Lean Secrets

The question in this title poses me many other questions, such as:

How many methodologies are there? e.g. Lean, Six Sigma, Systems thinking, TQM, Theory of Constraints etc etc

How do you determine your favourite?

What does continuous improvement mean?

And more importantly -

Do I need a favourite?

I have had many conversations with different  people over the last few months on this subject and can put people into buckets like a child receiving a new toy, these are:

1) On receipt of a new toy Child A still preferes to play with their old ones.

2) On receipt of  a new toy Child B disregards their previous toys and plays with the new one.

3) On receipt of a new toy Child C tries to integrate their new toy in with their others (where possible).

4) On receipt of the new toy Child D prefers to play with the packaging.

Before I go on, which child do you think you are, when it comes to reading/learning about a ‘new’ continuous improvement methodology? please think about this before moving on.

OK, this is how I perceive the scenarios above:

If you answered Child A then this new toy wasnt really needed or asked for, in business you have a team/organisation resistant to change. You as a individual may need to accept you need to change first and adopt the new methodology if you/your business have problems or are not meeting your customer requirements.

If you answered Child B then this is probably a slightly spoilt child or one that gets too many toys, remember here though the child will disregard the latest toy when a new one is received. In business I would argue that these are probably the most dangerous. If this is you are you really allowing the initial initiative the time to embed and sustain? or as a individual I would argue you may not truely understand the priciples/benefits of first one, then the second one etc. Do you read one book and then that is your favourite methodology, then the next book you read that is your favourite etc? if this is the case try and look at the principles of each before jumping ship and ensure you have applied them. 

If you answered Child C this is the child who is open to change and arguably the most grateful. In business this can be likened to a company understanding their problems and doing what is best for them and not just changing to the latest learned method because that is what is done. As a individual you look at all you have learned and look at the problems you face and address them using the most appropriate method. You are always trying to and are open to learning but aware of everything you know.

If you answered Child D then really you didnt need the toy or understand what it could actually do for you, in business if this is you, then you are likely to get a lot of ‘new’ methods but not really understand why and they don’t sustain. You have a tendency to introduce a tool or two but not really understand what the true principles of it are. 

Did you perceive the meanings the same as me? if not, please let me know.

The whole foundation underpinning Lean Secrets “Your Way” is not being a slave to a particular method e.g. Lean, it is all about supporting/coaching you to identify what is preventing you from meeting your customer needs and giving you a structure to getting closer to satisfying those needs.

On with the improvement

Lee

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Cheers

Lee

Over the years I have delivered many 5S sessions in both public and private sector organisations to different levels of people in those organisations and my first question to the groups is generally “Do you know what the 5S’s are?”, I have received mixed replies with varying quality, from the correct 5 to “erm is it Sun Sea Sand Sangria and Sex” which are obviously the deliverables of a girls holiday or “I do 3 of them before I go on a night out, are they Shit, Shower & Shave?” which is indeed a male process or a female process in some parts of the UK. So what are they, well the purpose of this post is for me to dispell some of the myths related to 5S and try and explain what they mean to me, as in my experience I have seen people apply 5S for little/no benefit other than a visually impactful benefit i.e tidying up however I see the true benefits of 5S are an enabler to maximising the flow of the work through the process AND allowing greater visibility of the visual standards in the workplace.

I have seen and worked in different organisations where they have developed their own 5Ss, but, the principle behind what they want to achieve by applying them is the same. I have known both Sort, Set, Shine, Standardise & Sustain and Sift, Sort, Sweep, Standardise & Sustain, I am sure there are probably more. If we look at the Japanese 5S’s these are seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu and shitsuke translated these are  Sorting, Straightening or Setting in order, Sweeping or Shining or clenliness/systematic cleaning, Standardising, Sustaining the discipline or Self discipline.

The phases of 5S

Sorting

The first stage is all about removing all the unnecessary tools, parts, paper, books, instructions, posters etc so you can only do this when you define your exact requirements for that role in the process. Go through everything, an option you have is to tag everything you deem unnecessary store this in one area and hold for a period of time, then see if any other step requires the item(s) before disposing. 

Straightening or setting in order

There should be a place for everything and everything should be in its place. The place for each item should be clearly labeled and/or identifiable. Items should be arranged to allow for efficient workflow, with equipment used most often being the most easily accessible. You should consider health and safety aspects such as bending etc to reach frequently used items and minimise this where possible.

