Chi-e and Dr. Seuss March 29, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Lean Thinking.Tags: Lean Thinking
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Chi-e is the creation of an innovative idea through deep thinking – something Dr. Seuss’s Grinch also managed to do. Curiosity is a good thing. Lesa, writing at TPS Blog, talks about how she uses Chi-e every day to apply, explain, and share the Toyota Production System. This leads her to innovation and profound insights.
Read Lesa’s TPS blog post here.
Tumbling Down the Slippery Slope February 27, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in automotive, Lean Thinking.Tags: automotive, Lean Thinking
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Bill Waddell, writing at Evolving Excellence, writes about the demise of Toyota’s culture. Toyota, which has long prided itself on not firing employees to save money, has done just that in Australia. Despite the step back from a cornerstone of Toyota’s operating philosophy, Bill insists this has no bearing whatsoever on lean thinking itself.
Check out Bill’s Evolving Excellence post here.
4 Myths About the Principle “Respect for People” January 30, 2012
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Lean Thinking, workforce.Tags: Lean Thinking, workforce
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The lean principle which advocates respect for people has gained substantial support in the last few years, but there are myths about the principle which Jamie Flinchbaugh takes to task. Those myths include avoiding conflicts and giving people autonomy, but not requiring accountability. Mr. Flinchbaugh explains that conflict leads to resolution, and failing to hold people to account can have a variety of negative impacts.
To read the other myths and Mr. Flinchbaugh’s thoughts, please head here.
How to Change a Culture: Lessons from NUMMI December 19, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in automotive, culture, Lean Thinking, Workplace Design.Tags: automotive, culture, Lean Thinking
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In an excellent article at Sloan Review, John Shook analyzes the joint-GM/Toyota factory endeavor (the New United Motor Manufacturing Inc.) which totally changed the workforce there. The Toyota Production System was employed, getting people to change how they behaved. Training, the way things are done, and organization all influenced a cultural change at the plant. The workforce there wanted to prove they could turn out quality products, so among the changes made was to use the stop-the-line andon process.
For a link to purchase the complete article, head here.
Toyota’s True North Concept December 18, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in lean, Lean Thinking.Tags: lean, Lean Thinking
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Art Smalley, writing over at the Lean Edge, talks about Toyota’s True North concept. He talks about his dislike of the use of the buzz word “True North”, believing it doesn’t help to clarify anything. What is at that northernmost point is the idea about what a company should do, not what it can do. Always driving at what should be done, rather doing what can be done, helps motivate and push businesses along.
For Art’s post and a graphic depicting the True North concept, click here.
Applying TPS Beyond the Shop Floor December 18, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in lean, Lean Thinking.Tags: lean, Lean Thinking
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Ron Pereira, writing at LSS Academy, shares a video about applying TPS beyond the factory or shop floor. Toyota is dedicated to helping communities after disasters, and they translated their system of manufacturing to the Saint Bernard Project in Louisiana, where rehabbed homes are completed much faster.
Check out the video here.
The Last Step to 5 Whys Process – The “So What?” Test November 17, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in lean, Lean Thinking.Tags: lean, Lean Thinking
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Best accomplished with a team, the 5 Whys Process “So What” test is a root cause analysis technique of addressing a problem. Once a problem or issue is discovered, tracing the source of the problem comes next. (For example, the milk is sour because milk was on sale, too much milk was purchased to save money, which led to more milk than could be consumed before expiration.) Though it may seem like common sense and a waste of time, asking “so what?” is more useful than one might think.
Check out the LSS Academy post here.
Lean Healthcare featured on PBS Nightly Business Report November 17, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in healthcare, Lean Thinking.Tags: healthcare, Lean Thinking
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Mark Graban highlights that PBS Nightly Reports recently featured a segment on lean healthcare. Despite some generalizations (e.g., that factories are all dusty and dirty), the report focuses on the shift of ideas back and forth across the Pacific to Japan and to America. The report also notes that approximately 25% of hospitals are currently using lean.
Check out the Lean Blog post, and a video, here.
13 Questions to Assess Lean Competence in an Organization November 17, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in lean, Lean Thinking, strategy.Tags: lean, Lean Thinking, strategy
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Jon Miller’s post on Gemba Panta Rei talks about lean competence that can be assessed through the use of insightful questions. Among these questions: “Are problems hidden or made visible?” “Are people viewed as short-term costs or long-term investments?” “Is getting to work on a plan quickly more important than slowly forming an effective process?”
