Dwight Bowen (Podcast) http://www.dwightbowen.com Lean Manufacturing Consultant Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:42:00 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Lean Manufacturing Consultant no Listening http://www.dwightbowen.com/2009/01/listening/ http://www.dwightbowen.com/2009/01/listening/#comments Wed, 21 Jan 2009 19:23:32 +0000 Dwight http://leanthinkingnetwork.com/?p=128 Continuous Improvement is about people and communication.  Many of us are effective speakers, but few are really good listeners.  If, as Dr. Shingo said, 95% of objection is cautionary (I believe this caution is due to lack of trust) then one of leaderships/managements primary objectives must be to create an environment of mutual respect and trust.  One key ingredient in the creation of a favorable environment is a constant practice of good listening.

Good listening does not come naturally to me.

In the past, I have often found the “solution” prior to fully understand the problem, occasionally “fixing” the wrong problems….clearly an ineffective, waste-filled process.  My physician recently shared with me a study on doctor/patient communications: the results: a doctor will interrupt their patient 17 seconds after asking them a question. In self-reflection, I am reminded of good A3 thinking, done the Toyota Way.  In the simplest terms, the sheet is divided into two halves, the left side or current condition for problem definition, effects etc, the right or target condition side is for counter-measures, milestones and their status. Toyota’s philosophy, holds clarity of problem definition as equal in importance to counter-measures to the problem. , after-all, fixing the wrong problem is not our objective, this would diminish both the process and the people involved and waste a lot of valuable resource.  Identifying the real problems than applying the scientific method for problem solving is our true objective.

My experience, both professional and personal, has informed me over and over again, that humans like to be listened to and dislike being ignored.  Perhaps when we think we are listening, we are giving unintentional feedback to “our customer” that we are not.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Steven Covey
Habit 5 — Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood

Principles of Empathic Communication
1. Character and Communication
* Communication is the most important skill in life
* If you want to interact effectively with me, to influence me, you first need to understand me.
* You have to build the skills of empathic listening on a base of character that inspires openness and trust.

2. Empathic Listening

* Most people listen with the intent to reply.
* When another person speaks, we are usually ‘listening’ at one of four levels:
a- ignoring
b- pretending
c- selective listening
d- attentive listening

Very few of us ever practice the highest form of listening — empathic listening.

* Only 10 percent of our communication is represented by the words we say, another 30 percent by our sounds, and 60 percent by body language.
Dr. Covey suggests we “Diagnose Before we Prescribe” …….let’s make sure we are solving the correct problems…….otherwise our efforts are waste.

Other resources:

Casaa Resources

Some words on “active listening”

If you are really listening intently, you should feel tired after your speaker has finished. Effective listening is an active rather than a passive activity.
When you find yourself drifting away during a listening session, change your body position and concentrate on using one of the above skills. Once one of the skills is being used, the other active skills will come into place as well.
Your body position defines whether you will have the chance of being a good listener or a good deflector. Good listeners are like poor boxers: they lead with their faces.
Meaning cannot just be transmitted as a tangible substance by the speaker. It must also be stimulated or aroused in the receiver. The receiver must therefore be an active participant for the cycle of communication to be complete.


The Par Group
Following are some keys to listening well

  1. Give 100% Attention: Prove you care by suspending all other activities.
  2. Respond: Responses can be both verbal and nonverbal (nods, expressing interest) but must prove you received the message, and more importantly, prove it had an impact on you. Speak at approximately the same energy level as the other person…then they’ll know they really got through and don’t have to keep repeating.
  3. Prove understanding: To say “I understand” is not enough. People need some sort of evidence or proof of understanding. Prove your understanding by occasionally restating the gist of their idea or by asking a question which proves you know the main idea. The important point is not to repeat what they’ve said to prove you were listening, but to prove you understand. The difference in these two intentions transmits remarkably different messages when you are communicating.
  4. Prove respect: Prove you take other views seriously. It seldom helps to tell people, “I appreciate your position” or “I know how you feel.” You have to prove it by being willing to communicate with others at their level of understanding and attitude. We do this naturally by adjusting our tone of vice, rate of speech and choice of words to show that we are trying to imagine being where they are at the moment.

Purpose

When interacting, people often are not listening attentively to one another. They may be distracted, thinking about other things, or thinking about what they are going to say next, (the latter case is particularly true in conflict situations or disagreements).

Active listening is a structured way of listening and responding to others. It focuses attention on the speaker. Suspending one’s own frame of reference and suspending judgment are important in order to fully attend to the speaker.

Tactics

It is important to observe the other person’s behavior and body language. Having heard, the listener may then paraphrase the speaker’s words. It is important to note that the listener is not necessarily agreeing with the speaker—simply stating what was said. In emotionally charged communications, the listener may listen for feelings. Thus, rather than merely repeating what the speaker has said, the active listener might describe the underlying emotion (“you seem to feel angry” or “you seem to feel frustrated, is that because…?”).

Individuals in conflict often contradict one another. This has the effect of denying the validity of the other person’s position. Either party may react defensively, and they may lash out or withdraw. On the other hand, if one finds that the other party understands, an atmosphere of cooperation can be created. This increases the possibility of collaborating and resolving the conflict.

In the book Leader Effectiveness Training, Thomas Gordon states “Active listening is certainly not complex. Listeners need only restate, in their own language, their impression of the expression of the sender. … Still, learning to do Active Listening well is a rather difficult task…”[1]

Active listening is used in a wide variety of situations, including tutoring,[2] medical workers talking to patients,[3] HIV counseling,[4] helping suicidal persons,[5] management,[6] counseling and journalistic settings. In groups it may aid in reaching consensus. It may also be used in casual conversation to build understanding, though this can be interpreted as condescending.

The benefits of active listening include getting people to open up, avoiding misunderstandings, resolving conflict and building trust. In a medical context, benefits may include increased patient satisfaction,[3] improving cross-cultural communication,[7] improved outcomes,[3] or decreased litigation[8].

Active listening can be measured by the Active Listening Observation Scale.[9]

Barriers to Active Listening

All elements of communication, including listening, may be affected by a barrier(s) that can impede the flow of conversation between individuals. Some of these barriers include distractions, trigger words, vocabulary, and limited attention span to name a few[10].

