2 Second Lean Book Review

Paul Akers, founder and president of FastCap, has published his first book 2 Second Lean: How to Grow People and Build a Fun Lean Culture at Work and at Home. I have been following Paul for several years as he has built FastCap into one of the model Lean Companies in this modern age. So now that Paul has published his story I was delighted to take the opportunity to learn more.

2 Second Lean is different than most books on the marketing written about Lean manufacturing/thinking. This book isn’t really about Lean or continuous improvement but rather the transformation of a leader. The story chronicles one man’s personal journey with the discovery of Lean and how he implemented it in his business and personal life. This personal touch makes the lessons Paul presents more relevant and lasting.

Paul describes his personal journey beginning with a total ignorance of Lean thinking, all the way to being one of Lean's greatest success stories. Paul illustrates the struggle many organizations face when their understanding of Lean is centered only around tools. To quote Paul, “Using Lean as only a tool will leave you disappointed. It is much more than that.” He learns from Domo Arigoto, Vice President of Lexus, “The most important thing for Toyota is people – teaching and training people in a culture of continuous improvement.” This is the turning point for Paul and FastCap.

In 2 Second Lean Paul outlines the steps that he personally used to transform the culture of FastCap. His approach may be a bit unorthodox as he advocates starting in the bathroom but it is simplicity that he is after. Throughout the book Paul breaks down the concepts and thinking into simple easy to understand lessons.

This book is a very quick read but offers a number of great resources buried within its covers. There are lots of colorful photos and examples throughout the book. If that wasn’t enough Paul even uses QR Codes to link to information and videos on his websites for more detailed learning. The end of each chapter concludes with “The One Thing” which is a synopsis of what you just learned which is followed up by questions to make you act on your own situation. This reinforces the lessons and substantiates the learning for readers.

There is an audio version of the book that recorded. This is a real treat to listen to since Paul is such a passionate personality. Anyone who knows Paul knows the energy he brings to this topic. Paul goes off script from the book but adds great value. Since the stories are so personal he ad libs throughout the recording adding some new tibits to ponder.

Paul says’, “At the end of the day everyone is a process engineer.” If you want something to stick as a leader you must expect it, inspect it, and reinforce it. Paul has simplified a rather complex process down into a simple phrase: "Identify what bugs you and fix it." Paul shows us that Lean can and should be fun.

I highly recommend reading this book and even further endorse the audio portion. You will find 2 Second Lean a fun, memorable, and valuable account into Lean. This story and its lessons is something everyone can benefit from personally and professionally.

Lean Quote: Inspiration Through Listening and Effective Communication

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.

"Sometimes when you need to inspire people, all you have to do is listen. " — Pat Riley, NBA Basketball Coach

Our experiences in life create a set of values and beliefs within us that is unique to each individual. Values are the basis of our beliefs and our beliefs lead us to act. Words are labels for our experiences. Since no two of us will have the same experiences, no two of us will have the same definition for the same word. The Universal Communication Problem is to find a channel that will form a link of understanding between the sender and receiver. Both people will need to work at establishing this link. We can neither prejudge nor make assumptions. Good communication tools can help us find some common ground.

The process of communication involves establishing a link with another person either directly (verbal or non-verbal) or indirectly. There are many strategies that can help us send out information and read feedback effectively.

Basic Communication Principles:

• Communication is an exchange of information 
• Communication is always and only one to one 
• There are two processes when communicating – sending and receiving 
• As a sender, we can use tools and skills to LINK with another person 
• As a receiver, we can use tools and skills to understand what is being conveyed 
• Information can be exchanged directly through words (verbal) or emotions (non-verbal) 
• Information can be exchanged indirectly through posters, signs, videos, e-mail or voice mail 

To be an effective communicator remember The “Be List”.

• Be A Teacher 
• Be Enthusiastic 
• Be Positive 
• Be Consistent 
• Be Demanding but Considerate 
• Be Courteous

 Successful leaders see the larger picture and will share the vision. When we see our role this way, effective communication skills become one of our most important assets.

Meet-up: Lean Simulation's Martin Boersema

Today on the Meet-up, I am happy to introduce you to Martin Boersema. Martin is a Lean practitioner from the Toronto area and creator of the blog Lean Simulations. The goal of this site is to create a resource or repository for training simulations, videos, and other tools for sharing and learning. I have followed Martin and his site since it's creation because of the wealth of free knowledge he shares. It is a great learning opportunity.

Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Martin Boersema, and I’m a manufacturing engineer in Ontario, Canada. I’m also a continuous improvement coordinator, a kaizen facilitator, lean trainer and a lot of other names. I currently work at a smaller division of a large international automotive parts supplier. One of the benefits of working in a smaller plant, is that I have some autonomy to try different things without wading through reams of red tape.

How and when did you learn Lean?
The origins of Lean are in automotive manufacturing, so I’ve been exposed to it in my daily work for many years. Working in a just-in-time facility forces a lean mentality somewhat, but a lot of our activities are still achieved simply by brute force. Old habits are hard to break and there are plenty of opportunities.

A mechanical engineer by education, I worked for several years in program management, and also dabbled as a six sigma black belt, completing several projects, and learning some lean aspects like value stream mapping.

In my current role of manufacturing engineer, I still use all my six sigma training, doing statistical tests, gauge studies and the occasional Design of Experiments. My primary focus now is on lean activities, where I get to design work cells, and lead small teams in kaizen events.

My first official lean training took place about 10 years ago at a Ford lean workshop. We got to play with a Lego work cell and experience lean concepts. Since then, I’ve become the trainer and conducted similar training using games to show lean concepts.

While not certified in lean (if there is any value in that, I’m not sure), I’ve been mentored by some very knowledgeable lean experts.

How and why did you start blogging or writing about Lean?
I`m a geek. One of my passions outside of work is playing boardgames. I’m not talking about your grandmother’s Parcheesi or the annual Christmas game of Monopoly, but real strategy games where you have to balance scarce resources to achieve long term victory. In my spare time I spend many hours deep in thought staring silently at little cardboard pieces with groups of other similarly crazy people.

Experiencing a lean training game, especially one using Lego, hooked me immediately. It was amazing to see lean concepts in action, but because of my passion for games, I loved the simulation just as much. As I began to train people myself, I looked for more simple and fun ways to demonstrate Lean. I had big plans to design my own version of a lean game and publish it for everyone, so I started my blog.

Well, I haven`t designed my own game yet, but I found a lot of great training material. And the more I read about lean, the more I wrote about it. Now the site has become more than just a collection of resources, but also a chronicle of my own lean journey.

And who knows, I might still put together a lean simulation of my own.

What does Lean mean to you?
Lean for me is a way of thinking. Often I ask myself what is the “Lean” approach to a certain problem. You have to understand the reasons why you’re doing things, the goal behind the tools. This took me awhile to figure out, and I think everyone has to go through this learning process by working on lean projects themselves, not just learning it in a book.

What is the biggest myth or misconception of Lean?
See above. Lean is about reducing inventory, improving flow, linking processes, reducing lead times and improving flexibility. When you’re tasked with a problem, it’s easy to look at that problem, that particular process and see how it can be improved. Sometimes we lose ourselves in addressing an individual process, but there’s no continuity with the rest of the process. And then Lean doesn’t move the business forward significantly.

We need to step back and look at the big picture. How does an improvement fit into the whole? Although individual aspects of lean are often easy and make common sense, Lean as a whole is difficult, since everything is interlinked.

What is your current Lean passion, project, or initiative?
I still work on specific areas and lead kaizen events (I even build the odd flow rack myself), but my current passion is for larger systemic solutions, that improve the entire business. These types of projects, like kanban, visual scheduling, communication improvements take longer and touch more areas in the plant. They’re harder. But the reward is greater.

Daily Lean Tips Edition #36

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 #526 - Create opportunities to showcase your employees.

"Billboard" employees to your own supervisors and to others in upper management as well as to those outside your department or division. Some managers erroneously think that if they give workers credit, upper management will question the manager's own performance. But managers who fall into the trap of competing with the employees they supervise usually stall their own careers.

Lean Tip #527 - Add interest and challenge to workers' day-to-day routines by implementing job rotation.

Job rotation simply involves placing employees into jobs of equal value that they may have expressed an interest in or that you expect, based on their skill strengths, they may do well in. Some organizations encourage employees to initiate job rotation through a formal process, thereby increasing job skill levels as well as motivation.

Lean Tip #528 - Provide employees with responsibility and authority to successfully accomplish assignments.

