BPI. The workshop was engaging on all levels, well-paced and very effective. I was not only impressed by my own reaction to the training, but extremely pleased to hear the overwhelmingly positive comments from the other workshop participants. The training was largely attended by mechanical engineers and project managers and many stated that this was the best training experience they had participated in through their company.”

Robin Carvajal
Executive Director, ETi
San Diego, California

Joanne O’Neill, IBM

INFLUENCE RAPID AGREEMENT
Being able to layout my thought process and visually demonstrate how I arrived at a conclusion lends tremendous credibility. This systematic approach has already proven effective in my job, having had to make a decision with an account team about a customer solution. Within a few minutes, a decision was made, and needless debates and discussions were avoided. The course provided me with a methodology that I will be able to use continuously in my job. I can also see the benefit and applicability in other areas of IBM 

Technical Problem Solving Leader

RAPID TURNAROUND, WITH GREAT BUY-IN
“Our turnaround with our Black Belt program from one year ago is our biggest accomplishment this year. Counted in projects completed (problems solved), coaches trained, BPI coaching cycle times, evolution of forms software, custom troubleshooter tablets, custom wall charts and renewed buy-in and engagement from employees. I hope it is understood what BPI and this company’s CQ team have accomplished. It looks simple now but it was never accomplished in the previous four years before BPI collaborated so openly with us.”

Master Black Belt/Process Expert

Merck Frosst – Canada

APPLICATION TO WORK PROBLEMS
“All participants found the concepts of the Critical Thinking workshop easy to grasp and put into practice. They liked the case studies as they were relevant to their work. They now have a common language to enhance the problem-solving process.”

Mike Landry, Manager T&D,

Medium Duty Motoren /Stuttgart, Germany

COACHING POWER
“We want to create 8 folks who can coach BPI Critical Thinking in Europe: …Graz (4), Berlin (2), Stuttgart (2). Our plan is to have the Europe coaching become rapidly self-sufficient. There is more BPI CT (Critical Thinking) coaching needed and it is easier to learn than (statistical tools).  And the BPI PS (Problem Solving) and DM (Decision Making) are the most common tools to use to organize BB (Black Belt) work.”

Azra Mladjen /Daimler…AG
Koordination Black Belt Group
Berlin/Germany

Mark Kahn / NJ Dept. of Corrections

ON-GOING SUPPORT
Again, thank you to you and your staff for
developing and supporting the course more than six years after we were first
exposed to the concepts.

Storage Technology – participant comments

Samples from one of many Storage Technology workshops in Boulder, Colorado

“I love all the reference material … lots of good info. … case studies were well written and interesting.”
Workforce Development
Manager

“Will recommend to my employees so we can all use this.”
Global Services
Planning Manager

 “Great course – simple concepts. Will be easy to use”
Business Analysts
Supervisor

Extensive course materials, tools and job aides. / Good length / Great value from course exercises and interaction. / Job Aids included pre-printed case resolutions and pocket guide w/ tools CD / Quality visuals / Team exercises / Working on real job issues / Practicing thinking on your feet.

Genzyme BioTechnology

Emailed comments…

the event has potential global implications for our company … the BPI process used to conduct Root Cause Analysis is gaining a greater reputation at the most senior level.”

“… feedback on the BPI Root Cause Analysis process has been excellent and is having a profound effect on our regulatory deviation program.”

“I really enjoyed the class. It was by far the best and most productive class I have ever attended in 20 years here.”

IBM

 

From IBM Participants:
“We’ve studied this problem many times, and yet in a little over an hour, we have uncovered more data and facts than we could have imagined… Our group of Quality Professionals are now converts and advocates for this process!”
Shauna

IBM SOFTWARE GROUP:
“I just completed the Critical Thinking Workshop. I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop and look forward to using what I learned on my job and even in other activities in my personal life. The CD with the forms and the Application Guide are excellent tools!”

Steven
Workplace, Portal & Collaboration.
IBM SOFTWARE GROUP

Chrysler LLC


IMPROVE
SUPPLIER QUALITY
“What I find is that people have a hard time identifying the true problem properly, but by asking simple questions I am able to direct the focus. (Away from) the symptoms to identifying the true root cause.”
Craig Carveth
Supplier Quality
Chrysler LLC

“This event is a good example of how the critical thinking tools can produce rapid consensus. We had this all done on the same day Management said to do something NOW!”

Innovation Leader and Black Belt Master


Simple Questions – large impact!

“Have you ever asked a simple question from the Critical Thinking process and had it have a powerful effect on people’s thinking?”

“Yes! Many times.” Example #1 – “I asked the questions and post their answers empowering them to ‘discover’ the true cause!”

“While talking to the Director of Quality, regarding a major manufacturing issue, I asked if her favored idea had been ‘tested’ for fit against the description “facts”? This opened her mind. That one question was used to reveal a more likely cause that we tested and validated.”

Example #2 – “Recently, I was involved with procurement staff in a training vendor selection discussion. I asked how … they know they have the best-balanced choice? I introduced the concept of risk evaluation to balance their benefit analysis with this BPI question: ‘If we chose this alternative, what might go wrong?

“More importantly they are … considering the use of a selection matrix – based on needs not just features or costs. So, now Procurement decisions are much more likely to fit the real needs of internal customers.”

