2nd Annual World Quality Month

Last November, ASQ, together with organizations, leaders, and stakeholders in the Global Quality Community, celebrated the inaugural World Quality Month. This year ASQ is again joining with the Global Quality Community for World Quality Month 2011.

“Consumers and other businesses will seek to interact with those organizations whose commitment to quality is strongest, or in other words, those with which they are likely to find success and satisfaction.” – Paul Borawski, Chief Executive Officer, ASQ

As businesses look ahead to 2012, it is clear that reinforcement of and commitment to quality will be of paramount importance to their health and growth. Further, industry-leading organizations are keenly focused on improving quality from within, with employee training and process improvement topping the list of areas in which they intend to invest time and money. The overriding global economic uncertainty has not diminished member organizations’ commitments to quality – in some ways, it has strengthened it.

World Quality Month is an annual celebration of quality and its impact in the world. Through the joint efforts of ASQ, its many World Partner organizations, leaders and stakeholders in the Global Quality Community, the inaugural World Quality Month began in November 2010. World Quality Month was established both to reignite attention once generated in the 1980s by National Quality Month in the U.S. and to create a united, global forum for the organizations that have celebrated World Quality Days in November to come together and raise their voices for quality. November is designated as a worldwide celebration of quality – a time to showcase the advancements and valuable quality contributions in businesses, communities and institutions.

So in November raise your voice for quality. Every day. Make a point of it. I bet you’ll enjoy it. And when December 1 rolls around, you don’t have to stop. Speaking up for the importance of quality is our daily responsibility. The biggest barrier quality faces is making people understand that excellence just doesn’t happen. Excellence isn’t good intent. Through quality, excellence is available to everyone.


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Learning From Wiremold and Art Byrne

My friend Bob Emiliani recently shared a collection of videos from a research project he led on Wiremold's Lean transformation in 2001.

These historic videos capture an amazing event that took place on 5 November 2001, when a group of more than 25 executives, physicians, and department managers from Virginia Mason Medical Center (VMMC) made the long trip from Seattle, Washington, to West Hartford, Connecticut, to take a tour of The Wiremold Company. 

In the videos, the Wiremold executives do a wonderful job of translating Lean management from manufacturing to healthcare, and in doing so show how Lean can be applied to any organization in any industry. I have two key takeaways from the videos that I would like to share with you. They are:

• The Wiremold senior management team’s determination to immerse themselves in daily Lean thinking and practice - for more than a decade - and willingness to share and help others; to teach others and to learn from others. These are typical characteristics of highly effective Lean leaders.
• The VMMC team members, CEO on down, were willing and eager to learn new things. They recognized that they were not educated or trained for Lean at any point in their careers. And yet they did not suffer from the typical “I’m the doctor, so don’t tell me what to do” or “It won’t work here because we’re a hospital” mentality.

As Art Byrne says in the introductory video I encourage you not to find the differences in what we do but look for the similarities. There is much to learn from these videos no matter who you are - Board member, owner, investor, CEO, mid-level manager, supervisor, labor leader, politician, journalist, academic, student, etc. Art says we can all generate a list of "but, but, but, but,..." reasons why it can't be done however we need to find the "least waste" way of doing things.

I encourage you to review these unedited videos from Bob Emiliani's research on Lean.  If you want even further study I recommend you get a copy of Better Thinking, Better Results. In this book Bob, covers this research on Wiremold's Lean transformation. It is often used as a handbook by executives in companies of all sizes, in nearly every industry, to assist their Lean transformation.

Daily Lean Tips Edition #22

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

Click this link for A Lean Journey's Facebook Page Notes Feed.

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

Lean Tip #316 – Separate fact from opinion.

Clarity begins at home. We all have opinions, but not all of us are opinionated. The distinction is in how rigidly we hold onto our opinions and how skillfully we share them. Offer your opinions as useful gifts.

Lear Tip #317 – Establish credibility when you speak.

If you wait for absolute certainty to speak up, those who require less certainty will control the conversation. If in doubt, check it out. Get clear and speak up. Stand up for what you believe.