Today, progressive companies utilize the skills and talents of their employees by assigning them to cross-functional or self-directed work teams. Employees not only perform their own specific job functions by have a team identity as well. Team members are responsible and accountable to the team for achieving its goal, implementing processes, and sharing the recognition for its results.

Lean Tip #529 - Provide assistance to employees without taking away responsibility to complete the job.

Clearly define your role and avoid the temptation to do the job yourself when employees find themselves in hot water. Let employees go it on their own and face those gut-wrenching challenges.

Lean Tip #530 - Find ways to foster employee self-esteem and self-confidence.

Although important, managers and supervisors must do more than give praise and provide meaningful work. To empower employees, supervisors must continually build employee self-esteem.

Lean Tip #531 – Limiting overproduction helps make the process Lean but also a lot more Green.

Identify areas of overproduction and root causes of waste in the current manufacturing system and find ways to reduce or eliminate them in the future. Some raw materials can be recycled meaning your carbon footprint will be reduced, however energy consumption will increase and the amount of unnecessary products needing disposal is a distinct possibility.

Lean Tip #532 - Manufacturing companies who want to reduce costs and increase efficiency, should not neglect quality control.

If this area is overlooked, you end up with defects and added waste which will need to be disposed of. More space is required if these products are stored for reworking or repair and therefore means an increase in energy use for heating, cooling and lighting.

Lean Tip #533 – Eliminating or reducing waste will maximize product yield, while helping a manufacturing company be more green.

This means less waste will go to landfills and more products made. Additionally, it saves the company money as typically, waste makes up four percent of business turnover.

Lean Tip #534 - Expand the definition of waste to include not only product and process waste, but also the business consequences of unsustainable practices.

When you expand your thinking, Muda’s list of wastes takes a different form:

• Waste of natural resources
• Waste of human potential
• Waste due to emissions
• Waste from byproducts (reuse potential)
• Terminal waste, that is by-products that have not further usefulness
• Energy waste
• Waste of the unneeded (e.g., packaging)

When sustainability is viewed this way, it isn’t something new that has to be planned from scratch and agonized over. Instead, it can be integrated into existing continuous improvement programs – Lean, or even Six Sigma initiatives.

Lean Tip #535 - A lean and green supply chain helps manufacturers save money and reduce environmental impact at the same time.

Manufacturers can stay competitive and reduce their environmental footprint at the same time by partnering with the Green Suppliers. By targeting the root causes of wasteful practices along the supply chain you can mutually achieve business and environmental goals.

Lean Tip #536 – Productivity Tip: Know how you currently spend your time.

The simplest way to do this is to keep a log of what you do each day for a period time. While this may initially feel like a time waster, it is a necessary planning step. Just like you can't budget your money without knowing where you're currently spending it, you can't budget your time without knowing where it's going either. By keeping a log you'll become more aware of stress times and down times, and will be better equipped to plan your time.

Lean Tip #537 – Productivity Tip: Identify your "prime time."

Your "prime time" is your most productive time. For many people that time tends to be in the morning while others find it take a while to get going. By scheduling your most important tasks for the times you're at your best, you'll be able to get them done faster and more effectively.

Lean Tip #538 – Productivity Tip: Do tomorrow's planning tonight.

Being prepared for the coming day will enable you to get more work done, and be more effective at what you do. As you wind down at the end of the day use this time to create a simple, prioritized to-do list, so you'll be better able to focus on what needs to be done the next day.

Lean Tip #539 – Productivity Tip: Continually ask yourself "Why am I doing what I'm doing right now?"

If you cannot answer this question, you are not being as productive as you could be. Make sure that you are doing something for a specific reason, and simply not wasting your valuable time spinning your wheels.

Lean Tip #540 – Productivity Tip: Handle each piece of paper or e-mail once.

When you have completed a task, either file it away or pass it on to someone else. When doing tasks and making decisions, make the decision and then stick to it. Do not put off making a decision, and don't make vague, wishy-washy decisions. Being more decisive will free you up to move on to other tasks, making you more productive.

Making Quality Faster Is All About the Delivery and Feedback of Value

In this month’s post by ASQ’s President Paul Borawski he asks that we share some of the ways the practice of quality is changing to meet the needs of faster, faster, faster.

Quality is an ever evolving perception by the customer of the value provided by a product. It is not a static perception that never changes but a fluid process that changes as a product matures (innovation) and other alternatives (competition) are made available as a basis of comparison.

