Observing Objectively

A number of other timeless principles have hit me since our most recent Blitz, about which I wrote last week. A key principle is that of documenting the gains. An example.

During the blitz, I had an idea about material flow during one step which I thought would cut the cycle time by almost half. We had measured cycle time in the "current state," observing the lowest repeatable time in 7 cycles. I discussed my idea, the guys liked it and decided to try it.

We then checked the cycle time. We were all disappointed. After doing another seven cycles, accounting for the brief learning curve, we only shortened the cycle time by 30%...not the 50% we had expected. We paused and wondered "Why wasn't it as good as we had hoped?"

It became obvious as we talked that we had (mentally) counted the productivity gains which we thought were pretty cool and had (mentally) ignored the less-cool added steps required by the idea. Yeah, a 50% boost on the cool stuff, at a 20% cost.

What I learned: The net gain was great; 30% is nothing to sneeze at. But since we stated clearly what we thought it would gain, measured the actual gain in real time and then sought to understand why it was less than expected, we learned even more. The demanding taskmaster, Reality, taught us more than we would have learned otherwise. It forced us into more and better proposals for improvement which we tried on the fly, right there.

A lean motto is "Document Reality." It works.

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The Power of a Blitz

I've seen it many times before and I suppose I should cease to be surprised....but I was. It was amazing, encouraging and mind-boggling.

I'm talking about a Blitz (as we call it) or a Kaizen event (as most in the Lean community call it). We did a very simple, one-day event in a well-run area of our production facility yesterday. We used the same, proven method to plan the day as we would in a poorly run area, badly in need of work. We simply started looking for ways to improve flow, safety, ergonomics and quality.

Why was I amazed? Let me try to explain:

• Meet in the workplace. We spent the whole day in the work area itself. No conference room, nothing impressive. We got dusty and cold. And we saw things we could never have seen anywhere else.
• Forget the donuts. It was not about frills. We didn't bring in lunch. We didn't do anything that smelled like a "perk." We worked an ordinary work day.
• It was about listening. The guys who have made this a well-run area had a bunch of ideas on how to make it better. The rest of us listened and asked questions to understand better. Folks would rather be sincerely listened to than eat donuts in a nice conference room. But it's easier to run to Krispy Kreme and grab a dozen than it is to really listen well.
• Listening became infectious. As those of us from outside the area tried to listen, the guys in the workgroup started asking questions about how material and information flowed to and from the workgroup.
• No one person had a breakthrough idea. There were no "home runs"...the area was already functioning well...if it never changed, we'd still be OK.
• Collectively, we had some great ideas. Since the group was in a marvelous mood of listening and inquiring, one small idea sparked another, on which another person built a further extension. Soon, nobody could remember just whose idea it really was...it became owned by everyone, because it was.
• Improvement became obvious. We ended up with 8 specific action items to improve flow, safety, ergonomics and quality.
• Include folks from outside the group Two people on the team had spent virtually no time in this area. Two things happened. One...we had some fresh perspectives. Two...we built experience in the change process. Both incredibly positive.

Watching. Reflecting. Asking. Looking hard. Taking time to improve. All these things work. I know that. I've seen it a hundred times. But it still grabs me.

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In Memoriam: The Columbia Seven

With millions of others, I was shocked and grieved to hear of the destruction this morning of the space shuttle, Columbia. My prayers go to the families and friends of those who died.

It is hard to describe fully the impact of the space program on my career development. At age 49 now, I grew up with the space program. I remember vividly being in elementrary school and watching with fascination as Alan Shepherd became the first US man in space; John Glenn's first orbital flight; Gus Grissom (a fellow Purdue grad) and his colleagues dying in our first space accident; Neil Armstrong stepping on the moon; the Challenger disaster in 1986. Through it all, the space program inspired me and many others to pursue the development of technology and its impact on human lives.

Risks are real. We must continue. And we can learn from disaster. We can persevere.

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So what does a Visual Display Look Like?

It seems pretty ridiculous to talk about visual displays and only use words. But I have conquered this hurdle and I now have some images posted that you can peruse.

Our system utilizes two simple charts. One is a daily display that collects the appropriate data during the day by the folks doing the work. The second is a chart that summarizes the entire month on one sheet.

Here is our daily chart for our design group. It uses color and "thermometer" symbols to indicate magnitudes of work done. Hand-written. Using colored markers. Very simple. Each color indicates progress for one of the four teams in the group.

This daily chart then provides the data for the design monthly chart. This chart allows one to see an entire month's trend.

A key technique we use is the "Five Day Cumulative" which you may be able to read on the image. This accounts for the severe fluctuation in job size from day to day. Rather than worrying about just what happens day-to-day, we manage with the five day cumulative figures. My thanks to Hal Macomber for introducing this concept to us.

Applying the same principle to our Purchasing Department, we again have a daily chart, with figures appropriate for that group. Again, note the thermometer and several "yes/no" check boxes. It takes, literally, seconds to update this chart during the day.

This group also has its own monthly chart. You can see here some squares with both writing and yellow highlighting. This is a visual cue that a goal was met for that day.

