INX International Ink Field Operations getting great return with PBL
John Hrdlick, Sr. Vice President of Field Operations for INX International Ink, discusses the benefits of using Process Based Leadership® and PBL ScoreCard® to run his business.
The Challenge
Initially, the challenge was to improve on their monthly communication process. Once Field Operations began using the PBL methodology, they also recognized the critical issue of open-ended 
actions. John Hrdlick explains, “As a division, we were having monthly meetings via conference call with each branch. This required my staff to physically get together for the series of conference calls, which lasted a brutal day and a half. There were travel expenses and an ongoing Action Item list that regularly failed to deliver us the results we needed. Some of the actions were literally open for several months.”
The Solution
CSI delivered several days of Process Based Leadership® training with a focus on creating a new Communication Process, integrating an Accountability Process, determining the best metrics for a new scorecard and then utilizing PBL ScoreCard® software to maximize efficiencies. With PBL ScoreCard® Remote Hosting services, Field Operations employees in more than a dozen North American locations are able to contribute to a Division scorecard and have plans to expand use to the individual Branch levels.
Prior to leveraging Process Based Leadership® and PBL ScoreCard®, INX Field Operations attempted to develop a scorecard system using MS Excel. The results were less than desired as Mr. Hrdlick mentions, “We made a weak attempt at building a scorecard using Excel spreadsheets, but the attempt ultimately failed. Our many, many action items were in multiple files. We also had issues finding all the right documents associated with our metrics and actions. Now, PBL ScoreCard® has allowed us to keep all of our metrics, actions and documents all in one location, which has made managing our business more efficient.”
The Results
Since officially launching in January 2010, Mr. Hrdlick has seen measurable results in reducing travel time and expenses, improving communication effectiveness, increasing accountability, and discovering root causes when goals are not met.
When asked why PBL ScoreCard® was chosen over other options available, Mr. Hrdlick said “The accountability created through PBL and the software got our attention. Having everything related to the scorecard included within the software was a big plus. The cost is very reasonable as well.”
Measurable Improvements
- Saving Time. Prior to Process Based Leadership® implementation, Mr. Hrdlick held monthly conference calls involving several people, taking a day and a half to complete. Mr. Hrdlick reports, “I estimate that we save 10-12 hours of meeting time per month versus our former process. We now meet twice monthly via webinar, each meeting last merely 60 to 90 minutes in total.”
- Saving Money. Related to cost savings, INX Field Operations no longer has the monthly travel expenses that often totaled as much as $5,000.
- Getting More Done. By tying action items directly to scorecard metrics the Field Operations team can keep more focused on the areas in need of improvement. Mr. Hrdlick concludes, “We are getting better at identifying actions needed and also getting those actions done on time. With centralized data, accountability and ability to document every step taken in a corrective action process, it leads to achieving more of our metric goals. It’s all in one place.”