The objective of “Quality" is to satisfy the ever-changing needs of our customers, suppliers and employees, with value added products and services emphasizing a continuous commitment to satisfaction through an ongoing process of education, communication, evaluation and constant improvement.

In a Lean/Quality organization, the entire organization concentrates on value delivery and quick feedback on that value. And so, the notion of “quality and faster” is not so counterintuitive as we may have once thought.

We need faster and faster feedback loops in time-to-market in order to continuously improve our ability to deliver quality (defect-free and valuable) features back to the market. Symmetrically, we need higher and higher quality features that are not defect-ridden or dubious in value in order to respond ever faster and more innovatively to the market.

Fast, high quality processes benefit revenue, cash flow and operating expenses.

• Improve cash flow by shortening the order-to approval cycle.
• Reduce overall exposure by avoiding high risk accounts. 
• Reduce operating expenses by improving performance.
• Increase sales by adding value to products.

Being fast is about companies that can deliver quicker than customers can change their minds. To achieve that you should focus on 3 main practices:

1. Eliminate Waste: Take out all activities that do not add value from the perspective of the customer; in other words eliminate any material/resource beyond what the customer requires and is willing to pay for. 
2. Build Quality In: Mistake-proof your process from the beginning to prevent appearance of defects late at the end of the process. One tool used to do that is poka yoke. You can’t sustain high speed, unless you build quality in.
3. Team work: Use groups to go faster. We all have roles in our organizations but it is the power of teamwork that makes our endeavors successful. It takes everyone working together on a common goal to be successful in quality.

In a world where the speed of business is increasing, it is important to not just speed up the manufacturing/service process, but to speed up the thinking process and ask how we can do/be better.



I’m part of the ASQ Influential Voices program. While I receive an honorarium from ASQ for my commitment, the thoughts and opinions expressed on my blog are my own.

Lean Quote: Using Lean As Only A Tool Will Leave You Disappointed

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.

"Using Lean as only a tool will leave you disappointed. It is much more than that." — Paul A. Akers, Author of 2 Second Lean

While reading Paul Akers book, 2 Second Lean, I came across this quote that really struck me. We all have stories of those you try to use lean as a tool to improve their business but fail. Those of us who have experienced the true power of Lean understand that it is more than that. My good friend Bruce Hamilton, aka Mr. Toast, says that “Lean it 10% Tools and 90% People.”

The most important thing for Toyota is people – teaching and training people in a culture of continuous improvement. Domo Arigoto, Vice President of Lexus

Tools do not solve problem but rather people do. It is not about the tools it’s how they are applied. A large number of organizations have failed to produce the desired results from the direct and prescriptive application of Lean tools. The tools themselves have been proven to work in many situations. The difference must then be in how the tools were applied, their appropriateness, but not the tools themselves.

Lean is a system of tools and people that need to work together. A single tool by itself, like 5s or value stream mapping, is likely to fail because its benefits are likely to be marginal or even negative.

Developing people means challenging people. But just issuing challenges isn’t enough. It would be disrespectful to not also teach a systematic, common means of developing solutions and meeting those challenges.

The best way to encourage employees is not to manage them. You need to coach them to success. This is a process of developing their skills and providing them specific feedback to meet high standards. Employees want to be on the same team with their bosses.

To get people across an organization to systematically work on improvement every day requires teaching the skills behind the solution. And for that to happen, their leaders and mangers also need to practice and learn those skills. Be their coach and lead the team to success!

Productivity Today, To Do List are Evil, Life is for Living

Productivity is a frequent topic for discussion here. I came across and interesting presentation on productivity. This talk was presented at Ignite Charlotte 2 on February 8, 2011 at the Neighborhood Theatre in Charlotte, NC. Flaviu Simihaian was speaker #13. Originally from Romania, now in Charlotte NC. Flaviu is obsessed with learning more about web development, design, open source, startups, and life.

Flaviu advocates eliminating to your To Do list in favor of scheduling your time on the calendar. He further recommends not checking email first thing in the day. Start your workday first.

Flaviu says hold on, it is more important to feel free than to feel productive. Life is for living not for living uptight. What do you really want? It is the small side projects that we are the most passionate about that we never get to that are the most important. Its those that will make you feel most accomplish, free, and productive. So do those now.



What do you think? Does he have a point?