Our most valuable resource. Honest.
When planning to improve by implementing Lean, management need to be very wary about what they are going to do with the people that are freed up by the effort. It is inevitable that in some parts of the process, fewer staff will be needed to complete the tasks. It is true that in some [...]
How to pull in the office
A push system is where each step or in a process works as hard as possible and pushes all the work it completes to the next step. This means that work-in-progress will sit between steps gathering dust and lengthening end-to-end time. It also means that any improvement feedback loops will be ineffective. If work is [...]
Getting lost before you leave
A man gets off a train in a small village. As he steps onto the platform he looks around, lost. The new arrival spots an ancient old man dressed as a porter and asks, “Old man, can you tell me the way to Harthpenny House?” The old man looks at him and replies, “Well sir, [...]
Ups and downs
“Life is full of ups and downs.” We understand it in a non-business setting. So why is an appreciation for variation so lacking in a business setting? Dunno. But let me give you a (fictional) example. Rob works in an insurance company, processing claim forms. Rob is measured on how many forms he processes in [...]
My eyes!! I can’t see.
What is the difference between manufacturing and service? No, it is not a joke and no I am not talking about those “in service, value is made at the point of transaction” or “in service, the customer is part of the process” statements. All valid points, but get business people of whatever stripe in the [...]
What’s my motivation?
Motivation. Where does it come from? Where does it go? Does it come from outside or from within? Is there an unlimited resource or do you have to pay for every ounce? W. Edwards Deming said that all motivation was intrinsic, that it came from inside. He said that all management needed to do to [...]
Hands off those tools
If you choose to apply Lean thinking in your organisation you will need to apply some tools. Tools such as Statistical Process Control, Value Stream Mapping, Pareto charts etc. All useful, all to be handled with care. Lean is not tools. If you think you can learn some tools and some fancy words and “do” [...]
Targets in Business: Shoot To Kill
Targets are great. They give us something to aim at (duh!). Targets point us in the right direction. They give everyone a common goal. Targets are clear and unambiguous. All correct. If that is, it is the target you want to hit. If you want to do something else then setting and even hitting targets [...]
Demanding Customers
Customers. What do they know? Nothing. And everything. If you wanted to find out what your customers thought you might do a customer survey right? You would think up a bunch of questions, send it out and analyse the results. If you were really serious you might employ a specialist company to assist you. But [...]
Understand Variation
Last time I talked about the mistake of attributing performance to individuals rather than the system of work. One of the things that comes from an understanding of variation due to a system is why it is a mistake. But that is not the only thing. Understanding variation is one of the major pointers to [...]
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