A FIFO lane (First In, First Out) helps manage flow in a process. It is exactly what it sounds like. The first item coming into a process is the first one worked on. FIFO lanes provide consistency and predictability. They create a link between a process and its upstream supplier. Read more…
There are a variety of certification ranks in continuous improvement environments. Most use the belt system that originated with Six Sigma, but has spread to Lean. Typically, Green Belts are people who have been trained in a general manner to do basic projects. Black Belts have more expertise and are Read more…
Recently, a study in New York City found that nearly three quarters of cabbies had charged an out-of city rate for rides within the city, at about twice the cost to the passenger. Now, the actual numbers come out to 1.8 million out of 360 million trips. The article I Read more…
In Lean, the term sensei means “expert” or “master” and highlights the Japanese origin of modern Lean practices. Its use shows great respect to the recipient. It is normally bestowed upon Lean practitioners who have shown extraordinary skill in Lean implementation and are exceptional at passing that knowledge on to Read more…
I was working on a project for a consulting client and took a short break to see what was new in the news. I came across an interesting article about a late-night (alcohol-fueled) exchange between a blogger (the one fueled by the alcohol) and Steve Jobs of Apple. It was Read more…
A recent study on interruptions in emergency rooms had a surprising finding. (See the full article on CNN here) I wasn’t surprised at how often doctors were interrupted: 11% of all tasks. In fact, that might be low for any given office worker. Shop floor workers tend to be more Read more…
First pass yield (FPY) is a metric that indicates the percentage of items moving through a series of processes without any problems. The basic equation for first pass yield is: First Pass Yield = Process 1 Yield * Process 2 Yield *…*Process ‘n’ Yield As you can see, the more Read more…
Your first priority when searching for a Lean trainer or consultant is to find one whose style matches your company’s culture. Identifying someone who is a good fit is the key to maximizing the return on your investment. An added bonus is finding that match locally. If you are looking Read more…
Complex problem solving often require complex thinking to get to simple, effective, easy to implement solutions. When a team is very homogenous, they tend to think very rigidly and one-dimensionally. Consider a football team. Coaches understand the need for a well-balanced set of skills. A team needs big guys for Read more…
I get a monthly shot to battle my seasonal allergies. As part of the process, the nurse has to confirm my information, prep the injection site, and administer the special concoction. Then there is waiting period where I have to be observed to make sure I don’t have any sort Read more…
One of the rarest feats in sports is the perfect game. For those non-sports fans among you who don’t know what that is, it simply means that no batters were able to reach first base. In short, 27 people in a row failed to do their job properly. In fact, Read more…
The unfortunate truth is that most leaders, especially in an office environment, don’t have as good of an idea of what is going on as they think they do. If you are the manager of an administrative team, there’s a good chance that the last comment offended you. If it Read more…