Lean Insight and Product Reviews
In this day and age, it seems like everybody has a problem designed for continuous improvement. Most companies look to pick one approach while others create programs that use their best ideas and the best of various other programs. Regardless of what kind of program you want to use, there always seems to be another problem to try and tackle, for which the basics can be necessary.…
If you were building a house and neglected to build the foundation first, chances are your home would crumble before long. Much can be said about Jidoka and the Toyota Production System (TPS). In fact, if we were to construct the TPS into a two pillar home, jidoka would be one of the pillars, with just-in-time (JIT) being the other. The home needs both pillars to stand…
Lean, like most continuous improvement strategies, is constantly looking to eliminate problems and improve the way things are done. The lean philosophy has a focus on eliminating waste and defects, and regardless of the type of company lean is used in, this is an endless task. No matter how efficient a facility becomes, there will always be places where there can be further improvement. Perfection is not…
Value stream mapping is considered one of the most powerful visual tools in Lean. Regardless of the type of work you do, they can be an extremely useful part of your work and help eliminate waste, in areas you never knew waste existed. What is a Value Stream? A commonly used and basic definition of a value stream is as follows: All the steps, both value adding…
What Does 3P Stand For? 3P stands for Production, Preparation and Process. This specific Lean design approach that has been hailed as one of the most powerful and advanced manufacturing tools you can add to your Lean culture. The method was first introduced to the U.S. by Chihiro Nakao, founder of Shingijutsu consulting and contemporary of Mr. Ohno. Nakao has been considered by many to be the…
If you ever need a refresher course on investigative persistence just tell a toddler “no” when they really want something. While most adults are able to accept no for an answer, a toddler sees this as an opportunity for discussion and to find the real reason they were told no. How do they do this? Well quite simple actually, they ask why and they don’t stop asking…
The challenge to keep a path of continuous improvement on track is full of obstacles and interference. In the back of our mind we know what we should be doing, but there are often times when we just can’t seem to stay on track. I recently watched an online video (shown below) from the Gemba Academy titled “Ten Commandments of Continuous Improvement” and it reminded me of…
There are many different things in any facility which can cause waste. One of the biggest examples of this comes in the form of mistakes. Mistakes can happen during the production of a product, which then needs to be either fixed or disposed of. Whatever the cause, mistakes are a huge waste of time and resources. This is why the concept of poka-yoke was developed back in…
Continuous Improvement Webinar I had a chance to listen in on Dr. Greg Jacobson and Mark Graban of KaiNexus as they gave a very informative webinar last week for Gemba Academy about “Leadership Behaviors that Create a Culture of Continuous Improvement.” They laid out 25 leadership behaviors that are essential for all leaders to abide by as they work towards encouraging continuous improvement in their organization. You…
The pursuit of perfection is often met with obstacles that attempt to break down our path. The beauty of the lean path though, is there is always a tool for our broken path. We may get diverted, but with lean in our pocket we have the ability to continue on with our pursuit, without looking back. The gemba walk for instance is a perfect example of how…