Schedules are an important part of a continuous improvement culture. Daily schedules are used for communication and coordination as well as to highlight problems and improvement activity. For example, many teams start the day with scheduled time to get their work areas checked out and ready to go. They also Read more…
The simple definition of a skill is the ability to do something well or having a particular expertise in an activity. In typical organizations, the set of skills required by individuals tends to be fairly narrow for frontline employees and leaders. For the most part, they are asked to do Read more…
This section of our practical guide to continuous improvement explores the source of the motivation behind a company’s decision to embark on a transformative journey. The title of the section, “Understanding the Motivation to Change”, applies to any significant departure from the way you are currently doing business.
Why is it important to understand the motivation? In a nutshell, the path a company takes is dependent upon the reasons for the change. More importantly, if there is a shift in the underlying impetus for change, there is a risk of the project losing steam. In addition, the reason behind the change plays a role in determining how various groups buy into the new way of doing things.
Regulations are rules that are established by an authority. While the term is somewhat generic and can be used by any person or group in charge, this discussion will be limited to governmental agencies. In practice, most companies do not call their directives “regulations”. There are more likely to call Read more…
Training does not happen by accident. Building an effective team requires planning. This training plan should, at the minimum, consider the following: The overall needs of the organization An assessment of the current skills of the team Training capabilities Training goals This training plan does a few main things. It Read more…
I dropped my son off at his elementary school this morning. The spot where they line up was flooded with a giant puddle that was a few inches deep. Interestingly, there were a few different responses to this unusual situation. Some kids just got in line behind it and paid little attention to the standing water. Some kids moved up and explored along its edge. Some of the more adventurous ones, primarily those with boots on, walked into the puddle.
Trust is an important part of continuous improvement. Team members have to believe their bosses. They have to be sure that making gains won’t cost them their jobs and that making mistakes on projects won’t get them in trouble. Lean requires a great deal of autonomy from frontline employees. Lean Read more…
“Shop floor” is a generic term used to describe the work areas where production is done. The terminology is important because there has been a migration of Lean from the shop floor to office, healthcare, and other service environments. Because there are differences in the way some tools are applied Read more…
What is the best way to teach your team about Lean? Because our website provides such a wide range of Lean training materials, this is one of the most common questions that I am asked. The flexibility of our training modules means that instructors have to make more decisions about how Read more…
In its purest form, the definition of a team is “a group of people associated with each other for some form of joint action or activity.” The word choice for this definition is very deliberate. Some definitions add in verbiage that implies effectiveness. Examples include “common goal”, “working together”, “organized”, Read more…
Volunteering plays a big role in continuous improvement. In many organizations, training is provided, but may not be mandatory. Prospective students may have to sign up for a “Corporate University” rather than be directed to attend by their supervisor. Projects are also often filled first with willing participants. Efforts to Read more…
Supervision is the act of providing oversight to people or processes. The amount of direct supervision required is generally inversely proportionate to the structure of the operation. What that means is simply this: if you have strong processes, people have less of a need for supervisors telling them what to Read more…