Lean Tips Edition #195 (#3136 - #3150)

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.

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

Lean Tip #3136 – Organize Your Materials and Parts for Efficient Retrieval

The amount of money (and time) that is wasted through a lack of organization can be staggering.

This particularly true if materials or components are stored at various points in the manufacturing process – with time spent retrieving these items making up a significant portion of your costs.

Making sure your storage and warehouse facility is well organized will improve this “picking” process, which can be further improved through the use of suitable parts or picking bins.

The increased speed at which the parts or components arrive at your manufacturing line will lead to increased productivity, as well as helping to avoid delays and production even stopping whilst waiting for items. This is also true for reducing picking errors, which organization can again help with.

And better organization can also highlight shortages of any stock more quickly, again preventing downtime.

Lean Tip #3137 – Maximize the Use of Space

Maximizing the use of space can be a surprisingly effective way to improve your manufacturing productivity. The amount of time employees spend moving from one area to another has a direct impact on the efficiency of your manufacturing.

By rearranging your factory floor to put commonly used equipment or machines closer to each other, to keep of stock of parts or components nearer to where they will be needed, and make each trip as efficient as possible (i.e. move multiple items with a tote, and ensure picking errors are minimized through well-organized stock and parts bins) can all have a big impact.

Ultimately, you may wish to consider rearranging your manufacturing floor layout in order to create a smoother workflow or both components, product and people.

Lean Tip #3138 – Troubleshoot and Maintain Machines

Regular maintenance and troubleshooting of your machinery and equipment is crucial in maintaining and improving productivity.

This is also where it is important to train – and then trust – the employees that use these on a daily basis. They will be the first to spot an issue, and if familiar with the equipment can potentially fix the issue with little disruption caused.

Besides this, knowing the signs that something is not running well (or even at capacity) can be critical in avoiding larger problems. It is far easier to keep a machine running through maintenance and care than it is to repair it once something has failed.

Lean Tip #3139 – Cut Down on Quality Waste (Material Scrap)

Every damaged component that cannot be used costs money. Every unfinished product costs money. Every item returned by your customers costs money – and hurts your brand and business reputation.

It is therefore essential to protect items when being stored (picking bins) and when being moved (handling totes).

And whilst it is also understandable that mistakes can and will occur, if this becomes too frequent then getting to the root cause and identifying a fix (either training / recruitment, new processes, equipment etc.) is critical.

Lean Tip #3140 – Remember to be Realistic With Your Goals

Expectations from your customers, tight deadlines and pressures from external factors (for example logistics and delivery times) can all lead to targets becoming distorted and often unachievable.

In cases such as this, it is important to manage expectations diplomatically and ensure corners are not cut – whether this is through safety or quality. This could lead to employees become demotivated, which can lead to worsening of productivity rather than improvements.

As a result, once you have a full picture of your current productivity, set realistic goals that focus on the quality of output, punctuality and that do not compromise safety.

And involving employees and gaining their feedback on initiatives can help them feel engaged and valued too.

Lean Tip #3141 – Start by Eliminating Waste.

This is one of the core principles of lean manufacturing. Typically, you may use a value stream analysis to identify wasteful activities occurring at the plant. At the same time, you can intensify efforts to find more efficient ways to add value to the company’s product line.

Lean Tip #3142 – Reduce Unnecessary Inventory.

The cost of maintaining excess inventory generally outweighs the potential benefits you might realize. It can tie up resources, slow down response time and complicate quality-control issues. Overstocking may become particularly problematic if some of the inventory eventually becomes obsolete-which is often the case.

Lean Tip #3143 – Extend Employee Autonomy.

Give more employees authority to make decisions and provide them with the tools and methodology for doing so. You can take this step even further by establishing teams to measure work progress and improve techniques. Frequently, companies find that viable solutions may be presented by employees below the management level. Plus, this kind of involvement can improve morale and performance.

Lean Tip #3144 – Focus on Continual, Long-Term Improvement

If you have succeeded in implementing Lean across your value stream(s), then you must continue with the good habits built during the transition. A critical aspect of Lean is continuous learning and improvement. In a sense, there is no ‘final’ goal except to simply removing (and preventing) wasteful processes and delivering value to the customer. Be it a change in manufacturing technology or even complacency, new wasteful processes could emerge in the future.

Lean Tip #3145 – Take the Time to Plan Your Road Map

Once you’ve made the decision to go all in on lean, it will be tempting to jump in head first. But, just like getting buy-in from your stakeholders, every minute you spend planning will save you time (and frustration) down the road. Plus, you need a map so you know where you’re going.

