An acceptable quality level (AQL) is the percentage of defects allowed for a lot before it is rejected by a customer. Due to the size of most lots and the costs of 100% inspections, the quality of an incoming lot is frequently assessed with a sampling plan. The AQL will Read more…
Curiosity is the desire to learn more, or the state of dissatisfaction with a lack of knowledge. It is also a fundamental part of any problem solving mentality. Curiosity provides the drive to follow up on an issue once it is identified. It gives the spark that makes people continue Read more…
Every company that is truly committed to continuous improvement has its decisions based in fact. That means loads of information. Another characteristic of those same organizations is that they try to empower and engage their employees. Sometimes, the combination of these two factors can make a person feel like he Read more…
Change management is a fairly large field of study that deals with effectively and efficiently introducing changes into an organization. When changes occur, there are some predictable sequences of events that follow. Understanding this process will help smooth transitions that are associated with continuous improvement. Change has two main components. Read more…
CLOSED MITT is an acronym used to categorize waste. It expands on the traditional 7 Wastes that are frequently used in Lean efforts. The origin of CLOSED MITT is unknown, but it has grown in use over the years. Since its early days, it has come into fairly common mention Read more…
Communication is the act of transferring information and ideas from person to person. It comes in many forms. Face-to-face conversations. E-mails. Phone. Voicemail. Non-verbal communication (i.e. rolling of eyes). Pictures painted on the walls of caves. Even chalk marks on park benches can be a form of communication between covert Read more…
Lean has been making tremendous strides in healthcare. Like all industries, there are some nuances that demand special attention, but the basic tools and concepts work well. But there is one monumental barrier that disrupts the effectiveness of Lean in the medical field. So what’s the problem? Whenever I talk Read more…
It comes as no revelation to us that we make more mistakes when we are tired. Drive late at night, and you will undoubtedly notice that you’ve got a slower reaction time and that your mind wanders more. Think of the silly errors you make when it is late at Read more…
Coaching is the act of giving specific guidance to help a person make better decisions that will result in the individual getting closer to reaching his or her goals or accomplishing a specific task better. Generally speaking, coaching is very targeted, and usually comes as a result of a formally Read more…
The Policy Deployment Bowler is used to track progress on the targets shown on a Policy Deployment Matrix. In policy deployment, 3 to 5 year strategies are turned into annual objectives. To meet those objectives, leaders establish improvement priorities, which generally require new processes. If the progression through policy deployment Read more…
There are many things that affect job satisfaction, but a handful carry more weight than others. Trust in one’s boss and good relationships with coworkers are both important factors. The ability to have a say in how the job is done is another significant influencer of job satisfaction. When a Read more…
A short while ago, Tim McMahon of the “A Lean Journey” blog and I hosted a webinar in which we talked about how to understand and evaluate the progress you are making as you reduce waste and increase value in your organization. (Note: the link above will take you to Read more…