Lean Quote of the Day, May 21, 2010

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

Feel free to share some of your favorites here as well.

“Do not look where you fell, but where you slipped.” - African proverb

This quote really gets to the essence of root cause analysis.  Where do you focus your attention; on the slippery floor or what caused the floor to get slippery in the first place. 

Root cause analysis is a problem solving methodology based on the belief that problems are best solved by attempting to correct or eliminate root causes, as opposed to merely addressing the immediately obvious symptoms. By directing corrective measures at root causes, it is hoped that the likelihood of problem recurrence will be minimized. However, it is recognized that complete prevention of recurrence by a single intervention is not always possible. Thus, root cause analysis is often considered to be an iterative process, and is frequently viewed as a tool of continuous improvement.

Mark Graban of a leanblog.org has created a photolog called BeMoreCareful.com.  This is a collection of workplace signs and posters that don't quite get to the root cause. The site intended to show pictures of workplace signs that say things like:

Caution! 
Warning!
Be Careful!
LOOK OUT!
Don’t Forget!

These signs usually have an exclamation point and often say “Please.” Signs and warnings are about the weakest form of “error proofing,” if you can even call it that. Some find it easier to just slap up a sign, thinking the problem is solved, instead of looking for a more systemic fix.  Lean thinking recognizes that people are human and that human error is inevitable.  Instead of posting a sign Lean focuses on the process so that it’s more difficult for people to make mistakes or forget things.

Here is an example of such a sign:

Before printing, check the printer for signs! Chances are, you’ve already hit “Print” before walking over to see this caution. Is there a deeper root cause to the “28lb Type 2 error”?  See more examples at BeMoreCareful.com.


Disclosure:  I am a contributor on the photolog BeMoreCareful.com.

Kanban for Personal Management

About a month ago I came across a great concept called the Personal Kanban that I wanted to share.  Taiichi Ohno created the first kanban to communicate with workers how much work needed to get done and how much got done.  Kanban is a Japanese term meaning "sign" or "signboard".  A kanban does three main things:

1. Shows us the work we have in progress

2. Shows us all the work we haven't gotten to yet

3. Shows us how efficiently we work

Personal Kanban is a personal productivity tool based on these principles to create a simple way to visualize and control your work. There are only two real rules with Personal Kanban:

1. Visualize your work 

2. Limit your work-in-progress

Personal Kanban is the idea of Jim Benson, owner of Modus Cooperandi, a consultancy that helps businesses achieve business goals through collaborative means. Jim also blogs at Evolving Web on Lean, Agile Management, and Social Media principles.

Limiting your work in progress is important since the human brain simply does not respond well to the stress of juggling multiple priorities.

We feel like if we have “free time” we have “capacity” and therefore can fit more work in. We are not unlike a freeway.

A freeway can operate from 0 to 100 percent capacity. But when a freeway’s capacity gets over about 65%, it starts to slow down. When it reaches 100% capacity – it stops.

So capacity is a horrible measure of throughput. Multitasking is a horrible way to manage your synapses. If your brain is a highway and you are filling yourself with work, after a time you start to slow down.

Your rush hour gets longer and longer. You find yourself struggling to get out simple tasks.

Simply because you think you can handle more work-in-progress does not make it so.

You can build your first Personal Kanban in 4 simple steps.

1) Establish Your Value Stream

 The flow of work from the moment you start to when it is finished. The most simple value stream possible is Backlog (work waiting to be done), Doing (work being done), and Done (yes, that's right, work that's done). 

2)  Two: Establish Your Backlog

All that stuff you need to do that you haven't done – that's your backlog.  Everything you need to do, start writing it down onto Post-its. Big tasks, small tasks, get them all down.

3) Establish Your WIP Limit
The amount of work you can handle at one time.  Part of what makes kanban work is finding the sweet spot, where we are doing the optimal amount of work at the optimal speed.

4) Begin to Pull

Begin working – pull completed work from one stage of the value stream and into the next.