]]> http://www.dwightbowen.com/2009/01/listening/feed/ 0 Continuous Improvement is about people and communication.  Many of us are effective speakers, but few are really good listeners.  If, as Dr. Shingo said, 95% of objection is cautionary (I believe this caution is due to lack of trust) then one of leaderships/managements primary objectives must be to create an environment of mutual respect and trust.  One key ingredient in the creation of a favorable environment is a constant practice of good listening. Good listening does not come naturally to me. In the past, I have often found the “solution” prior to fully understand the problem, occasionally “fixing” the wrong problems….clearly an ineffective, waste-filled process.  My physician recently shared with me a study on doctor/patient communications: the results: a doctor will interrupt their patient 17 seconds after asking them a question. In self-reflection, I am reminded of good A3 thinking, done the Toyota Way.  In the simplest terms, the sheet is divided into two halves, the left side or current condition for problem definition, effects etc, the right or target condition side is for counter-measures, milestones and their status. Toyota’s philosophy, holds clarity of problem definition as equal in importance to counter-measures to the problem. , after-all, fixing the wrong problem is not our objective, this would diminish both the process and the people involved and waste a lot of valuable resource.  Identifying the real problems than applying the scientific method for problem solving is our true objective. My experience, both professional and personal, has informed me over and over again, that humans like to be listened to and dislike being ignored.  Perhaps when we think we are listening, we are giving unintentional feedback to “our customer” that we are not. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Steven Covey Habit 5 — Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood Principles of Empathic Communication 1. Character and Communication * Communication is the most important skill in life * If you want to interact effectively with me, to influence me, you first need to understand me. * You have to build the skills of empathic listening on a base of character that inspires openness and trust. 2. Empathic Listening * Most people listen with the intent to reply. * When another person speaks, we are usually ‘listening’ at one of four levels: a- ignoring b- pretending c- selective listening d- attentive listening Very few of us ever practice the highest form of listening — empathic listening. * Only 10 percent of our communication is represented by the words we say, another 30 percent by our sounds, and 60 percent by body language. Dr. Covey suggests we “Diagnose Before we Prescribe” …….let’s make sure we are solving the correct problems…….otherwise our efforts are waste. Other resources: Casaa Resources Some words on “active listening” If you are really listening intently, you should feel tired after your speaker has finished. Effective listening is an active rather than a passive activity. When you find yourself drifting away during a listening session, change your body position and concentrate on using one of the above skills. Once one of the skills is being used, the other active skills will come into place as well. Your body position defines whether you will have the chance of being a good listener or a good deflector. Good listeners are like poor boxers: they lead with their faces. Meaning cannot just be transmitted as a tangible substance by the speaker. It must also be stimulated or aroused in the receiver. The receiver must therefore be an active participant for the cycle of communication to be complete. The Par Group Following are some keys to listening well Give 100% Attention: Prove you care by suspending all other activities. Respond: Responses can be both verbal and nonverbal (nods, expressing interest) but must prove you received the message, and more [...] Continuous Improvement is about people and communication.  Many of us are effective speakers, but few are really good listeners.  If, as Dr. Shingo said, 95% of objection is cautionary (I believe this caution is due to lack of trust) then one of [...] Competing – Art Smalley http://www.dwightbowen.com/2008/08/competing-art-smalley/ http://www.dwightbowen.com/2008/08/competing-art-smalley/#comments Tue, 26 Aug 2008 12:14:44 +0000 Dwight http://leanthinkingnetwork.com/2008/08/26/competing-art-smalley/ Art Smalley was fortunate to have been one of the few Americans to work for Toyota in Japan for an extended period of time. From working on assembly lines to maintaining precision equipment to project management he experienced all facets of production life in Toyota. Combined with his proficiency in reading and writing the Japanese language he has keen insights on TPS that few in America possess. Subsequent to Toyota, Art was also director of lean for a large U.S. company that underwent a successful lean implementation program. Additionally he spent several years as a lean expert for the international management consulting firm of McKinsey & Company. “There is a decided over-emphasis in the west on simply using the tools of TPS. More attention needs to be applied on solving systemic manufacturing problems that will generate business results”.

Industry Week Webinar link

Creating Level Pull workbook link

]]> http://www.dwightbowen.com/2008/08/competing-art-smalley/feed/ 0 Art Smalley was fortunate to have been one of the few Americans to work for Toyota in Japan for an extended period of time. From working on assembly lines to maintaining precision equipment to project management he experienced all facets of production life in Toyota. Combined with his proficiency in reading and writing the Japanese language he has keen insights on TPS that few in America possess. Subsequent to Toyota, Art was also director of lean for a large U.S. company that underwent a successful lean implementation program. Additionally he spent several years as a lean expert for the international management consulting firm of McKinsey & Company. “There is a decided over-emphasis in the west on simply using the tools of TPS. More attention needs to be applied on solving systemic manufacturing problems that will generate business results”. Industry Week Webinar link Creating Level Pull workbook link Art Smalley was fortunate to have been one of the few Americans to work for Toyota in Japan for an extended period of time. From working on assembly lines to maintaining precision equipment to project management he experienced all facets of [...] Interview with John Kravontka http://www.dwightbowen.com/2007/11/interview-with-john-kravontka/ http://www.dwightbowen.com/2007/11/interview-with-john-kravontka/#comments Wed, 21 Nov 2007 15:13:36 +0000 Dwight http://leanthinkingnetwork.com/2007/11/21/interview-with-john-kravontka/ Does your equipment always work when you need it? What do losses from equipment maintenance issues cost your people and company? Take 13+ minutes and listen to an expert address these questions.

John Kravontka is President of Fuss & O’Neil Manufacturing Solutions, LLC, is a training specialist, maintenance professional, and Continuous Improvement Consultant. John has more than 34 years of troubleshooting and rebuild/retrofit experience, with all types of machine, tools and equipment.

I was first introduced to John through his DVD “Total Productive Maintenance http://www.shopgbmp.org/tpm-total-productive-maintenance.html Later, I was able to speak with him in October at the Northeast Shingo Prize Conference in Boston where John’s presentation focused on the hidden losses caused by machine stoppages.

How good is machine reliability in the U.S.A.?

What industries have high machine reliability?

What do they measure?

TPM……..what’s in it for us?

What are the six major equipment losses?

How do you recommend we get started with TPM?

