What is the role of middle management in a Lean system?

Hey guys.... check out my guest blog post on Mark Graban's (author of Lean Hospitals) Lean Blog. It discusses what is the role of middle management in a Lean System. thetoyotagal, Tracey Richardson

http://www.leanblog.org/2010/06/guest-post-the-role-of-middle-management-in-toyota-or-a-lean-system/#comments

Download an A3 Problem Solving Report

Hey guys... visit this link http://www.pitchengine.com/free-release.php?id=68491 to get a downloadable copy of an A3 I share in my Lean Problem Solving courses. It can be very helpful to see an example of an A3 that uses a good "thinking" process with visual tools. Check it out.!! thetoyotagal
Tracey Richardson

Problem Solving Podcast E-book Transcript

Hey guys... I'm sharing with you the electronic book or powerpoint copy of the Lean Problem Solving Podcast that I did last month. Please check it out !! Please let me know if you have any questions. Remember Problem Solving is the heart and soul of Lean Implementation and changing your culture.!!!!! Thetoyotagal !!! Tracey Richardson

http://business901.com/blog1/lean-problem-solving-ebook/

Problem Solving really the Core of Lean Implementation

Check out my Podcast Interview on Lean Problem solving... downloadable on Itunes... for a new class I will teach in June for the Lean Enterprise Institute.

Problem Solving really the Core of Lean Implementation

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Tracey Richardson
@tracey_san

Common Mistakes when we are Problem Solving

Hello everyone,
I again apologize for the delay in my blog posts, I have been on the road training quite a bit the past 5 months. I have enjoyed spending time with various companies on their Lean Journey as they learn, I learn. Thank you for the opportunity.

As I spend time at various Companies across the US teaching Problem Solving, I find there common mistakes made as they are learning the process. It's easy when you are learning to quickly develop bad habits, for example:

• Many individuals in an organization do not understand the "Purpose" or- better put -- How does their actions in solving their problem relate to the Company KPI's (Key Performance Indicators-Quality, Safety, Productivity, and Cost Q,S,P,C) Each individual should ask - Why am I selecting this problem to solve? It should be aligned with the Company Business Plan (Hoshin).

• Not utilizing the "Power of the GEMBA",--or often referred to as "Go see the work/process".!! I often see teams working together in a room trying to solve the problem by using their experiences, hypothetical guesses, and what their opinion is. I quickly disperse the huddle to "GO-SEE" with their own eyes the current situation. When you can confirm with facts, talk to the worker, you can describe much better the "Current Situation". Then you can utilize that information to see where you are ordering to the Standard. The difference between the 2 would be your GAP. So get out from behind your desk and GO-SEE, set the standard as a leader.

• Not finding "Root Cause"-- It's crucial when problem solving to keep asking "WHY" until you get to root cause. Often times, because we get focused on results, we only get to the "symptom level" of the problem. It's then a short term fix, and the problem is destined to return. This is not a sustainable practice, when your problem solving....please ask WHY more than once!!!

• Not measuring in performance terms-- There are 2 questions that should ALWAYS be asked when you begin problem solving. 1. What should be happening? 2. What is actually happening? The next level is to quantify the difference between those 2 questions. If you do not have a measurable GAP, then the A3 or Problem Solving report will be very difficult to measure on the right side of the A3. How will you know your countermeasure is effectively addressing the root cause unless you have a quantifiable GAP on the left side?

• The last common mistake I will talk about in this post is crucial in my opinion. I often see companies "put on" Kaizen Events or Kaizen Blitzes, these can be called many different things but it can give off the impression that problem solving is only done on "special occasions". If a company's desire is to be successful their motto should be: Problem Solving-Everyday-Everybody. This was a common practice for me during my time at Toyota. It is the biggest difference I see when visiting other organizations/companies--it's deemed more as "special" than the "everyday" culture.

So if you are looking at Problem Solving or Lean Implementation remember these key points, they are crucial for your success and culture change. Until next time,
@tracey_san
Tracey Richardson

Are you asking the right questions?

The more I teach problem solving "thinking" at various companies these days, the more I realize that its not just about following the specific steps to problem solve, or filling out an A3 to tell your story...but more so asking yourself or others the right questions. I will borrow a quote from my friend, colleague, and mentor John Shook; he said it perfectly in his column at www.lean.org.

