Book Review: A Factory of One

Most people who seek to improve their personal productivity are left with a bunch of anecdotes and tools. They fail to understand how to make it all work. What they don’t realize is they lack a system of improvement to make their process better. Now there is a new book that does just that. 

Daniel Markovitz authored A Factory of One: Applying Lean Principles to Banish Waste and Improve Your Personal Performance which describes how you can foster a new mindset and improve your performance by applying Lean methods to your work. Dan is the president of TimeBack Management, faculty member at the Lean Enterprise Institute, regularly teaches at the Stanford University Continuing Studies Program, and frequent blogger.

This book explores in detail a theme that I’ve writing about in the past on this blog: how to apply lean concepts and tools to individual work in order to improve performance, reduce waste, and deliver more customer value. In my view, we too often focus on the entire value stream or a large process within that value stream, and ignore the way people work within that value stream.

The same Lean principles that have improved efficiencies on the factory floor can be just as powerful—in fact, far more so—in helping individuals boost personal performance. Dan translates powerful Lean tools such as visual management, flow, pull, 5S, and kaizen to your daily work, revealing how they can help to improve efficiency, reduce waste, and link you ever more closely to customer value.

This book not only provides the tools, but also teaches you how to find the root causes underlying your inefficiencies so you can eliminate them permanently. It will enable you to immediately improve personal productivity while developing the skills needed for continuous improvement.

Dan challenges you to think more about your own process. He also includes real-world examples that illustrate how these principles have been successfully applied across a range of industries. Providing the perfect mix of what-to-do with why-to-do it, the text details a step-by-step approach to applying Lean principles to your work.

Each chapter ends with simple action steps to get you implementing improvement immediately. This learning and doing will get your removing waste and improving the process by which your work is performed. This practice enables a foundation of excellence where you can imagine your workdays filled with value and progress.

Dan writes this 145 page book with wit and passion which is so refreshing. If you want to be entertained and learn a few things about applying Lean thinking to your work then I highly recommend you read A Factory of One.



Disclosure: Dan and I discussed several stories while he was writing this book, conversations I thoroughly enjoyed. He provided a copy of the book for my review.

The Very Best of 5S - Benchmarking Report

Last summer A Lean Journey Blog co-sponsored with 5S Supply a 5S benchmarking survey. Now I am happy to share with you the 5S benchmarking report - "The Very Best of 5S." This free 30 page eBook is the full summary of a detailed benchmarking survey that 5S Supply sponsored in 2011. See what others are doing, good or bad, when it comes to setting up, implementing and sustaining a world-class 5S system. Some results will confer what you already know and others will surprise you.

This manuscript is an in-depth report on 5S Workplace Organization and Standardization. It sheds light on how organizations have successfully created a 5S system or the obstacles and solutions they used to overcome them.

Of those surveyed, the overall rank of the effectiveness of their 5S system is a 3 on a scale of 1-5 (1=low, 5=high). This is a clear indication that there is much room for improvement. There are many suggestions and comments presented here to help coach and guide organizations as they improve their 5S systems. The level of cooperation for 5S initiatives is initially low but increases with time with the most resistance coming from the supervisor level. Contrary to this is that upper management is generally supportive of a 5S system, but the top reasons for obstacles for implementation are “lack of management support” and “not enough time.” Another finding is that the amount of training spent on 5S training is relatively low (typically two hours or less). It seems that organizations have a hard time quantifying benefits from 5S (other than 5S Audits). Companies that did calculate the financial benefits proved that the return on investment far exceeds the cost of training, supplies and manpower. The lack of reward & recognition and the ability to engrain 5S into the organization’s culture is another impediment that must be overcome. Over 50 “best practices” are shared and many suggestions on how to properly create a 5S system or improve your current one are included.

10 Low Cost Ways to Learn Lean

Sometimes I am asked how I learned Lean either from those who want to do the same or by those who want to clarify my experience. I was fortunate to have studied with a Toyota Sensei for a number of years. For anyone who has experienced this kind of teaching it truly is a unique opportunity for learning. I also have a number of Lean certifications for those who like that sort of thing. I don’t want to get into that debate in this article but there is place for certification as part of overall learning.

I thought what I would do is to share 10 low cost ways that you can go about learning more about Lean thinking.

