Mike Swartz, an operations consultant and former Amazon executive, shares operational insights during an a16z panel on logistics and organizational change.
“What's counterintuitive is that it's really the soft stuff that's hard. It's not the hard stuff that's hard. So, you know, figuring out the process and figuring out what needs to get done is actually the easy part of the job. The hard part is getting the buy-in and getting people to recognize for themselves what needs to get done.”
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More from Mike Swartz
Insight
Swartz: Startups overestimate their execution abilities and fail at operations
“And I find over and over again That, ah, especially with startup companies, that where they tend to fall short and really need a lot of support, isn't something that they think they're good at, which is execution.”
Mike SwartzJan 2, 2019▶ 6:41a16z Podcast | Where's My Stuff? -- The Lowdown on Logistics and Ops
Insight
Swartz: Relying on human-driven systems is best for facility security
“Cause no, nothing does a better job of pattern recognition than a human being. So having tools for humans to use and really relying on people systems is probably the best way to secure a facility.”
Mike SwartzJan 2, 2019▶ 36:35a16z Podcast | Where's My Stuff? -- The Lowdown on Logistics and Ops
Insight
Swartz: Security systems should not punish 99% of legitimate customers
“And the other thing I took away from that was not designing your security systems and your hooks for the 99% that aren't a problem, right? You don't want to punish 99% of your customers for the one percent that's going to get you.”
Mike SwartzJan 2, 2019▶ 36:51a16z Podcast | Where's My Stuff? -- The Lowdown on Logistics and Ops
PredictionNot checkable as stated
Swartz: Smaller startups will increasingly compete with Amazon on service
“The Amazons of the world are going to have a lot of competition from smaller startups on the service front.”
Mike SwartzJan 2, 2019▶ 48:03a16z Podcast | Where's My Stuff? -- The Lowdown on Logistics and Ops
Insight
Swartz: Established companies fail to understand metric variation and rely on averages
“And even well-established companies I work with, Don't understand variation. They do everything off of means.”
Mike SwartzJan 2, 2019▶ 21:03a16z Podcast | Where's My Stuff? -- The Lowdown on Logistics and Ops
Insight
Swartz: Startups should make operational defects public to drive continuous improvement
“Developing a strong culture or attitude toward making defects public, making them something everyone can center on, is a very powerful thing.”
Mike SwartzJan 2, 2019▶ 25:54a16z Podcast | Where's My Stuff? -- The Lowdown on Logistics and Ops
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