Lean Quote: Lean Goes Beyond Tools

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.

"We are stuck in the tool age." — Jim Womack (2010)

Lean 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.

There are thousands of Lean tools, because each problem requires its own unique tool to help solve it. However, tools do not solve problems but rather people do. People are needed to apply tools. Basically, leaders have to learn to think differently and see their customers and business differently, that’s people development, not tools development.

One of the most common and most difficult to eradicate beliefs is that “Lean” is just a bunch of analytical tools and methods. By knowing and applying them, organizations often believe they will automatically — and forever more — increase their profitability. If this were the case, why are so many companies, institutions and agencies that have applied Lean tools not experiencing sustainable differences? Why is it that in many instances organizations, once started down the road of Continuous Improvement (with varying degrees of success for sure), break away and refocus on other initiatives the moment a new CEO or plant supervisor comes onboard? Are the tools not working? Is it just another consultant’s ruse, where the theory sounds great but doesn’t work in real life? Or, are the means and methods not being used properly?

Toyota's view is that the main method of Lean is not the tools, but the reduction of three types of waste: muda ("non-value-adding work"), muri ("overburden"), and mura ("unevenness"), to expose problems systematically and to use the tools where the ideal cannot be achieved. From this perspective, the tools are workarounds adapted to different situations, which explains any apparent incoherence of the principles above.

Lean goes beyond the tools to challenge our way of thinking. It is about learning to see opportunities and continually improving them. Lean is a system of tools and people that work together.

Lean Tips Edition #116 (1741 -1755)

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 #1741 - Focus On Your Highest Priorities

Every day, organize your to-do list with the five highest priority items at the top, and have your employees do the same. Having an unorganized task list keeps you from tackling the most pressing items and dampens corporate morale when little seems to have been accomplished. Just make sure that your daily “top five” list is doable – you may need to break down your larger deliverables into smaller tasks.

Lean Tip #1742 - Hold More Efficient Meetings

Communication is the number one success factor in keeping your operations flowing smoothly. With that in mind, hold a daily huddle with your team of employees and share everyone’s top five priorities for the day. Keep the meeting brief though: Anything longer than 10 minutes might be wasting more time than you’re saving. If you’re having trouble finishing in less than 10 minutes, try standing instead of sitting.

Lean Tip #1743 - Make Process Control More Visual

Visual control systems include signs, displays and devices in your operations’ workflow that help you identify the current step in a process, the schedule for the next task in a project or any current problems in the process. Visual controls vary for every setting, but the interface of your visual control system should be intuitive and help employees work more effectively.

Lean Tip #1744 - Don’t Try a Solution before You Really Understand the Problem

You might start out believing you know where the problem is in your processes. You might already have a solution in mind. However, if you start out by changing processes without analyzing the problem, you may find that the problem isn’t what you thought it was. You may even make it worse.

Bring together people with different perspectives on the problem in your process. Talk about what everyone thinks is going wrong and listen to their ideas about solutions. It’s likely you’ll get insight you didn’t anticipate so you can make better solutions.

Lean Tip #1745 - Management Must Model the New Rules

This should go without saying, but nothing will undermine the effectiveness of but nothing will undermine a new business process faster than management not following the new rules. The rules are either there for everyone, or they’re there for no one.

Once management starts to “cheat” on the new process, people take it as a sign that the process is no good, and everyone will look for ways to cheat. Chaos will result as everyone is looking for shortcuts and doing things the way they want them done (often the way that sloughs the most work off their desk and onto someone else’s).

Lean Tip #1746 - Look for Quick Wins

Tremendous work goes into the process of planning for, designing, and implementing new practices. The team, the sponsors, and you will need some quick wins to help you look for—and even sometimes wait for—the long-term results that will unfold from your efforts. Set achievable interim goals to gain quick wins, and they will keep you going, providing crucial momentum that enhances the likelihood you will ultimately realize the full benefits that come from continuous process improvement.

Lean Tip #1747 - Plan for Long-Term Continuous Improvements

The greatest benefit can come from a continuous process of improving the way work is done. It takes time for people to learn and solidify new practices, recognize that their world does not end because certain old ways of working have been eliminated, and to appreciate the benefits that change can bring.