Lean Tip #318 – Match your talk and your walk.

People don’t care what you’re going to TRY to do. They want to know what you ARE going to do. High sounding words fall flat without corresponding action. Commit to walking your talk. It will make you careful about what you say. Words speak, actions scream.

Lean Tip #319 – Specify and see it through.

Say what you’ll do and do what you say. Dare to be specific. Being specific sets a higher bar for execution. Protect the power of your words by meaning what you say. No one will take your words seriously unless you do.

Lean Tip #320 – Be a uniter, not a divider.

Divide and conquer can win some battles but also create some wars you will lose. People you divide might eventually unite…against you. Don’t manipulate people it destroys trust. Be honest and harness team work.

Lean Tip #321 – Hold people accountable.

The harder you push, the harder people push back. Any fool can avoid a topic and any fool can attack a topic. It takes skill to speak out gracefully. Before you react, people are the least lovable when they need the love the most. Revenge may seem sweet, but sugar rots your teeth. The kinder, gentler, softer way is the smarter, wiser, stronger way.

Lean Tip #322 – Live The 5 C’s of Responsible Leadership

PThe 5 C’s of Responsible Leadership:
Clarity results in conviction: a clear commitment to your beliefs.
Conviction inspires courage: The “courage” of conviction.”
Courageous leaders are willing to use candor in their communication.
Candor lends itself to creative expression.
Creative expression adds clarity to your position.

From Meryl Runion’s book Speak STRONG.

Lean Tip #323 – Persuade, don’t manipulate.

There’s nothing wrong with persuasion. There’s nothing right with manipulation. Don’t back off from persuasion because you’re afraid you’ll come across manipulatively. Use your skills to accurately promote ideas that have mutual benefit.

Lean Tip #324 – Focus on possibilities.

Don’t get bogged down by how things are. While you need to acknowledge the existing reality, the possibility of change is more motivating. Pair each problem with possibilities. Focus on areas of agreement first and then work to dissolve areas of difference.

Lean Tip #325 – Asking is an important skill.

Ask and ye shall receive. Ask well and ye shall receive well. Know what you want when you want it. Be clear. Let them know what’s in it for them. Invite them to explore alternatives with you. Make it easy for them to give you what you want.

Lean Tip #326 – Take the time you need to do a quality job.

Doing work right the first time may take more time upfront, but errors usually result in time spent making corrections, which takes more time overall.

Lean Tip #327 - Do not multitask it is not productive.

There is an illusion that we will accomplish more if we multitask. But study shows that it is wrong. Be sure that you do only one task at a time. Doing only one task at a time allows you to have the necessary focus to accomplish the task with the highest possible standard.

Lean Tip #328 - Keep Your Workspace Clean and Organized

How often have you found yourself procrastinating on a big project by thinking you ought to really organize your desk? I’ve done it before! I admit it. If you’re like me, then you too might succumb to the temptation. Don’t even give yourself the option. When you have a slow day, take the time to carefully clean and organize your workspace. That way you can give all of your attention to big projects later and not worry about some papers that are out of order.

Lean Tip #329 - Stick to a learning schedule.

Whether it is keeping up with the news, or taking on new skills in your industry, commit to devoting a certain amount of time (a couple of hours per week, for instance) and then keep to it. That’s important because you do not want to fall behind, but also because you do not want to flood your mind with so many facts and details that you suffer from “paralysis by analysis.” Treat information as you would food for your mind: Put enough into it be healthy, but not so much to slow you down.

Lean Tip #330 - Focus on one thing at a time.

One of the reasons we feel so overloaded by information is that we allow them to come at us constantly. Not every e-mail, article, telephone call, or other piece of information that comes your way is urgent. Try to focus on one thing at a time, and you will quickly discover that your capacity for learning and absorbing is increased. Our minds are built to tackle a single issue and move on, so concentrate on what’s in front of you and let your brain do its job.

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Lean Quote: Success Always Starts With Failure

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.

