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Where you have perfect information, you don't need any buffer stock.  The less reliable information you have, the more inventory you need to hold.  On a basic level there are two pieces of information needed:  the reliability of the supplier to deliver to you and the stability of the demand from the customer.  Inventory is a buffer for fluctuations in these two components of the supply chain.

Sorry for the double post. However, I think that this article really gives voice to our inability to imagine a path to single piece flow. We have to have reliably consistent customer demand. What could we do next?

Do what Toyota does - "How much inventory would we have to hold to account for variability in customer demand?"

I wonder what it would take to segregate our inventory as Smalley does in the Toyota graphic?

How could we use this in POD for example? Obviously, the manufacturer has taken an existing batch process, moved to single piece flow and seen tremendous results. The benefits are clear. Reduced inventory and faster delivery times. This alone will make any manufacturer more competitive. But lean doesn't stop here. Any process can be optimized and, when cost and space allows, moving to a flexible work cell is the logical next step.

Or you can show this 47 second video! In "real time", you can see how quickly the customer receives their order. You can see the reduction in inventory. You can see less work in process. And you can see the order fulfilled in 29 seconds vs 60. Half the time! Imagine how much time you save with a longer chain of processes. Because the video's so short, you can easily work it into your session, between phases of a lean game or after a more intensive sit and listen session.

How could we replicate this?

Why was the trimming of the email inboxes important? When inboxes are gorged with junk like Las Vegas-era Elvis, the terrible "signal to noise" ratio makes it difficult to identify and respond to what's truly important. Moreover, each email contains information and ideas that are part of the value streams that flow through the staff. When that information gets stuck in someone's inbox - when the value stream stops flowing - you're looking at nothing more than another form of excess inventory. Awesome point!

Could we do a workshop with one department, and implement some of these ideas plus some of the departments ideas? Could this be an initiative for the 5-S team? Could we add some of these suggestions to Time Management? I think that all are possible approaches. Which shall we try first?