Month: June 2018

Jun 30 2018 2018-06-30 2018-06-28 NoComment by Andreas

New Quotes

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The more time I spend researching quotes the more pumped up and inspired I get. It is so fascinating to me how so much wisdom can be condensed into a single phrase or paragraph.

“Those that know do, Those that understand, teach.” – Aristotele

I found this very funny. A popular saying goes “Those who can’t do teach”. It seems obvious that there is a connection. The original quote is quite profound and to me it means that when you learn a skill or task you can perform it very well but when you reach a level of mastery and understanding you cannot help but become a teacher.

“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak, Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” – Sir Winston Churchill

In a team environment it is very important to speak up and share what is on your mind. However, it is also very important to trust those around you, to listen and not push your own view in every discussion. In listening to others trying to understand rather than to answer there is much to be learned.

“People don’t resist change, they resist being changed.” – Peter Drucker

This might seem like a very thin distinction but the way I see it people don’t mind change and development if they truly feel they have a say in it. To have changed forced upon you will naturally make you defensive. If people are involved in the process of change it will become a natural part of life.

“The only thing worse than training people and loosing them is not training them and keeping them.” – Zig Ziglar

I have heard this attributed to Richard Branson but I think Zig Ziglar pre-dates him. Companies who expect excellence from its employees must invest in their development. How to go about it is different for different people but if you don’t you risk having unmotivated people since the ones with their own drive tend to move on.


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Jun 29 2018 2018-06-29 2018-06-28 NoComment by Andreas

New Terminology

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Added 3 new entrys and 2 abbreviations. Slowly but surely building the list, but there is still so much to learn.

5S

5S is a workplace organization (WPO) method in five steps, first conceived in japan as part of Just-in-Time (JIT). Sort (seiri), Set in order (seiton), Shine (seiso), Standardize (seiketsu) and Sustain (Shitsuke).

First In First Out

A method of handling stock. It becomes particularly useful when the product handled has a expirationdate. Eg. rubber o-rings.

First Time Through

Indicating a product passing through all stages of production without any corrective meassures along its course. It is used as a meassure of built in quality. Often described as a percent eg. “FTT last week was 97%”


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Jun 28 2018 2018-06-28 2018-06-27 NoComment by Andreas

New Quotes New Inspiration

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Todays new inspiration in the quotes section.

“Where there is no standard, there can be no improvement. For these reasons, standards are the basis for both maintenance and improvement.” – Masaaki Imai

To go on a journey need two things, you need to know in what direction to but for this you also need to know where you are. The standard represent where you are now, and between now and your goal you have the direction you must travel.

“Experience is not what you’ve been through, it’s what you take from it.” – Frank Tyger

In everything, good or bad, lies the oportunity to learn something. To further your knowledge and understanding of the issues at hand or the world at large. With reflection you can greatly increase what you are able to take from any experience and it will empower you in the long run.

“If you don’t have time to do it right in the first place, when will you have time to do it over?” – John Wooden

This is so obvious but still, time and time again this gets us into trouble. If we could just step back, breath and contemplate a proper solution rather than set up firewall upon firewall and all temporary patches and solution we would spend a lot less time and energy in the long run.


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Jun 27 2018 2018-06-27 2018-06-27 NoComment by Andreas

The power of habit

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Through my journey in life and through my journey in Lean I have found that good habits makes for a solid foundation of every day life. This is true both at work and at home. Presently I am reading “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” by Stephen R. Covey. This has gotten me thinking a lot about my own habits.

The other day I saw a commencement speech by a Navy Seal admiral. He listed ten thing to help guide you through life. The first thing he listed was making your bed in the morning. I think most people has seen this in movies about military life at some point. What he did however is expand of why this practice is used through training. The idea is that if you start of your day with finishing a task to a high standard you always know that you have accomplished something that day and you are ready for the next task of the day. A habit of productivity and excellence.

Now this is very interesting and what I have found is that it is a point of contention. Some say it is powerful habit that  even though it in itself is useless, the mindset it creates is the true value of this habit. Other people see it as a waste and they might do it occasionally not as a habit. These people might have other habits to the same effect but this I don’t know for sure.

I am thinking that it is different for everyone. What habits you use for creating and maintaining a productive mindset may differ from person to person but I am convinced that it is something everyone would benefit from. Habits also create structure and order in life which might help you focus on what is most important.

On my own part I am struggling to make good habits a part of my daily routine. I tend to get stuck when it comes to going from task to habit. Maybe I should just start making my bed and build from there.