Lean Tip #3146 – Ask the 5 Whys to Improve Your Problem Solving Culture

Ready to get to the root cause of whatever ails your process, with your whole team on board? Start by asking why. In fact, plan to ask it a solid four more times as part of the 5 Whys, a Lean Six Sigma strategy that will move you past the symptoms to the heart of the problem. When you include coworkers and other stakeholders in offering alternative answers to the stream of whys, the collaborative effort can go a long way in fostering a problem solving culture that embraces change and values input from all.

Lean Tip #3147 – Use Standardized Work to Scale Your Business

Manufacturers stick to a standard process because doing the same thing over and over minimizes errors and waste. Similarly, when you create a checklist for every task, product, and process in your organization, you’re making your team’s work standardized, reducing variation and the competition of individuals’ preferred methods of completing projects. This standardization of workflow, responsibility, quality, and interaction with the customer is essential as you grow your business and expand your workforce. Even the scope, timing, and content of meetings can be standardized. This is how you establish best practices and continually improve on the way to scaling your business.

Lean Tip #3148 – Make Continuous Improvement a Goal for Your Business

One of the things that you need to have in mind all the time is your business and your industry keeps changing. You need to be quick in adapting your business to these changes. And this is where continuous improvement plays an important role. As you adapt to the changing environment, you should take what you already learned and change things for the better.

The reality is that there are always areas to be improved when you have a small business. From production to customer service, accounting or operations.

Lean Tip #3149 – Collect Performance Data and Act on It

Data collection on your production performance has great value. It can help you connect the dots when you discover inefficiencies. Measuring and tracking activity provides you with insights that can contribute to waste elimination and continuous improvement.

Combining this data into dashboards allows many eyes to view and assess it. For example, if throughput is down, you need to investigate why. You can look at data from all these streams, and you may find that a piece of equipment is underperforming. You’ve found the root cause and can address it.

Lean Tip #3150 – Keep Your Eyes Open to Improvement Opportunities

You won’t always work on strategy changing projects, but there’s usually the opportunity to make small improvements everywhere. By regularly making small improvements, you’ll witness a significantly more capable process long term. The sum of the parts really can be greater than the whole.

Given advances in technology, best practice and changing customer needs, there will always be a better way. So make sure you are constantly looking out for these opportunities and encourage others to do the same.

Lean Quote: Lessons from Our Veterans

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.

"I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free. And I won’t forget the men who died, who gave that right to me."   —  Lee Greenwood, “God Bless the U.S.A.”

On Veterans Day we take time to honor those who fight our nation’s wars. This is a time to honor our veterans, and one of the most important ways we can do that is to learn from their experiences.

Here are a few universal lessons to learn from our veterans:

1. We must appreciate our lives no matter what you happen to be going through. Whatever you need to do so is already within you.

2. We must exercise our Free Will. Make your life count and enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that you did not give up as you fought your own enemies…that is how dreams turn into reality and miracles begin to occur.

3. We must keep hope alive. Hope is intangible, but the ramifications of not having it can devastate many lives; it is the nudge that we need when we least want it, and the salvation when we least expect it. Hope is the fabric we have weaved through years of knowledge, laughter, tears and pain.

4. We must always believe in ourselves and in our innate power to heal. So doubt your doubts, not your mind, and do what you must to do more than just exist. We owe it to those who have sacrificed so much, but most of all, we owe it to ourselves.

Though one day a year is not enough to show our gratitude for all that they have done, may we honor and say thanks to all veterans this Veteran’s Day. Remember to always keep them in your prayers for we are indebted to them for their commitment and loyalty to our country. They deserve our affirmation and respect.

Why Project Management Is Critical for Business Profitability

Introduction

Managing a project is a multifaceted process that requires planning, scheduling, reporting, and tracking. Gaps in communication, resource allocation, or backup plan can affect project progress and business profitability. This article sheds light on the importance of project management and the pivotal role it plays in ensuring business profitability.

What Is Project Management?

Project management is the application of certain techniques, skills, and tools to achieve the final goal of the project. It involves planning and organizing the project to produce the desired outcome within the stipulated timeframe. The project management lifecycle consists of four rudimentary stages: initiation, planning, execution, and closure.

Over the past decade, project management has evolved through several stages. The evolution was driven by the need to deliver the project more quickly and efficiently. Most managers have switched from emails and spreadsheets to project management software. To ensure smooth project flow, it’s necessary to meet future contingencies that could derail the project.