Sweeping or shining

Clean the workspace and all equipment ensuring you keep it clean, tidy and organised. once you have defined the next phase (standard) ensure at the end of each shift,  you clean the work area (if required) and be sure everything is restored to its place. This makes it easy to know what goes where and ensures that everything is where it belongs. Maintaining clenliness should be part of the daily work and not seen as a add on or additional duty.

Standardising

Once you have Sorted your work area and aligned it to the process by setting it in order then you have then cleaned the work area. You are now ready to standardise your current area, our definition of a standard is “an OK condition” the current best way. All work stations for a particular job should be identical where possible in terms of materials etc for the role. All employees doing the same job should be able to work in any place with the same tools that are in the same location in every station. Everyone should know exactly what his or her responsibilities are as the standard should be visually displayed.

Sustaining the discipline

The most difficult S is the 5th one to Sustain the Standard by maintaining and reviewing regularly. Once the previous 4 S’s have been agreed by the people who do the particular task this becomes the new way to operate. Ensure you maintain focus on this new way and do not allow a gradual decline back to the old way by applying PDCA, the standard is the PLAN, the current condition is the DO, your visual standard allows you to CHECK and the ACTion you take to close that gap either maintains or improves the standard.

These principles are transferable and I would also recommend you apply these principles to your electronic files & folderson your computer network and even to the number of meetings you have, you may identify other areas where you deem the principles applicable that you can try.

Like what you see? Click below to download our brilliant 5S – Workplace Organisation training workshop

On with the improvement

Lee

We believe at Lean Secrets HQ that the most important skill to have as a lean practitioner is “the ability to influence a behaviour”.
We define a behaviour as “an observed act”.
If lean is to sustain effectively it is vital that the people who work the process are fully utilised and empowered when it comes to developing themselves and their process. If you can influence them to do the right thing as opposed to introducing a tool and telling them to use it, then they are more likely to sustain in the future.

The psychology behind influencing can be quite complex however we have developed a model, that we share with you in our 21 step methodology. YOUR WAY

I would always encourage you before you start any activity to think about what behaviours you want your people to display when you have successfully implemented lean or another improvement enabling programme.

Would you force someone to learn to drive if they didn’t want to?
Would you get a vegetarian to eat meat if they didn’t want to?
Would you get someone to catch the bus to work if for years they’ve always driven themselves?

We have probably all seen in an office environment resistance to applying 5S, or as they see it a reluctance to tidy their desk.

Without the skill/ability to influence the only thing we make easier is the likelihood of failure.

So consider the behaviours you want displayed and how you can influence these.

On with the improvement

Lee

I don’t know whether you have considered this before but everything you do is a process, from making your breakfast to driving to work and all you do whilst at work. And because we believe that lean principles are transferable to any process then YOU can apply them to everything you do.

If you want to make a difference to your business or life try applying some of the principles to the processes you complete.

We advocate lean as a complete methodology and not one off tools to be used however we would encourage you to give them a try.

Do you have too many meetings, try applying 5S to them??
Do you order too much stationery? Introduce a kanban??
Do you have a goal to achieve?? Apply our GIVE cycle. GIVE model

Like Einstein said the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.

On with the improvement

Lee

Have you introduced Lean or a form of continuous improvement where you are? Do you have a performance board/hub/short interval control board or anything else that you call the place you visualise your teams process performance. If so, do you know how effective it is?

Answer the following 9 questions to see if you can improve on it.

1) What is the purpose of the team?
2) What do the customers need from the output the team/business produce?
3) How does the visual management support the above two questions?

4) How effective does the team plan?
5) How does the team perform against this plan?
6) How does the visual management visualise the above 2 questions?

7) What things get in the way of the team producing their outputs?
8 ) What are the team doing about the above obstructions?
9) How does the visual management highlight the above 2 questions?

How did you do? Did you identify any further opportunities to improve your visual management? Is so, give them a go.

Also have a look at our GIVE model this is the DNA that makes up our methodology. GIVE MODEL

On with the improvement

Lee

Enjoy!

 The only real failure in life is the failure to try…

Although the above is true with life, with Lean there are some things that can help you avoid failure. 