There is a short presentation to help you get started.

Personal Kanban 101

View more presentations from Jim Benson.

Personal Kanban is easily adaptable and scalable to fit anyone's needs.  There a number of great examples and tools on the website to support you on future improvements to your Personal Kanban.  For those iPhone users there is even an app for Personal Kanban called iKan.

In the next few weeks I hope to transform my previous Visual Task Board to a Personal Kanban of my own.  I would like to hear if anyone has experience with a Personal Kanban they would like to share.

Inefficiency Through Default Meeting Times

This past week there has been a lot of discussion about the 45 minute 45 minute meeting from TimeBridge.  TimeBridge, an online scheduling site, has set their default meeting time to 45 minutes instead of 60 minutes.  They suggest these "5 Rules of the 45 Minute Meeting" to help you get started:

•Plan ahead: Develop a clear purpose and agenda with estimated minutes for each item. Deliver an agenda far ahead of the meeting so participants can prepare and participate. Let others contribute to the agenda.

•Cull the attendee list: If attendees do not have actions or direct oversight they don't need to attend the meeting. The bigger the meeting the more likely the time-suck. Send meeting notes to those who need to know about the meeting but don't need to be there.

•Stay tuned in: Phones off, laptops closed (except for the note-taker).

•Manage the clock: Call out, reign-in or punish the meeting jokesters, complainers and timewasters. Make sure you're not allowing the first agenda item to consume the entire meeting.

•Give ownership: Assign owners to all bullets or action items. Make sure to summarize the actions at the end of the meeting.

My question is why stop there.  Why not try the 22 minute meeting.

I came across the 22 minute meeting from Scott Berkun a couple of months ago.  The idea is the concept of Nicole Steinbok, where she presented the idea at Seattle Ignite 9.

Here's the poster from her talk:

Here is a summation of the steps as characterized by Scott Berkun:

1. Schedule a 22 minute meeting - Who decided meetings should be 30 or 60 minutes? What data is this based on? None. 30 and 60 minute meetings leave no time to get between meetings, and assumes, on average, people need an hour to sort things out. Certainly not all meetings can be run in 22 minutes, but many can, so we'd all be better off if the default time were small, not large.
2. Have a goal based agenda – Having an agenda at all would be a plus in most meetings. Writing it on the whiteboard, earns double pluses, since then everyone has a constant reminder of what the meeting is supposed to achieve.
3. Send required readings 3 days beforehand – The burden is on the organizer to make this small enough that people actually do it. Never ever allow a meeting to be "lets all read the documents together and penalize anyone diligent enough to do their homework".
4. Start on time – How often does this happen? Almost never. Part of the problem is Outlook and all schedule programs don't have space between meetings. By 2pm there is a day's worth of meeting time debt. 22 minutes ensures plenty of travel/buffer time between meetings.
5. Stand up – Reminds everyone the goal isn't to elaborate or be supplemental  Make your point, make your requests, or keep quiet. If there is a disagreement, say so, but handle resolving it outside of the meeting.
6. No laptops, but presenters and note takes. If you're promised 22 minutes, and it's all good stuff, you don't need a secondary thing to be doing while you pretend to be listening. One person taking notes, and one person presenting if necessary.
7. No phones, no exceptions – see above.
8. Focus! Note off topic comments. If you have an agenda, someone has to police it and this burden is on whoever called the meeting. Tangents are ok, provided they are short. The meeting organizer has to table tangents and arguments that go too far from the agenda.
9. Send notes ASAP – With 22 minutes, there should be time, post meeting, for the organizer to send out notes and action items before the next meeting begins.

You can also view Nicole's video from the Seattle Ignite show for an explanation in her own words.



Nicole started a facebook group to promote sharing of like minded individuals on preventing inefficient meetings.

I even came across a piece of software called LessMeeting that promises more productivity.  LessMeeting makes it extremely easy to follow meeting best practices for planning, execution and follow-up of meetings. In addition, LessMeeting provides key analytics that measure meeting productivity and efficiency across your organization.

