Infographic
Andon Process Summary (Infographic)
Using andons effectively requires more than just a set of lights and an andon board. It demands an effective process that is followed each and every time the lights are illuminated.
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Kanban Card Example
This example depicts the actual flow of how Velaction produces our DVDs in a just-in-time manner. We make frequent improvements to our products, so do not want to carry a lot of inventory. Instead, we do in-house production of our DVDs.
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Poka Yoke Infographic
Passing on poor quality is a big no-no in a Lean operation. It is disruptive to flow when defects are found far downstream from where the error took place.
Poka yokes support this principle in two ways. The first is that they help to eliminate defects at the source. This is the optimum situation in which a defect never happens in the first place.
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First Pass Yield Infographic
First pass yield is determined by multiplying the yield of all the processes in a system. The results are often far lower than expected. The more processes in the system, the more pronounced the dropoff can be.
Lean Blog-Gotta Go Lean Podcasts
Value Stream Mapping Podcast with Karen Martin
Once again, I had the pleasure of hosting an interview with Karen Martin. She recently co-authored a book with Mike Osterling. It’s titled Value Stream Mapping: How to Visualize Work and Align Leadership for Organizational Transformation. (If you are interested in buying the book, it is available at Amazon.com.)
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Knowledge Management (Part 2)
- Assign an owner for the knowledge management system. Few things work well if there is not a single individual with whom the buck stops.
- Do a thorough assessment of current knowledge management tools and practices. Most companies have some form of knowledge management, even if it is not formalized.
- more…
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Continuous Improvement Skills-Level 4: Developing Systems
Without the right systems in place, your improvement efforts will never reach their full potential. There is an ongoing chorus from Lean experts that you can’t just focus on tools and expect gains. The truth is that taking a tools-based approach will lead to improvement. It just pales in comparison Read more…
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Continuous Improvement Skills-Level 3: Lean Leadership
Leading an improvement oriented organization is not easy. It is even more challenging to lead one that wants to have a continuous improvement culture but is far from it. It takes a special individual to be everything that is required of a Lean leader. And it takes a special set Read more…
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Continuous Improvement Skills-Level 3: Using Advanced Tools
Not all continuous improvement tools are created equal. Some require a solid foundation to be effective. Some demand a level of structure that is not easy to attain at the beginning of a Lean journey. And some just require a higher level of CI experience to put to use in Read more…
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Continuous Improvement Skills-Level 2: Using Tools
One of the common mistakes that people make regarding continuous improvement is that they focus on the tools rather than systems. Lean is far more than the sum of its tools. That said, it is still absolutely imperative that team members are well-versed in the use of these tools within Read more…