1. Read books. There is an unlimited supply of highly rated books available to help you succeed. I have highlighted a number of notable books on this site. Start your collection today.
2. Company library. Many companies have their own libraries and training that are available for the asking. You could even hold a lunch and learn session where a group gets together to review a book that the group is reading collectively.
3. Go online. Who hasn’t Googled to learn more on a topic? A simple online search will reveal a wide range of online webinars and training courses, many of them free or low-cost. This can be a great way for you to learn at your own pace and when it’s convenient for your schedule.
4. Join a professional association. Industry associations and trade organizations offer a variety of training options, including conferences, seminars, certifications and more. There may be a cost associated with some of this training, and access to some of the resources may require membership. As many of you know I am the VP of Programs for the Northeast Region of AME where I am responsible for these learning workshops.
5. Listen to podcasts. Podcasts are becoming increasingly media savvy learners. They often include product information or interviews with experts in a particular field and tend to cover fairly narrow topics.
6. Read blogs. Online publishers are another great source for information to enhance your skills. I prefer my own blog but I continue to learn some much from other bloggers which I highlight monthly.
7. Attend a webinar. Webinars are another area of increasing popularity for learners due to the flexibility of scheduling and the ease of attendance. Jeff Hajek and I have been offering webinars for about a year now. If you missed any you can see them replayed here.
8. Go to a conference. By attending conferences, trade shows, and workshops you can find quality teachings. Guest speakers entertain, educate and inspire their audiences through motivational and informational presentations. I had a recent talk about Lean Product Development that you may remember.
9. Network. Local groups that share your interest in a particular topic, offer a great forum to learn and share information for little or no cost. Special interest groups within these groups can offer further topic specialization and can be a tremendous way to learn or be mentored. I am an active participant in AME’s northeast region network as well as the Western Mass Lean Network.
10. Learn by doing. Human beings can definitely learn by hearing, reading, watching, seeing, and analyzing…but when it comes to getting results you simply cannot learn better than to learn by DOING. You learn best by doing.

Take advantage of as many of these training approaches as you can, and you will well on your way to learning Lean thinking. Staying current with the newest knowledge and ideas, and acquiring the skills to support it, is a necessity for lifelong learning. Take an hour each day to learn how to be more productive and successful by learning a new skill and applying this new expertise in your business.

Lean Quote: Leaders Learn From Their Mistakes

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.

"Mistakes are the usual bridge between inexperience and wisdom." — Phyllis Therous

Mistakes are unavoidable in life and leaders certainly make their share of them. Any time you look to break new ground or technologies or whatever it is you are leading, you open up many new avenues for mistakes and they are inevitable with change. You can’t have one without the other and so learning to use mistakes well is an important leadership trait.

Leaders must also be a leader in this area and actually admit your own mistakes. Admit when you were wrong, and emphasize what you have learned from it and what your next steps are work around that mishap. If you encourage and set the example of owning up to mistakes quickly and working past them, you can quickly inspire your followers to do the same and look at the value of the mistakes instead of hiding from them.

Learning from mistakes clearly needs some analysis of the mistake itself to gain value from it. Here are a few steps to use to analyze a mistake quickly and efficiently:

1. Accept that it happened and can’t be changed.
2. Know there is always something to learn from it.
3. Look to understand it and the factors that caused it.
4. How could you have recognized the mistake earlier?
5. How can you avoid the mistake next time?
6. Are there similar things that might have a related mistake to avoid?
7. What has changed now to ensure that mistake doesn’t reoccur?
8. Who else should know about this and learn from it?

When you focus on the improvements and lessons learned from a mistake you reinforce the ability to make mistakes part of the process and something that is accepted as long as it improves things. There is no value in worrying about the mistake or dwelling on it after it is done. So, move on!

Guest Post: The Management Lessons of Angry Birds

Angry Birds, that time-draining app that has spawned a cult phenomenon and a slew of stuffed toys at Walmart, might seem like an odd place to look for wisdom on accomplishing tasks. Nonetheless, the game offers several highly useful examples of how to manage yourself and others in order to get things accomplished:

You can only use what you have - Some levels, you wish you had a wood-smashing yellow bird, but all the game gives you are some fat, white birds. How on earth will you ever kill all the pigs with THAT??! So it is with employees and team mates – you have to find a way to get things done using what you have.

Not every resource can be applied in the same way, to the same problem, every time - Sometimes, that fat, white bird is a high-level bomber. Other times, it’s best to drop the egg and let the bird smash into the obstacles. Or that boomerang bird might be best used as a non-boomerang. You have to apply your resources to the situation at hand and remember that just because it worked over there doesn’t mean it’s going to work over here.

Challenge yourself and seek excellence - Personally, I never go on to the next level until I get 3 stars. Sure, I could move along as soon as I get the minimum 1 star and keep on playing, but there’s a lot to be said for seeking mastery in stead of only doing the least.

When you think you know what to do, taking a step back and thinking through your plan of attack is usually very worthwhile – When you can see where to hit what part of the structure, with which bird, check your aim and think through how the structure will fall – just in case. Nothing wrong with double checking your assumptions and making sure you get it right. Measure twice, cut once, so they say.

