Happy 7th Anniversary to A Lean Journey Blog

It is hard to believe but today marks the 7th anniversary of A Lean Journey Blog and as tradition here each year I take the opportunity to reflect. The act of "self-reflection" is called Hansei is Japanese. It is the practice of continuous improvement that consists of looking back and thinking about how a process can be improved.

I’d like to think that I turned my naive endeavor to share learning along my own journey into a successful contribution in the Lean community. As I have said before this labor of love has been a tremendous learning process both from the great fans and other colleagues online that I exchange with and from the process of distilling my own learning with you.

I love statistics, so with this milestone, here are some numbers from the blog:

Total Posts: 1309

Most read post:  DOWNTIME and the Eight Wastes with over 25,000 views

followed by The Six-Step Problem-Solving Process (with over 23,500 views)

and by Draw a Pig to Learn the Importance of Standard Work (with over 15,000 views)

Number of countries/territories who have visited this blog:  221

Top 3 Countries with the most views:

U.S.A. – 49%

United Kingdom – 7%

Canada – 5%

Total views:  Over 935,296 and climbing

Unique visits: Over 712,500

Total comments:  Over 1,500

Total Facebook Fans: Over 1,770

Total Twitter Followers: Over 3,132

LinkedIn Members: Over 1,204

Top 5 posts this past year:

Success Starts with Effective Problem Solving

Problem Solving Starts with Defining the Problem

5 Ways to Improve Employee Engagement

5S Comprehensive Education and Resource Center

Lean Quote: Change is Hard at the Beginning, Messy in the Middle and Gorgeous at the End

I would like to thank all the visitors and contributors to A Lean Journey Blog this past year.  It has been a successful Journey this past year. Please, share your feedback so that A Lean Journey can be even more successful next year.

5 Steps for Creating a Lean Roadmap

Lean thinking is a great business system, but its approach requires support and commitment for organizations.  Lean provides a framework to improve the flow of a process, it is therefore important to create a plan or roadmap describing the improved flow, highlighting changes, and areas for improvement.

Roadmaps are handy little things, helping to point the direction while on a journey.  Sometimes they serve to identify markers on the road letting us know how far along we are, or telling us how far to go to the next marker.

There are 5 steps for creating a Lean implementation roadmap for your journey:

1.     Vision, Goals, and Objectives

The first place to start this process is with the senior leadership. What is our vision for the organization in the next few years? What are the biggest issues facing the organization today that prevent us from achieving this vision? Define the organization's true north - the business needs that must be achieved. These will exhibit a magnetic pull for the organization, the same way a compass guides the traveler. If we don't know where we are going, we'll never get there!

An air of excitement exists where people see real change occurring and can envision the potential for future improvement. It’s time to align the entire organization around our strategy and ensure we are all pulling on the same rope. Departmental objectives need to align with the company purpose and vision for the future.

2.     Proposed Lean Framework

There are many Lean strategies/frameworks/models available to reduce non-value adding activities. It is necessary to develop a systematic methodology and analytical model to select appropriate Lean strategies taking into account the manufacturer’s focus on improvement areas (wastes), within their particular resource constraints. By selecting appropriate Lean strategies, a manufacturer can better prioritize implementation efforts and resources to maximize the benefits of implementing lean strategies in their organization.

3.     Lean Self-Assessment

Evaluating the Lean practice in different areas provides a baseline for the organization. A lean assessment is intended to examine an organization’s systems, behaviors, and culture, and in doing so identify strengths, opportunities for improvement, and the critical gaps that slow or inhibit a lean transformation. The assessment provides an overall index of lean performance score of an organization. Understanding the lean index can contribute to successful lean implementation as it provides authentic results for lean performance and directs decision-makers to corrective actions. It is important to perform an assessment by an experienced team. The lean implementation team might have the necessary experience, but external consultant might be required to provide an additional beneficial perspective in the planning stage.

