Tweddle Continuous Improvement

PDCA is a methodology used to control and continuously improve processes and products. The roots of the philosophy can be traced back to the Tokyo Institute of Technology in 1959. The father of modern quality control, W. Edwards Deming, referred to it as the "Shewart Cycle" and commonly referred to it as PDSA. It is known as a system for developing critical thinking.

We decided to use the approach that we're not going to focus on the outcome," Saban said. "We were just going to focus on the process of what it took to play the best football you could play, which was to focus on that particular play as if it had a history and life of its own. Don't look at the scoreboard, don't look at any external factors, just all your focus and all your concentration, all your effort, all your toughness, all your discipline to execute went into that particular play. Regardless of what happened on that play, success or failure, you would move on to the next play and have the same focus to do that on the next play, and you'd then do that for 60 minutes in a game and then you'd be able to live with the results regardless of what those results were."

Chances are your inbox is a lot like that abandoned basket of stuff sitting in the back of your closet. You know it's dying to be cleaned out (and is housing many hidden surprises), but the thought of tackling such a task is overwhelming. And who has six hours of free time to spare for something like that? But organizing your emails doesn't have to take all day-in fact, you can do it in just one hour if you set aside the time for it.

Our lives get filled with clutter not instantly but slowly, one gift or purchase at a time, so slowly that it's difficult to even notice the clutter creep happening.

But it does happen, even to the most devoted of minimalists. If we're not ever vigilant, clutter rises like a slow never-ebbing tide.

Stacks of paper, closets overflowing, floors slowly covered by things we've meant to get to, shelves spilling from books we haven't gotten to, counters disappearing beneath piles.

It's time to clear some space to breathe.

I'm issuing a challenge for this month: declutter your space.

Effective visual management boards should allow anyone to know in real time exactly how the process is performing and where the issues are. To get there, organizations must clearly define what processes and improvements they want to measure. The key questions then become what exactly do you want to know about a process, then what are the critical metrics.

A good primer on visual communication

The TOC theory seeks to provide precise and sustained focus on improving the current constraint until it no longer limits throughput, at which point the focus moves to the next constraint. The underlying power of Theory of Constraints flows from its ability to generate a tremendously strong focus towards a single goal and to removing the constraint to achieving more of that goal.

The Theory of Constraints is a methodology for identifying the most important limiting factor (i.e. constraint) that stands in the way of achieving a goal and then systematically improving that constraint until it is no longer the limiting factor. In manufacturing, the constraint is often referred to as a bottleneck. The concept takes a scientific approach to improvement and hypothesizes that every complex system, including manufacturing processes, consists of multiple linked activities, one of which acts as a constraint upon the entire system.

The gemba walk how-to guide has its merits. But we need to be careful. Gemba walk templates, observation points, and sample questions can appear formal, audit-like, creating distance between the observer and the observed. We should worry less about doing the gemba walk the right way and focus more on doing the right thing by people. This means treating people as individuals and showing them respect. This means taking a genuine interest in person in front of us, in how they see reality and and learning how they wish to influence outcomes in their lives and work. Ultimately, the gemba walk is not about the gemba or the walk. It is all about the humble listen.

A bottleneck analysis is a detailed process where an organization gathers as much detailed information about the flow of a particular product or process. Specifically, data is gathered about the point(s) in the process where workflow is bottlenecking. This type of analysis can be done specifically to identify the cause of a bottleneck that is causing problems, or to learn about processes where a bottleneck is likely to occur in the future. The bottleneck analysis will provide important information about how things are done, and how they can be improved.

Watch this educational video on Bottleneck Analysis!

PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) and PDSA (Plan-Do-Study-Act) are two techniques aimed at promoting continuous improvement and extending a company's ability to stay ahead of a rapidly changing environment. However, while some people confuse them and even use them interchangeably, there are some big differences that are important to observe.

When dealing with process variation, you'll need to learn to recognize the two general types of it, and the ways they impact the operation of your business. In most cases, some level of variance to a process is inevitable: the question is whether the factors that cause this variation are controlled and predicted, and if you can account for that variation in your output projections. If you're able to work around it, there's usually no big issue - but things tend to get messier once special cause variation is introduced to the mix.

In an interview with CBS News, Musk seems to be having a change of heart and perspective. He referred to the environment as "production hell," as frustration has risen over the Model 3. Musk now feels that the robotics in the Tesla plant have actually complicated things and has caused the delays in production. During the interview, he states that he will be scaling back on automation and depending more on the "human" touch and feel for auto production. For some, this has not been shocking news or an over-statement of the issues. 

Respect for people is not simply treating people in your organization in a positive manner.  It is challenging them to grow, providing them the tools, training, and experiences to do so, and creating an environment where mistakes and failures are allowed and even encouraged.  Respect extends beyond the immediate organization to suppliers, customers, and the community as a whole.

There are three key metrics to track our progress when striving for the ideal of continuous improvement.

The Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) method is a very useful technique for improving the state of operations within an organization, both on a large scale as well as in a targeted manner aimed at specific components or processes. There are various ways to apply PDCA, and it's quite flexible in its use as well, making it the ideal candidate for those who want to see good results in their operations over a relatively short time span.

Learning to become more resilient can offer individuals the opportunity to improve their life, maximizing potential and success.

Very motivating and thought-provoking quotes - ENJOY!