"Lean management is very much about asking questions and trying things, or encouraging others to try things. Lean management itself is not much about providing the right answer but it is very much about asking the right question."
As I have discussed in past blogs, Genchi Genbutsu is a essential element to get the facts. In American terms it means to Go and See at the GEMBA. In Today's environment we tend to rely on our past experiences, tenure, or what we feel is the best countermeasure based on the time we give ourselves to really get to "root cause", rather than invest in Go and See. Not only is that important but as you Go and See as a leader and a problem solver its essential to ask yourself or others the right questions.

For every problem the questions could change, but there are simple ways to inquire what the current situation may be. For Instance, using a the 5 W's as a stratification tool, or even the 4 M's, P's or S's . See below:

WHAT
WHO
WHEN
WHERE
WHY

MAN
METHOD
MATERIAL
MACHINE

PROCESS
PRODUCTIVITY
PLACE
PRICE
PEOPLE
PRODUCT

SYSTEM
SUPPLIER
SKILLS

These questions below may help initiate your inquiry for yourself or others solving problems.

What is the real problem?
What should be happening?
Is there data to support?
Who is it affecting?
Does it happen on all shifts, time frames?
Does this happen certain times of the year?
Where is it happening? which area?
How many times has this occurred?
Is it on a specific machine, part?
What is the standard or expectation for this problem?
Is there a process? Have you gone and seen the process?
Does this involve a supplier?
Does this happen in all work processes?
Does this affect productivity, safety or quality?
Does this involve a team member's safety?
What have you investigated so far? and How do you know?
What are the causes, or why is this happening?
Are there similarities or differences?

There are many other types of questions when you are dealing with specific topics in your work environment but these should "spark" your thoughts when your at the GEMBA ---Asking the right questions.
Til Next time,
@tracey_san
Tracey Richardson

Are you being S.M.A.R.T. ????

I often ask this exact question in my A3 classes as I'm teaching different problem solving methodologies. A lot of times I get peculiar looks and participants are waiting for a punch line.8) In my opinion being SMART is necessary to create a solid A3 story using PDCA and the 8 steps of Problem Solving. So what is it you may ask?

S- Specific
M-Measurable
A- Achievable
R- Realistic
T- Timely
When you are creating your A3's you must go to the Gemba, gather facts/data, involve the team members on the process, and remember your "SMART" goals within each step.

Specific

• You may ask yourself what you are trying to accomplish in your problem solving activity?

• Why your trying to accomplish it, and how it relates to the company. (Purpose)

• How you are going to accomplish it? (How much and By When)

• Don't use words like - "Some" or "Many", a good trainer will always ask you, "How many?" etc.

Measurable

One of the first things my Japanese trainers taught me in Problem Solving was, "Tracey san, if you can't measure don't do it". Meaning if you can't quantify your GAP how do you know how effective your countermeasures are? Part of being specific is determining a quantifiable GAP in Step 1, therefore you are measuring on the right side of the A3 if you are addressing the root cause.

Attainable

How are you setting your goals when your problem solving? Are they within your control or influence? Are you relating/aligning them to a key performance indicators within the company? (Quality, Safety, Productivity, Cost). When you set the targets/goals they need to be attainable with a slight "stretch" to them ensuring you are always thinking about continuous improvement or raising the bar on yourself. 8).

Realistic

Some may refer to this as "do-able". It's not realistic to set goals that can't be met due to lack of resources or possibly skill set at the time. You want the Problem solving experience to "push" or "stretch" someone as they are learning, but not frustrate them to the point of giving up. Sometimes there is a fine line. It is up to the mentor to assist with what is "do-able" at times by knowing their people.

Timely

Set a proper time-line for the goal or a target, for example by the end of the week, year, month, in 3 months, 90 days etc. Coming up with a solid goal gives you a time-line to work with.

If you don't set a time, the commitment become too nebulous, or it tends not to happen because you feel you have forever to solve the problem. Without a time limit, there's no urgency to start taking action now.

Time-lines must ALSO be measurable, attainable and realistic.

Everyone can benefit from goals and objectives if they are SMART about them when they are problem solving. So the next time someone asks you if your SMART you can say, "As a matter of fact--I am"....

Until next time
Tracey Richardson
@tracey_san