]]> http://www.dwightbowen.com/2007/11/interview-with-john-kravontka/feed/ 0 Does your equipment always work when you need it? What do losses from equipment maintenance issues cost your people and company? Take 13+ minutes and listen to an expert address these questions. John Kravontka is President of Fuss & O’Neil Manufacturing Solutions, LLC, is a training specialist, maintenance professional, and Continuous Improvement Consultant. John has more than 34 years of troubleshooting and rebuild/retrofit experience, with all types of machine, tools and equipment. I was first introduced to John through his DVD “Total Productive Maintenance http://www.shopgbmp.org/tpm-total-productive-maintenance.html Later, I was able to speak with him in October at the Northeast Shingo Prize Conference in Boston where John’s presentation focused on the hidden losses caused by machine stoppages. How good is machine reliability in the U.S.A.? What industries have high machine reliability? What do they measure? TPM……..what’s in it for us? What are the six major equipment losses? How do you recommend we get started with TPM? Does your equipment always work when you need it? What do losses from equipment maintenance issues cost your people and company? Take 13+ minutes and listen to an expert address these questions. John Kravontka is President of Fuss & O’Neil [...] Competing October 19, 2007 Dave Nelson http://www.dwightbowen.com/2007/10/competing-october-19-2007-dave-nelson/ http://www.dwightbowen.com/2007/10/competing-october-19-2007-dave-nelson/#comments Fri, 19 Oct 2007 20:09:19 +0000 Dwight http://leanthinkingnetwork.com/2007/10/19/competing-october-19-2007-dave-nelson/ Dave Nelson, Chief Strategy Officer, HTC Global Services, Inc. is a former Vice President for Delphi Corporation where he led their global supply management operations encompassing 2700 supply chain professionals and $18 billion in total annual spending. Dave also served as vice president of worldwide supply management at Deere & Company in Moline, Ill.

From 1987 to 1997 Nelson served as a corporate officer of Honda America Manufacturing in Marysville, OH. Where, under Dave’s direction, the company’s purchasing division grew from 100 to 400 associates and North America purchases increased from $600 million to $6 billion.

Questions asked:

  1. How have the concepts of Toyota changed the world of supply management?
  2. What do most companies miss with respect to excellent supply management?
  3. Could you briefly describe the supply management system you helped develop at Honda US, and described in your book Powered by Honda?
  4. What indicators do you recommend we focus on to measure success and/or failure and at what frequency should we check our supply management overall system?
]]> http://www.dwightbowen.com/2007/10/competing-october-19-2007-dave-nelson/feed/ 1 Dave Nelson, Chief Strategy Officer, HTC Global Services, Inc. is a former Vice President for Delphi Corporation where he led their global supply management operations encompassing 2700 supply chain professionals and $18 billion in total annual spending. Dave also served as vice president of worldwide supply management at Deere & Company in Moline, Ill. From 1987 to 1997 Nelson served as a corporate officer of Honda America Manufacturing in Marysville, OH. Where, under Dave’s direction, the company’s purchasing division grew from 100 to 400 associates and North America purchases increased from $600 million to $6 billion. Questions asked: How have the concepts of Toyota changed the world of supply management? What do most companies miss with respect to excellent supply management? Could you briefly describe the supply management system you helped develop at Honda US, and described in your book Powered by Honda? What indicators do you recommend we focus on to measure success and/or failure and at what frequency should we check our supply management overall system? Dave Nelson, Chief Strategy Officer, HTC Global Services, Inc. is a former Vice President for Delphi Corporation where he led their global supply management operations encompassing 2700 supply chain professionals and $18 billion in total annual [...] Dr. Steven Spear interview, Part 2: Healthcare http://www.dwightbowen.com/2007/09/dr-steven-spear-interview-part-2-healthcare/ http://www.dwightbowen.com/2007/09/dr-steven-spear-interview-part-2-healthcare/#comments Wed, 26 Sep 2007 19:14:53 +0000 Dwight http://leanthinkingnetwork.com/2007/09/26/dr-steven-spear-interview-part-2-healthcare/ An outline of interview highlights

Applying Toyota Production System tools in healthcare. How?

What is the essence of what Toyota does?

Toyota focuses on discovery. When Toyota ran into problems they quickly developed counter-measures to correct them. As an example Ohno developed Just-In-Time to address the problem of desynchronization upstream and downstream to the factory. Developed Kanban rules:
If the customer needed something they had to go get it
Until asked the supplier cannot provide it
Toyota was creating hundreds of tools throughout the years.

How TPS has been interpreted over the last several years. It’s been compressed down. Companies will say “we are doing lean …how so? We have done a value stream map, we have eliminated muda and on the remaining value adding steps we have installed pulls. At each step we have created a production cell with standard work and four or five S. Well what else are you doing? When we complete that step I move on to another process.

Here is the problem with that. When Toyota created those particular tools they did it because they did not have reliable and capable production processes. Those tools can be very helpful when you step out of manufacturing to things that look like manufacturing. You can use a checklist when you have: work that is reasonably repetitive, done in high volume, reasonable low variety, requests for work are not brand new, something you have seen before. It works in that setting, but then you get into some of these other problems when you have non-repeating, low volume, high variety and brand new requests.

Healthcare is structured in silos, by discipline and specialty creating problems with handoffs, waste, rework and system reliability issues. The healthcare system requires specialists to focus on the every evolving science, but who owns the handoffs?

Healthcare has become much more complex in the last fifty years, causing many more handoffs.

The physician is placed in a “hero mode” but his/her great efforts do not guarantee a successful outcome (though it could guarantee a poor outcome).

Selling the value of TPS to healthcare frequently has not been done well. Rarely is it stated that we want to make successful outcome easier to physicians, nurse, administration.

TPS will detect abnormalities quickly.

Poka yoke and healthcare

Healthcare in the next few years..a prediction

The current healthcare problem is largely due to budget. Cost are too high and TPS focuses on reducing waste and therefore costs.

New publications coming from Dr. Spear:

Collaboration with physician about the lack of concern in healthcare

Book McGraw-Hill about complex work being managed better.

Links to Dr. Spear articles:

Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System, Harvard Business Review, September 1999
http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b02/en/common/item_detail.jhtml;jsessionid=DHJJYTO5KZJ30AKRGWDR5VQBKE0YIIPS?id=99509

Learning to Lead at Toyota, Harvard Business Review, May 2004
http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b02/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=R0405E&referral=1043

Fixing Healthcare from the Inside, Today, Harvard Business Review, September 2005
http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b02/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=1738

Using Real-Time Problem Solving to Eliminate Central Line Infections
Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety
Volume 32, Number 9, September 2006 , pp. 479-487(9)
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/jcaho/jcjqs/2006/00000032/00000009/art00001

Ambiguity and Workarounds as Contributors to Medical Error Annals of Internal Medicine (free download)
2005; 142: 627-630
http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/full/142/8/627?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=spear%2C+steve&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT

The essence of just-in-time: embedding diagnostic tests in work-systems to achieve operational excellence
Production Planning and Control, Volume 13, Number 8, December 2002 , pp. 754-767(14)
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/tandf/tppc/2002/00000013/00000008/art00008ÂÂ