We have been made aware of many businesses over the last few years and witnessed in our early days as employees of large companies, struggling Lean transformations, this has allowed us to develop our 21 step “Your Way” methodology and understand how to avoid failing and for ourselves that failing was part of the learning process. However we don’t want you to fail, we want you to use our experience to deliver a lean transformation effectively and successfully, where you are the enablers to your achievement of YOUR goals.

4 Things you can do to help prevent failure:
Compelling need to change – For most change to be successful and for people to buy into it, there needs to be a reason to change. I have seen these be created by management rather than waiting until something is serious enough to necessitate change. So to prevent the “why do we need to change?” question being asked. Have a think about the “What’s in it for me” for individuals at each level, if things change how will it help them? And develop a need to change if there isn’t one already in this economically challenging environment,

Senior leadership commitment and role modelling required behaviours – If you are in a senior position, you need to change too. The shop floor or the office or the workshop are generally a mirror of the effectiveness of the manager. If you think the office/warehouse etc can improve then so can you. To introduce Lean and other Continuous Improvement methodologies successfully generally require managers to Go & See the work taking place, to fix problems where they occur rather than from behind a desk etc.

You definitely need a practise what you preach mentality a one off is not good enough it needs to be consistent and the behaviours repeated at all levels

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act, but a habit.”

Aristotle
Engagement of the people doing the work – It is commonly known that the people who know most about a process are the ones who do it each day. So why are they not utilised more to be empowered to make the changes, this may require workshops with representatives from each step of the Value Stream. Engage the people who work the process, empower them to develop their improved standards and working practices and create a mechanism to enable them to continuously improve.

Standardise the principles and not necessarily the tools – A lot of consultancies have developed successful lean approaches however they are not always transferable to each team in each company they engage with therefore:

Before taking an off the shelf solution and letting consultants “do to”you. Understand fully the principles behind Lean & Continuous Improvement.

We see these as:

To identify waste → To visualise waste → To remove waste

Have a look at the GIVE model (GIVE Model) I created this to give you an approach to help you reach your goals, if you need further support try out “Your Way” methodology here: “YOUR Way” it is not tool based it is a series of 21 questions that enable you to reach your goal by identifying, visualising and removing waste as well as influencing the desired behaviours required to sustain the improvement.

Thanks for reading & remember if you want to join the other 2500+ people you can follow us on Twitter here:

http://twitter.com/leansecretsuk

On with the improvement

Lee

 What is ? Who is Pareto

 As far as we know a Pareto is not a breed of Italian Parrot, nor is it a root vegetable. However you may be aware of the 80/20 rule and if you are then you will understand the principle of a Pareto.

What we at Lean Secrets believe it to be is a prioritisation tool, commonly used when presenting data during a lean transformation. It’s simplicity in visually depicting the main areas to focus on make it one of our favourite Visual Management tools.

Now then, where did it come from? Well it is named after the man who observed this 80/20 ratio first, he was Vilfredo Pareto who was an Italian economist. The original observation was in connection with population and wealth. Pareto noticed that 80% of Italy’s land was owned by 20% of the population he then tested this theory on other countries and we believe even tested this on the peas produced 80% of them came from 20% of the pods. In business this can be translated to 80% of your profits come from 20% of your customers, or alternatively 80% of your problems come from 20% of your customers also.

 If you want to create a Pareto without a pen,paper and ruler an option you could consider is excel.

 How to create a Pareto on Excel

 First of all populate your data into a table, and then sort it descending:

 Once you have this calculate the total of the amount column and the percentage each line is of the total (if that makes sense?)

Once you have this add another column and calculate the cumulative percentage

  Select all of the name column, the amount column and the cumulative %age column and click on the make graph icon.

Once this appears depending on your version of excel, if there is a custom tab for choice of graph or there is an option for a ‘Column/Line’ graph select this, preferably on two axis, if not, select a 2 column graph and right click on the Cumulative %age column and change to a line once you have produced the graph.

 Once you have added your titles and created your graph, make sure the axis are correct. The left hand one should go upto the total, in the example it is 147. Then the right hand axis should total 100, ensure both axis start at 0.

Good luck and remember you can email us to answer any queries you have, or follow us on twitter like over 2,500 others @leansecretsuk

On with the improvement

Lee