Tweddle Continuous Improvement

Have you  ever been yelled at by your spouse or significant other for keeping the toilet lid up? Did you ever wish that there was a device that prevented you from making a mistake such as not placing the toilet lid down?

Confusion about how to apply 5S in a knowledge environment is rampant, as these stories of "lean as misguidedly executed" (LAME) attest. I believe that's because people focus on the easily visible, outward trappings of 5S without understanding the purpose of the tool.

How do we stack up?

"The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak." ~Hans Hofmann This is one of the reasons we do 5S!

I wish that I could double like this one. Great quote!

A nice addition to 5 why analysis.

Why wouldn't the team follow the new procedure since there are such clear benefits?  You probably have a theory or two if this experience sounds familiar to you.  The Toyota Way Fieldbook states that when people deviate from the original plan, it's a strong indication that there is a flaw in the plan.  This was also one of the main points of Implementing Change - Get It Done! There are reasons why people are not following a new procedure.  You need to find out what those reasons are and figure out what to do about it. Sustaining the improvements can be the most difficult part of the change process.

An interesting article into the thinking of Mr. Ohno. I've got to read this book.

What's important is that you call it firefighting mode. And if you're only putting bandaids on things, then that's what you call them. This prevents this temporary condition from becoming the permanent mode of operation.

Businesses are full of managerial approval loops. An employee wants to take a break, and he must check in with the supervisor. An employee wants to buy a hand tool, and she must go through channels to put in the request. A back-office employee wants to do something to take care of a customer, and he has to get permission. An employee wants to learn a new skill, and must get authorization from her manager for the company to pay for evening classes. In each of these cases, if you talked to the manager, you would probably hear something along the lines of the approval being a check to ensure that the employee does not make a mistake. These bosses feel like the approval process is good for the company. But I see it as something significantly different. I see a red flag that screams poor process. I see a lack of trust. I see unclear standards. I see an untrained employee. In short, I see a leadership failing.

The fact is that a company does not have to be respectful of its employees and customers in order to be successful. Some can treat their workers and clients with disdain and a lack of respect and still remain profitable…for a while, at least. In the end, it turns out that being respectful is not only the right thing to do, but is also good for business.

Some good tips on Continuous Improvement

Questions to unstick you!

Good article on root cause analysis

Interesting article about how to use Standards.

So, I've got a new question - "Do you see what I see?"
Yes, I know it's three times longer than, "So what?" But, I think it's equally as weighty. (Heck, we can abbreviate it as DYSWIS?)
Here's two ways DYSWIS? can be applied in a lean context.

Perhaps, rather than "looking for waste" we ought to be looking at what few things make a big difference. Just a thought.

Sounds like Switch might be a good read. Has anybody read it?

Yes, and it is a great one! I would highly recommend it.

Unclutterer.com is a fascinating, intensive site dedicated to improving personal productivity and quality of life by the elimination of unnecessary stuff.  The site's dozens of topics range from bedroom and kitchen, to college dorm, office, and general productivity and time management.

Pre-bankruptcy, they (GM) used to collect data from automotive markets around the world, analyze it, and assemble it into large powerpoint decks that circulated every month to 150 recipients. Suspecting that nobody read them, Girsky ordered the report suspended for one month. When only a handful of complaints came in, Girsky discontinued the report.

Brilliant!

After 4 posts about value stream mapping, I thought it would be useful to show a value stream map example. It's easier to learn by seeing examples of how other people use this lean tool.