]]> http://www.dwightbowen.com/2007/09/dr-steven-spear-interview-part-2-healthcare/feed/ 2 An outline of interview highlights Applying Toyota Production System tools in healthcare. How? What is the essence of what Toyota does? Toyota focuses on discovery. When Toyota ran into problems they quickly developed counter-measures to correct them. As an example Ohno developed Just-In-Time to address the problem of desynchronization upstream and downstream to the factory. Developed Kanban rules: If the customer needed something they had to go get it Until asked the supplier cannot provide it Toyota was creating hundreds of tools throughout the years. How TPS has been interpreted over the last several years. It’s been compressed down. Companies will say “we are doing lean …how so? We have done a value stream map, we have eliminated muda and on the remaining value adding steps we have installed pulls. At each step we have created a production cell with standard work and four or five S. Well what else are you doing? When we complete that step I move on to another process. Here is the problem with that. When Toyota created those particular tools they did it because they did not have reliable and capable production processes. Those tools can be very helpful when you step out of manufacturing to things that look like manufacturing. You can use a checklist when you have: work that is reasonably repetitive, done in high volume, reasonable low variety, requests for work are not brand new, something you have seen before. It works in that setting, but then you get into some of these other problems when you have non-repeating, low volume, high variety and brand new requests. Healthcare is structured in silos, by discipline and specialty creating problems with handoffs, waste, rework and system reliability issues. The healthcare system requires specialists to focus on the every evolving science, but who owns the handoffs? Healthcare has become much more complex in the last fifty years, causing many more handoffs. The physician is placed in a “hero mode” but his/her great efforts do not guarantee a successful outcome (though it could guarantee a poor outcome). Selling the value of TPS to healthcare frequently has not been done well. Rarely is it stated that we want to make successful outcome easier to physicians, nurse, administration. TPS will detect abnormalities quickly. Poka yoke and healthcare Healthcare in the next few years..a prediction The current healthcare problem is largely due to budget. Cost are too high and TPS focuses on reducing waste and therefore costs. New publications coming from Dr. Spear: Collaboration with physician about the lack of concern in healthcare Book McGraw-Hill about complex work being managed better. Links to Dr. Spear articles: Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System, Harvard Business Review, September 1999 http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b02/en/common/item_detail.jhtml;jsessionid=DHJJYTO5KZJ30AKRGWDR5VQBKE0YIIPS?id=99509 Learning to Lead at Toyota, Harvard Business Review, May 2004 http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b02/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=R0405E&referral=1043 Fixing Healthcare from the Inside, Today, Harvard Business Review, September 2005 http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b02/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=1738 Using Real-Time Problem Solving to Eliminate Central Line Infections Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety Volume 32, Number 9, September 2006 , pp. 479-487(9) http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/jcaho/jcjqs/2006/00000032/00000009/art00001 Ambiguity and Workarounds as Contributors to Medical Error Annals of Internal Medicine (free download) 2005; 142: 627-630 http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/full/142/8/627?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=spear%2C+steve&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT The essence of just-in-time: embedding diagnostic tests in work-systems to achieve operational excellence Production Planning and Control, [...] An outline of interview highlights Applying Toyota Production System tools in healthcare. How? What is the essence of what Toyota does? Toyota focuses on discovery. When Toyota ran into problems they quickly developed counter-measures to correct [...] Interview with Dr. Steven Spear – Part 1 Toyota, a community of scientists http://www.dwightbowen.com/2007/09/interview-with-dr-steven-spear-part-1-toyota-a-community-of-scientists/ http://www.dwightbowen.com/2007/09/interview-with-dr-steven-spear-part-1-toyota-a-community-of-scientists/#comments Fri, 14 Sep 2007 17:51:41 +0000 Dwight http://leanthinkingnetwork.com/2007/09/14/interview-with-dr-steven-spear-part-1-toyota-a-community-of-scientists/ Outline of Highlights…..Please listen to the podcast for details

Today we are fortunate to have as our guest Dr. Steven Spear

Dr Spear is a Senior Lecturer at Mass. Institute of Technology, where he teaches an introduction to Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma for students in the Leaders for Manufacturing and System Design and Management Programs.

Steven also teaches in Harvard Medical School and School of Public Health Programs.

And is a senior fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvements

Steven played an integral role in developing the Alcoa Business System and the “Perfecting Patient Care program of the Pittsburg Regional Healthcare Initiative.

Steven has authored or co-authored:

Publications
_Learning from the Masters: By adopting complex processes from Toyota and Alcoa,
hospitals can improve performance,_ Cerner Quarterly, (2006).

_Fixing Healthcare from the Inside: Teaching Residents to Heal Broken Delivery Processes As They Heal Sick Patients, _ Research and Innovation in Medical Education Invited Address, American Association of Medical Colleges Annual conference. Academic Medicine. 81(10) Suppl:S144-S149, (2006).

_Using Real-Time Problem Solving to Eliminate Central Line Infections,_ with Richard Shannon and other co-authors. Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety. 32:479-487, (2006).

_Operational Failures and Interruptions in Hospital Nursing Work,_ with Anita Tucker,
Health Services Research, (2006).

_The Health Factory,_ New York Times [op ed], (2005).

(#) (*) _Fixing Healthcare from the Inside, Today,_ Harvard Business Review (2005).

_Ambiguity and Workarounds as Contributors to Medical Error,_ with Mark Schmidhofer,
Annals of Internal Medicine (2005).

_Medical Education as a Process Management Problem,_ with Elizabeth Armstrong and Marie Mackey, Academic Medicine (2004).

DB  Welcome to this Competing Podcasts Steve.
In Decoding the DNA of TPS the seminal paper you co-authored with H. Kent Bowen you state that the TPS creates a “community of scientists, could you elaborate?

SS  * Community of Scientist is what separates Toyota from everyone else in the world and the automotive industry.
*Article written in 1999, since then we continue to plug away and understand Toyota.
* In a highly competitive, sometimes cutthroat, limited profitability and leadership that’s hard to sustain. If you look at the auto industry that’s true for everyone but Toyota
* Toyota solves problem that effects most large organizations
* Complex processes create problems
* 300 engineering years to redesign a Camry
* No one in the room understands the entire design or how to get there
* That same scale exists elsewhere and is overwhelming and failure is easy
* Toyota found that you can’t design something great, greatness is discovered
DB – Please discuss Toyota’s “four rules”

SS

* We found the “Four (unwritten) Rules of the TPS to be:
1. All work shall be highly specific as to content, sequence, timing and outcome
2. All customer-supplier connections must be direct
3. The pathways of every product and service must be simple and direct
4. Any improvement must be made in accordance with the scientific method

The Scientific Method Establish a prediction declare ahead of time
Experiment
Measure outcomes
* Got what predicted – that confirms our thinking
* Contrary Of that is something I didn’t understand and need to invest more time to investigate to deepen knowledge further

DB Rigid yet flexible
Scientific yet simplified……?