4.     Training Plan & Resources

Identify training programs for the employees and managers on Lean knowledge. The resistance to lean transformation among managers is usually caused by the lack of skills and lean knowledge. Likewise, employees’ resistance to lean improvements is likely due to inadequate training and commitment. To overcome these problems, the organizations should emphasize effective lean-related education and training programs as well as establish training assessment to measure the training impacts.

The most effective way to resource a Lean transformation is through a combination of developing internal resources and providing external support from experienced Lean coaches. Developing the internal lean specialists means that your organization will gain the skills to sustain the change and to keep improving. Complementing these individuals with external resources does a number of things. It provides you with the know how in Lean and the experience in leading a Lean transformation. The Lean coach will have experience in change management and should be able to clearly identify the cultural and leadership barriers to change within your organization. They should help you develop strategies to overcome these barriers.

5.     Monitor and Adjust

Now that the organization strategy is aligned and resources are deployed on what's important, we must monitor the results of our activities and make corrections based on results. Put the Plan-Do-Check-Adjust continuous improvement cycle to work.

All the business excellence models across the globe are built on achieving a continual improvement in all dimensions of the business. Excellence is a paradigm in which the organizations strive to excel others initially and over a period of time – develop a culture of excelling themselves. Lean thinking drives the organizations to excelling themselves regularly.

A Lean roadmap provides a systematic implementation process: specific actions in order of precedence that are milestones in the journey from mass to Lean production. A Lean roadmap is not a cookbook of actions that must be strictly followed for every implementation because every implementation will be singular, in that every company has its own culture, and inheritance policies and systems, which will either support or delay the Lean journey. 

Lean Quote: Goals Are Really Essential to Keep Us Alive

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.

"Goals are not only absolutely necessary to motivate us. They are essential to really keep us alive." — Robert Schuller

Leaders must guide, motivate, and inspire. Guide your team in the direction you want the group to go by setting a vision, strategy, and goals. Motivate them to bring their best by expressing your passion, communicating with confidence and optimism, and connecting tasks to a greater purpose. 

These practical tips on goal setting can help make it easier to set and reach goals:

1. Specific, realistic goals work best. When it comes to making a change, the people who succeed are those who set realistic, specific goals. And that makes it easier to stick with.
2. Involve others. It is always good to involve others in the process of setting and achieving goals. Take advice when necessary. And don’t be rigid. There are people out there who are better at this. Their suggestions are always valuable.
3. Make an action plan. So you have set goals, written them down and now you are all set to start working towards achieving them. First step – make an action plan. There could be more than one method to achieve a goal. Which one suits you? Decide on it.
4. Track progress. Extremely important. If you don’t track progress, you don’t get an idea if you are going the right way and if you would ever achieve it in the time frame you had set in your mind. So track your progress every day.
5. Roadblocks don't mean failure. Slip-ups are actually part of the learning process as you retrain your brain into a new way of thinking. It may take a few tries to reach a goal. But that's OK — it's normal to mess up or give up a few times when trying to make a change. So remember that everyone slips up and don't beat yourself up about it. Just remind yourself to get back on track.
6. Persist. Don’t give up. As I mentioned, there could be many paths leading to the same destination. Try out different methods. Learn and improve. Be patient. Be persistent.

If you want to set a goal that will inspire people to achieve great things, that goal has to be so vividly described that people can picture how great it will feel to achieve it; they will have to learn new skills to achieve the goal; and the goal will push them out of their comfort zone, among other factors.

 

Book Review: The Lean CEO

There has been a lot of literature on Lean implementations over its initial 25 years but now there is a book providing new insight. The Lean CEO: Leading the Way to World-Class Excellence by Jacob Stoller is the result of in-depth conversations with over 30 individuals who have been expanding the borders of Lean thinking both within their organizations and in their wider communities. The power of lean to build world-class performance requires a corporate-wide commitment to long term continuous improvement that very few organizations have made. The Lean CEO explores the state of lean in the world today from the perspective of top executives who are leading the charge, and in the process generates a collection of insights both familiar and new.

