Lean Terms from the Continuous Improvement Companion
Autonomy is the state of being competent and empowered to make decisions on one’s own. Self-directed or self-managed work teams are examples of autonomous groups. In the most effective application of these sorts of teams, workers own the process, rather than having supervisors or leads giving direction. This responsibility may Read more…
Agile manufacturing describes a company’s ability to be responsive to the marketplace. A company has to be able to roll out new products and services as the needs and desires of their customers change. It also has to offer increasingly varied product mixes and greater customization when customers require it. Read more…
The activity ratio is a measure of how quickly work moves through a process. It is simply the sum of the process times divided by the total lead time. For example, if the processing time was 30 minutes and the lead time was 2 hours, the activity ratio would be Read more…
Often, something occurs over a short period, but needs to be compared to a full year. This is known as annualizing. An example: You are applying for auto insurance, and the agent asks you what your yearly mileage is. You know that you drove 1,000 miles in the last month. Read more…
The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a US government organization that coordinates the creation of voluntary national standards. It is the official US representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). More detailed information is available at www.ansi.org. ANSI works towards promoting national standards. These standards help consumers in 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…
Autonomation is automation with a human touch. It essentially means that an automated machine has the built-in intelligence to identify when there is a problem, shut itself off, and signal the operator. This action prevents the machine from damaging itself or from producing more bad parts. See Also: Jidoka
Automation is the act of adding of a mechanical device to a machine that allows it to operate with reduced, non-continuous input from an operator. This allows the operator to do other tasks while the machine is running. In Lean, automation serves the same role it does in any other Read more…
Resource allocation is simply the art and science of parceling out the various resources available to an organization. We use resource allocation in our everyday lives. We have to choose how to divide our time, money, and energy. How do we decide? At home, we do it very informally. We Read more…
An algorithm is simply a set of instructions for solving a specific problem. It is commonly associated with math or computers but applies to all problems. A troubleshooting guide is a form of algorithm, as is a recipe. Algorithms make life easier by standardizing the method to solve a problem, Read more…
Action plans are, in effect, roadmaps to achieve goals. They should contain a description of the improvement goal, names of people on the team, steps to be taken, names assigned to the steps, and due dates for steps. Some action plans are simple in their layout. Others add in additional Read more…