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Monday, April 2, 2012

Daily Lean Tips Edition #29

For my Facebook fans you already know about this great feature. But for those of you that are not connected to A Lean Journey on Facebook or Twitter I post daily a feature I call Lean Tips.  It is meant to be advice, things I learned from experience, and some knowledge tidbits about Lean to help you along your journey.  Another great reason to like A Lean Journey on Facebook.

Here is the next addition of tips from the Facebook page:

Lean Tip #421 - Many Small Wins, Rather than the Occasional Big Win

Regular uninterrupted activity is required of all people in the organization. Small wins keep up the enthusiasm and reinforce habit.

Lean Tip #422 - Plan for 10% Improvement Time

Improvement doesn’t happen by accident.
Must have projects ready for unplanned opportunities to react.
Improvement time is invested, not spent.

Lean Tip #423 – Make Failure OK!

Everyone fails from time to time.
Do you punish or treat it as part of learning?
Failure can not be avoided. It is necessary learning that must occur.

Lean Tip #424 - Don’t Harvest (All of Your) Gains

Don’t eat your seed corn.
Put some gains in reserve to make future improvements.
10% of time should be spent on improvement efforts.

Lean Tip #425 – Put an emphasis on teams

In the US we love heroes.
Teams are greater than the sum of the individual parts.
Teams need to be mentored and developed.

Lean Tip #426 - Standardize Your Systems

Create a foundation for success.
• 5S
• Process documentation
• Operations reviews
• Daily management
• Stand-up meetings

Lean Tip #427 - Measure the Performance of Your Processes

It is true you get what you measure.
Performance measures need to be aligned with what you want to achieve.
Use them to drive good behaviors.
Think long term.

Lean Tip #428 - Reward Success if You Want More of It

Teams should know they are appreciated.
• Financial: bonuses, raises, promotions, commissions
• Non-financial: parking spaces, days off, free lunch
• Recognition
Must be linked to actions to get better. (No magical improvements.)

Lean Tip #429 – Don’t Underestimate the Importance of Going to the Gemba

Go see for yourself at the place where the work is done.
Going to the Gemba gets the entire team involved in identifying and solving problems.
It is grounded in fact finding using actual conditions from the actual workers who perform the work.

Lean Tip #430 – Develop Your People

Encourage and foster learning and teaching at all levels.
Build knowledge in problem solving thinking and countermeasures.
Encourage continuous improvement.

Lean Tip #431 – Commit to the Long Haul

Focus on education.
Mistakes are OK during learning process.
Small changes every day.
Everyone participates.
You are never done.

Lean Tip #432 – Leadership is Responsible for the Vision and Strategy

Leaders must create the vision, then energize and enable the organization to achieve it.
Strategy makes decision making clear and consistent.
An integrated strategy helps develop and strengthen interfaces amongst other teams.

Lean Tip #433 – Build Competency Through Training

Deploying Lean is not for amateurs.
Lean experts provide mentoring and support throughout your Lean deployment.
Identify both current skills and forecasted requirements.
Fill the skills gap with comprehensive training.

Lean Tip #434 - Effective teams use a set of values that encourage listening and responding constructively to views expressed by others.

Highly performing and effective teams use a set of values that encourage listening and responding constructively to views expressed by others, giving others the benefit of the doubt, providing support, and recognizing the interests and achievements of others.

Lean Tip #435 - Establish linkages with supplier and customer base.

Inventory turns is an established measure. It is useful to turn this measure into three measures – one for each of raw material, work in progress, and finished goods. Because WIP is fully under your own control where as raw materials and finished goods are not fully under your own control.


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