Cherry picking is the practice of taking on the easiest work first. It generally has a reputation as being a bad practice. In continuous improvement, though, there are times that cherry picking is a desired practice. As a rule of thumb, if a process is intended to flow, you should not cherry pick. Most flow processes are intended to be first in, first out. This holds true in both assembly operations and in office work Read more…
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5W1H is shorthand for “Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.” It is used both in problem solving and in project planning. This set of questions is sometimes referred to as the Kipling Method or the “6 Serving Men of Creativity”, due to a poem that appeared in Rudyard Kipling’s 1902 “Just So Stories.” I keep six honest serving-men (They taught me all I knew); Their names are What and Why and When And How Read more…
The Pareto principle is the result of the work of the 19th Century economist, Vilfredo Pareto. He realized that wealth in Italy was distributed unevenly, and mathematically proved his observation. Today, the Pareto principle is more commonly known as the 80-20 rule. Simply put, 80 percent of problems are the result of 20 percent of the causes. The power of the Pareto principle is immense. It conserves resources by letting you focus on a small Read more…
A strong culture of continuous improvement relies heavily on teamwork. When there is a problem, team members need to be able to rely on others to come to the rescue. Ghostism is the Lean affliction in which a person becomes invisible whenever it is their turn to provide help to others. They are always present when they need help. It is only when it is time to return the favor that they can’t be found. Read more…
Work with Japanese Lean consultants for any length of time, and you will almost certainly hear the term “concrete head”. It is a derogatory term used to indicate people who are generally opposed to not only making changes, but even discussing them. People who are extremely susceptible to displaying this behavior suffer from the Lean affliction, concretitis. See Also: Concrete Head Rather than repeat myself here, I suggest you read the entry on “concrete head” Read more…
A lot of the things that are required in a continuous improvement culture demand self-discipline, commitment, and some degree of sacrifice. Leaders who mandate those things from their teams while not doing the same themselves will lose the respect of their team. In practice, this means that leaders will have to do the very highly recognizable things extremely well. 5S is one of the easiest ways to lead by example. Another is to follow the Read more…
Changeitis is an innate resistance to change, regardless of the merits of the new situation. It is one of many Lean afflictions that hamper the full potential of continuous improvement efforts. Some people get set in their ways and oppose change on general principle. These people might even complain about the status quo, but when it comes time to alter anything, they won’t do it. Most people have a natural resistance to change. Humans are Read more…
Unlike medical allergies, the Lean affliction of Dirt Allergies has no physical component to it. It is simply a condition in which people are extremely reluctant to get hands or clothing dirty. This condition is most common in leaders who are unwilling to get involved in production processes, or in office workers who don’t like being on the shop floor. Office Workers In fairness, some office workers do dress rather nicely and their outfits can Read more…
Strong communication is an important ingredient for effective teams, and continuous improvement relies heavily upon teamwork. Some people, though, suffer from Clarity Impairment, a Lean affliction in which they are unable to provide information without ambiguity. This might fall into the realm of just not making sense with what they say, but there are also many cases in which the information is intentionally vague. Instructions like “Make it happen,” or feedback like “I took care Read more…
Having the support of your team is critical to the development of your continuous improvement culture. In most cases, that support, or lack of support is very obvious. When a person is on-board with a change, even if they are not a cheerleader for it, they tend to be open about it. Some people who resist the change are also open about it, and can be, in fact, extremely vocal about opposing the change. But Read more…
There’s an old expression about ‘getting into the weeds.’ Most people think it comes from golfers getting off the fairway into the thick stuff on the side, or from fishermen getting their lines tangled up in underwater growth. Regardless of the origin, in meetings in a work environment, it means that the discussion gets down into tiny minutia that are beyond the level of detail necessary for the discussion at hand. Focusing on the small Read more…
