Simplicity: When Details Matter

According to Occam's razor, all other things being equal, the simplest theory is the most likely to be true.  A simple solution always takes less time to finish than a complex one.  So always do the simplest thing that could possibly work next. If you find something that is complex replace it with something simple. It's always faster and cheaper to replace complexity now, before you waste a lot more time on it.

I came across a TED Video by Rory Sutherland that illustrates the need for simplicity within problem solving in a compelling and humorous way. It may seem that big problems require big solutions, but ad man Rory Sutherland says many flashy, expensive fixes are just obscuring better, simpler answers.



Some noteworthy highlights from the video:

So there seems to be a strange disproportionality at work, I think, in many areas of human problem solving, particularly those which involve human psychology, which is the tendency of the organization or the institution is to deploy as much force as possible...

Our own sense of self-aggrandizement feels that big important problems need to have big important, and most of all, expensive solutions attached to them. And yet, what behavioral economics shows time after time after time is in human behavioral and behavioral change there's a very, very strong disproportionality at work. That actually what changes our behavior and what changes our attitude to things is not actually proportionate to the degree of expense entailed, or the degree of force that's applied...

What is completely lacking is a class of people who have immense amounts of power, but no money at all.

... what is happening in the world is the big stuff, actually, is done magnificently well. But the small stuff, what you might call the user interface, is done spectacularly badly. But also, there seems to be a complete sort of gridlock in terms of solving these small solutions....

Based on this backdrop Rory suggests a simple 4 way approach to looking at problem solving:

Rory asks, "what do you call this fourth quadrant?"  I would call this "simplicity".

He suggests that every business needs to add a Chief Detail Officer to be in charge of the tiny things that don't cost a lot but if successful have a big impact.  I wonder if this is not another name for the Lean leader in your organization.

In my experience with problem solving in a Lean environment it is often those simple creative solutions at the source of the problem by those who do the work that are the most effective.  Lean leaders understand this well and work to create a culture that fosters and develops the use of this ingenuity.  A focus on what I call the three e's: education, engagement, and empowerment are effective at establishing that culture.

I think it was Leonardo da Vinci that said it best "simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

Lean Quote of the Day, June 11, 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.

"The causes of defects lie in worker errors, and defects are the results of neglecting those errors. It follows that mistakes will not turn into defects if worker errors are discovered and eliminated beforehand" - Shiego Shingo, 1986

Instead of simply inspecting for mistakes and eliminating bad parts or using SPC to improve the processes, a different approach is to use devices or designs that will help to prevent mistakes in the first place. This approach of trying to make it difficult for the worker to make mistakes is called poka-yoke and is credited to Shigeo Shingo.

A poka-yoke device is any mechanism that either prevents a mistake from being made or makes the mistake obvious at a glance.  Poka-yoke is Japanese for mistake-proofing.  These devices are used either to prevent the special causes that result in defects or to inexpensively inspect each item that is produced to determine whether it is acceptable or defective.

Everyday poka-yoke examples are all around us in our daily lives.  We benefit from mistake-proofing everyday whether we are aware of it or not.

Poka-yoke can be implemented at any step of a manufacturing process where something can go wrong or an error can be made.  Shigeo Shingo recognized three types of poka-yoke for detecting and preventing errors in a mass production system:

1.The contact method identifies product defects by testing the product's shape, size, color, or other physical attributes.
2.The fixed-value (or constant number) method alerts the operator if a certain number of movements are not made.
3.The motion-step (or sequence) method determines whether the prescribed steps of the process have been followed.

Shingo argued that errors are inevitable in any manufacturing process, but that if appropriate poka-yokes are implemented, then mistakes can be caught quickly and prevented from resulting in defects. By eliminating defects at the source, the cost of mistakes within a company is reduced.

John Grout offers mistake proofing help for those who want to learn more.  John is a Shingo Prize winning author and researcher on the human side of mistake proofing.  If you already think you know something about mistake proofing then test your knowledge with this quiz.

Don't allow defects to occur in your processes by neglecting to prevent mistakes in your work.  Use poka-yoke to make the work easier and mistake proof your process.