You state Toyota is a learning institution and that workers learn by applying four questions to any process…..could you elaborate?

SS
From 1999 until 2005 our understanding has evolved.
All work is a process, has a start and finish, inputs and outputs
All processes have various levels at which they need to be designed
You have to be very clear as to the output you wish to achieve
Work back from a successful outcome
Develop the necessary steps and sequence and have a person responsible for each step
Pathways, flow, sequence and who owns them
Connections how do we indicate demand, what is the format
What specific process, sequence, timing, location and output for each step to achieve perfect quality leaving that step and then received by the subsequent step How do we know our expectations are correct or incorrect?
We establish built in tests to establish when things are going wrong
Common to all levels:
Is it specified and is there a built in system that tells you whether it is working or not.

Links to selected articles by Dr. Spear:

Decoding the DNA of the Toyota Production System, Harvard Business Review, September 1999
http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b02/en/common/item_detail.jhtml;jsessionid=DHJJYTO5KZJ30AKRGWDR5VQBKE0YIIPS?id=99509

Learning to Lead at Toyota, Harvard Business Review, May 2004
http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b02/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=R0405E&referral=1043

Fixing Healthcare from the Inside, Today, Harvard Business Review, September 2005
http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu/b02/en/common/item_detail.jhtml?id=1738

Using Real-Time Problem Solving to Eliminate Central Line Infections
Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety
Volume 32, Number 9, September 2006 , pp. 479-487(9)
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/jcaho/jcjqs/2006/00000032/00000009/art00001

Ambiguity and Workarounds as Contributors to Medical Error Annals of Internal Medicine (free download)
2005; 142: 627-630
http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/full/142/8/627?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=spear%2C+steve&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT

The essence of just-in-time: embedding diagnostic tests in work-systems to achieve operational excellence
Production Planning and Control, Volume 13, Number 8, December 2002 , pp. 754-767(14)
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/tandf/tppc/2002/00000013/00000008/art00008

]]> http://www.dwightbowen.com/2007/09/interview-with-dr-steven-spear-part-1-toyota-a-community-of-scientists/feed/ 0 Outline of Highlights…..Please listen to the podcast for details Today we are fortunate to have as our guest Dr. Steven Spear Dr Spear is a Senior Lecturer at Mass. Institute of Technology, where he teaches an introduction to Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma for students in the Leaders for Manufacturing and System Design and Management Programs. Steven also teaches in Harvard Medical School and School of Public Health Programs. And is a senior fellow at the Institute for Healthcare Improvements Steven played an integral role in developing the Alcoa Business System and the “Perfecting Patient Care program of the Pittsburg Regional Healthcare Initiative. Steven has authored or co-authored: Publications _Learning from the Masters: By adopting complex processes from Toyota and Alcoa, hospitals can improve performance,_ Cerner Quarterly, (2006). _Fixing Healthcare from the Inside: Teaching Residents to Heal Broken Delivery Processes As They Heal Sick Patients, _ Research and Innovation in Medical Education Invited Address, American Association of Medical Colleges Annual conference. Academic Medicine. 81(10) Suppl:S144-S149, (2006). _Using Real-Time Problem Solving to Eliminate Central Line Infections,_ with Richard Shannon and other co-authors. Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety. 32:479-487, (2006). _Operational Failures and Interruptions in Hospital Nursing Work,_ with Anita Tucker, Health Services Research, (2006). _The Health Factory,_ New York Times [op ed], (2005). (#) (*) _Fixing Healthcare from the Inside, Today,_ Harvard Business Review (2005). _Ambiguity and Workarounds as Contributors to Medical Error,_ with Mark Schmidhofer, Annals of Internal Medicine (2005). _Medical Education as a Process Management Problem,_ with Elizabeth Armstrong and Marie Mackey, Academic Medicine (2004). DB  Welcome to this Competing Podcasts Steve. In Decoding the DNA of TPS the seminal paper you co-authored with H. Kent Bowen you state that the TPS creates a “community of scientists, could you elaborate? SS  * Community of Scientist is what separates Toyota from everyone else in the world and the automotive industry. *Article written in 1999, since then we continue to plug away and understand Toyota. * In a highly competitive, sometimes cutthroat, limited profitability and leadership that’s hard to sustain. If you look at the auto industry that’s true for everyone but Toyota * Toyota solves problem that effects most large organizations * Complex processes create problems * 300 engineering years to redesign a Camry * No one in the room understands the entire design or how to get there * That same scale exists elsewhere and is overwhelming and failure is easy * Toyota found that you can’t design something great, greatness is discovered DB – Please discuss Toyota’s “four rules” SS * We found the “Four (unwritten) Rules of the TPS to be: 1. All work shall be highly specific as to content, sequence, timing and outcome 2. All customer-supplier connections must be direct 3. The pathways of every product and service must be simple and direct 4. Any improvement must be made in accordance with the scientific method The Scientific Method Establish a prediction declare ahead of time Experiment Measure outcomes * Got what predicted – that confirms our thinking * Contrary Of that is something I didn’t understand and need to invest more time to investigate to deepen knowledge further DB Rigid yet flexible Scientific yet simplified……? You state Toyota is a learning institution and that workers learn by applying four questions to any process…..could you elaborate? SS From 1999 until 2005 our understanding has evolved. All work is a process, has a start and finish, inputs and outputs All processes have various levels at which they need to be designed You have to be very clear as to the output you wish to achieve Work back from a successful outcome Develop the necessary steps and sequence and have [...] Outline of Highlights…..Please listen to the podcast for details Today we are fortunate to have as our guest Dr. Steven Spear Dr Spear is a Senior Lecturer at Mass. Institute of Technology, where he teaches an introduction to Lean Manufacturing [...] Competing September 2007 Meetings: a cure or a symptom? http://www.dwightbowen.com/2007/09/competing-september-2007-meetings-a-cure-or-a-symptom/ http://www.dwightbowen.com/2007/09/competing-september-2007-meetings-a-cure-or-a-symptom/#comments Fri, 07 Sep 2007 18:59:48 +0000 Dwight http://leanthinkingnetwork.com/2007/09/07/competing-september-2007-meetings-a-cure-or-a-symptom/ I bet you have wasted many hours in meetings that added no value. Most meetings are called to solve a problem such as:
1) Personnel issues?
2) A performance issue?
3) Customer service issues?
4) Quality issues?
5) Safety issues?
6) Legal issues?
7) Financial issues?

If we look at Shingo’s Wastes and consider our experience with meetings “waiting seems to be the best fit (though “incapable process” could fit as well). We sit too long accomplishing too little.