 


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Jun 26 2018 2018-06-26 2018-06-26 NoComment by Andreas

Some ancient wisdom

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Whether something is old or new says nothing of its value to us today. Among quotes from ancient thinkers this become very self-evident. Today I present three quotes that I find very inspiring.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit.” – Aristotele

For me this is the essence of Lean. If we create good habits with respects to the work of continuous improvement it will become a natural part of our lives and it will feel less like chore.

“Do nothing that is of no use” – Musashi, Miyamoto, 1645

This quote really made me laugh, it is so direct but through the veils of time we have the reduction of waste, muda, in a nutshell. The less you do of that of no use the more focused you become on what is important.

“You can only fight the way you practice” – Musashi, Miyamoto, 1645

Not that we should see every day as a struggle or a battle. But this is really the Aristotele quote above from the viewpoint of a samurai. The modern truism we hear to this effect would be “Practice makes perfect”.


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Jun 25 2018 2018-06-25 2018-06-25 NoComment by Andreas

New in the Terminology Section

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Updated Terminology:

Andon

Visual feedback system for the plant floor that indicates production status, alerts when assistance is needed, and empowers operators to stop the production process. Literally “Paper Lantern”

New Terminology:

Nemawashi

An informal process of getting support from coworkers and others before starting a project in order to increase the chances of success.

TPS

Toyota Production System. A manufacturing strategy developed by Toyota Motor Corporation of Japan over a period of many years. TPS focuses on the complete elimination of waste from the manufacturing process, and is the progenitor of lean manufacturing.

Yamazumi-chart

Stacked bar chart used to balance the workload of different operators/stations in a production line. Sometimes also called Yamazumi board.


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Jun 17 2018 2018-06-17 2018-06-26 NoComment by Andreas

New Quotes added

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Today’s addition are some of my favourites. From now on I will also get a brief explanation what the quote mean to me.

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, then you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams

This is so true, I find that the true measure of a leader is not how far they can lift themselves but how far they can lift others. If you as a leader see everyone as competition, you will always be fighting.

“People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” – Theodore Roosevelt

When I first heard this I was all giggles for days. It is such a simple statement but it is in my opinion the ultimate strive of any leader. If you can build a genuine trust everything becomes a team effort.

“To acquire knowledge, add things everyday. To acquire wisdom, subtract things everyday.” – Lao Tzu

I don’t know if I am missunderstanding the intention. But I am thinking that we should study wide to find all the facts, but find our focus to really understand. When I was at Uni I had classmates that could recite many of the texts but didn’t understand the meaning of them.


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Jun 03 2018 2018-06-03 2018-06-03 NoComment by Andreas

Where would I begin today?

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I am, as you might have guessed, partway on my journey. So far I have experienced and tried some of the tools of Lean and I have tried my best to live the philosophy of continuous improvement and respect for people (or humanity). My way has been anything but straight and it has taken me longer than I feel it should to get where I am today. But if I where to start again today, where would I start?

I have given this a lot of thought and there are a lot of choices. One way I know many do start is through 5S and it is really the first real hands on contact I had with Lean. But I am not convinced this is the best way to get started.

Setting things in order is always a good thing, but from what I remember the problem for me was that there was no depth to the thinking, and thus it was a bit of a waste. Since understanding was not there it was almost insurmountable to actually maintain this order.

Where I think I would start is with PDCA (Plan-Do-Check Act). It is a beautiful way to do anything and it will give you guidance through having a proper plan, by carrying through and analyse the results, comparing them to what was expected. With this you learn to see a new dimension of what you have done or are about to do. Most important , you can actually turn any situation to a valuable lesson. No matter if you have succeeded or failed there is always something to be learned. Through PDCA you have a framework for this.

With this said, my next step from PDCA would be 5S but done with a proper PDCA dimension. Before you start to remove anything. Make sure you have the full picture. In a factory it might not be as easy as just removing things and put them into a red tag quarantine area. If you remove things used by others but not yourself you are not being respectful and you are not being efficient. This will result in things being removed and returned and maybe removed again. This will be pure waste. Also it will make coworkers to distrust the tool. Doing informed work will get the respect of coworkers and be appreciated by most. Now, I am not saying there should be no red tag area but I am saying it should be used when the team decides and not when a single operator decides so.


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Jun 01 2018 2018-06-01 2018-06-01 NoComment by Andreas

New words added in terminology

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Todays addition are the following words:

3M for the Muda, Mura and Muri

Baka-yoke for idiot proofing

PDCA or the Deming cycle

SMED for Single Minute Exchange of Dies