Lean Improvements in the Greenhouse
I recently had lunch with a former work colleague. As we talked, she told me about her new home and the vegetable garden she had planted. She told me that she had already utilized all of the space that she had set aside in her yard and needed to become more creative in how to use the available space. Her story reminded me of a recent article I read in ISE magazine. Cassandra Johnson’s case study described the use of Lean methodologies in a family-owned greenhouse supplier in Michigan that faced a decline in its production capacity. After running the company the same way for more than 60 years, the company realized it needed to make a change. To assist the company in its continuous improvement (CI) efforts, management turned to the University of Michigan’s (UM) Tauber Institute for Global Operations team. Three graduate students from UM took a three-pronged approach to helping the company evaluate its distribution center. Each student evaluated a separate part of the operational process utilizing week-long kaizen events. The first kaizen focused on quality control in the production area. The team found that there were too many inspection points, many in the wrong location. The team reduced the number of inspection station and moved others upstream in the process, resulting in a 79 % reduction of the rework rate. The second team focused on processes in the shipping area. Errors in labeling, pallet positioning, and a general lack of standard processes led to rework and product delays. The team developed spaghetti maps for product flow and visual aids for pallet placement the team eliminated over-processing. The team estimated annual savings of $242,000. The third team focused on the inspection process. Most of the inspectors had not received formal training for their position, and thus quality standards were quite varied dependent upon the inspector. By establishing a standard training program and requiring all inspectors to go through the program, the company not only developed strong training standards, but also overhauled the company’s recruiting, interviewing, and onboarding. Over a 14-week period, the three teams were able to establish initial savings of $368,000 and more than 28,000 hours in time savings. Sometimes having a fresh set of eyes (or, in this case, three sets) can really pay off! How are you helping your employees to work smarter by reducing the amount of time they spend on non-productive activities and correcting errors? If your business processes need a “check-up,” please email me at michael@leadingchangeforgood.com! I’d love to help you get back to a healthy, productive...
Read MoreTwo Super Hero Skills for Workplace Improvement
Last weekend several new movies were released. The most anticipated of these was “Wonder Woman.” The movie, based on comics published by DC Comics, tells the story of Diana, Princess of Themyscira, and the Amazonian people. While her Amazonian training helped her to develop a wide range of extraordinary (super hero) skills in tactics, hunting, and combat, in her day job she was working with Steve Trevor to help end the war. While few of us will ever have access to a magic lasso or an invisible airplane, we all have access to some skills that can make us a super hero at work. The most powerful of these is observation. By evaluating our surroundings as we go about our typical work day we see things that are ripe for change. Generally these are small things that can be taken care of with little effort, but can make a large impact and enhance our lives and those of our coworkers. Another super power we have is our ability to ask questions. How often do you ask, “Why do we do things the way that we do them?” The six most deadly words in business are “we’ve always done it that way.” Just as documents such as standard operating procedures (SOPs) are required to be evaluated on regular intervals, so should commonly used business processes. A method that worked well 3 or 4 years ago may be overdue for evaluation. Not all of us can help to save the world like Wonder Woman. We can, however, help ourselves and our colleagues to have a healthier and more productive work space. Are you ready to be a super hero for your company? How are you helping your employees to work smarter by reducing the amount of time they spend on non-productive activities and correcting errors? If your business processes need a “check-up,” please email me at michael@leadingchangeforgood.com! I’d love to help you get back to a healthy, productive workplace....
Read MoreWant to Improve Your Workplace? Take a Walk!
Several years ago, my wife and I obtained a personal trainer. He’s a 40-pound terrier mix named Squirt (named by the previous owner). Squirt makes sure that we take a morning and an evening walk every day. While the exercise is probably good for our health, it can get rather monotonous. It seems like we have seen everything there is to see within our neighborhood. Although we have a “usual” course that we take most days, we occasionally make variations to the route. We may do this route in reverse, or add in a cul-de-sac that we don’t often include. This allows us to notice things that we might be missing on a day-to-day basis, such as an overgrown flowerbed, a broken fence, or a recently installed pergola. The same change-up in routine can be very useful in one’s daily trip to and from work, especially as one goes from the entrance to the office/work area. Managers and other leaders can benefit from regular walks through the various areas for which they are responsible. The Japanese term for this is “gemba”, which can be translated as “the real place.” In the context of process improvement, it means the place where work is done. By changing our travel routine in the office / manufacturing area in which we work, we are more apt to obtain a different perspective on how activities are being carried out. These insights can lead to a better understanding of current processes and reveal areas for process improvement. Have you noticed something new at work that you haven’t seen before? Take a gemba walk to see how well things are going around your area and identify areas that may need a little process improvement clean-up. How are you helping your employees to work smarter by reducing the amount of time they spend on non-productive activities and correcting errors? If your business processes need a “check-up,” please email me! I’d love to help you get back to a healthy, productive workplace. ...