Top Reasons Why Project Management Is Critical for Business Profitability

●       Clear Objective to Improve Competence

Setting clear objectives and a realistic timeline is the first step towards project success. By breaking the project into smaller tasks and prioritizing them appropriately, the team gains clarity about what needs to be done. If the objective is ambiguous, the project is more likely to see scope creep, missed deadlines, and, eventually, cost overrun. In the absence of project management and defined goals, the teams may misplace project priorities, causing missed deadlines and budget leaks.

●       Better Project Planning Helps Staying Top of the Deliverables

Project management requires allocating resources in the best possible ways. With proper utilization of budget and resources, you are more likely to complete the project in time. On the other hand, in the absence of a proper plan, you may risk wasting resources and time.

It’s better that the project manager discusses the budget, timeline, and objectives with stakeholders and clients. Together, they can outline a roadmap by keeping all aspects in mind.

Project planning involves assigning responsibilities to team members, streamlining workflow, and gearing up with a backup strategy. This way, the project completion strategy can be re-assessed and re-aligned in the event of any contingency,

●       Project Management Ensures Alignment of Project with Business Strategy

Often, organizations overlook how the project aligns with the business strategies. Effective project management not only navigates the planning and execution of the project but also ensures that all the tasks and goals of the project resonate with the organization’s strategy, vision, and objective. This alignment also keeps the project manager and the stakeholders on the same page, ensuring frictionless collaboration across the team.

●       Keeping Deliverable Quality in Check

As teams rush towards meeting project deadlines, it’s possible for quality standards to suffer.

Since quality is critical for client satisfaction and the organization’s brand reputation, project management needs to play a key role in ensuring quality at all stages of the project.

To sum up, project management not only completes a project on time but also ensures that the quality of the output is assessed periodically.

●       Right Project Management Methodology Step up the Game

Regardless of the level of project complexity, proper planning and execution are indispensable for project success. The organization must consider aspects like team dependencies, the team size, the project timeframe, resource allocation, contingency likelihood, and the request frequency from stakeholders.

Project management methodologies facilitate proper project planning to address all such issues. These methodologies are the set of rules that guide how to plan, execute and manage the project. There are many methodologies, and each comes with its own paradigm. After assessing, the project manager can select and implement a method that suits the project requirements. In short, implementing the right project management methodology can improve the team's competence, thereby ensuring project success.

●       Project Management Save Time and Resources

One of the top concerns for any business is to accomplish the project within the stipulated time and budget. This is where well-organized project management and planning comes in. It helps allocate the right resources on the right task that preempts resource wastage, missed deadlines, and cost overruns. Effective project planning helps you analyze the project journey, spending, resource utilization, bottlenecks, deadlines, etc. Armed with this data, one can evaluate how achievable the deadlines are and re-shape the project journey to ensure seamless execution.

●       Better Decision Making with Project Management

When the project manager has clear visibility into the project's progress, they can effortlessly make smart decisions that benefit the project. Project management provides insight into who is working on which task, where the resources are being spent, what the priorities are, and whether the project is on track. Equipped with this knowledge, businesses can make the right decisions to optimize the project workflow and mitigate the bottlenecks before they aggravate.

Conclusion: Project management streamlines the project flow and facilitates goal attainment in time, thereby ensuring the project’s success. This, in turn, enables organizations to achieve business profitability.

Author Bio: Sonika Malviya works as a content writer at Replicon and loves to write about technology trends.

Recognizing and Combatting Complacency in the Workplace

Complacency is all around us, but it (and the problems it brings) can be especially noticeable in the workplace.

If people have stopped going the extra mile and if they seem totally content with the status quo, their complacency could be hurting your organization. The good news is that complacency often comes after some success, and people feel comfortable and confident enough to stop trying so hard. The bad news is that it can keep you from being successful in the future because people stop aiming for bigger, better things.

Don’t let that happen. Battle complacency in your workplace. Here are some of the signs so you know what to look for in others and also in yourself.

Overall Disengagement

Complacent employees tend to retract from their coworkers and managers. There will be less participation in meetings or daily conversations. If employees seem like their head isn’t in it some days and you notice that they are working less hours, it might be a warning sign. 

Complacent employees don’t have their heads and hearts in their jobs. It’s like they’ve lost the interest and excitement.

Less Initiative and Risk Taking

Motivated employees will take initiative to make changes and take on new responsibilities. Complacent employees do the opposite. They avoid any new tasks or assignments when possible and don’t sign up for anything risky. It’s like they don’t want any additional attention on them. 

Loss of Creativity

If employees stop thinking about and coming up with new creative ideas, it’s a sign of complacency. You want a team that drives improvement for the team and for each individual member. In meetings and group calls, you want new ideas to bounce around. Having team members that don’t seem to care or don’t have anything new to offer can impact the entire dynamic in a negative way. 