The book starts with a cursory overview of Lean but as the author states is no a primer so Lean knowledge is a pre-requisite. The first two chapters set the scene for how lean came to be in the 20th century, and the unusual way in which it was introduced to the West. The author definitively summarizes this history while providing the reader with an introduction in a core set of lean tools, methods and principles.

Stoller then chronicles how 28 CEOs faced crises which led them to adopt the management principles pioneered by Toyota. You will hear from Lean CEOs from companies of all sizes and sectors – including makers of snow blowers, oil field and heating systems, metal tabulators, furniture, windows, healthcare, and so many more. No matter the sector, the requirements of Leaders are so similar because everyone is dealing with people. What we learn is that ultimately, people are the key to the long-term success of any organization.

Chapters 3 through 13 are organized by various themes under the term burning platforms. Lean was adopted in response to a pressing business need. So you’ll find chapters on “Putting People First,” “Capacity Without Capital Expenditure,” or “Reducing Dependence on the CEO.” Within each are examples from public or privately held industrial or service companies, or nonprofits. Two chapters are reserved for healthcare and government, respectively.

CEOs, C-level executives, and change agents who led well-known Lean efforts at Wiremold, Lantech, Ariens, ThedaCare, and Virginia Mason among several others are highlighted. Stoller quotes his executive subjects often and extensively. The result is first-hand testimony from business leaders contesting traditional management practices about everything from accounting to batch size, employee involvement, motivation, leadership, economies of scale, and a raft of other conventional methods.

Even if you are familiar with some of the Lean transformations covered in The Lean CEO, Jacob Stoller’s new book will yield fresh insights.

The Lean CEO bridges the gap between Lean and conventional management practices in a way that addresses the specific needs of executives. Out of these interviews come very clear and challenging themes, actions, and common threads. The companies chosen are pioneers of Lean, and have shown outstanding success with hugely increased productivity, profitability, and both product and operational quality. Every one of them focuses on the people and understands customer value.

This is a great book about how it feels to practice Lean for real and a definitely MUST READ for all CEOs, managers, and Lean practitioners.

IndustryWeek Manufacturing & Technology Conference Review

Last week I spent several day in Chicago, IL, at IndustryWeek Inaugural Manufacturing and Technology Conference and Expo. IndustryWeek, MESA International and the Smart Manufacturing Leadership Coalition (SMLC) collaborated to provide the event on Smart Manufacturing, best practices from best plant winners, lessons learned from business leaders and practitioners.  

Summary: 
I would rate the Conference a 3 out of 5, or average.  There were about 500 attendees with 70 exhibitors so it is considered a small or regional conference. The conference did include a plant tour and a workshop session which was beneficial. The location was very convenient close to O’Hare where the convention hall was connected to the hotel.

Much of the conference was centered on IT and software integration in business. 

Plant Tour:
I visited Camcraft, a 2015 Industry Week 2015 Best Plant Winner, who manufactures precision-machined components for automotive fuel systems and hydraulics. Key points of tour:

• E2B2 (Everybody Every day getting Better and Better) continuous improvement program engages 100% of employees, producing over 5,000 completed improvements in 2015.
• A cadence of daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annual meetings used to repeatedly measure performance, identify gaps, highlight waste, and encourage thousands of improvements from our empowered employees.
• Extensive robotics and automation paired with the latest machining and measurement technology. 10% of Sales reinvented in business annually.
• Real-time machine monitoring software (Mattec) used to measure and improve machine performance. Operator interface at machine.

Workshop:
I attended “How to Facilitate Effective Problem Solving (PDCA)” by Michael Thelen. The session focused on facilitation skills for leading a RCA team. This was a hands-on session with everyone taking roles within the team from Facilitation, Driver, Passenger, Navigators, and Pedestrians.

