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Many office work areas don’t control the flow of work onto people’s desks. As a result, individuals may face a small pile of work on one day, and a large pile of work the next. Further complicating the problem, there is frequently no formal standardization of their processes. This makes Read more…
Benchmarking is simply the practice of finding someone who does something well and using it as a reference to set the bar for improvement. This can be done within the same industry (i.e. comparisons to competitors), or in other industries to spur revolutionary thinking. One frequently overlooked opportunity for benchmarking Read more…
In the early 1900’s, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth refined a system of analyzing work to improve processes. They focused on identifying the core “motion cycles” that combined to form work activities. This detailed understanding of work let them identify inefficiencies and eliminate waste. The name “Therblig” comes from a near Read more…
Hoshin kanri is a Japanese term meaning policy deployment or strategic planning. Hoshin kanri has a few characteristics to it: Stretch goals: Hoshin kanri requires leaders to develop stretch goals that may take a number of years to achieve. These goals should come from business opportunities or risks on the Read more…
Gembutsu is a Japanese word meaning “real thing”. It is one of the components of the ‘Three Reals‘ meaning go to the real place (gemba) to see the real thing (gembutsu) and collect the real facts (genjitsu). This term simply means that there is no substitute for seeing something with Read more…
Many Lean experts advocate setting up work areas so there is counterclockwise flow. This principle goes hand-in hand with the U-shaped cell. Using a counterclockwise flow comes from the fact that most people are right-handed. As they move through the cell, their dominant hand is closer to the work sooner. Read more…
A change agent is simply an advocate for change, who follows up on those convictions. He or she not only expresses a desire for change, but also attempts to rally those around them to join the cause. While change agents can be of any rank, they must have influence to Read more…
Breakthrough objectives are targets that can only be achieved with significant changes to the way the company operates. A company cannot achieve them by doing business as usual. Breakthrough objectives often cascade down from an aggressive strategic plan. Sometimes a breakthrough objective is established based on an opportunity. For example, Read more…
A blitz is an intensive project, typically a week long, with focused gains in mind. The term kaizen or kaizen event are sometimes used interchangeably with blitz. Kaizen, in a broader sense though, is any effort to make something better. It makes for a bit of confusion about whether you Read more…
An anomaly is a condition outside of the expected range. Generally, an anomaly has an unusual or unexplained circumstance around it. An explainable spike in a pressure gauge is not an anomaly. Car tire pressure rising after driving isn’t an anomaly. An unexpected, temporary increase would be. If one tire Read more…
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…