Lean Tip #1748 - Keep Track of Successes

Success stories can be useful when you’re trying to shore up stakeholder support and bring along reluctant members of the team. They serve as evidence that you’re on the right track with your overall plan, and they remind everyone that all the hard work pays off in the end.

Lean Tip #1749 - Give the New Process a Chance

A new process takes time to show its value. A new process will seem harder to many employees at first because it’s different, and it may seem slower for a while as everyone is learning their new roles and responsibilities. You have to stick to your new process long enough for everyone to learn it thoroughly and follow it smoothly before you can truly assess its impact.

Lean Tip #1750 - Implement Standard Work

Standard work is one of the most powerful but least used lean tools to maintain improved process performance. By documenting the current best practice, standardized work forms the baseline for further continuous improvement. As the standard is improved, the new standard becomes the baseline for further improvements, and so on.

Lean Tip #1751 – Measure the Effectiveness of the Process.

Ask yourself how you can measure things such as service levels, productivity or throughput. Match these metrics to your processes and ensure they are measured during regular intervals. Set targets for each metric and inform your staff on what is expected in terms of performance. Re-visit these metrics and increase the targets as your business grows and operations change to encourage continuous improvement.

Lean Tip #1752 - Display Metrics to Reinforce the Process Improvements

Metrics play an integral and critical role in process improvement efforts by providing signs of the effectiveness and the efficiency of the process improvement itself. Posting “before and after” metrics in the work area to highlight improvements can be very motivating to the team.   Workers see their hard work paying off. It is important to keep the metric current because it will be one of the first indicators if your process starts reverting.

Lean Tip #1753 - Define Your Current Processes.

To understand where you want to be, you have to understand where you are today. By obtaining a step-by-step description of each process, including all the people, documentation and systems involved, you can get a better idea on how to improve the processes. This activity is best tackled by involving everyone using with the process.  It can be a great way to team-build and set a future vision for the company.

Lean Tip #1754 – Determine Customer Value.

Now that you understand how your processes are currently working, you can brainstorm ways to make them better. A key question to ask at this stage is whether each activity is value-adding? Value-adding activities are the activities that your customer wouldn’t mind paying for as they are either part of product/service delivery or are considered to be necessary ‘overhead.’ If you were a customer, would you want to pay for it?

Lean Tip #1755 - Strive to Continuously Improve.

Business process improvement is not meant to be an ‘overnight’ fix that occurs in singularity. It requires the continual and aligned effort of your entire team. Make improvement activities fun and reward your staff for their effort. Collect suggestions, identify change champions and celebrate your successes. This will help build a culture of continuous improvement.

As you grow, keep in mind that Business Process Improvement is all about the journey, not the destination. Your processes are the highways to delivering value to your customers; don’t get stuck in the slow lane!

Lean Quote: Lean is Meant to Involve the Whole Company

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.

"Lean isn’t Lean if it doesn’t involve everyone." — John Shook

Lean is meant to involve the whole company. It is not intended to be put into action in only one area. It is a management philosophy which should include every part of your organization. This helps promote the concept that everyone in the company is part of the team. True Lean manufacturing needs the involvement of everyone coming into contact with the company’s product and its customer.

Lean doesn’t work unless everyone is involved and has input. We must involve employees in the continuous improvement process because the people actually carrying out the job know how to do that job better. The best companies in the world tap the creativity and talent of the whole organization and not just a select few.

The lack of ongoing employee involvement at the shop-floor level has been identified as a major reason for the non-sustainability of Lean in the organization. When there is a lack of staff involvement, and management fails to seek employee input on critical decisions, employees may feel dejected and detached from the organization.

Employee involvement cultivates an atmosphere of collaboration, increases retention of talented staff, and intensifies dedication and commitment. Employees develop a sense of ownership over proposed changes when they are involved.  Employee engagement can not only make a real difference, it can set the great organizations apart from the merely good ones.

2 Second Lean 3rd Edition 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.

In the 3rd edition Paul added 5 new chapters which basically answer common questions he gets. There a is a chapter on Lean Leadership why you want a Lean All-Star. Paul talks about the use of videos to put Lean on afterburners. He also shares his new building and how Lean thinking was incorporated in the design. There is also a chapter on touring his company FastCap.