Check out Mr. Miller’s post, as well as the rest of the assessment questions here.
The Absurd Cost of Complexity June 2, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in government, Lean Thinking.Tags: government, Lean Thinking
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Those who participate in lean see unnecessary complexity when it comes about, says Kevin Meyer on the Evolving Excellence blog site. He provides the United States tax code: a bungle of 72,536 pages. It costs on average $431 billion for companies to stay ahead of changes, complete the forms, comply, and enforce. Mr. Meyer also presents the case of a company seeking alternative energy –only to be confronted with 148 conditions before construction can begin. Such constrictive regulation not only stifles creativity, but wastes money.
Read Mr.Meyer’s post here.
Lean Space – Some Thoughts and 10 Questions June 2, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in lean office, Lean Thinking, Workplace Design.Tags: lean office, Lean Thinking, workplace design
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Mark Hamel, writing over at Gemba Tales, notes that often, organizations don’t seriously take into account lean principles when designing buildings and workspaces. Mark includes in his post a list of things to be considered when designing. For example, will the new space make visual management easier, with no visual obstructions? Will the new space facilitate 5S and workplace organization?
Check out Mr. Hamel’s post, and the rest of his list here.
Taking the Gemba Walk June 2, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Lean Thinking.Tags: Lean Thinking
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The founder of the Lean Enterprise Institute, James Womack, has never managed or manufactured anything. But his ability to stand by, observe, and ask questions, had given him critical knowledge in manufacturing and managing. He describes the gemba walk as a “management practice to grasp the situation before taking action.” You gather all the managers from vertical functions that touch the value stream, and take a walk together. During the walk, ask questions and get to know the value stream.
Check out the Industry Week feature about Mr. Womack here.
Sleeping Air Traffic Controllers: Mistake-Proofing Anyone? June 2, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Lean Thinking, Mistake Proofing, workforce.Tags: Lean Thinking, mistake-proofing, workforce
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Sam Hoskins, guest writing over at Gemba Tales, talks about the seeming pandemic of sleeping third-shift air traffic controllers. The causes range from lack of sleep to boringness of the third shift. The FAA suspends, fires, or hires people for the third shift, rather than seeking to solve the problems of the third shift. Some ideas proposed include taking on a college intern and putting in a CCTV camera to security.
Check out Mr. Hoskins’s post here.
“Why Your Hospital Should be Like a Factory… Or At Least Some…” June 2, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in healthcare, Lean Thinking.Tags: healthcare, Lean Thinking
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Mark Graban over at Lean Blog notes that there is a lot of antipathy towards the idea of a hospital being like a factory. Imagination conjures up images of cold, dark, heartless rooms and people. Among the ways healthcare can benefit by modeling itself after a lean factory include focusing on safety, providing support systems that allow workers to focus more time on patients, and engaging everyone in improvement discussion.
Read Mr. Graban’s blog post here.
Raytheon Cuts the Waste and Grime in its Metal Fab April 20, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Lean Thinking, Setup Reduction.Tags: Lean Thinking, setup reduction
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Metal fabrication is often associated with dirty and dangerous working conditions, but Andon Massachusetts’s Raytheon Integrated Air Defense Center’s metal fabrication department is anything but that. The reason resides in a culture change that focused on asking and examining how workers performed their job and how much time it took to do things. For example, standardizing the time-costly fixturing process using a computerized library in the machine system reduced changeover times by 50%.
Check out the IndustryWeek article here.
The Essence of the Toyota Way is Respect for People and Continuous Improvement February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Lean Thinking.Tags: Lean Thinking
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Jeff Liker asserts that focusing solely on waste elimination doesn’t do the definition of lean justice. There is no value-added component to it – as there is in Toyota’s way of investing in people by training them. Indeed, Mr. Liker notes, the essence of the Toyota Production System is Respect for People and Continuous Improvement, a key components of respect for people is investing in them, in training, job security, and their morale.
Check out Mr. Liker’s thoughts here.
Intel Volunteers Apply Lean Principles to Food Bank February 21, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in lean, Lean Thinking, Lean Tools & Techniques.Tags: lean, Lean Thinking
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Roadrunner Food Bank puts together meal packages for the elderly. The Intel team that volunteered reformatted the system, leading to an increase of 28% improvement in output. For a visual demonstration of the system administered –and to see lean in progress –check out the video over at Gemba Panta Rei.
See it al here.