What is really important about all this is the need to challenge status quo and make the necessary improvement to make our meetings as productive as possible.  I previously wrote a post entitled In Search of Lost Time where I shared several tips to help you save time and money by running effective meetings. I am constantly reminded of the phrase "You, me, now, at the source."  Our meetings really need to follow this axiom so we create value for our customers.

Many organizations suffer from meeting-itis: poorly-run and inefficient meetings that go on too long, happen too often and include more attendees than need to be there.  Keeping meetings brief, small, and productive isn't easy. Fast Company suggests trying unconventional techniques to make it work:

Share the ways in which you make your meetings effective.  Let's start a revolution in traditional corporate cultures where we find better ways to do things.

If you enjoy this post you may want to connect with me on Linkedin or follow me on Twitter.  You can also subscribe to this feed or email to stay updated on all posts.  For those Facebook fans join A Lean Journey on our Facebook fan page.

Lean Quote of the Day, May 14, 2010

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

Feel free to share some of your favorites here as well.

"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now."
- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, 1749-1832, German Poet, Dramatist, Novelist

This quote is really about the tipping point between analysis paralysis and just do it.  The tipping point is when an idea, trend, behavior, product, or message creates enough critical mass crossing a threshold where change becomes unstoppable. It is this epidemic of change that many seek to make their Lean journey sustainable.  In the post The Tipping Point of Lean Culture the three rules (or agents of change) by Malcolm Gladwell are explained in terms of creating a Lean culture.  These elements are essential in all transformations.

Many organizations are waiting for the optimum time to change.  Unfortunately, tomorrow never comes.  If you allow it you will always find another distraction.  There is never a better time to start than now.  We really must invest everyday in our future since you can't get back lost time.

To make this transformation possible the workforce must have the ability and expectation that they can make changes for the better.  This requires committed leadership to act now and remove all obstacles and excuses prohibiting change.



If you enjoy this post you may want to connect with me on Linkedin or follow me on Twitter.  You can also subscribe to this feed or email to stay updated on all posts.  For those Facebook fans join A Lean Journey on our facebook fan page.

The Lean Farmer: Desirable Attributes of a Lean Coach

Leadership is regularly discussed whenever the subject is organizational change.  Lean conversions and leading the ongoing lean operation require determined leaders and effective leadership. Successful leaders behave in a particular way with certain desirable attributes.

This leadership role has many names.  Whether you call them a sensei, champion, coach, or leader; the role is no less critical for the organization to be successful.  I am not one that pays much attention to titles but for this post I chose Coach because it is so fitting.  A Coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a team or of individual.

The following characteristics are desirable for a good Lean Coach: 

1. Active-learner open to new ideas
2. Natural problem-solving skills
3. Basics technical skills (comfortable with spreadsheets, graphs, data, etc.)
4. Keen Observer
5. Hands-on
6. Passionate about improving processes
7. Leadership skills
8. Strong interpersonal skills
9. Excellent communicator (writing & speaking)
10. Systems thinkers (able to understand process flows, etc.)

These characteristics alone don't make a Lean Coach.  The Lean Coach must have technical knowledge in the lean tools and tacit knowledge from experience.  Nobody is born knowing these principles and how to implement them.  Everyone has to learn them through practice, trial and error, and coaching.  Success is not based on who you are but rather on what you do. Behaviors can be learned and unlearned. 

Being a teacher is the most important aspect for a Lean Coach.  They are not the ones to come in and do it for you.  They are the ones to show you how to do it with confidence so that you will be able to do it for yourself.  A Lean Coach must be relentless in teaching and expecting learning through actual practice.

The best analogy of a Lean Coach that I have heard is related to agriculture. The Lean Coach is a farmer not a hunter.  Farmers take the long view, and win in the long term.  Hunters take the short view, get early gains but ultimately die out.  Farmers are shepherds.

What characteristics of a Lean Coach do you find desirable in your experience?