Conference Highlights:
Billy Taylor, Director at Goodyear, had a motivating keynote on engaging and empowering people in organization. Make business results visible and easy to understand. Train people in basic tools. Empower them to make improvements. Reward success. It is not about the source of the ideas but the quality of the solutions. 

Hoshin Kanri session – Develop break through objectives with SWOT analysis. Develop VSM to identify opportunities. Create a “STOP DOING” list of initiative. Hoshin Kanri is a selection process to the vital few. Monthly, Quarterly, Annually review cadence.

• Quantity does not equal quality of objectives
• Break through objectives are not continuous improvement – radical change

Lean Transformation Session – Lean failure comes from 1) too focused on tools 2) results focused not process 3) Forgetting companies past 4) Silos within organization 5) not communicating
7 must haves for Lean Transformation:

1. Fit for Purpose – alignment of objectives across organization
2. Pull vs Push  - manufacturing processes
3. Process focused – Focus on process and results will come
4. Value Stream Alignment vs Silos – Think horizontal across organization not vertical
5. Leverage vs Create – Leverage your best practices, what you do well
6. Principles vs Tools – Focus on the why not on the what
7. Clarity/Capability/Reinforcement – Answer the what’s in it for me question – keep reinforcing

Key Take-A-Ways from Conference: 

1. IT infrastructure and software are critical investments to data collection and analysis for improvements
2. Training employees of basic tools/problem solving is necessary but allowing them time to solve problems is critical. This is where behavior changes.
3. Hoshin Kanri process is about alignment, selection, and execution of objectives with a specific cadence.
4. Most of companies have own assessment model for operational excellence to compare facilities and assess progress on journey.
5. Continuous learning is vital for improvement. Benchmark others, especially outside your industry. A coach or mentor can be extremely helpful.

Lean Quote: Every Worker Should Be On A Team

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.

"Every worker should be on a team." — Taiichi Ohno

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 Lean.

A team of people can achieve far more than the sum of the total of the individuals skills alone. In business teams can achieve:

They can generate a wider range of ideas and innovation than individuals;
They are able to motivate themselves;
They can bounce ideas off each team member;
They often take more risks than individuals;
They have a range of personalities such as workers, thinkers, leaders who contribute the right balance of skills necessary to achieve high performance;
They support each other and are not just task-orientated;
They can be a support mechanism which provide mentoring and allow others to grow in self-confidence.

Teamwork is important to the success of an organization, but as the saying goes: “it’s like getting rich or falling in love, you cannot simply will it to happen.” Teamwork is a practice. Teamwork is an outcome. And teamwork leverages the individual skills of every team member.

Collaboration and team work create an environment that allows the collective knowledge, resources and skills of each team member to flourish. When people work together they can complete tasks faster by dividing the work to people of different abilities and knowledge. Teamwork can lead to better decisions, products, or services.

 

Lean Tips Edition #94 (1411-1425)

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 #1411 – Make Suggestions Public

If you have a locked box for suggestions, please take it down. They are a symbol of a failed system from the past and they represent much that is wrong with American suggestion systems. Why locked? To hide participation, to hide ideas, to submit in secrecy, to not share ideas, … Make your Idea System public so participate or lack thereof is visible to all.

Lean Tip #1412 - Focus on Singles not Home Runs

Encourage small ideas that can be implemented quickly by the employee versus large changes that require external resources such as engineering, IT and facilities. While some of these types are inevitable, they need to be balanced with many more that can be completed within the unit.

Lean Tip #1413 - Encourage All Ideas

Don’t limit the number of suggestions by putting too many constraints. Let your employees know that you’re interested in any suggestions that they think will help the organization. As the Nobel Prize-winning chemist Linus Pauling said… “The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas.”

