This Lean affliction is characterized by seeing things as useful only in a single, prescribed use. In many cases, this is true. In some cases, this is not the case. As a simple, real world example, a plastic milk jug can be cut to form a scoop. You can use Read more…
There are a set of ailments that afflict many people when attempting to implement Lean. One such ailment is the aversion to seeing a flat surface unencumbered by clutter, known as FSS or Flat Surface Syndrome. Some people have a tendency to see an open surface as an invitation to Read more…
The term “firefighting” is often used to describe solving problems in a mad scramble during a crisis. It generally means that someone comes in and handles a problem in an emergency mode. The result is normally just enough to rescue the team from its predicament, but seldom actually solves the Read more…
Fastcap is a small manufacturing company located just north of Bellingham, Washington. While the company itself develops and sells tools to support the woodworking industry, its real claim to Lean fame is that it is used as a vehicle for its founder, Paul Akers, to test and promote his Lean Read more…
A facilitator is an individual who instructs, coaches, and guides project teams towards their continuous improvement objectives. This person may be facilitating as a secondary role or as their primary function. They may also be an employee of the company that they are coaching, or they may be an individual Read more…
FISH, or “First In, Still Here” is a tongue-in-cheek term for excessive inventory. It is a play on the terms FIFO (first in, first out) and LIFO (last in, first out).
Frontline employees are the people who do the ongoing production work in an organization. While the range and skills of frontline employees vary widely, most of the entry-level jobs within the company fall into this category. That is not to say all frontline jobs are entry-level. There are many senior Read more…
A flowchart is a visual representation of the progression of an entity (product, person, information, etc.) through a process. A flowchart is a visual representation of the progression of an entity (product, person, information, etc.) through a process. Flow charts have two main uses. Process flow charts are used for Read more…
Flow production is one of many names used to describe a system of production that predominantly follows Lean principles. It is recognizable by single units of work moving directly from one process to the next without stopping in queues. That state of streamlined motion is known as flow, and is Read more…