Group items tagged

In sum, 1. The reality of the shop floor is clearly reflected in the standard work 2. Standard work must be realistic and applicable on the shop floor 3. Standard work must lead to continuous improvement opportunities

So, think of standard work more as a verb and less as a noun. Next time when you're at the gemba, take note of the revision date of the standard work sheets and standard work combination sheets. If they haven't been updated and improved over the last quarter or two, then you might have an issue. There's a good chance that you've never left the land of system-driven kaizen.

A simple white board that follows the tried and true principle of Standard Work help me a lot. Let me share with you the white board I use at work that helps me remain productive and keeps me focused on the right things.

Great post on standard work

Good post about standard work and its function

The last reason this works at Toyota is because of the roles and skills of the people. Front-line workers know the true meaning and value of each standard procedure - not only in theory. They have the skills and knowledge to solve problems and an end-to-end process perspective. The supervisors are pivotal in developing these competencies. They check and confirm that the standard procedures have been put in place and that workers are following them exactly. Supervisors can improve processes through coaching, questioning (not ordering), and making front-line workers think and take responsibility. Managers (supervisors, managers, directors, and above) motivate workers by meeting with them to communicate the corporate vision.

How many handoffs are there within each process? How visible are the key performance indicators - cost, quality, delivery, and safety - to each person working in the department? Does each process have a clear owner? How much and how often do people have to rework the information that they receive from their upstream colleagues? How often and how long do people (or customers) have to wait for information? How many different ways are there of doing a job (i.e., do you have standard work for each function)?

I like the idea. However, I can't read it real well. What I can read looks awfully simplistic.

There are many valid reasons why someone may not follow standard work.

Pay attention to the critical benefit here: everyone has agreed that email is NOT to be used for urgent or complex issues. This agreement really is significant, because it unshackles people from their BlackBerries during meetings, or product development work, or strategic planning. Or their kids' soccer games. Or dinner. Or sex. Which means that there's now a fighting chance to have some uninterrupted time to, you know, think.

One of the most important learning's I took from the experience was how effective rapid prototyping and hands on experimenting could be in an event. The Sensei went from team to team throughout the event and kept telling us to stop brainstorming and start "trystorming (actual simulation or creation of the idea)." This meant putting away the flip charts and sticky notes and getting out on the floor and getting our hands dirty. Having the 3D, tangible "mock-ups" allowed the teams to quickly understand each others ideas and iteratively improve the solution in a way that would not be possible on paper. Simulations became real and many of the bugs of standard work could be worked out in advance prior to a "down stream" implementation.

How could we use this? Too often 5S, kaizen, standardization and checking our own work or the work of others begins with enthusiasm as a new management program but soon becomes a routine and neglected "nice to have". Putting 5S and kaizen together as the "6T practice" positions them as essential daily "must haves" behaviors. Placing the record of completing these duties on the clip board on the food service floor within reach of the customer is an excellent way to link practice with purpose.

Lean Tip #406 - Clearly specify all Activities Standardize work Content (what is being done?) Sequence (in what order?) Timing (how long should it take?) Outcome (what clearly defined measurable results are expected?)

I think there are some applications here for our electronic processes.

This is a top flight article! The answer to Joe's question about "More Lean Tips" above is within this article. In addition, I love "problems are gold- treasure them!"

Is this series of videos something that someone would organize a learning experience around?  I would love to attend.

How could we begin to train our Leaders (that means me, you & anybody who is responsible for people) to do this? I will place this on the Employee Development Agenda.

This is a concept that has always intrigued me, but I must confess that It is tough for me to see a clear path from here to implementation. I look forward to the conversation.

It is said that performance is related to housekeeping and workplace organization. It is a first step to improving operating results. The 5S Tool is a common sense approach to improve the visual control in the workplace. The decision-making process usually comes from a dialogue about standardization, which builds understanding among employees of how they should do the work. It can apply to both manufacturing and the service setting.

There are a series of benefits associated with standardized work using lean. When used properly, it can be a very effective tool in your arsenal. However, knowing the reasons as to why it should be implemented will also prove to be essential if we wish to get the best out of your approach. In order to help, we can spend some time examining three different benefits associated with it that may very well assist us in understanding why we may wish to use this tool.

Article about waste in office operations and personal waste as well.