What Customers Really Want And How You Can Give It To Them
All customers want the same thing when it comes to purchasing a product or service. They want one that performs the tasks they need to be done works when it is supposed to, and costs as little as possible. They want the product or service now and do not wish to wait. They want their questions answered promptly and correctly. They don’t really care about guarantees or warranties; what they want are no problems. They don’t want to return to have something fixed; they want zero defects from the outset. In Lean, we call this...
read moreLean Helps Organizations Break Bad Habits
I recently read an article about a company that made a considerable improvement in productivity by simply staggering their lunch breaks. Before the change, everyone went to lunch at the same time. The plant made an item that had a printed dial of some kind. The printing process required two machines. When lunchtime came, the ink had to be removed and cleaned, or it would dry out. When the employees returned from lunch, both pieces of equipment had to be re-inked, which took twenty minutes. While this took place, others on the line waited with...
read moreAn Important Lesson Learned
Over the years, I’ve dealt with many organizations that were “interested” in implementing lean. A few were looking for a complete lean transformation. Others wanted to solve particular problems related to reducing change overtimes, improving flow, or eliminating quality issues. Several of these organizations made substantial progress and continue their lean efforts using kaizen and other lean techniques. But some organizations tried lean and determined it wasn’t for them. I heard excuses such as “It takes too much...
read moreOrganizations Must Have A Lean Vision To Create A Masterpiece
The first requirement in making a successful transformation to lean is to have a clear vision of what the organization will become. The vision is no doubt achievable, but the journey will take time, discipline, and execution to get there. Throughout the journey, you must hold tight to the vision and take consistent actions. Compare your vision to a work of art. Whether it is a painting, a sculpture, a novel, or a Broadway musical, true masterpieces are comprised of a host of small details. The little things combine to create a work...
read moreVisual Management Is The Heart of a Lean Organization
A lean organization makes extensive use of visual management techniques. These techniques require the placement of all tools, parts, activities, and indicators of the system performance so that the status of the system can be understood at a glance by everyone involved. The objective is to be able to see the factory — its workflow, its performance, its problems, and its improvement opportunities. Visual management helps everyone understand the flow and is a major contributor to the elimination of waste in a process. Shadow boards...
read moreSix Rules To Ensure Your Kanban System Is Effective
A kanban is a signboard or card, and the word also refers to the system of utilizing standard containers, each of which has a card designating what and when to produce. Toyota uses kanban to make what they need when it is needed and in the quantity. Taiichi Ohno, the father of the Toyota Production System, stated that it is not an overstatement to say that kanban controls the flow of goods at Toyota. Kanban is a way to achieve just-in-time. In essence, it becomes the autonomic nerve center of the production line. Based on this, the...
read more5-Whys Helps Understand Cause & Effect Relationships
5 Whys is a question-asking method used to explore the cause/effect relationships underlying a particular problem. Ultimately, the goal of applying the 5 Whys method is to determine a root cause of a defect or problem. It was developed at Toyota as part of their production process. In fact, the Toyota production system was built on this practice and the evolution of this scientific approach. As Taiichi Ohno, father of the Toyota production system stated: “Why does one person at Toyota Motor Company operates only one machine,...
read moreLean, Six Sigma, Kaizen! What Is The Best Direction For Your Organization?
Methodologies are almost as numerous as the tools they use. Organizations sometimes struggle with where to start their improvement effort especially when resources are few and funds are in short supply. It really gets down to thinking about your organization’s problems and then selecting the right CI method to address those needs. If your organization is struggling with quality issues and lots of variation and inconsistency, then Six Sigma is the best approach I know of to address those kinds of problems. Projects will focus on...
read moreCommunication Is The Key To Success
Communication is important in any initiative, but none as important as in a Lean Six Sigma deployment. It starts with communicating the vision and making sure everyone is on board. Top leadership must incorporate messages in their daily activities. They must discuss how these activities are in alignment or not in alignment with the vision. They must walk the talk. Company newsletters and other communication formats must continually convey this vision. Deployment champions and department managers must communicate the projects conducted...
read moreIncorporate These Four Elements To Ensure A Successful Continuous Improvement Program
Problems, customer issues, productivity issues, and making decisions are an inherent part of daily life in every organization. Many organizations do an outstanding job and can resolve issues and make decisions very efficiently and quickly. However, there are still many organizations that struggle to resolve the simplest of issues. Why is it that some organizations are so much better than others? I believe four key elements must be a part of every successful continuous improvement effort. A Defined Problem Solving Process. There must be...
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