Example #3 – ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS
“the Potential Cause evaluation question:
‘If this were the true cause would we expect these facts?’ saved everyone time and reduced arguments allowing us to nail the cause, too!”

Phizer, Inc


NO FLUFF, CONFIDENT!
“Loved both the Critical Thinking and Project Management – no fluff, practical information. The first time I’ve walked away from training with real confidence to retain and use what I learned. Refreshed, rather than exhausted by the format and material. Thank you!”

Donna Ferri
Market Assessment Group
Pfizer, Inc.


Sprint’s University of Excellence

“BACKGROUND: The BPI Project Management Workshop and its concepts were created as a customized workshop to fill a need for the SPRINT UNIVERSITY OF EXCELLENCE. Read what the Director of Course Development had to say about what we created for her!

“I want to thank BPI for the excellent workshop you created for us. We very much needed a one-day workshop on project management basics that could provide a stand-alone process anyone could use. Your workshop filled the bill exactly. I especially value the time participants spend practicing and applying the concepts to their own projects.

“A pleasant bonus is that the IT Department has adopted the program as a prerequisite for their MS Project training.

“We have received excellent feedback from new and experienced project leaders from technical and non-technical areas.

“We certainly hit a home run on this one!

“Thanks!”

Director of Course Development
Sprint’s University of Excellence
Overland Park, KS


Wise Old Dog – Learns Much!

“Thank you for the great experience I had yesterday at Solar Turbines. I learned much about project management, even though I have been doing PERT and CPM for more than 30 years and have managed hundreds of projects. I love your materials and the way you so effectively and easily made this an experiential lesson about process.”

Steve Morris / Co-Founder
ChoiceWorks.com


USC Trojan Leadership Academy

“We hired BPI to provide training on Critical Thinking. … [T]he workshop [was] a great learning experience for the ~30 USC leaders that participated.

“Several years ago, I [attended] a class here … at the Marshall School of Business … with the brilliant Professor Paul Adler. … I was amazed by Paul’s … razor-sharp thinking process assessing organizational issues. … Imagine my delight when I discovered an organization that actually taught this high-level critical thinking methods! … BPI’s tools are truly effective – a critical skill set for those of us who work in highly complex and competitive environments.”

Roberto Blain
President / Cerulean Leadership


Chuck Kepner

(Co-Founder of KEPNER-TREGOE)

“I think (your materials) are first class. (They) are clear, practical, and straight to the point.  No wonder you get good results and repeat business. . . . you have my congratulations.”

“. . . It was good getting together . . .
And I look forward to the next time we can trade ideas. There are $%!# few people who have ideas to swap, so it is stimulating and exciting and marvelously instructive.”


GE Endorsement

“We have used the (Critical Thinking) program for over five years with great success. Three to four workshops are conducted annually by our Management Training Department. They always are evaluated as 8 or above (scale 1-10).”

John H. Lyons
Manager Management Training
GE Co.
Training & Development
Schenectady, NY


Effective Online Courses

“I will add that [your online teaching strategy] is very [effective]. You [have] people read-watch-learn until they understand [each concept] and then prove [their understanding] in their answer [to an application question].

Most courses I have done [only] ask [to identify] a specific sentence from the content. Your way is much, much better.

Tomasz M.
Plant Quality Assurance Manager
[An international OEM electronics manufacturer].


BEST One-Day Course in Solving Problems

“As discussed, this was the best one-day training for problem-solving. The participants learned a complete method using practical examples. Then immediately applied them to current problems!!!

“We are now (pursuing) duplicating this (successful design) in our other plants in Europe.”

Olivier D.
Manager Continuous Improvement
Europe-Asia Automotive Division
(an international electronics OEM corp.)


Collaborative and Systematic!

“By far this is the most interactive meeting I’ve attended. Your material was given to us in short order and most of the time was spent on application. => Thank you for recognizing and using our intelligence!”

Edward M. Moore
Director of Customer Service
SECURITY PACIFIC
Healthcare Professional Funding

Business Processes Inc. * Research & Development * POB 1456 * La Jolla, CA.
www.critical-thinking.com * 858-459-7600

BPI Endorsements

Download Article

1. BPI – An Overview (~8′)

Describes our critical thinking framework and shares one sample question from each of our four thinking processes. A list of our standard workshops and web-based course is given along with recommendations for improving several types of organizational initiatives.

2. BPI-Project Management (5′)

Offers a suggested project management curriculum; discusses the role of critical thinking in project management, and recommends specific BPI workshops for different target groups.

3. BPI eLearning and Blended Options (3.23′)

Want a tailored training with follow-up? We have all the key elements of the ideal blended learning solution.

4. BPI Team and Leader Performance (4.30′)

What factors are associated with the highest performing teams? Which are amenable to training? What can training do to create high performing teams?

5. Creating Problem Solving Experts (6.10′)

Critical Thinking training and coaching can significantly improve Greenbelt and Blackbelt performance, one case study.

6. Troubleshooter I Certificate (2.12′)

Reports what skills organizations are begging for and what you can do to make yourself more marketable internally and in the wider job market.

7. College Seniors – Improve Your Prospects (5.55′)

Describes what skills organizations are looking for and how you can stand out as an exceptional new hire candidate with this addition to your job portfolio.