It takes a lot of discipline to make sure you do a root cause analysis on problems rather than leaping to conclusions about what is going on. The definition of a root cause analysis is simply the act of going through a systematic process to identify the source of a problem. The most common method is the 5 Why analysis. Watch out for this pitfall: Many people think they know how to fix something, and Read more…
Data (the plural form of datum) is essentially information that is not yet in context, or without any applied meaning. For example, if you were told that a particular elephant in a zoo weighed 5,800 pounds, you could comprehend how heavy that is, but it would be hard to act on it. You might not know the gender of the animal and may not know the average weight of the species, so you could not Read more…
A cycle is the time from the start of a process until the operator (or machine) is ready to start the next time through the process. An alternative definition of cycle says it is the time from the start of one part until the start of the next part. The problem with the second definition of cycle is that it fails to address the wait time that is inherent in linked processes, such as on Read more…
Customer demand is the pull from a customer. Don’t confuse customers saying they want to purchase something with actually buying something. There is a considerable fall-off between a customer admiring a product or service, and actually opening up her wallet. Knowing your customer demand is critical to Lean operations. Customer demand plays a role in determining takt time, and in developing kanban quantities—both fundamentals of Lean. Supply and Demand Most people have at least some Read more…
Countermeasures are the actions taken to reduce or eliminate the root causes of problems that are preventing you from reaching your goals. In many cases, this is a formal process for a company. A company does its strategic planning, which cascades down through the levels of an organization, creating targets, or Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). When the organization is missing on one of its KPIs, its leaders should perform countermeasures to make sure they have a plan to get Read more…
Costs are simply our outlays or expenses for which we get something in return. It is most often money, but it can be anything—time, money, or even something that you trade in barter. That expectation of getting something in return, given the assumption of a rational market, always implies a win-win situation. In a voluntary transaction (I’m leaving things like taxes and fines out of this), both sides think that they are getting more value Read more…
Correlation is a statistical term that describes the relationship between two different, measurable factors. The relationship may be positive (same direction—one goes up, the other goes up, like temperature and the number of people on the beach), or negative (like temperature and the number of people wearing coats). The relationship will have a mathematical formula associated with it, but it may not be a linear link. Changing one variable may do wacky things to the Read more…
In nearly all continuous improvement projects, it is important to know how long work takes to accomplish, known as the cycle time of the process. So, what is cycle time? Lean defines cycle time as the time it takes to do a process. It includes the time from when an operator starts a process until the work is ready to be passed on. This cycle time definition is rather simplistic, though, as there are several Read more…
Conveyors are automated systems for moving products and materials between two points. Roller tables perform the same function, but without the automation. Some are built on the ground; others are elevated to bench level. Some even hang parts from an overhead track. While conveyors certainly have an application in many situations, Lean tends to look to other solutions first. Lean’s use of work cells and flexible stations, as well as the constant rearranging of processes Read more…
A continuous improvement culture is a shared value system that promotes the belief that what is good enough today is not good enough for tomorrow. Cultures do not change overnight. It takes time, patience, strong communication skills, and most importantly, trust between managers and their teams. A continuous improvement culture starts with a strong Lean leadership team that actively seeks out opportunities to: reduce waste, improve flow through the value stream, and increase the focus Read more…
Checkpoints, in the military, are used to track progress of a unit’s movement. In Lean, checkpoints can be used in a similar fashion. Checkpoints can be linked to specific process steps. When the sequence of work is standardized, the operator should hit those checkpoints with the same time remaining in the takt time each and every cycle. Simply put, if an operator knows that at Step 3 (her checkpoint), she should have 3:08 left on Read more…
Checklists are in rather common use and the general concept of their use is understood by most. But they are commonly misused and there are multiple potential pitfalls with this type of standardization tool. Some checklists require the steps to be completed in a precise sequence; others, like a checklist for packing, just remind you of all the things you need. Some require checkmarks, readings from gauges, times, initials, or even signatures. Some are for Read more…