"Success comes through rapidly fixing our mistakes rather than getting things right first time." — Tim Harford, Adapt: Why Success Always Starts With Failure

Success always starts with the knowledge of what failure would be, because if you haven't defined what failure is, you haven't defined what it isn't, i.e. success.

Ultimately though, we most often learn through trial and error. We reserve the word success for the accomplishment of difficult things and there are few difficult things you get right on the first try.

Hence while success does not ALWAYS start with failure, it would be fair to say it does most of the time. If you aren't failing, you're not trying, and if you aren't trying you aren't succeeding.

Treat every mistake as an opportunity to learn and grow. Don’t feel stupid or doomed forever just because you failed at something. You can find always other opportunities. If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not improving. Henry Ford said, “Failure is merely an opportunity to begin again knowledgeably.” Failure can be an inevitable stepping-stone to great achievement.

Management needs to establish an environment where failure is acceptable. Failures can either destroy or advance our goals, but it's our response to them that truly determines the outcome. If we are too afraid of failure to try then we will never know if we can improve our situation.

Nobody likes to make mistakes. However, the simple reality of life is that at some point, all of us are going to be wrong. That’s just life. We are going to make mistakes. A colleague of mine always says, “Learn to fail quickly.” Essentially, if you are going to fail you need to learn to do it quickly in order to get the data (results) that you can use to gradually improve. The faster you get at learning from unforeseen circumstances and outcomes, the faster you can find a solution that truly adds value.


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Bring Value to Your Value Stream Map with These Ten Tips

Value stream mapping is a tremendously valuable tool for improving a process. Well suited for a broad range of industries and processes. A value stream map (VSM) illustrates the flow of materials and information as a product or service moves through a process. In short, it helps eliminate waste.

But like any tool, VSM must be applied properly. That means avoiding the common errors that invalidate the mapping process. Below are some tips on developing an accurate VSM. These tips will not only improve the accuracy of your map and facilitate the mapping process.

1. Define a value stream.
Include all the activities required to bring a product from “raw materials” into the customer’s hands or provide service to a target audience.

2. Base the value stream map process on customer requirements.
You must understand what the customer values, and use that as your starting point. If you don’t, you risk, in the words of my favorite band The Fall, paying “the highest attention to the wrong detail.”

3. Capture the process as it operates now, not how it’s supposed to operate.
A process that worked well when you had 20 employees may not perform as efficiently now that the business is a 200-person company. Be sure you map the process as it happens now, not the way it used to work—or how you wish it worked!

4. Assign a value stream map manager to lead the mapping effort.
Input from team members and stakeholders is important, but appoint (or elect) one team member to draw the entire value stream map. This ensures that the manager understands the material and information flows.

5. Walk through the process to ensure that the flow of materials and information is accurate.
Make sure your map reflects the reality of the process—verifying this by following the process from start to finish can reveal crucial details you might have missed.

6. Focus on one small step at a time.
Make sure you capture each step accurately. For example, don’t trust the clock on the wall to measure cycle times—use a stopwatch.

7. Identify critical paths and bottlenecks.
Your map may reveal a number of potential areas for improvement. Which ones will make the biggest difference in meeting customer requirements?

8. Create a future state map from the current state map.
Your current-state map suggests where to focus your efforts, so you can draft a map that shows how value will flow through an improved process.

9. Limit the improvement plan to achieve the future state to a one-page document, if possible.
List the actions that need to happen to improve the process. Use simple, clearly-defined steps.

10. To implement the improvement plan quickly, focus on individual areas.
Take a step-by-step approach to putting your plan in action, then update your future state map as you implement each step.

Creating a value stream map of the current state of your process helps you focus on areas of waste such as excess inventory, non-value-added time, and multiple operators. It’s not an easy undertaking, but making a good value stream map is a great way to help everyone involved understand and see where improvements can be made. These tips will help you develop accurate value stream maps.



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Lean Quote: True Power is Worth Having

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.