Read MorePay Me Now, Or Pay Me Later
I took my car in for an oil change last week. When I was growing up, my Dad always changed the oil in our cars and he showed me how to do it for myself. My early cars were easy to work on and changing the oil took little time and skill. As time went on, however, engines became more complicated, requiring specialized skills and equipment. It seemed that, while I wanted to continue to do the work myself, it was actually faster and cheaper to have the work done. Many companies face the same problems that I have run into with my car repairs. What once worked very easily and took little effort now either works very poorly or not at all. Processes and protocols developed months or years ago no longer address the issues they once did, or have been modified over time. Employees that established these processes may have moved to different departments or have left the company. Process improvement (PI) programs often begin by asking “How are things working now?” By mapping out current processes, a PI leader and his or her team can help the organization determine “pain” points and aid in the development of innovative ways to reduce waste and eliminate errors. Several years ago, an automobile parts company utilized the tag line, “Pay me now or pay me later.” The same can be said for PI. An organization can put a PI program in place early or wait until serious problems occur. A robust PI program can help to head off problems before they begin, saving costs and complications later. How are you helping your employees to work smarter by reducing the amount of time they spend on non-productive activities and correcting errors? If your business processes need a “check-up,” please email me at michael@leadingchangeforgood.com! I’d love to help you get back to a healthy, productive workplace....
Read MoreHelping the Boy Scouts to “Be Prepared”
A few years ago I had an opportunity to facilitate a Lean Six Sigma (LSS) project with the local Boy Scouts of America (BSA) council. As an Eagle Scout, I was honored to help an organization that has given so much to me. The project had a relatively simple goal: provide a reliable way for young men and their parents throughout Central Indiana to enter their contact information so that they could receive more information about scouting. Due to the limited time commitments available for the participants, we decided to conduct the project as a two-day Kaizen (sometimes referred to as a rapid improvement event or REI). I was fortunate to have a Green Belt assist me with facilitation on the second day. Over these two days, we took input from our team members, either parents or BSA Council members. This was used to develop the Voice of the Customer, Voice of the Business, and Critical Customer requirements. We evaluated data from previous years as to how many young men had joined BSA annually and developed an estimate of the number of potential Scouts that would be accessing the system. Since this project occurred right before BSA’s 100th anniversary year and many special events were planned, the group anticipated an even larger response than normal. The team also discussed probable issues that could prevent young men and/or their parents from signing up. The team divided into two groups to develop new ways to collect contact information from young men interested in learning more about scouting, or their parents. Team members then compared the two plans. The best aspects of each were selected and combined into the final process involving a new web-based user interface. The team also developed a multi-level approach of assigning BSA volunteers to follow up on the requests, to ensure that all requests were acted upon in a timely manner by the appropriate representative. We then developed an implementation plan and a Failure Mode Effects Analysis (FMEA) to make sure that nothing fell through the cracks. I followed up with the BSA council a few times to check on the project implementation status. Everything was implemented without serious impediments. Overall the team was very happy with the outcome of the project. I was very proud to a part of a team that had a wonderful result even though they had never been exposed to LSS. LSS can be a powerful tool in helping non-profits like BSA do more of the good they were founded to do! How are you helping your employees to work smarter by reducing the amount of time they spend on non-productive activities and correcting errors? If your business processes need a “check-up,” please email me at michael@leadingchangeforgood.com! I’d love to help you get back to a healthy, productive...
Read MoreIncorporating the Scientific Method Can Help Your Root Cause Analysis
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve had a strong interest in science. It didn’t matter if it was actual science, such as medicine, or science fiction such as Star Wars. If it involved science, I adored it. After spending time in a research lab, I became enamored with microbiology and molecular biology. This interest followed me from high school into college and into my career as a molecular biologist. While much of science is based on memorization (how to spell Escherichia coli or the number of molecules in a mole of table salt), one also learns how to conduct research. One of the primary procedures involved in research is the scientific method (SM). Through the use of observation, testing, and analysis, one is able to prove or disprove a hypothesis (theory) about how something works. In a recent article in Quality Progress (QP) Matthew Barsalou, a Master Black Belt with BorgWarner Turbo Systems Engineering GmbH, recommended the use of the SM in process improvement (PI), especially as it relates to root cause analysis. By developing a hypothesis of the cause(s) of a problem, the PI team can begin to narrow the scope of their investigation. The actions involved can include empirical (making observations, collecting data, and testing the hypothesis) and conceptual (development of the hypothesis, prediction of the results if the hypothesis is true). By using induction and deduction to develop, test, and prove or disprove a hypothesis, the PI team can answer difficult root cause questions and aid in the development of corrective actions and improvements. While not all PI team members are scientists, the scientific method is a great tool for all PI teams to utilize. Be sure to check out Matthew’s article. It’s worth the read! How are you helping your employees to work smarter by reducing the amount of time they spend on non-productive activities and correcting errors? If your business processes need a “check-up,” please email me at michael@leadingchangeforgood.com! I’d love to help you get back to a healthy, productive...
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