Well what are you sitting there waiting for?
1) A clear and documented problem definition?
2) A clearly defined objective attendees agree on?
3) Effective problem solving where “it’s not who is right, it’s what is right

4) Clearly defined and measurable possible solutions?
5) An action plan that includes:
A. An objective
B. A measurable goal(s)
C. The team leader and team assigned
D. Budget $ if necessary
E. Expected completion date
F. Application of the “scientific method Dr. Demings Plan>Do>Check>Adjust cycle

Before calling a meeting ask yourself and your colleagues the 5 why’s.

Let’s apply Toyota’s “5 Why’s to a proposed meeting:

John (assembly line supervisor): I want to call a meeting about the poor performance my line has had recently.
Mary (John’s Manager/boss): Why?
John: Because we haven’t been able to produce the 100 units per shift expected of us.
Mary: Why?
John: Well George and Martin are too slow and Connie’s quality is a problem.
Mary: Why?
John: I think George and Connie don’t care and Martin is just too slow
Mary: Why do you think George and Connie don’t care?
John: I’m not sure, but they have really gone down hill in the last few months.
Mary: Why?
John: Well we have had some trouble with our insert vendor sending us poor quality work and making late shipments.
Mary: John, I would like you to spend tomorrow morning directly observing the line and document each stoppage, the reason and the time. Then we can discuss the situation.

This illustrates the power of Toyota’s “go see philosophy, a philosophy that quickly gets to the heart of the problem and requires the “doers” to participate. During the observation time, after explain why he was observing the process, John would be work with the operators, using their experience and expertise, to help clarify the problem and develop possible counter-measures.

I have found applying the Toyota based Kaizen process to meetings works very well. Here are some meeting guidelines:

Some guidelines:
1) Ask the 5 Why’s to justify calling a meeting
2) Start on-time and end on-time
3) Stay focused, do not expand the scope or objective
4) Use Deming’s “scientific method: plan>do>check>adjust to monitor progress and illustrate problems rapidly
5) Don’t be afraid to fail. Change means some failure. The PDCA cycle will help here.
6) Have fewer, shorter meetings

]]> http://www.dwightbowen.com/2007/09/competing-september-2007-meetings-a-cure-or-a-symptom/feed/ 0 I bet you have wasted many hours in meetings that added no value. Most meetings are called to solve a problem such as: 1) Personnel issues? 2) A performance issue? 3) Customer service issues? 4) Quality issues? 5) Safety issues? 6) Legal issues? 7) Financial issues? If we look at Shingo’s Wastes and consider our experience with meetings “waiting seems to be the best fit (though “incapable process” could fit as well). We sit too long accomplishing too little. Well what are you sitting there waiting for? 1) A clear and documented problem definition? 2) A clearly defined objective attendees agree on? 3) Effective problem solving where “it’s not who is right, it’s what is right 4) Clearly defined and measurable possible solutions? 5) An action plan that includes: A. An objective B. A measurable goal(s) C. The team leader and team assigned D. Budget $ if necessary E. Expected completion date F. Application of the “scientific method Dr. Demings Plan>Do>Check>Adjust cycle Before calling a meeting ask yourself and your colleagues the 5 why’s. Let’s apply Toyota’s “5 Why’s to a proposed meeting: John (assembly line supervisor): I want to call a meeting about the poor performance my line has had recently. Mary (John’s Manager/boss): Why? John: Because we haven’t been able to produce the 100 units per shift expected of us. Mary: Why? John: Well George and Martin are too slow and Connie’s quality is a problem. Mary: Why? John: I think George and Connie don’t care and Martin is just too slow Mary: Why do you think George and Connie don’t care? John: I’m not sure, but they have really gone down hill in the last few months. Mary: Why? John: Well we have had some trouble with our insert vendor sending us poor quality work and making late shipments. Mary: John, I would like you to spend tomorrow morning directly observing the line and document each stoppage, the reason and the time. Then we can discuss the situation. This illustrates the power of Toyota’s “go see philosophy, a philosophy that quickly gets to the heart of the problem and requires the “doers” to participate. During the observation time, after explain why he was observing the process, John would be work with the operators, using their experience and expertise, to help clarify the problem and develop possible counter-measures. I have found applying the Toyota based Kaizen process to meetings works very well. Here are some meeting guidelines: Some guidelines: 1) Ask the 5 Why’s to justify calling a meeting 2) Start on-time and end on-time 3) Stay focused, do not expand the scope or objective 4) Use Deming’s “scientific method: plan>do>check>adjust to monitor progress and illustrate problems rapidly 5) Don’t be afraid to fail. Change means some failure. The PDCA cycle will help here. 6) Have fewer, shorter meetings I bet you have wasted many hours in meetings that added no value. Most meetings are called to solve a problem such as: 1) Personnel issues? 2) A performance issue? 3) Customer service issues? 4) Quality issues? 5) Safety issues? 6) Legal issues? 7) [...] Competing August 16, 2007 "Creating an effective suggestion system" http://www.dwightbowen.com/2007/08/competing-august-16-2007-creating-and-effective-suggestion-system/ http://www.dwightbowen.com/2007/08/competing-august-16-2007-creating-and-effective-suggestion-system/#comments Thu, 16 Aug 2007 14:13:29 +0000 Dwight http://leanthinkingnetwork.com/2007/08/16/competing-august-16-2007-creating-and-effective-suggestion-system/ Sponsored by the Zone Control Achieve Program, gemba training for Supervisors Front-line Managers and Lead People the sergeants and lieutenants in the war against waste. To find out more go to Gembawalk.com or call 717-394-9106.

Thanks to Jon Miller of Gemba Research and his article “The Suggestion System is No Suggestion” for much of the following information

Suggestion system conjures up an image of employees writing down ideas, putting them in a box and a manager or committee reviews these ideas to approve or reject. This illustrates why most suggestion systems fail. There are four objections for most companies who consider suggestion systems:

1) Creating a bureaucracy for review and evaluate ideas
2) Paying for ideas which should be part of everyone’s job
3) Suggestions turn into complaints
4) Finding resources for implementing ideas

Powerful objections. How then do some companies create and sustain effective suggestion systems?

Toyota calls their suggestion system “soul kufuu seido” roughly translated “working out creative ideas policy”

Toyota’s approach has the following characteristics:

1) Idea acceptance is a given (need for training in problem solving and kaizen)
2) Pay for suggestions (but don’t pay a fortune)
3) Coaches help ideas grow (and need training to support these efforts)
4) Implement ideas yourself

At Toyota, when a creative idea is documented and submitted, the idea is already implemented.