Shortcuts Taken

Especially in workplaces with a strong safety culture, taking shortcuts can be detrimental. Complacent team members take the easy route and sometimes even skip over steps while working either intentionally or because they weren’t paying close attention. This can lead to unsafe acts to happen within the workplace.

In addition to safety, it can negatively impact a company in many other ways. Taking shortcuts with anything legal can be a big nightmare. There can be issues with customer service results or function of services and products sold.

Uninterested in the Future

Most employees have a clear goal for their next career move. Maybe it’s working toward a promotion and acquiring the necessary skill-sets to do that or maybe it’s just mastering a certain part of their role to be the best. Complacent team members will lack interest in the next steps. It doesn’t appear that they are working towards anything specific.

Combatting complacency and keeping your team engaged and interested is a continuous challenge, and we all know that employee engagement doesn’t just happen by accident. But it’s not all bad news, either. There are effective ways to intentionally foster a workplace where employees care about their jobs, even when the tasks themselves aren’t overly stimulating. Here are 5 ways to combat complacency in the workplace.

Share the mission.

Remind employees of the company’s purpose and goals so they feel connected to the larger mission and see how their behaviors can have an impact on customers. 

Change Up Routines

Complacency can happen in situations where there are repetitive work and boredom. If you have lots of roles with repetitive tasks, get creative about how to switch things up. Invite the team to offer suggestions for automation of certain parts or ways to make the process better.

Offer Continued Education and Training

Another way to keep employees engaged is to offer opportunities to learn.

There are so many different forms of continuing education that employees can participate in. Some education is mandatory to stay informed on any changes within specific industries. As regulations and technology changes, employees may need to take part in classes to learn about the differences and how it impacts their part of the process.

Education doesn’t always have to be formal classwork. Many companies offering mentoring or job swap opportunities to help employees learn and understand other roles within the organization. This promotes a sense of teamwork and helps highlight how different roles impact each other. It also gives employees ideas of other areas they might like to explore a career path in within the organization.

Publish Results Publicly

Everybody is familiar with scoreboards. Choose different metrics to post regularly with a results ranked for everyone to see. By switching up the different metrics, people are motivated to work hard and fight to reach the top of the list. The rankings can be shared in meetings, posted within the office or even shared on a virtual platform like Slack.

Having results visible to the team can inspire people to fight their way up the list or fight to stay at the top if they are there. Creating a little friendly competition keeps employees on their toes while at work.

Adapt and Learn

Dealing with change can be difficult, but it’s a necessary part of life. As things grow and change, you should be constantly working to adapt and learn new ways to accomplish your goals. It’s a good way to continue to challenge your mind and stay engaged.

Complacency is a danger to many organizations. It can destroy a organization’s success. Leaders need to keep employees energized so that they can provide the best possible service to their customers, whether they are coming to you for the first time or the 10th.

Lean Quote: What Employees Want From a Leader

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.

"Employees who believe that management is concerned about them as a whole person — not just an employee — are more productive, more satisfied, more fulfilled. Satisfied employees mean satisfied customers, which leads to profitability."   —  Anne M. Mulcahy

Employees naturally gauge their connection and engagement with an organization through their local relationships and environments. And no one has a greater influence on those day-to-day interactions, processes, and operations than the managers on the ground with them.

Good managers build personalized relationships and connections with their employees, leveraging individual strengths to empower and motivate their people where they are.

Fortunately, leadership is a learned skill and you can train your current management to better understand and address their employees’ needs. To do this, you first need to know what your employees want.

A survey of 500 U.S. employees-published in the book "What People Want," by Terry Bacon-reveals what matters most to employees.

9 Things Employees Need

1. Honesty. 90% say they want honesty and integrity from their manager. Lies and secrets are the biggest killers to credibility.

2. Fairness. 89% want their manager to be fair and to hold all employees accountable to the same standards.

3. Trust. More than 86% want to trust-and be trusted by-their manager.

4. Respect. 84% want to respect-and be respected by-their manager.

5. Dependability. 81% say they want to be able to count on their manager when needed.

6. Collaboration. 77% want to be a part of their manager's team and be asked to contribute ideas and solutions. Shutting employees out will shut them up-and send them shipping out.

7. Genuineness. 76% want their manager to be a genuine person. Employees sometimes spend more time with their boss than with their families-they don't want a phony.

8. Appreciation. 74% want their manager to appreciate them for who they are and what they do. When was the last time you handed out a "Thank you!" or "Great job!" to employees?

