An acceptable quality level (AQL) is the percentage of defects allowed for a lot before it is rejected by a customer. Due to the size of most lots and the costs of 100% inspections, the quality of an incoming lot is frequently assessed with a sampling plan. The AQL will Read more…
Curiosity is the desire to learn more, or the state of dissatisfaction with a lack of knowledge. It is also a fundamental part of any problem solving mentality. Curiosity provides the drive to follow up on an issue once it is identified. It gives the spark that makes people continue Read more…
A line stop is exactly what it sounds like. A team member presses a button that prevents an assembly line from advancing. This typically happens for one of two main reasons. Someone discovered a quality issue. Someone was not finished with their work. Other reasons might include maintenance problems, misplaced Read more…
Where did the name “Velaction Continuous Improvement” come from? There are two parts to this answer. The first is the origin of the word “Velaction”. The company originally started out as Cascade Corporate Solutions due to our location in Seattle near the Cascade Mountains. Eventually, as we started to grow, Read more…
Takt time is the required pace of production to meet customer demand. It is calculated by dividing the working time available, generally for that shift, by the customer demand during that time period. Despite its apparent simplicity, it is one of the most misunderstood terms in continuous improvement. It is Read more…
The 1/3 – 2/3 rule of planning simply says that leaders should take a third of the time until a deadline to make a plan, and then provide their subordinates with the remaining time to develop their own plans and execute them. It is a simple rule of thumb that Read more…
Every company that is truly committed to continuous improvement has its decisions based in fact. That means loads of information. Another characteristic of those same organizations is that they try to empower and engage their employees. Sometimes, the combination of these two factors can make a person feel like he Read more…
Most people have a baseline as far as what they think can be accomplished with continuous improvement. So, when a leader starts talking about Lean capabilities, many people take the message with a grain of salt. The gains that Lean offers can seem too good to be true, especially to Read more…
Change management is a fairly large field of study that deals with effectively and efficiently introducing changes into an organization. When changes occur, there are some predictable sequences of events that follow. Understanding this process will help smooth transitions that are associated with continuous improvement. Change has two main components. Read more…
CLOSED MITT is an acronym used to categorize waste. It expands on the traditional 7 Wastes that are frequently used in Lean efforts. The origin of CLOSED MITT is unknown, but it has grown in use over the years. Since its early days, it has come into fairly common mention Read more…
All of you, our readers, share a passion for continuous improvement. But your similarity ends there. Each of you has different needs. Everyone learns in different ways. The demands you face in your businesses are unique. So, we offer a broad, customizable line of products and content to help you Read more…
Communication is the act of transferring information and ideas from person to person. It comes in many forms. Face-to-face conversations. E-mails. Phone. Voicemail. Non-verbal communication (i.e. rolling of eyes). Pictures painted on the walls of caves. Even chalk marks on park benches can be a form of communication between covert Read more…