Lean
Surprisingly few people, if any, can explain in simple terms the principles of operating in a lean environment. Even fewer can explain let alone grasp Lean Six Sigma.
That’s fine, I won’t hold it against you. One of the traits I have that makes me successful so far is that I accept rejection and I have this obsessive drive for continuous improvement.
I embrace the Lean approach with evangelical enthusiasm. The principles of lean are somewhat analogous to the Chinese I Ching; the ancient Chinese divination method in that there are certain patterns in nature, that when learned and understood, will offer a predictable way of indicating the next best course of action when confronted with an obstacle.
Lean provides a repeatable and proven way of identifying the most streamlined flow of information by stating all the necessary and unnecessary steps in any given process, the ones that add value, and the ones that don’t., all the meanwhile empowering everyone involved to strive for perfection!
What more do you want for motivation? In any enterprise-wide initiative. Motivation, engagement, and ownership are key and quickly and quite easily benefit from the many simple to use tools readily available.
I often teach and encourage Lean practices to everyone I meet and interact with at work whether the topic is project related or not.
Lean deciphers uncertainty!
Have you ever -
- Spent time looking for something just filed?
- Helped someone find or return a tool?
- Wondered which document is the latest revision?
- Lost your pen on your desk or work bench?
- Wondered how others do this process?
- Filled in for peers and wonder how did they work?
- Wondered what is the gap between the goal and performance?
- Wondered what your priorities are?
What is LEAN Thinking?
- Simple changes to work methods make huge contributions
- It is owned by people doing the work
- It reduces workload rather than increasing it
- It is easy to understand and implement
- It not only makes TSP more competitive, it makes it a better place to work
Benefits of LEAN Thinking
- Significantly reduced process cycle-time
- Elimination of costly non-value-added activities
- Enhanced value creation and team focus
- Reduced non-recurring and indirect costs
- Improved utilization of scarce resources
- Maximized synergy among all related processes
Lean Obstacles
- Poorly defined organizational roles and responsibilities
- Chaos resulting from fire fighting and expediting
- Habit of managing through a functional organization
- Lack of well-defined and efficient processes
- Poor utilization of valuable human and capital resources
- Lack of metrics focused on customer value-added processes
- Lack of productivity enhancing work methods
- Lack of uniform prioritization of work
Value and Waste
“Waste” describes the elements of “processes” that add no value to the service or product required by the customer. Historically, firms have been organized based on functional silos and poorly defined processes – they are loaded down with non-value-added waste. Lean Thinking demands an organizational culture that is intolerant of waste in all forms.
“Any activity or task that transforms the fit, form & function of the “deliverables” of a process in such a way that the customer is both aware of it, and willing to pay for it, is “value-added”
Based on this (strict) definition of value, we can divide the tasks and activities of any process into three categories
1. Value-added – Essential tasks
2. Type 1 Waste – Non-value-added (NVA), but currently necessary
3. Type 2 Waste – Non-value-added (NVA), and not necessary
Our goal is to eliminate Type 2 activities wherever possible, and minimize Type 1 waste through the use of Lean Methods.
Waste
There are eight Types of Waste
Defects
Over production
Transportation
Waiting
Inventory
Motion
Over processing
Human Capability
There are three Contributors to Waste
– Unevenness
– Overburden
– Current Methods/Procedures
Examples of waste in Administrative or Transactional processes
Defects – incorrect data entry
Over production – preparing extra reports, reports not acted upon, multiple copies in data storage
Transportation - extra steps in the process, distance traveled
Waiting – processing monthly not as the work comes in (i. e. closings, billings, collections)
Inventory – transactions not processed
Motion - extra steps, travel from office to office / desk to desk, extra data entry…
Over Processing – multiple sign-offs
Examples of waste in Design
Defects – miscommunication, drawing errors
Over production – designing but not making (never gets to launch), no standardization
Transportation – data hand-offs
Waiting — for other functions or disciplines
Inventory – design data which is not organized or not fully utilized
Motion - unnecessary analysis or testing
Over Processing – redesign, poorly run team meetings, sending or printing design files without request
Human Capability – people not performing to their full potential
We live in our processes every day. As a result, we don’t often see what is really going on around us in terms of waste and ineffectiveness. We have to learn to ‘see’. We also must begin to ask ‘why’. “Why do we do that?” “Why do we do it that way?” Our procedures and methods often change over time and the original purpose is clouded or no longer exists.
Lean Thinking can be summarized in five principles:
Principle 1 – Precisely specify the value of a specific process
Principle 2 – Identify the value stream for each process
Principle 3 – Allow value to flow without interruptions
Principle 4 – Let the customer pull value from the process team
Principle 5 – Continuously pursue perfection
Making Waste Visible
Tools to use to Identify waste – and make it visible:
Process Reports and Assessments
Workplace Organization
5S
Inventory and Bottlenecks
Variation and Utilization
Spaghetti Maps
Value Stream Mapping
Pareto Chart
Cause and Effect Diagram
Five Whys
Applying Lean to Design
Key Design Points:
Potential areas for improvement by design include:
Reduced part count (group functionality, create modules)
Improved design to simplify assembly
Design out need for monuments and curtain operations
Design for smaller batch sizes
Design for production equipment with faster changeovers and startups
Specify a pull system for production and request a Kanban plan from mfg.
A Design leader should:
Eliminate manufacturing issues or reduce problems of the design before hand
ID manufacturing resource to asses current situation and describe opportunities for improvements on existing designs
ID manufacturing operators to find opportunities for improvement
List Design opportunities that improve product functions w.r.t. Machine, Operator and Material
Questions on Making Waste Visible
· What tools to make waste visible have you used and how were they helpful?
- Was a waste chart useful in identifying times for storage, handling, inspection and processing(SHIP)?
- What interim actions have you taken to eliminate waste?
- Was a formal 5S conducted? Were safety items identified? Actions? Did this have any impact on operator/administrator morale?
- Does the spaghetti chart indicate potential changes to the layout?
- Are additional techniques required?
- Has a FMEA (Failure Modes and Effects Analysis) been completed to identify potential risks of changing the process?
- What are your improvement plans and next steps to get there (including timing, responsibility and expected results)?
- How did the spaghetti chart change before and after changes?
- Did the more detailed process flow diagram illustrate more than one way of doing things? Hidden factory?
