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 Read more…
The 4 P’s of marketing are a core lesson in any business education. They define the marketing mix strategy. The 4P’s of Marketing are: Product Price Promotion Place The origin of the 4 P’s is credited to E. Jerome McCarthy in 1960, so the concept has had some staying power. Read more…
The standard work schedule week is five 8-hour days, totaling 40 hours. Some companies opt for a 4-10 workweek with an additional day off each week. There are several pros and cons to each schedule. To make the decision even more challenging, the pros and cons can flip for different Read more…
There are 6 big losses of OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness). 6 Big Losses Breakdowns Setup and Minor Adjustment Idling and Minor Stoppages Reduced Speed Defects and Rework Startup Loss Each of these losses saps a small portion of potential production you could be getting from your machines. Total productive maintenance Read more…
The 3P Process Overview Form provides an at-a-glance view of the final process steps that will be implemented. It is a communication tool, as well as a review tool. By going through the process of filling out this form, the team will make sure they have considered each process step Read more…
The 7 Ways Comparison form is a tool used to show an at-a-glance view of 7 process options created as the result of a brainstorming session. It is commonly used in 3P events, but is a useful tool in any situation in which a team needs to choose between several Read more…
The 7 Ways Idea Generation Form is a brainstorming tool that is used to encourage people to stretch their creativity. It is frequently used in 3P events, but is also useful in any problem-solving activity that would require an innovative solution. Get Our 7 Ways Idea Generation Form for Free Read more…
The 100-mile rule for meetings and projects is a mental tool for deciding whether to interrupt a person for a problem. In a nutshell, if the issue is big enough that you would call the person back to handle it if the meeting was a hundred miles away, it is Read more…
The “10-Foot, 3-Second” rule is a rule of thumb regarding visual controls. From 10 feet away, you should be able to assess the status of an operation within 3 seconds. This does not mean that a novice needs to be able to do it, but someone who is familiar with Read more…
The “5Ps of Effective Meetings” is a simple memory device to help you, not surprisingly, run more effective meetings. Because of the rising complexity of business operations, problems increasingly require a collaborative solution. Those collaborative solutions tend to require meetings. Unfortunately, this increased demand for meetings also tends to increase Read more…
The “7 Basic Tools of Quality“ (or 7 QC Tools) is a set of relatively simple data analysis tools used to support continuous improvement efforts, specifically as they relate to quality. These tools are fairly straightforward in that they don’t require sophisticated statistics to use though control charts do border Read more…