This blog is going to be about Lean, Toyota Production Systems and my interpretation of the mix. I have been practicing Lean for nearly 10 years now and I am still drawn into it's web of practices. For most of my life I have separated work and "life". I am now realizing that they are intertwined. We cannot realistically separate them. Both aspects make up who we are. I am learning to embrace this, finally.
Most recently I have been focusing all my attention on Lean, almost to the point of nausea. That being said I started meditating on Lean and really putting a lot of thought into the concepts. I began asking questions like, "is there more to Lean than just the tools?" Or, "What will I find if I take a deeper dive into the theory within the Lean concepts?" They are just a few but, for the sake for boredom I'm sure I made my point.
It is this philosophical look at Lean that I am going to focus on. Almost every time I've seen Lean introduced or even many years into a company's journey on the Lean path there has been nothing but pushback. The typical approach has been to introduce 5S and Value Stream Mapping followed by Standard Work and Quality Control Process Charts (QCPC) into the system. The tools are the focus. I have never seen cultural change through the use of the tools and too often companies focus on these damn tools.
The best example I can give is my kitchen, cooking example. Almost everyone reading this has cooked a meal, I'm assuming. And, I'm also assuming everyone has used a knife to cut food in preparation for a meal. How efficient are you with a knife?
I enjoy watching the Food Network. One of my all-time favorite chefs to watch is Martin Yan. He is not only funny as hell but his skills with a knife are amazing. I've seen him cut a 3-4" cucumber into 50+ pieces that were all paper thin in a matter of seconds. Unless I'm using an electric slicer I've never been able to replicate this feat.
I've tried cutting vegetables quickly and never successfully. The effect holds true with Lean. The practitioner trains a group on 5S, demonstrates 5S and sends the group out into the world to 5S. The results are often filled with a misunderstanding and the group only retaining a small fraction of what 5S really is. Why, is that?
There is a disconnect between the practitioner and the group. The group doesn't get the purpose and overall intent (bigger picture) what 5S is. Just like chopping vegetables up into various sizes to cook won't cook evenly. A lot of fidgeting around with the vegetables in the pan takes place when cooking so as to not burn the small pieces but at the same time make sure the larger pieces cook. 5S is no different.
Anyone can throw stuff away and mark-off areas to put stuff but, that does not mean 5S is taking place. It is this type of scenario I wish to cover and explain. Lean in layman's terms. Lean is a part of my everyday life, professionally and personally. Many people practice Lean in some way shape or form already, they are just not aware of it. The tools are great but, the meaning behind the tools...that's where the true power of Lean lies.
It is this philosophical look at Lean that I am going to focus on. Almost every time I've seen Lean introduced or even many years into a company's journey on the Lean path there has been nothing but pushback. The typical approach has been to introduce 5S and Value Stream Mapping followed by Standard Work and Quality Control Process Charts (QCPC) into the system. The tools are the focus. I have never seen cultural change through the use of the tools and too often companies focus on these damn tools.
The best example I can give is my kitchen, cooking example. Almost everyone reading this has cooked a meal, I'm assuming. And, I'm also assuming everyone has used a knife to cut food in preparation for a meal. How efficient are you with a knife?
I enjoy watching the Food Network. One of my all-time favorite chefs to watch is Martin Yan. He is not only funny as hell but his skills with a knife are amazing. I've seen him cut a 3-4" cucumber into 50+ pieces that were all paper thin in a matter of seconds. Unless I'm using an electric slicer I've never been able to replicate this feat.
I've tried cutting vegetables quickly and never successfully. The effect holds true with Lean. The practitioner trains a group on 5S, demonstrates 5S and sends the group out into the world to 5S. The results are often filled with a misunderstanding and the group only retaining a small fraction of what 5S really is. Why, is that?
There is a disconnect between the practitioner and the group. The group doesn't get the purpose and overall intent (bigger picture) what 5S is. Just like chopping vegetables up into various sizes to cook won't cook evenly. A lot of fidgeting around with the vegetables in the pan takes place when cooking so as to not burn the small pieces but at the same time make sure the larger pieces cook. 5S is no different.
Anyone can throw stuff away and mark-off areas to put stuff but, that does not mean 5S is taking place. It is this type of scenario I wish to cover and explain. Lean in layman's terms. Lean is a part of my everyday life, professionally and personally. Many people practice Lean in some way shape or form already, they are just not aware of it. The tools are great but, the meaning behind the tools...that's where the true power of Lean lies.
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