In Summer 2020, I sat down and hammered out version 1.0 of "The Pocket Guide To Making Stuff Better." Now, two years later, I have the updated version to share. It's taken months of editing, deleting, rewriting and reformulating to make this the best tool possible. For those of you who have ever thought, there has to be a better way to do this, this is for you. Check it out here.

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Below is the intro to the book, as well as more details on what is covered.

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The Pocket Guide To Making Stuff Better | 39 Industrial Engineering Tools For Improving Life and Business. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If you could simultaneously increase revenue and lower costs, would your company benefit? Would you benefit? This wide ranging book teaches leaders, managers, and individual contributors how to super charge processes to improve customer retention and satisfaction, reduce costs, and increase revenue.

The backstory:

Industrial Engineering blends the problem solving ability of an engineer, the business acumen of an MBA and the people-focus of a social worker. There is a saying that Engineers make stuff, Industrial Engineers make it better. From construction to banking, manufacturing to professional services, tech to sustainability, product design to destruction, task elimination to automation, sales to project management, IEs have an impact in everything. If there is something at work or at home you think could be better, Industrial Engineering is the skill set to make the change.

This book details the tools anyone can use to make huge improvements. Companies like Toyota and Apple have become completely dominant in their industries by using Industrial Engineering tools to improve their operations, iterate quickly, build great teams, and create more value for their customers. For the first time, the tools they used are available to everyone in an easy to digest, weekend read.

Industrial Engineering may really be thought of as business engineering. To look at a business, analyze how it is functioning and then design a better way to do things is not simple. The tools needed are not obvious and often cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to learn in a graduate school program. This book is an exploration of dozens of those tools at a fraction of the cost.

Sample from the intro

The kind of person who reads a book like this, one aimed at personal and professional development, is by definition someone who believes we can become better. We have that in common. So, thank you, dear reader, for maintaining that belief. The nebulous idea that things can improve is what inspired this book. This is an attempt at solidifying and defining the tactics we need along the path to making our companies and our lives better. Whether we are an owner, a manager, or individual contributor, there is something in here for everyone that can be used to improve the work we do.

Most of us are determined to make things better for the simple reason that greatness is a desirable state. It’s fun to achieve high ranks, it’s rewarding to do hard work and being able to show off what we are capable of continues to propel us forward day in, and day out. Going back to our roots, it was the greatest hunters that survived the longest - it’s innate that we want to improve. We’re wired for it. That desire flows through us into the companies we build.

When it comes to great companies, there are two in particular to look at; Apple and Toyota: What does Apple, the multi trillion dollar technology conglomerate, have in common with Toyota, the largest vehicle producer in the world? Aside from being titans in their industry and producers of well known products, there is some behind the scenes work at each company that ties them together more closely than it would appear. That behind the scenes work is Industrial Engineering. What the hell is Industrial Engineering? Great Question. Here are a few ways that universities across the US describe it;

"Industrial Engineering is about optimizing the delivery of goods and services" - Montana State University

"This engineering discipline is where technology, people, business and information intersect" - Auburn

“Industrial Engineers design, develop, improve, implement and control sophisticated production and service systems in an environment characterized by complex technical and social challenges.” - Texas A&M

"Engineers make things. Industrial Engineers make them better" - University of Michigan

"Industrial Engineering is the interface of engineering, business, and public policy" - Stanford

These one-liners may not all be identical, but they are all pointing in one direction; Industrial Engineers make stuff better. The way this author chooses to summarize it is, Industrial Engineering is the playbook for making stuff better. With the primary format of this edition being digital and accessible on cell phones, the title seemed natural; The Pocket Guide To Making Stuff Better.

The behind the scenes work that ties Apple and Toyota together is the use of Industrial Engineering. Tim Cook, current CEO of Apple, is an Industrial Engineer by schooling. He graduated from Auburn in 1982 with a degree in IE, spent his early career in supply chain focused work, joined Apple in the late 90s and took over in 2011 as CEO. Under his leadership, the valuation of Apple has increased from $155 billion, to over $2 trillion.

The early leaders of Toyota were also industrial engineers. Taiichi Ohno and Shigeo Shingo are the two most influential leaders that ushered Toyota to the number one auto manufacturer, producing over 10 million vehicles a year.

This book is an introduction to Industrial Engineering and how it makes businesses, processes, life and work better over time. Whether improving your day job, side hustle, transforming an entire organization, or seeking greatness in any domain, IE is the playbook for maximizing value. Given that we spend 40+ hours a week at work, improving our work will be improving our personal lives as well. In this exploration, we will go wide, not deep.

Four main themes dominate this book; history, service, operations, and people, presented in that order. Within each section there are a number of ideas laid out relating the particular theme to ways to improve. Each idea is a tool, a framework, or strategy. Some ideas build on each other, some stand alone. This author recommends reading only a few ideas at a time, followed by a reflective period. The point of a reflection period is to see your own personal business goals or situation through the framework of the readings. See the conclusion section for a list of recommended reflection questions.

To kick things off, we start with a short history of Industrial Engineering, then cover a short history of Management. After the historical context, we’ll be covering ideas that are useful for making improvements to your business and life. Let’s dive in.

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