The generally accepted definition of procedure in a Lean company is that it is the “how” of an operation. It is closely related to the term “process”. A process would be the series of steps required to complete the operation, or the “what”. Think of the acronym SOP, which is either standard operating procedure or standing operating procedure. In either case, the “P” stands for procedure. Most people understand that an SOP is a description Read more…
Overtime is the period when an hourly wage earner works beyond his or her scheduled time, usually for an incremental boost in pay. State and federal employment laws govern how overtime can be used. Overtime is a useful tool for managing capacity during demand spikes. When a few extra orders come in on occasion, it makes sense to use overtime to handle the extra work. Overtime is also useful to manage temporary increases in businesses. Read more…
Overproduction is one of the seven wastes of Lean. It is the act of making a product or performing a service before the downstream customer asks for it. Overproduction is one of the leading causes of excess inventory. Overproduction is prevalent in push systems where upstream processes build according to a schedule, and then send the product out regardless of whether their customer is ready for it. Lean deals with overproduction by creating pull systems, Read more…
The term “operator” is frequently used to describe a shop floor worker in a production environment. While it seems to stem from the use of the term “machine operator”, it has been shortened and now is used more universally. The term is more positive than worker, headcount, or the demeaning “body”. In standard work sheets, operators are frequently depicted as a dark circle nested in a half-moon shape. The symbol is intended to represent a Read more…
Morale is simply the attitude you have about work. Good morale means people are satisfied with their jobs and are willing to commit to the success of the company. With poor morale, people feel like the company is an adversary, and are reluctant to engage in much more that the minimum tasks necessary to keep their jobs. Many managers and executives don’t recognize the importance of morale to Lean success. Fully engaged employees are critical Read more…
Low hanging fruit describes the “big bang for the buck” projects that can jump start a Lean implementation. They are the problems and opportunities that are easy to address with relatively little effort. The low hanging fruit are not likely to be the biggest payoff projects, but they are the ones that can be resolved with continuous daily improvements (sometimes called daily kaizen). Just don’t get into the habit of only going after the easiest Read more…
In the most common definition, lead time is the time that elapses from when a customer places an order until the order is received. A variation on the definition of lead time looks at the time from when raw material arrives at a facility until the finished product ships. This is company focused, though, rather than customer focused. We recommend using the first definition. Lead time should be a customer oriented metric. The shorter your Read more…
Intermittent problems are simply ones that don’t occur every time a process is performed. The inconsistency with which intermittent problems present makes them extremely hard to resolve. The most common form of intermittent problem is the computer glitch. Something happens once, and then the problem goes away for a while. The truth is that there really is no such thing as an intermittent problem. All outputs are a function of the inputs and the process Read more…
Inputs are the factors that are necessary to complete a process. They may be environmental (heat, humidity), labor, material, or anything else that is required. Some inputs, though, are not intentional—the proverbial “flies in the ointment”. Controlling these inputs is critical to delivering high quality results from a process. Inputs are the ‘I’ part in the SIPOC (Supplier-Input-Process-Output-Customer) diagram.
Industrial discipline is the act of doing the right thing on the shop floor. Industrial discipline means practicing 5S and putting tools away, using andons to report problems even if it makes you look bad, and following Standard Work every time. Industrial discipline is an enabler of Lean. When people do what is asked of them with minimum supervision, Lean thrives. Industrial discipline is most effective when employees are trusted rather than closely monitored. When Read more…
Improvements are simply changes for the better. Lean and other continuous improvement philosophies all focus on using some sort of problem solving method to drive improvement. Improvements can range from new, better computer systems, to kaizen events, on down to moving a garbage can closer to the point of use. Unfortunately, seemingly simple things in continuous improvement often aren’t quite so cut and dried. Judging something as an improvement is far more complicated than it Read more…
An implementation is simply the act of putting a plan into effect. It can also refer to a change in a strategy or a system. In continuous improvement, the term “implementation” commonly refers to Lean as a whole, or can mean implementing the system-based tools, such as pull, kanban, or standard work. The term “Lean implementation” means to put Lean principles in place in an organization. Despite the frequent use of this term, most Lean Read more…