"True power means being as strong as you need to be and no stronger." — Meryl Runion

True is real power.  It's not power over anyone.  It's not control of anyone. It's not power you take. It's a power with others, a power of influence, and a power freely given to you.  This kind of power enables you to say what you mean and mean what you say without being mean when you say it.

Search the word "power" on thesaurus.com and the first definition you'll find is competence. The second is capacity. The third is control. I like the first two definitions and the third as long as the control is self-control.  Here are some tips to help embrace your true power:

1. Become unflappable.
Don't confuse a strong reaction with power.  If someone can provoke you, then they have power over you. Master your own emotions, reactions, and choices.

2. Commit to life-long learning.
You're not done learning just because you finished school.  You'll become irrelevant is you stop learning.  Read at least a half hour each day, explore developments in your field, and be a continuous learner.  Then, share your knowledge to help others achieve their objectives.

3. Be a visionary.
Don't limit yourself to the confines of others people's thinking, what has already been done, and what's wrong. Powerful people spend more time talking about possibilities than limitations. Consider and communicate new perspectives, things as they could be, and possibilities. Elevate every conversation to the broader context.

4. Curry favor.
It's not unethical or "sucking up" to seek to win the hearts, minds, and support of colleagues and supervisors. It's only unethical if you are insincere in your efforts. Deliberately build alliances, connect, and bond. People like to support people who support them.

5. Practice patience.
Don't think you need to win every battle. The battle you win could cost you a war. Consider long term objectives when choosing what to do. True power is built over time.

True power means being as strong as you need to be and no stronger.  Meryl Runion says "The louder you talk, the less they hear." Power is not about throwing your weight around and making a lot of noise.  It's about getting results.


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Fabulous Formula to Speak Strong

Good communication skills are essential for successful leadership. Recently, I have been reading a book on learning to communicate clearly by Meryl Runion called SpeakStrong.  In her book Meryl shares her favorite formula for effective communication: "Say what you mean and mean what you say without being mean when you say it."

Meryl also shares with readers three other formulas that I want to share with you here.

1. The FACE formula to address issues and ask what you want.
The FACE formula has four parts to it - the facts, appreciation, consequence or cost, and expectation.

Facts: Begin by describing the facts.  This is the observable kind of information you collect first hand.
Appreciation: Once you explain the facts, use your appreciation statement to create safety.
Cost/Impact: Next is your consequence statement, where you talk about the impact of their actions for you, them, and others.
Expectations: Finally, it's time to make your request. That's the expectation.

Just remember to FACE your problems, and you'll be able to Speak Strong.

2. The CASE formula to address conflict.
Sometimes, all you have to do is ask, and you receive. Other times, you need to ideas, explore issues and negotiate outcomes. That's when the CASE formula comes in handy.  Here's how this formula works.

Clarify: Begin by exploring their position, attitudes, and perspectives. Keep asking questions and exploring until you have confirmed that you understand them.
Assert: Once you both agree that you understand them, explain your own perspective. Refer back to the FACE formula for this.
Seek solutions: You and the other person should sit side-by-side looking at the problem in a mutual effort to find solutions that work for all concerned.
Evaluate: Review the ideas you came up with and build agreements based on them. Make sure the options you select are realistic and everyone is willing to commit to them.

3. The ACT formula to say no.
You might think saying "no" should be simple, but most everyone I know has a problem with that simple two-letter word. That's why the ACT formula is so helpful.

Acknowledge the request: The first step is to acknowledge the request with a simple phrase.
Circumstance: Then briefly explain your circumstance that is the reason why you're declining.
Tag: Close with a tag phrase that affirms the relationship.

Meryl, also shares the 5 C’s of Responsible Leadership:

Clarity results in conviction: a clear commitment to your beliefs.
Conviction inspires courage: The “courage” of conviction.”
Courageous leaders are willing to use candor in their communication.
Candor lends itself to creative expression.
Creative expression adds clarity to your position.


These formulas provide the framework to communicate powerfully and effectively. Master these skills for the quick edge you need to make any conversation turn out right.