Is Disorganization Holding You Back?

Many of us think we are organized and are not aware of how the contrary affects us. It is not always obvious how disorganization is affecting the quality and efficiency of your work.  Let's try is this short test to see if you are disorganized:

1. Do you spend a large part of your day looking for things, rummaging through piles, files, and drawers?

2. Do you forget important appointments and important tasks?

3. Do you spend less than 60% of your day focused on your most valuable tasks?

4. Have you missed deadlines or been late with responses to requests?

5. Do you complete lower priority task first?

6. Have you led a meeting without sending an agenda or missed to follow-up with minutes?

7. Do you have action items on your To-Do list that have been there for a while?

8. Have you discovered papers that needed your attention ages ago and now it is too late?

9. Do you have trouble retrieving files easily when needed?

10. Does it take you a while to find a key contacts information when you need it?

If you can answer yes to any of these questions then disorganization may be causing poor job performance. Being disorganized affects job performance and how others perceive you. Being disorganized can cost you and your company money, time and customers.

You've probably heard the saying, "Time is money."  Let's consider the cost of disorganization for you and your employer for a moment.  For example, suppose you are just spending one hour a day looking for things and your pay just $20 an hour.  In one week you have cost $100 and over a yearly period of 50 weeks (with two weeks off for vacation) the cost to your bottom line is $5,000.  Now, if your business has 100 employees and each of them is wasting one hour a day for 50 weeks of the year your bottom line is impacted to the tune of $500,000. Wow, that is a lot money!

There are other costs to you and the organization like buying duplicate and triplicate of things you can't find now only to locate them later.  Missed deadlines can result in customer dissatisfaction, missed product launches, and lost revenues.  Time is probably the largest impact to you and your company since it can never be replaced.

If you're always wading through clutter, misplacing key information or losing things in plain sight, then you need to start getting organized.  An organized space is simply one in which the things you need the most are close at hand, the things you need often are easily found, and the things you need rarely are out of the way but easily retrieved when needed.  The old adage often found in 5S describes an organized space as "a place for everything and everything in its place." You should be able to find things when you need them so you don't waste more time and money duplicating your efforts. That means that organization has to meet your needs, not some imposed notion of cleanliness.

Don't wait for something to happen, make something happen.  Apply 5S to organize your life and work area to gain efficiency.  5S originates from Toyota and is defined in English (and Japanese):

Sort (Seiri)

Set (Seiton)

Shine (Seiso)

Standardize (Seiketsu)

Sustain (Shitsuke)

5S is a process and method for creating and maintaining an organized, clean, and high performance workplace.  It enables anyone to distinguish between normal and abnormal conditions at a glance.  5S can be the foundation for continuous improvement, zero defects, cost reductions and a more productive work space.  The 5S methodology is a systematic way to improve the workplace, processes and products through employee involvement.

Staying organized will save you time and money and allow you to focus on your tasks effectively thus increasing your personal productivity.  Don't let disorganization hold you back.

The Seven Wastes of Product Development

I recently had the pleasure to guest post on Shmula.  Shmula, is the work of Pete Abilla, a proven Lean and Six Sigma practitioner.  His blog is a reflection of his take on technology, business, operations, Lean, Six Sigma, and a few other topics. Pete started a series of posts under the tag 7 wastes which describe the traditional wastes of Taiichi Ohno in specific context.  I took a look at the wastes that can be found in New Product Development processes.

The first step in eliminating waste from New Product Development (NPD), and thus improving the process, is to learn to identify the eight wastes. By closely examining the entire NPD process from a Lean perspective, the opportunities to drive out waste and increase value will become obvious...

For the rest of the post head over to Shmula.com by clicking here.



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Lean Quote of the Day, June 4, 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.

“Leaders establish the vision for the future and set the strategy for getting there; they cause change. They motivate and inspire others to go in the right direction and they, along with everyone else, sacrifice to get there.” - John P. Kotter

In today's times the difference between urgency and change will result in either survival or liquidation.  Executives need to recognize the difference between the two. Urgency creates a motivating force on results and teaming. Change is imposed from above, the subject of skepticism and numerous Dilbert cartoons.

