Tweddle Continuous Improvement

I liked when he pointed out that we must look for evidence that things are going right. The 21 questions post also looks at this issue of what to look for.

Lean business operation philosophy not only applies to manufacturing, we've also seen its positive impact on service. Now here's somebody proposing to apply it to municipal operations. And he's right!

A number of these apply to service in interesting ways as well.

I haven't watched any of these yet, but they might be something we learn from.

Good read for all of us involved in new product development.

Kanban is creating visual cues within a process/system that are intended to trigger action (e.g., an empty bin or . . . well, a full bin). This article quickly provides two things: 1) Sound advice when attempting to develop a Kanban system: "if you having a difficult time getting started just remove the first and last step [when reviewing your value stream process]. Compress your value stream so that you have better definition and you know exactly what your handoff will be and who you will be giving it to." 2) Eepybird's creative sticky note video

Plus my parenthetical annotation of the 3 hazards in this post . . . #1 - Lack Of A Repeating System (I see a hazard that I suspect is more frequently encountered than the lack of a repeating system: failing to identify the potential for a repeating system where it currently doesn't exist) #2 - Following Human Inputs (i.e., identifying the scope of your VSM. This is can prove difficult in complex development systems) #3 - VS Mapping Without Observation (Can one even think to perform value stream mapping without observation? What would be the point?)

Steps to consider when applying "Lean" to services. 1) Define Improvement Targets on the Basis of Voice of the Customer 2) Make the Relevant Processes Visible 3) Determine the Time Traps 4) Analyse the Time Traps to Determine their Causes 5) Apply Appropriate Tools to Improve the Process

Can somebody watch this and let us know if it is valuable?

Where do we pile up "wet clothes"? POD, Pressroom, DC, etc?

Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped." - African proverb

An interesting visual way to manage your tasks.

Will I see it on display in your office next week? Tracking "doing" and "backlog" with movable post its is interesting.

I may give it a try, I haven't decided yet.

A good reminder that during our Gemba walks we need to notice safety issues.

Like the last para. "I often see companies "put on" Kaizen Events or Kaizen Blitzes . . . If a company's desire is to be successful their motto should be: Problem Solving-Everyday-Everybody." Kaizen is a wonderful tool, but one most effective within a culture that is always looking for improvement.

Love it - we should have poster of this!

It may be a bit long winded for a poster. However, if you would really like one, check out the list of web sites that will create one for you in Drive.

A good post about how to ask challenging questions.

I will have to try asking some challenging questions some time.

What truths are we not speaking?

I got this off the Superfactory website. It is a website dedicated to Lean. I have not looked at any of these videos. Let me know if any of you see anything of interest to us.

When you go to Ireland perhaps a virtual tour of the Irish Whiskey plant would be in order!

Now that is a great idea!