9. Responsiveness. 74% want their manager to listen, understand and respond. Be a sponge, not a brick wall.

Bottom line: These traits are important to understand, but they don't apply to every employee. That's why it's best for managers to understand what each individual employee craves and then try to fulfill those needs. In the end, more satisfied employees stick around longer, are more loyal, do better work and make a manager's job much easier.

Managers Play a Crucial Role in Employee Engagement

If you’re a leader looking to improve employee engagement and performance at your organization, it pays to spend time working with the people who can deliver more impact than any other—managers.

Middle managers play a key role in employee engagement, creating a respectful and trusting relationship with their direct reports, communicating company values and setting expectations for the day-to-day business of any organization.

The relationship between an employee and their manager is one of the top drivers of employee engagement and leading indicators of employee turnover. When that relationship is strained, it can create a disconnect between an individual and their motivation to do their best work. When a manager is leading effectively, their team members are much more likely to be engaged.

But middle managers need to be empowered by being given larger responsibilities, trained for their expanded roles and more involved in strategic decisions. If an organization's executives and HR professionals want to hold managers accountable for the engagement levels, they should:

Make sure that managers and employees have the tools to do their jobs correctly.

Periodically assign managers larger, more exciting roles.

Give managers appropriate authority.

Accelerate leadership development efforts.

Ask managers to convey the corporate mission and vision and to help transform the organization.

In fact, research shows higher manager capability increases the likelihood of both employee engagement and performance. And that, in turn, supports bottom-line results. Organizations that see highly engaged, strong performers are almost twice as likely to report growth in revenue and profitability compared to those with low performance and engagement.

Bringing managers into the fold and giving them ownership over engagement initiatives can be hugely beneficial and make transformation happen faster. After all, managers know the day-to-day challenges of employees best, and the organization can only win when teams are firing on all cylinders.

Invite managers to partner with your leadership team to determine ideal employee engagement outcomes. Then, give them the space and autonomy they need to come up with creative solutions to achieve those goals. Let them take ownership of how changes are implemented and how those changes are communicated to employees.

The truth is, a frontline manager can be an executive’s greatest ally in the war against lackluster employee engagement. The challenge for business leaders is making sure their managers are set up for success.

Five Leadership Lessons From Halloween

Each day we are presented with experiences that can teach us key aspects of leadership. Halloween is today! Whether you’re going to a party or have kids you have to rope into their costumes, Halloween is a holiday you shouldn’t be sleeping on. Let’s take a moment to think about how this fall holiday can teach us valuable lessons in leadership.

Here are five that definitely come to mind:

1. Identity matters. One of the reasons people like Halloween is that they get to take on different identities. 

Lesson: While that might be fun, as a leader, your identity must be consistent and familiar. Masks might be fun on Halloween, but as a leader, you can’t wear one at work. To be most effective, you must be real, transparent and authentic.

2. Engagement matters. Halloween parties are fun for many people. Why? Because everyone is engaged! Everyone participates! Many people put a great deal of effort into their costumes, and they like to talk about how they come up with and executed their ideas. They enjoy the music, the games, the contests and just being around other people. 

Lesson: When people are engaged in an activity, they’ll put in the time and effort needed to succeed. What can you do to encourage your people to be as engaged in their work as they were when coming up with this year’s costume?

3. Creativity is important. Creativity is everywhere you look on Halloween. From house decorations to costumes and everything in between, people go all out to make the most of the holiday. Even the most straight-laced people will get a little wild on Halloween, and most people are really excited about the whole process. 

Lesson: When you give people an outlet and purpose for their creativity, they will be creative. Make sure you’re finding ways to allow people’s creativity to flourish. Your team and the organization will benefit big time if you do.

4. Treats over Tricks. When I was growing up, the neighborhood kids would egg houses that didn’t decorate for Halloween or give out good candy. Oddly enough, it didn’t make them any more likely to get into the spirit the next year.

Lesson: You’ll get further with treats than you will with tricks. That is really by way of saying that we must make sure we don’t neglect recognition.  We can’t hit our folks over the head with rules, regulations, and processes continuously and expect them to want to improve. We need to provide training and feedback while recognizing achievements along the way.

5. Fun matters. One of the reasons Halloween is one of the most popular adult holidays is that it gives people permission to just have fun. There isn’t any other “reason” for the holiday. It is just about fun. 

Lesson: Remember that people need to have fun sometimes to be productive the rest of the time.

Leaders need remain open to learning from all situations, people, and experiences. The leaders who inspire me understand leadership is not about costumes, tricks, and treats. There is a depth and meaning to leadership we each discover in our own way.