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.

The Trust Gap In Your Organization

Most organizations focus on what they do and how they do it. But only the most inspired organizations have leaders who start with why they do it first. The single biggest challenge that an organization will ever face is its own success. The more successful an organization becomes, the more people it has to hire based on what they do. The company’s what keeps growing. The problem is why they do it starts to go fuzzy. And as the what and why lines separate, a trust gap occurs.

Technology, internet can not create trust. Only human contact can. Leaders tell us why we exist, authority/managers tell us what to do. We trust leaders, we distrust authorities /managers. As soon as our audience or clients become anonymous people, you can follow destructive mantras like “I have to follow the rules’, ‘these are my orders’.

Simon Sinek started with his simple but powerful model for inspirational leadership: The Golden Circle, where it’s all starting with the question “Why?” Now Simon takes the next step. After why comes : trust. When we surround ourselves with people who believe what we believe, trust emerges. 

Watch this great TEDx Talk about trust and why.

Lean Quote: Leadership is Not a Dictatorship

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.

"Personally I cringe at the word 'leader.' It's more about getting people do what they're passionate about and putting them in the right context or setting. They're the ones doing the hard work." — Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos

Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, said, “Personally I cringe at the word 'leader.' It's more about getting people do what they're passionate about and putting them in the right context or setting. They're the ones doing the hard work.”

While I don't necessarily totally agree with 'leader' being cringeworthy, this is an awesome quote. From my point of view, what he describes is leadership. No one wants a central figure to come in and do everything for them so they can just follow blindly. They want someone that inspires them to be better, someone to follow until it's time to forge their own path.

The glory of a leader can be plagued and overshadowed by many concerns that can affect the team’s success. A leader must wear many hats and be able to lead and encourage a team to perform. It is necessary for a leader to become an engaged member of the team, but be able to lead at the same time. It is inevitable that different personalities, industries, and goals will force any leader to adapt and mold to fit the current environment. What is the best way to successfully encourage and lead a team? This is the million dollar question.

There is definitely a difference between leadership and dictatorship; unfortunately many so called “leaders” confuse the two. According to webster, we can easily see the distinguishing differences between the two:

Leadership – the position or function of a leader, a person who guides or directs a group.

Dictatorship – absolute, imperious, or overbearing power or control.

Aha, one guides, directs, coaches and leads a group and the other tells the group to do this thing, this way, because I said so and more importantly because I have the power… I am the dictator.

Leadership is really about influencing people to believe in you and follow you. A leader takes people where they would never go on their own. Encourage your team members to the tasks that are most critical to achieving the main objectives. Make sure the rewards are useful and worthwhile. Try to understand each member and what they really want from their work and life in general.

Busy Does Not Equal Productive

Just because you are busy does NOT mean you are productive. This animation explains some of the major differences between busy behavior and productive behavior.

Here are the 6 Major Differences Between Busy People and Productive People:

Priorities

Busy People have many priorities.

Productive People have very few priorities.  Their mission is clearly defined and they put their energy on the few items that will bring them the biggest results.

Yes Vs. No

Busy People say Yes quickly.

Productive People say Yes slowly.  They don’t commit to anything that steers them away from their mission and goals.

Handling of Actions

Busy People focus on actions and checking things off of their To-Do list.

Productive People focus on clarity before action and have very few things on their To-Do list.

Multi-Task vs Focus

Busy People are always multi-tasking.

Productive People don’t multi-task but focus on one course until completion.

Email Management

Busy People respond quickly to emails.

Productive People don’t allow emails to determine their priorities.  They don’t allow other people to manage their day and are not distracted by the incoming email alerts.

A Question they Ask Themselves

Busy People ask, “What else can I add?”

Productive People ask, “What else can I remove?”  At the beginning of the day, they determine what needs to be their most important tasks of the day, in line with their goals.  Then, throughout the day, they take time to review their priorities and eliminate or delegate anything that doesn’t align with their vision.

Switch your focus from being busy to being productive, so that you can accomplish more, see tangible results, and have time for fun.

Don’t Aim for Busy, Aim For Productive