  • There is no review once the idea form is submitted, no decision of go or no-go.
  • There is certainly a review process, but this occurs at the lowest level possible, as quickly as possible. (need to train supervisors extensively in problem solving and kaizen)
  • The ideas are implemented by the person who comes up with it, they work with their supervisor who coordinates the timing and resources to implement the idea.
  • Some successful programs pay“a token reward “such as a box of soap, a case of beer, or something else of value, but not cash. Toyota however pays cash rewards from $5 to $2000 per idea implemented based on the impact of the idea has had on cost savings, most are in the $5 range.
  • How can Toyota accept 99% of the ideas? Supervisors review the ideas with the employees and coach them, giving them direction and hints, and generally help the ideas succeed. Supervisors are “idea coaches who have coaches above them and so on the development of a learning organization.

Conclusion

“It is no exaggeration to say that over the long haul the suggestion system is one of the most powerful Lean tools that an organization can adopt. Through misunderstandings of how effective suggestion systems are operated, they have been neglected for too long. I believe employees have great ideas and are waiting for a system they can trust to offer them.

Perhaps you could use this information to modify your approach and begin to reap the harvest of your people’s creative ideas. Begin slowly and measure success and failure…….Plan-Do-Check-Adjust….it works!

]]> http://www.dwightbowen.com/2007/08/competing-august-16-2007-creating-and-effective-suggestion-system/feed/ 0 Sponsored by the Zone Control Achieve Program, gemba training for Supervisors Front-line Managers and Lead People the sergeants and lieutenants in the war against waste. To find out more go to Gembawalk.com or call 717-394-9106. Thanks to Jon Miller of Gemba Research and his article “The Suggestion System is No Suggestion” for much of the following information Suggestion system conjures up an image of employees writing down ideas, putting them in a box and a manager or committee reviews these ideas to approve or reject. This illustrates why most suggestion systems fail. There are four objections for most companies who consider suggestion systems: 1) Creating a bureaucracy for review and evaluate ideas 2) Paying for ideas which should be part of everyone’s job 3) Suggestions turn into complaints 4) Finding resources for implementing ideas Powerful objections. How then do some companies create and sustain effective suggestion systems? Toyota calls their suggestion system “soul kufuu seido” roughly translated “working out creative ideas policy” Toyota’s approach has the following characteristics: 1) Idea acceptance is a given (need for training in problem solving and kaizen) 2) Pay for suggestions (but don’t pay a fortune) 3) Coaches help ideas grow (and need training to support these efforts) 4) Implement ideas yourself At Toyota, when a creative idea is documented and submitted, the idea is already implemented. There is no review once the idea form is submitted, no decision of go or no-go. There is certainly a review process, but this occurs at the lowest level possible, as quickly as possible. (need to train supervisors extensively in problem solving and kaizen) The ideas are implemented by the person who comes up with it, they work with their supervisor who coordinates the timing and resources to implement the idea. Some successful programs pay“a token reward “such as a box of soap, a case of beer, or something else of value, but not cash. Toyota however pays cash rewards from $5 to $2000 per idea implemented based on the impact of the idea has had on cost savings, most are in the $5 range. How can Toyota accept 99% of the ideas? Supervisors review the ideas with the employees and coach them, giving them direction and hints, and generally help the ideas succeed. Supervisors are “idea coaches who have coaches above them and so on the development of a learning organization. Conclusion “It is no exaggeration to say that over the long haul the suggestion system is one of the most powerful Lean tools that an organization can adopt. Through misunderstandings of how effective suggestion systems are operated, they have been neglected for too long. I believe employees have great ideas and are waiting for a system they can trust to offer them. Perhaps you could use this information to modify your approach and begin to reap the harvest of your people’s creative ideas. Begin slowly and measure success and failure…….Plan-Do-Check-Adjust….it works! Sponsored by the Zone Control Achieve Program, gemba training for Supervisors Front-line Managers and Lead People the sergeants and lieutenants in the war against waste. To find out more go to Gembawalk.com or call 717-394-9106. Thanks to Jon [...] Lean Video Reviews – Competing August 2007 http://www.dwightbowen.com/2007/08/lean-video-reviews-competing-august-2007/ http://www.dwightbowen.com/2007/08/lean-video-reviews-competing-august-2007/#comments Fri, 03 Aug 2007 19:14:18 +0000 Dwight http://leanthinkingnetwork.com/2007/08/03/lean-video-reviews-competing-august-2007/ I think it is very important that the lean community shares what works and what doesn’t. This podcast will focus on three videos that work for my practice and will likely work for your company be it manufacturing, distribution, or service. All three videos were produced by The Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership www.gbmp.org

“Toast Kaizen” brings kaizen to the kitchen. Shingo’s Seven Wastes are the tops and GBMP’s President Bruce Hamilton humorously demonstrates the seven wastes.

After stopping the video to allow the audience to discuss possible counter-measures, Bruce explains and applies counter-measures to create the “desired condition”

A very effective introduction or review of kaizen in less than 35 minutes

“Moments of Truth” discusses the people side of lean, which after all, is 90% people and 10% tools. This is a must see video for leadership and management.

This video does a wonderful job of describing the difficulty and possibilities of “changing the state of mind” of any group of people.

Explains that Management’s/Supervisors interactions with employees either assists of diminishes the flow of ideas and gives examples of failed and successful management/employee interactions

Kaizen is not effective when it is driven from the top down and does not work without employee involvement.

“No” is an idea killer..present and future.

“Total Productive Maintenance” seeing the invisible.

Discusses:

Wasted Maintenance

Method to approach zero equipment stoppages

Breakdowns are 10x the cost of preventive maintenance

The 4 phases of maintenance excellence

80% of equipment breakdowns are from contamination and improper lubrication

Suggestions of Visuals to improve PM

The 6 major equipment losses

Importance of maintaining equipment failure history

Suggestions for spare parts

Issues with calendar based maintenance

Standard work for maintenance

How to get started with a Total Productive Maintenance system at your facility.