When you have no idea what to do, there is nothing worthwhile about taking a step back and thinking through your plan of attack – As much sense as it makes to double check when you are confident in your answer, it makes no sense to double check not knowing the answer. When you are completely at a loss, no amount of pondering will make you smarter. In these cases, you need to embrace the learning process and avoid looking for the immediate answer. Grip it and rip it.

Efficiency isn’t always rewarded - Yes, you can knock over the whole structure with just 3 birds. But that’s not ever going to get you 3 stars. Yes, perhaps it should, but it won’t – and that is the point. If the person judging you (a boss, or a customer) wants that which is less efficient but more spectacular – you now have to look inwards to see what you’re more willing to live with – a happy self or a happy customer. One isn’t always the same as the other.

Control is usually a far greater attribute than brute strength – Even when you have black bomber birds, if you don’t put them in the right place, they are useless. Same thing with having “Aces” and “Cracker Jacks.” If they aren’t in the right roles, at the right time and place, you’re just going to waste those resources. Maybe you can get by and earn your 1 star just to move on, but you’ll never get any farther than “just getting by.”

Brute Strength tends to work best at the beginning or at the end, but rarely in the middle of a process - Along the lines of Grip it and Rip it, taking a good first stab at something by blowing apart as much as you can is a great way to start, or a great way to finish if surgical precision doesn’t seem possible. Between the first and last efforts, however, there has to be some amount of careful and judicious effort. Otherwise, everything is just a completely random act. If that’s true, then you’re just guessing at every turn. Which a child could do. Which means no one needs you.

There’s a good deal of luck involved – When you are successful, keep in mind that not every outcome is a direct result of your efforts. Things still have to fall into place just right. Yes, you set them in motion, and the motion might have been what you intended, but there’s still some random chance involved. If you can launch the birds in exactly the same way, with exactly the same result, and the exact same score, over and over again – then…maybe…there isn’t any luck involved. Nonetheless, it’s probably best to stay humble.

Help is available - Ultimately, if you’re completely stuck, you can always go on-line and find the answers you seek. Struggle first, though, and learn as much as you can before looking up the answers.


About the Author:

David M. Kasprzak is the author and creator of the My Flexible Blog, where he shares his thoughts on improving workplace culture through the use of Lean concepts. While working as an analyst to develop and analyze program-level cost and schedule metrics for the past 12 years, David has now turned his attention towards understanding the behaviors that create high-performing organizations. In May of 2011, he received my MBA degree with a concentration in Marketing & Strategy.

STOP SOPA

On Jan 24th, Congress will vote to pass internet censorship in the Senate, even though the vast majority of Americans are opposed. We need to kill the bill - PIPA in the Senate and SOPA in the House - to protect our rights to free speech, privacy, and prosperity. We need internet companies to follow Reddit's lead and stand up for the web, as we internet users are doing every day.

Today, on January 18th, dozens, if not hundreds, of websites will join in a blackout strike to protest this legislation. Please see this page for more information. 

Contact your representatives to let them know your dissatisfaction.



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Sharpen Your Focus by Selecting the Vital Few Breakthrough Objectives with Hoshin Kanri

In any given year, there are many opportunities to advance toward the vision. While all contributions are welcome, the purpose of Hoshin Kanri is to select those annual objectives that will give the organization the greatest possible advantage.

To this end Hoshin Kanri recognizes and distinguishes two kinds of annual contributions:

1. Incremental improvements to existing processes or methods (“kaizen”), and
2. Activities aimed at making dramatic improvements in strategically vital business systems and processes (“kaikaku”).

Incremental, non-breakthrough activities improve the health of the key business processes. However, some performance gaps are large and cannot be closed using an incremental approach to improvement. A plan to achieve the vision must include both sets of activities.

The Hoshin Kanri process identifies and concentrates resources on the vital few stretch achievements that support the vision. It separates those performance issues that require dramatic improvement from the many incremental improvements that can achieved at the local level. All the changes that the leadership believes to be incremental are skimmed out of the strategic plan and addressed through quality in daily work. The remaining category of contribution – the vital few breakthrough achievements – becomes the heart of the Hoshin Kanri process.

Does this mean that managing strategic breakthroughs is more important than managing daily work? Not at all! Breakthrough activities and daily maintenance are necessary parallel processes to ensure the health of the business. They both need to be managed in a disciplined way. Each manager needs to ensure that the basic processes that support the business are healthy. At the same time, each manager needs to ensure that the fundamental changes and competencies necessary for the long term health of the organization are being implemented.

Annual objectives can either work toward the vision or confound the process. Linking annual objectives with the strategic intent brings focus and control to the change process.

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