Instead of replacing the elevator, he reprogrammed the door delay to 4 seconds during rush hour and added a “hold” button for loading. He also installed small mirrors near the call buttons—a psychological trick that reduced impatient button-pressing.
“Why print at all?” he asked.
End of adventures.
Tom XL sat on a forklift for three afternoons, recording every item’s frequency and destination. Then he rearranged the warehouse by velocity : high-demand items near the packing station, slow movers in the back. He painted color-coded floor paths: red for fast, blue for medium, green for slow.
Tom was not a large man. In fact, his nickname “XL” was ironic, earned after he ordered an extra-large lab coat on his first day at the Systems & Solutions Corporation and nearly tripped over the sleeves. But Tom had an extra-large mind for systems, and that made all the difference. the adventures of tom xxxl
He spent a week mapping every signature, every stamp, every carbon copy. Then he built a simple digital form with automated routing. No more paper. No more lost forms. Ms. Crabapple found her mug—and her weekends.
Next, employees in the West Tower complained about the elevator. “It’s ancient,” they grumbled. “Replace it.” The estimated cost: $250,000 and six weeks of stairs. Instead of replacing the elevator, he reprogrammed the
The lesson: Before adding resources, subtract unnecessary steps.