There is much more that could be said about these incredibly simple and powerful tools. I welcome your questions via email or on the comment section. I'll do my best to answer them. I hope this is helpful.

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Visual Tools are easy to Learn

One of the appeals to me of visual tools is how easy they are to learn. A case in point.

We recently added two new inside sales representatives. Sharp guys in new roles. Their manager asked me to work with them to come up with some method of a local scoreboard to help them assess their progress, daily.

Using the model we found useful in other workgroups here at FBi, we simply started up and tried something in mid-January. Although it was new to both guys, within a couple of days they had the knack of keeping simple, crucial, daily data. Now, two weeks later, they are both all over it and making very sound assessments on how they are doing. Perhaps not coincidentally, they are hitting crucial goals as well.

Boom. Two weeks. Clear data. Linking annual goals to daily activities. It is phenomenal.

Now...my hope...tomorrow, I'll try to set up links to some of these tools and let you see them. My technical expertise significantly lags my ability to simply type :)

I hope this is helpful.

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Why Visual Displays Are Valuable

Last week was brutally hectic (sorry for no posts here...) and I got back very late last night from a two-day business trip. I walked in today and in a total of about six minutes, stood and pondered the data on three visual displays we have here. After being out of touch for several days, the displays allowed me to make some rapid, well-grounded assessments about how we are doing. More importantly, it guided me in several conversations about actions we should or should not take.

This is what a visual display should do. It should allow any associate to quickly (less than three minutes) understand what is going on and if the area is under control or not. It is far simpler than most people make it out to be.

Our displays are all hand-written. They are on normal paper. They are not hooked up to a computer. They are highly visible. They are highly flexible. They are self-maintained by the folks doing the work in each group.

It felt great to be back and to stand and reflect on the effort that each display represented.

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It's About Delivering Value, Stupid...

With apologies for paraphrasing a famous presidential campaign slogan, I look at the big picture of a Lean System. It is too easy, in the midst of talking about the tools of Lean such as start up metings and visual displays, to lose sight of the reason we use the tools.

VALUE And, even more importantly, value as defined by the end user.

I share two current illustrations of people who seem to "get it" about value.

In the January 20, 2003 issue of US News, there is a remarkable story about Joy Hakim, author of elementary and High School History texts. Ms. Hakim had the "radical" idea that school history texts should be interesting, not boring. She saw the end user as the student and then set out to write accurate history that would engage that student mind and curiosity. Among other things, she:

• Used tight, sparse language
• Didn't feel bound to "political corectness"
• Tested her work by having students read the text first and "grade it" as to whether or not it was clear.

She had a hard time finding a publisher at first; some school system still balk at her clarity of style. But her "customers" love it; she actually gets fan mail from students. The article is inspiring...I am grateful to my wife for flagging it for me.

Then, check out what this child care center in Ohio is doing to create value for parents. Things like adding:

• A professional chef to prepare good meals for the kids
• Carry out meals for busy parents
• Dry cleaning drop off
• Haircuts for the little tykes.

(My thanks to Thomas Leonard of Coachville for highlighting this story for me.)

Look at what is going on here. In mundane, ordinary enterprises (school books, child care), folks are stepping back and asking "What does the end user really need? Can I provide it?" They both got very creative and tried some things. Outside the "normal" expectations for either. And, having defined value for the end user, both were far more able to see what activities did NOT add value...and these are opportunities to stop doing something and remove waste.

Think broadly about value. This stretches my mind on the subject. I hope this is helpful to you as well.

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More on Daily Start-Up Meetings

A few further observations on successful start up meetings.

The purpose is not to meet...it is to improve. This often gets lost, particularly after running the meetings for several weeks. The team leader (whether or not he/she is the official leader) must regularly ask for proposals for improvement. I've seen a consistent tendency by group members to want to simply "attend" the meeting. Our culture reenforces this "entertainment" mode of meeting rather than the "involvement" mode. Some questions that seem to work include:

• "So what can we do about this?"
• "What can we do today about this?"
• "What would be an improvement?"
• "What caused that breakdown?"
• "If we could do that over again, what would we do differently?"
• "Can you document that idea?"

You get my point...be specific and ask for action!

Periodically ask yourselves "How can we make this meeting better?" Don't limit improvement to only the work you do...also improve the way you make improvements.

How can I "meet" if I work by myself?

This is a real issue for many professionals, particularly those in sales and other professions that are mobile or solo. The "meeting" still is effective, if done using the outlines I suggested last week.

Central to a solo performer is the visual display of results, about which we'll talk more in my next posting. A brief story will illustrate.

In my career before coming to FBi Buildings, I ran my own consulting company and worked from home. A friend suggested I make and pay attention to a simple display of the key items I needed to be successful. They were not unlike those needed in any firm. Who are my customers? Do I have enough of them? Are they paying their bills? Do I have cash? Will I be able to stay in business for the next six months?

I constructed a chart and updated it twice a week. Then, daily (mostly), I reviewed the chart and tried to do activities that would drive the figures positively. It was the most useful time of the day and the most useful piece of paper I had.

That's how a solo professional can make lean principles work. I strongly suggest folks who work alone adopt a similar practice.

I hope this is helpful.

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