]]> http://www.dwightbowen.com/2007/08/lean-video-reviews-competing-august-2007/feed/ 1 I think it is very important that the lean community shares what works and what doesn’t. This podcast will focus on three videos that work for my practice and will likely work for your company be it manufacturing, distribution, or service. All three videos were produced by The Greater Boston Manufacturing Partnership www.gbmp.org “Toast Kaizen” brings kaizen to the kitchen. Shingo’s Seven Wastes are the tops and GBMP’s President Bruce Hamilton humorously demonstrates the seven wastes. After stopping the video to allow the audience to discuss possible counter-measures, Bruce explains and applies counter-measures to create the “desired condition” A very effective introduction or review of kaizen in less than 35 minutes “Moments of Truth” discusses the people side of lean, which after all, is 90% people and 10% tools. This is a must see video for leadership and management. This video does a wonderful job of describing the difficulty and possibilities of “changing the state of mind” of any group of people. Explains that Management’s/Supervisors interactions with employees either assists of diminishes the flow of ideas and gives examples of failed and successful management/employee interactions Kaizen is not effective when it is driven from the top down and does not work without employee involvement. “No” is an idea killer..present and future. “Total Productive Maintenance” seeing the invisible. Discusses: Wasted Maintenance Method to approach zero equipment stoppages Breakdowns are 10x the cost of preventive maintenance The 4 phases of maintenance excellence 80% of equipment breakdowns are from contamination and improper lubrication Suggestions of Visuals to improve PM The 6 major equipment losses Importance of maintaining equipment failure history Suggestions for spare parts Issues with calendar based maintenance Standard work for maintenance How to get started with a Total Productive Maintenance system at your facility. I think it is very important that the lean community shares what works and what doesn’t. This podcast will focus on three videos that work for my practice and will likely work for your company be it manufacturing, distribution, or service. All [...] Competing June, 2007 Standardized Work http://www.dwightbowen.com/2007/06/competing-june-2007-standardized-work/ http://www.dwightbowen.com/2007/06/competing-june-2007-standardized-work/#comments Fri, 29 Jun 2007 17:47:54 +0000 Dwight http://leanthinkingnetwork.com/2007/06/29/competing-june-2007-standardized-work/ “Without standardization their can be no kaizen” – Taiichi Ohno

Standardization will reduce variation and variation is the enemy of any process

Toyota Georgetown Ky. Presented “The three levels of standardized work” Anyone working on standardization of work?
How did you proceed? Mgrs & Engineers developed the standardized work and told the operators how to do it.
Was this process successful? No
Toyota discovered that (many, many years ago) and has operators develop standardized work, with a champion for each standardization being selected among the operators.
Do you have problems maintaining standardized work at Toyota Georgetown? Yes, it’s a constant battle, even though our culture supports standardized work.

Definitions

Standardized work is A TOOL FOR MAINTAINING PRODUCTIVITY, QUALITY, AND SAFETY at high levels

“Standardized work is defined as work in which the sequence of job elements has been efficiently organized and is repeatedly followed by a team member” – Pascal Dennis

“Standardized work is a process whose goal is kaizen. If standardized work doesn’t change, we are regressing”

Why standardized work?

  • Provides a basis for employee training
  • Establishes process stability
  • Reveals clear stop and start points for each process
  • Assists audit and problem solving
  • Creates baseline for kaizen
  • Enables effective employee involvement and poka-yoke (mistake proofing)
  • Maintains organizational knowledge

Elements of Standardized Work

Takt Time and Cycle Time

  • Takt Time = Daily operating time / Required quantity per day
  • Cycle Time = Actual time for process
  • Goal is to synchronize takt time and cycle time

Work Sequence

  • The order in which the work is done in a given process
  • Can be a powerful tool to define safety and ergonomic issues

Work-In-Process
Minimum number of unfinished work pieces required for the operator to complete the process

Documenting Standardized Work
Cycle Time Study Worksheet, which includes:

  • Major steps
  • Work sequence
  • Operation takt time
  • Average time for each step, including:
  • Machine time
  • Value-added work time
  • Non-value-added work time

Standardized Work Chart, which includes:

  • Visual of layout and parts flow
  • Work sequence
  • WIP
  • Quality and safety check points
  • Bottleneck processes
  • Walk time and crossover time

Standardized Work Combination Table, which includes:

  • Takt time
  • Cycle time
  • Walk time
  • Wait time
  • Work while walking time
  • “in TPS managed organizations the design of nearly all work activities, connections among people, and pathways of connected activities over which products, services, and information take form are specified-in-their-design, tested-with-their-every-use, and improved close in time, place, and person to the occurrence of every problem.”

Steven Spear “Problem Solving” Q&A regarding the Toyota Production System

In addition thanks to:
MIT esd Jessica Dolak & Ben Lathrop, with considerable input from “Competing” friend Pascal Dennis
Caribbean Business Services Limited
For their content

]]> http://www.dwightbowen.com/2007/06/competing-june-2007-standardized-work/feed/ 0 “Without standardization their can be no kaizen” – Taiichi Ohno Standardization will reduce variation and variation is the enemy of any process Toyota Georgetown Ky. Presented “The three levels of standardized work” Anyone working on standardization of work? How did you proceed? Mgrs & Engineers developed the standardized work and told the operators how to do it. Was this process successful? No Toyota discovered that (many, many years ago) and has operators develop standardized work, with a champion for each standardization being selected among the operators. Do you have problems maintaining standardized work at Toyota Georgetown? Yes, it’s a constant battle, even though our culture supports standardized work. Definitions Standardized work is A TOOL FOR MAINTAINING PRODUCTIVITY, QUALITY, AND SAFETY at high levels “Standardized work is defined as work in which the sequence of job elements has been efficiently organized and is repeatedly followed by a team member” – Pascal Dennis “Standardized work is a process whose goal is kaizen. If standardized work doesn’t change, we are regressing” Why standardized work? Provides a basis for employee training Establishes process stability Reveals clear stop and start points for each process Assists audit and problem solving Creates baseline for kaizen Enables effective employee involvement and poka-yoke (mistake proofing) Maintains organizational knowledge Elements of Standardized Work Takt Time and Cycle Time Takt Time = Daily operating time / Required quantity per day Cycle Time = Actual time for process Goal is to synchronize takt time and cycle time Work Sequence The order in which the work is done in a given process Can be a powerful tool to define safety and ergonomic issues Work-In-Process Minimum number of unfinished work pieces required for the operator to complete the process Documenting Standardized Work Cycle Time Study Worksheet, which includes: Major steps Work sequence Operation takt time Average time for each step, including: Machine time Value-added work time Non-value-added work time Standardized Work Chart, which includes: Visual of layout and parts flow Work sequence WIP Quality and safety check points Bottleneck processes Walk time and crossover time Standardized Work Combination Table, which includes: Takt time Cycle time Walk time Wait time Work while walking time “in TPS managed organizations the design of nearly all work activities, connections among people, and pathways of connected activities over which products, services, and information take form are specified-in-their-design, tested-with-their-every-use, and improved close in time, place, and person to the occurrence of every problem.” Steven Spear “Problem Solving” Q&A regarding the Toyota Production System In addition thanks to: MIT esd Jessica Dolak & Ben Lathrop, with considerable input from “Competing” friend Pascal Dennis Caribbean Business Services Limited For their content “Without standardization their can be no kaizen” – Taiichi Ohno Standardization will reduce variation and variation is the enemy of any process Toyota Georgetown Ky. Presented “The three levels of standardized work” Anyone working on [...]