A frequent topic in the
lean.org forums is some version of “what is the difference between lean and ____” where the blank is one of the industry buzzwords. Some of the common ones are various prefixes to “Sigma.” Others are old standards such as TQM, SPC, TOC, etc. These discussions are always interesting as the [...]
When real effort is spent getting to the cause of problems (vs. a reflex to find someone to blame), ambiguity often enters into the picture.
Problem solving is a process of asking questions and clarification.
Is a “defect-free” outcome of the process specified? Does the Team Member know what “success” is?
Is there a way for the Team [...]
Get to the root cause by “Asking Why?” five times.
We have all heard it, read it. Our sensei’s have pounded it into us. It is a cliché, obviously, since getting to the root cause of a problem is (most of the time) a touch more complicated than just repeatedly asking “Why?”
Isn’t it?
Maybe not. Maybe [...]
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Steven Spear told an interesting story in our session with him.
A Toyota sensei, very senior, was looking at a process unlike anything in his previous experience base. The researchers watching expected him to do “analysis by analogy” - to take what he observed, find a matching analogy in his deep experience, and then draw conclusions [...]
As I mentioned in the last post, this is the third time I have been through one of these events. The first time was in 1998, then again in late 2000, now in 2008 - so it has been a while. As you may or may not know, the company that was
Shingijutsu back in [...]
“How do I get the leaders involved?” How often have we all heard, or even asked, that question? Of course the actual answer is “you can’t.” At least you can’t force them to. But there are things that might help the leader decide to get involved.
I think the biggest mistake people make is to assume [...]
I guess four months into this, it kind of makes sense to talk about waste. But rather than repeat what everyone else says, maybe I can contribute to the dialog and toss out some things to think about.
Identifying / Seeing Waste.
Taiichi Ohno had 7 wastes, a few publications say 7+1. I have always disliked trying [...]
This
article by Anita Tucker and Amy Edmondson at Harvard highlights a problem that is as common on the manufacturing floor as it is in the hospitals they studied:
When people encounter a problem that stops their work, they work the system, get what they need, and continue their work.
A lot of people call this initiative, [...]
Yesterday I wrote a little about my own experience with Taiichi Ohno’s “chalk circle” as well as some stories I have gathered from others during the years.
Although the insights I got from Iwata-sensei changed my perspective, it was some years later that a few other things got solidified.
My colleagues and I had been hired as [...]
In “The Toyota Way” and “The Toyota Way Fieldbook” Jeffry Liker describes “standing in the chalk circle.”
This, of course, is a reference to a legendary exercise where Taiichi Ohno would stand a manager in a chalk circle drawn on the shop floor. His direction would be simple: “Watch.”
Several hours later, Ohno would return and ask [...]