Lean Tip #1414 - Show Active Interest in Employee Suggestions

Most employees wouldn’t continue to submit suggestions if their manager didn’t show interest in the suggestions. Showing active interest in their suggestions can encourage your employees to submit more suggestions that can benefit your organization.

Lean Tip #1415 - Share More, Not Less.

Even in a small company, silos emerge. A policy of more sharing will help everyone stay in touch with what others are doing, and create a collective expectation. Keeping everyone pointed in the same direction is hard; sharing more about what’s going on, how you’re doing things, reasoning behind decisions, etc. will help.

Lean Tip #1416 - Don’t Automatically Blame the Tool.

It’s not the hammer’s fault if the person swinging it uses the wrong end. It just won’t work well. Most tools are decent enough, they’re just used incorrectly. Rushing to change a tool because things aren’t working well may be a mistake.

Lean Tip #1417 - Process isn’t a Bad Word.

Lean can certainly get too heavy-handed and top down in its implementation, but without good processes in place your transformation will sputter along instead of hum smoothly. Good processes and a way of continuously improving them serves as a constant, in an environment of frantic change.

Lean Tip #1418 – Leverage Leadership to Create Change

In most organizations, employees follow leadership’s example. To create change, executives, directors, and managers must be the champions of knowledge sharing, transparency, and worker engagement. Dedicated personnel may give advice and direction, such as internal communications managers. But senior execs, department directors, and team managers need to back them up. This has to be a collaborative effort.

Lean Tip #1419 - Encourage Risk-Taking

Give your employees the freedom to experiment, learn from their mistakes, and succeed. Encourage them to take risks and think outside-of-the-box. Supporting your employees for taking risks further encourages them to be creative.

Lean Tip #1420 - Don’t Be Afraid of Mistakes

Mistakes help you learn what works and what doesn’t. Let your employees know that it’s totally okay to make a mistake. For many employees, the fear of making a mistake stops them from sharing their ideas or even thinking up great ideas. Letting your employees know that mistakes are okay, encourages them to share the great ideas they may have.

Sure, there will be mistakes. But some of those mistakes will turn into great innovations.

Lean Tip #1421 - Think of How To Do It, Not Why It Cannot Be Done.

The pessimist will create all kinds of reasons that something can't be done. The optimistic, forward thinker, on the other hand, knows that "if the why is strong enough, the how will come."

Focus on the outcome. Then, come up with all the ways that the outcome could possibly be accomplished.

Lean Tip #1422 - Do Not Seek Perfection.

Do it right away even if for only 50% of the target. If we all waited for perfection, we'd still be reading by candlelight and riding horses to work. Once you get to a certain point (whether it's 50% or 80%, or another number that makes sense), then run with it. In other words, take action. Then, adjust as you go along.

Lean Tip #1423 - Ask "Why?" Five Times and Seek Root Causes.

The question "why?" is extremely powerful. If a person has a strong enough "why", he or she can accomplish anything. The question "why?" can serve to either strengthen our conviction about something, or help us to discover that it really wasn't as important as we thought it was. At a minimum, it helps us to get to the root of the issue.

Each time you ask "why?", you reveal a new layer. You go deeper, and deeper. Then, after four or five answers, you'll get to the real one. Try it!

Lean Tip #1424 - Do Not Just Spend Money for Kaizen, Use Your Wisdom.

It is not enough to simply buy a tape set to learn skills, or to merely attend a workshop or seminar. These are wonderful (and essential, in my opinion) first steps, but action is key. Learn, yes. But then take action based on what you have learned.

Lean Tip #1425 - Seek The Wisdom Of Ten People Rather Than The Knowledge

Of One.

Much has been written about the power of group thinking. Whether it involves seeking one or two other people's opinions, holding a meeting with others, or more formal brainstorming or mastermind groups, there is power in numbers.

If you want to find out how to be successful at something, as someone who has already done it. Better yet, gather several people who have already done it. With libraries, the internet, and other resources available today, we have more opportunities than ever to gather the wisdom of others.