Operator cycle time is the time it takes an operator to do one unit of his or her prescribed work from start to finish. Note that this is elapsed time. The clock starts when the operator begins his work and ends when he or she is ready to start the Read more…
Non-Value Added (NVA) steps consume resources but do nothing to add value to a product or process. Because value is defined by the customer, non-value added work does nothing to change the form, fit, or function of a product into something a customer is willing to pay for. There is Read more…
If you want to thrive in a Lean company, your boss must see you as being supportive of continuous improvement efforts. If she doesn’t see you that way, it is because of one of two reasons. Either you really aren’t supportive of Lean, and the assessment is accurate, or you Read more…
How do you apply Standard Work in the office? The short answer is that true Standard Work is rarely used in Lean office environments. I tend to be rather flexible in how I teach people to apply continuous improvement tools in the office, but at some point, if you deviate too far, you are no Read more…
One of the imperatives of any continuous improvement program is a commitment by the organization to protect jobs. If people don’t trust the company, they will be reluctant to do anything that will increase productivity. Obviously, if fewer people can do more, then there is a need for fewer people. Read more…
Every spring, the earth comes to life. The flowers start blooming. The trees grow buds. And the ‘For Sale’ signs spring from front yards all around the neighborhood.
And every year it gets me thinking about Lean and the real estate purchasing process. First of all, it is far, far, far too complicated. But that is a topic for a different day. The topic today is about value. It has always been interesting to me that there is a fairly standardized rate for commissions on the sale of a home. I cannot fathom that every agent …
Outsourcing is the practice of sending work to another entity (a second company or an individual not employed by the outsourcing company). The main characteristic of outsourcing is that the work contains functions that, up until the outsourcing, had been done by the hiring company. In this manner, it differs Read more…
Employee engagement is a buzzword that I have seen used with increasing frequency over the last year or so. I’ve long been a big promoter of the link between successful Lean organizations and job satisfaction. And since engagement and satisfaction go hand in hand, I am happy to see the Read more…
Lean operations strive to move materials through processes in the smallest quantity possible. As a value stream approaches one piece flow, inventory tends to drop and productivity rises. Unfortunately, this streamlined flow is often interrupted by large, fixed pieces of equipment that are difficult to move or replace. This type Read more…
Some people struggle in the early days of a Lean journey. This is especially true when there are big changes in the way the workplace operates. One of the biggest transitions is in the structure that comes with Lean. Those people that don’t embrace all the improvement opportunities that a Read more…
Daily management is a structured approach to running an operation. In a nutshell, daily management is the constant application of the PDCA cycle to a production process. Daily management consists of: Planning: Daily management requires an understanding of what demand will be, and of the capabilities of the organization. It Read more…
A kaizen event is a discrete continuous improvement project with a defined start and end point, usually done in a single week. A typical kaizen event consists of a day of training, a day of process walking and analyzing the information gathered, followed by two days of improvement activity. The Read more…