Continuous Improvement Teams: 6 Reasons Why Crab Fishing on Deadliest Catch is a Model for Lean Managers & Employees

Where can you find some of the best Lean Six Sigma teams around? The people I’m thinking of don’t spend their day on the shop floor or in an office. They work on the deck of a boat. Surprisingly, a great example of Lean operations is on Discovery Channel’s hit show Deadliest Catch.

Many regard fishing for crab in the Bering Sea as one of the most brutal—and lethal—occupations in the world.

(Check out this video if you have never seen the show before)

It makes sense that there is some sort of Lean process flow that helps keep the crew alive and the boat intact in the midst of constant danger.

Let’s take a closer look at their daily operations…

• Standard Work Is Second Nature

The sleep-deprived crew has to precisely follow Standard Work to keep from getting injured as gigantic, frigid waves crash over the bow and 900-pound crab pots swing onto the heaving deck.

If someone is in the wrong place at the wrong time he could easily get killed. I doubt these guys have their processes written out on Standard Work Combination Sheets. But when you watch them do their jobs, it’s clear that everyone is well-trained, and that they go exactly where they are needed, when they are needed.

• Productivity Is Emphasized

It is a race against the clock. The Alaskan king crab season is short, so every minute counts.

• Competition Is Fierce

The captain and his crew not only battle the onslaught of stormy seas, but they face aggressive competition from other ships in the fleet—ships that are trying to grab their own share of the profits.