Every organization needs to change, that is commonly understood. We have become complacent in our approaches to change management.  Change has lost its potency. It's become routine and we have lost sight of its fundamental roots.

Kotter reminds us that the root of success involves a sense of urgency. Urgency is the highly positive and focused forces that give people the determination to move and win now.



Kotter says there are two kinds of urgency, good urgency vs bad urgency.  The good kind involves relentless focus on doing only those things that move the business forward in the marketplace and doing them right now. The bad kind is panic driven and characterized by breathless activity that winds up producing nothing demonstrably new.

Many organizations struggle to create the change necessary and many more of them can not sustain the gains of their change. True urgency is the most important precursor of real change.

Lean Quote of the Day, May 28th, 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.

"Without passion man is a mere latent force and possibility, like the flint which awaits the shock of the iron before it can give forth its spark." — Henri Frederic Amiel, Swiss Philospher from 1800's

Passion is the driving force that enables people to attain far more than they ever imagined. Commitment means you will go all the way for what you believe in. Passion and commitment go hand in hand. Make sure your job is something you love to do and be excited about coming to work. Remember to have a positive attitude because of the saying “Good attitude, good results; bad attitude, bad results.”

Enthusiam; intensity about a subject; willingness to engage others on their terms with repect to the threats and possibilities; deep knowledge about the subject; examples from one's own experience - all of these are marks of passion.  These are attributes that can be studied, learned, and acquired over time.  They grow from believing that there must be a better way for your organization to survive and prosper in a competitive world.

Passion is not style. There are a lot of different styles -- charismatic, quiet, confident. But it all comes down to this motivating sense of commitment to what you do. Vince Lombardi said “the difference between success and failure is energy … fired with enthusiasm.”

Passion is everything. Without passion there is no drive to succeed. It is the fuel of the will, and everything you do as a leader must express your passion. Passion is contagious and is easily shared. Passion will bridge moments of weakness, and will drive you past your failures while reaching for your goals. Passion radiates from you and is easily detected by others.

A leader without passion isn’t a leader. He’s a paper pusher. Or a taskmaster. Passion drives a lot, and you can inspire so much in others through your own passion and enthusiasm. That doesn’t mean you have to be constantly cheery, it means you’ve got to believe in what you’re doing and what your company is doing.

Inspired by listening to Bruce Hamilton of GBMP and Karl Wadensten of VIBCO at EASTEC this week who speak of and epitomize passion.

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 Improvement the FastCap Way

In Lean we strive for a culture in which everyone in the company makes small improvements to their work environment everyday.  Many organizations start with large activities with titles like Kaizen or improvement events.  This is necessary in the beginning to create the conditions for change.  You need to teach people how and why to improve.  The Kaizened area then serves as a powerful example for the rest of the organization to learn from.  But as we strive for "True North" we want to create an environment where continuous improvement occurs regularly as part of the work.  Now, there is an example of this from FastCap.



FastCap produces a vast array of woodworking products and tools to accommodate the professional cabinet maker and woodworker needs. FastCap was founded in 1997 by Paul Akers, 20-year veteran in cabinet-making/ woodworking industry. One day, while Paul was building some cabinets, he got an idea for a self-adhesive screw cap cover and the Fastcap was born.

I learned of FastCap from bloggers Ron Pereira and Jon Miller about 6 months ago.  In fact Gemba Consulting helped FastCap start their Lean transformation around 2002. You can hear from Paul himself on how they started their Lean journey from a talk at the Northwest Business Club (video: Part 1 & Part 2) earlier this year.

This video serves as a great example of how powerful an engaged and empowered workforce can be.  It is really only possible from the involved leadership and coaching at the Gemba.  By reinforcing improvement at the source daily you are changing behaviors and establishing an environment where this kind of improvement is expected.  If you do this well then it is common place to solve problems as they occur and find ways to improve your work.  I hope this serves as an example for all.  Share this with the leaders of your organization to start a change in thinking about improvement today.