Is Lean About Waste? February 4, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in lean, Lean Thinking, manufacturing.Tags: lean, Lean Thinking, manufacturing
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Responding to the question “Is lean about waste?” at The Lean Edge, Jamie Flinchbaugh notes that lean is and is not just about waste reduction. Simplifying lean to waste reduction eliminates the other benefits it can have for the company choosing to implement it. Jamie points out that “getting the value right is so much more important, and so much harder.” This couldn’t be more true.
Check out Mr. Flinchbaugh’s question response here.
Be Careful What You Wish For January 22, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in customer focus, Lean Thinking.Tags: customer focus, Lean Thinking
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The Old Lean Dude blog has related a story about a customer and a grocery store checkout line. The customer was delayed while the cashier rearranged the products with all the barcodes facing up, so that they could be scanned quite quickly. The cashier explained that his productivity was measured by the time between the first and last items scanned. An unintended consequence brought about by management, the customer was forced to wait while the cashier rearranged items in order to scan them quickly.
Check out The Old Lean Dude post here.
Managing Mura January 22, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Lean Thinking.Tags: lean, Lean Thinking
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Leveling out mura through the value stream, says Mike Wroblewski, is to improve flow. Mura, or unevenness, is presented through the example of a company that garners 50% of its profit in the last week of every month. Mr. Wroblewski discovered that the company’s monthly goal was met by slashing prices toward the end of the month – just to meet the goal. The result was higher cost and lower profit. One of the dangers of goals or targets is that they can incur the wrong kinds of behavior.
Check out Mr. Wroblewski’s article here.
Three Types of Standardized Work January 10, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Lean Thinking, Standard Work.Tags: Lean Thinking, standard work
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While not a new concept, the fact that there are three types of Standardized Work doesn’t seem to be well-known. Jon Miller notes, however, that it is far easier to understand these three types as repetitive (Type 1), variable cycle (Type 2), and long cycle (Type 3). He proceeds to break them down in response to a reader question. Type 1, for example, is basic standard work which involves the same repetitive cycle for every product in a well-defined product family, as well as keeping takt times at a minimum.
Read Mr. Miller’s Gemba Panta Rei post here.
Leader Standard Work and Plausible Deniability January 10, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in leadership, Lean Thinking, Standard Work.Tags: leadership, Lean Thinking, standard work
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The term “plausible deniability” is spooky, according to Mark R. Hamel, because it means holding anyone responsible for any actions whatsoever is impossible. The higher-ups blame the lower-downs who can never be identified. But plausible deniability is incompatible with lean. Lean requires transparency and requires a human system of checks at every level of operation, making sure that the standard work process is fulfilled –especially lean leader standard work.
Check out Mr. Hamel’s Gemba Tales blog post here.
Assessing Respect for People on a Gemba Walk January 10, 2011
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Lean Thinking, workforce.Tags: Lean Thinking, workforce
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Gemba Walks have generally served the purpose of scrutinizing lean processes in action. But they have more often than not failed to study the “Respect for People” principle in action. How can one understand whether or not a company respects its employees? Jon Miller over at Gemba Panta Rei breaks down observance of that principle into five basic categories, including Safety and Development of People. Safety, for example, includes everything from safe working environments to healthy food and drink choices made available at the workplace.
Check out Mr. Miller’s insightful article here.
Don’t Speed Up or Improve a Workaround Process – Fix the System December 13, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in healthcare, Lean Thinking.Tags: healthcare, Lean Thinking
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Hospitals are usually engaged in a process of correcting errors, so much so that it becomes normal. But patient care quality suffers as a result. Perhaps, Mark Graban wonders, if hospitals should focus on improving that workaround process, or eliminating the need for it. He describes how he used to take a pill to lower his cholesterol, a necessity only because of his personal lifestyle choices. Do workarounds get infinite refills, or do they get specific time frames to root out the cause of the problem?
Check out Mr. Graban’s LeanBlog article here.
Lean Myth: Lean is Stressful for Workers December 13, 2010
Posted by Jeff Fuchs in Lean Thinking, workforce.Tags: Lean Thinking, workforce
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In a guest post over at Lean Blog, David Veech talks about how change can be stressful, but with a system focus, lean change doesn’t have to be. And the focus of lean is people –letting the people who know how to do the job design things. Mr. Veech notes that lean, if properly implemented, can reduce worker stress by leveling the workload. Another such way to reduce stress is to let workers participate in decision-making and problem-solving.
Check out Mr. Veech’s guest blog here.