If you enjoy this post you may want to connect with me on Linkedin or follow me on Twitter.  You can also subscribe to this feed or email to stay updated on all posts.  For those Facebook fans join A Lean Journey on our facebook fan page.

5 Questions Answered by Tim McMahon

Kevin Meyer and Bill Waddell from the blog Evolving Excellence have a series called 5 Questions.  This is where you can learn more information on some of the lean manufacturing and business transformation thought leaders.  The 5 questions are:

1. Who are you, what organization are you with, and what are some of your current lean-oriented activities?

2. How, when, and why did you get introduced to lean and what fueled and continues to fuel the passion?

3. In your opinion what is the most powerful aspect of lean?

4. In your opinion what is the most misunderstood or unrecognized aspect of lean?

5. In your opinion what is the biggest opportunity for lean in today's world?  How can that be accomplished?

Yours truly answers these questions so you can learn more about the man behind A Lean Journey.

1.  Who are you, what organization are you with, and what are your current lean-oriented activities?

I am the Founder and Contributor of A Lean Journey Blog. This site is dedicated to sharing lessons and experiences along the Lean Journey in the Quest for True North. The blog also serves as the source for learning and reflection which are critical elements in Lean Thinking.

Since I believe you should practice what you preach, my day job is a Lean practitioner with more than 10 years of Lean manufacturing experience.  I currently lead continuous improvement efforts for OFS, a high tech manufacturer fiber optic cables and assemblies for several plants in the Northeast.  Currently a major focus is teaching problem solving skills, lean countermeasures, and how to see opportunities for improvement by actively learning, thinking and engaging our workforce.

I have also been supporting the AME Northeast Region Board of Directors as the Social Media Lead. This role is to identify how to best leverage social media tools for increasing networking within AME's Northeast Region. Social media tools include LinkedIn, Twitter, Slideshare, YouTube, Facebook, etc. I contribute with others on AME's Social Media Council to build AMEConnect, a members-only online networking site, and build presence and content on Facebook and Twitter channels.

You can learn more about me on LinkedIn - Tim McMahon, follow me on Twitter - @TimALeanJourney, or be a fan on A Lean Journey Page.

To see my answers to the remaining questions head over to 5 Questions-Meet Tim McMahon on Evolving Excellence.

You can also visit the About Me section of A Lean Journey Blog to learn more.

Lean Quote of the Day, May 7, 2010

On Fridays I will post a Lean related Quote. Throughout our lifetimes many people touch our lives and leave us with words of wisdom. These can both be a source of new learning and also a point to pause and reflect upon lessons we have learned. Within Lean active learning is an important aspect on this journey because without learning we can not improve.

Feel free to share some of your favorites here as well.

“Kanban is like the milkman. Mom didn’t give the milkman a schedule. Mom didn’t use MRP. She simply put the empties on the front steps and the milkman replenished them. That is the essence of a pull system” – Ernie Smith, Lean Event Facilitator in the Lean Enterprise Forum at the University of Tennessee

While many organizations utilize kanban systems for pull production they still rely on ERP/MRP  for purposes of planning.  How do you know if your ERP system is working for you? 

Check these 10 warning signs to see if your ERP system is killing your business.


1. The ERP system can’t integrate mission-critical business data.
2. Changes to the system are costly and time-consuming.
3. Your disaster-recovery plan involves tapes.
4. Beefy PCs or “fat clients” are needed to run the system.
5. Maintenance fees are high.
6. You can’t access the data easily if you are traveling.
7. Upgrades are disruptive to the business.
8. Trading partners can’t easily interact with the system.
9. New employees need time to learn the system.
10. Globalization is too difficult.

Now, if you are unsure of the issues that a poorly run ERP system can cause then I suggest you revisit CIO.com's brief and semi-chronological history of 10 famous ERP disasters, dustups and disappointments as a warning.

I believe that ERP and Lean are compatible and beneficial if done correctly. The problem is we often let the ERP solution run our business instead of making the software suit our business needs.