In the medical world, a symptom is just the visible evidence of a disease or injury. For example, swollen painful joints may be a symptom of arthritis, or nausea might be a symptom of food poisoning. In continuous improvement, symptoms are similar. They are the “tells” that let you know Read more…
I was sitting here looking at my computer, and my eyes wandered to the various ways my computer cables are organized. I wondered how other people organize cables and cords. First of all, why bother to organize cables? Because an organized and clean workspace is generally an effective workspace. (Read Read more…
The definition of Activity-Based Costing: a means of attempting to accurately apply costs of running a business to a specific product or service. It entails identifying the “cost drivers”, or the things that drive the consumption of shared resources and using them to apply a logical proportion of overhead costs Read more…
The 8D problem solving methodology is similar to the DMAIC approach utilized by Six Sigma. Of note, 8D is a shortened form of the original name, ‘8 Disciplines’. The 8D’s are: Identify the problem Use a team approach/form an 8D team Describe the problem Interim containment Define the Read more…
Why is it that when we are in the airport, we don’t wander aimlessly around? It is because of the extensive use of Lean visual controls. Lean practitioners, just like airport designers, know the value of using visual controls. Lean processes should have what airports have: easy to recognize signals Read more…
The 9-square is a prioritization tool in Lean problem solving that helps you organize your improvement ideas. After completing a brainstorming session in which you compile a large number of viable options, you have to decide which ones to implement. To use the 9-square, rank each problem in two categories: Read more…
Precision is the state of having low variation. It is often incorrectly used synonymously with accuracy. Accuracy actually means being centered on the target, but can have a very wide spread. Precision is often much harder to achieve than accuracy. That is because variation can be much trickier to adjust Read more…
The definition of accuracy is essentially having results (data) that is centered on a target value. Statistically speaking, it is how correct the mean value is. It is often confused with “precise.” The layman’s definition of precision is “a measure of how little variation there is in your system”. Lean Read more…
Imagine you are at home, and you hear a funny sound coming from the washing machine, you smell a slight odor of smoke coming from the kitchen, or you see a water mark on the ceiling. Each of these things indicates that something just isn’t right. They are abnormal conditions. Read more…
Visual management is the concept of creating a more effective workplace by making its current conditions obvious at a glance. But visual management doesn’t stop there. For it to be effective, there must also be a predetermined course of action when a specific (whether normal or abnormal) condition is identified. Read more…
Facts and data are the supporting evidence for making decisions. Gathering facts and data is a key part of any problem-solving process, but it becomes particularly important in Lean. Making frequent changes, as companies do when they create a continuous improvement culture, also increases the number of opportunities to make Read more…
Follow-up is the act of making sure that… something that was supposed to be done was, in fact, done, or something that was done is working as planned In short, follow-up is confirming that things are going as expected. Unlike an audit, which is a broader check, a follow-up is Read more…