Tweddle Continuous Improvement

"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)

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.

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!

Good article about problem solving.

Good advice for all of us.

The other day, if I had taken the time to take one stair at a time, I probably would have stepped in just as the meeting began and wouldn't have scattered my papers.  If I'd taken the time to consider WHY I was running late and avoid those conditions next time, perhaps I'd have found out more about the root cause of my problem. Do you ever find yourself wanting to "take the stairs 2 at a time" to do a little more in your current role?  What helps you avoid this temptation?  Please share your thoughts with us.

When you find yourself feeling most like you have to hurry, that is the time to take a breath and proceed with purpose and not rush. I find myself giving this advice quite often.

I love the persistence of Kelly's story!

Creative visual management can be found in any environment - and it doesn't cost anything.

One of their techniques is the "project blitz." They put a team of engineers together (literally - they move their desks right next to each other), protect them from interruptions (they stretch police riot tape across the engineers' area so that no one can enter), and work exclusively on a single project until it's completed. Work flows from one engineer to another with no waiting and no distractions. They've realized, as I've written about before, that task switching is toxic to productivity.

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.

The perseverance is what is so compelling to me.

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.