Tweddle Continuous Improvement

Why does it seem that there is never enough time to do it right, but always enough time to do something over?  If you want to be a proactive organization it will pay huge dividends if everyone concentrates on doing their job right the first time - even if it takes a little longer to make sure it is right.  And by doing it right the first time, you not only increase your company's efficiencies, but you can also have an immediate impact on customer loyalty, retention and overall profits.

In an experiment, people who sat by a messy desk that was scattered with papers felt more frustrated and weary and took nearly 10% longer to answer questions in a color-and-word-matching task, in comparison with those who were seated by a neatly arranged desk, say doctoral candidate Boyoun (Grace) Chae of the University of British Columbia and Rui (Juliet) Zhu of the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business in China. A disorganized environment appears to threaten people's sense of personal control, and the threat depletes their ability to regulate themselves, the researchers say.

Great post on how to use data to dig for root cause.

My kids enjoy playing with Legos so it is no surprise that they got some new sets for Christmas.  The last few weeks have been fun filled with these little bricks building cars, houses, and other scenes.  As I look at this time together I can't help but think there are a number of Lean lessons that you can take away from this experience.

"I should estimate that in my experience most troubles and most possibilities for improvement add up to the proportions something like this: 94% belongs to the system (responsibility of management), 6% special." (Dr. Edward Deming)

What checks can we install to ensure that the information we send to our downstream colleagues is 100% complete and accurate? What error-proofing tools can we create? It's not that hard to insert data validation tools into a spreadsheet or a web form. Checklists and templates are other tools that can help ensure built-in quality.

Yes, our beliefs are changeable. I know because I've changed numerous beliefs, and tested those new beliefs with self-experiments, and found the new ones to be true. The old beliefs will be true, too, if you believe them. Experience will bear out the beliefs getting in your way, if you believe them. But experience can prove better beliefs to be true too, if you're willing to give them a try.

"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing." - George Bernard Shaw

What's more important… going to gemba (the place the work is done) or being able to performance basic and/or advanced statistical analysis?

Couldn't resist posting an article that links Bruce Lee with productivity!

Great short statement on the power of standards

Some cool apps for helping us get better. I use Lift.

Good problem solvers use a combination of intuition and logic to come up with their solutions. Intuition has more to do with the emotional and instinctive side of us and logic is more related to our cognition and thinking. Good problem solvers use both of these forces to get as much information as they can to come up with the best possible solution. In addition, they are reasonably open minded but logically skeptical.

This morning I had a ton of work to do, and I felt the anxiety building, the moment I woke up and started thinking about all that work. Instead of getting moving, I watched my anxiety. It's an interesting feeling of rising panic, of adrenaline shooting from my chest outward. My mind was racing, my heart was beating fast. This happens to me from time to time - I feel like I have so much to do, and I start to worry. I've learned to deal with it, so that while it still comes up, I now have trust that I'll be fine. And that, in turn, helps it to go away sooner. So what do you do when you're overwhelmed and have a crapload of work to do?

Here's what I did that worked, in hopes that it might help you if these feelings ever come up..

One can learn a lot about Poka Yoke and Human Errors. This is a story about what a coffee cup taught me about how poor design in our products and systems invite human error.

Toyota is famously credited for living by their "we don't build cars, we build people" motto but in fact this same sentiment can be traced back nearly a century ago to the Reverend Samuel Marquis, head of the Ford Motor Company's employee relations department, when he said: "Mr. Ford shoots about fifteen hundred cars out of the back door of his factory every day just to get rid of them. They are the by-products of his real business, which is the making of men."

Excellent quote!

BUT, lean principles in action are initiated, taught, coached, and reinforced by lean leaders largely through their behaviors within the context of the lean management system.

The perseverance is what is so compelling to me.

But just as importantly, they'll help you overcome the fear of failure and fear of discomfort that's holding you back, that's keeping you from making positive changes in your life.