'AAR' it's Christmas

It's cold, it's icy, we've had snow and the TV is full of adverts encouraging us to part with our money to buy gifts for our loved ones - yes Christmas is here once again! So as the trees go up and the fairy lights get turned and many of us take a few well deserved days off from the daily work routines how many of us will spend some time reviewing the year?
We often spend time identifying and setting goals (New Year Resolutions), identifying areas of our lives we wish to improve but tend to forget about reviewing the journey we have been on over the last 12 months.

"What's the point? It's history, in the past; I'm looking to the future now"

For me there are two very good reasons to review:

1. Recognise the successes you've had and celebrate them
2. Learn from the past to improve your chances of a more successful future

In Lean Sigma terminology we call this performing an After Action Review (AAR)

AAR's actually came from the military and were a way of learning from peoples experience and sharing the knowledge with others. So after a mission the commanders would sit down and review what was meant to happen, what actually occured and what they would do differently if they were to repeat the mission (learnings!).This would then be shared across other relevant military units.

So how do tanks & tommy guns link to my christmas tree!

The AAR format is a very simple technique to use for any kind of review, be it a project review; change implementation; coaching conversation, military exercises or reviewing progress against goals!
So what's the process............



What went well?


Start by identifying what went well - the positives. What things did you do that worked? Often this is not as easy as it looks as people naturaly tend to focus on the negatives or the things they would change. Steer away from this for now and focus time and effort in understanding the positives.
Identifying successes is important for morale and reminding us why we do what  we do but it also allows us to identify and carry on doing the things that work for us.










What didn't go so well?


The second step (and usually the easier step!) is identifying what didnt work so well. There is often a long list of things that didn't work or even things that did work but could have been better - capture them all.
This is the bit we are usually good at and the important thing here is not to dwell on the failures or short comings but instead capture them so they can be used to learn from.
It's not about blame, life always provides us with 'opportunities' to overcome (!) so there are always things we can improve upon.





What would I do differently?



The third part is then asking yourself what you would do differently if you had to do it all over again. This part should include the learnings from what didn't work but also from what did work.
Here you can map out your blue print for success.









Who do I share this with?


Finally who do you need to share this information with, who would benefit from this knowledge? Knowledge Management is an important but often overlooked activity. Rarely is success achieved on our own, often we need the help and support of others. Sharing your learnings is a great way to ensure others can benefit from your experiences and avoid making some of the mistakes you made. (How often have you heard someone say "oh yeah I did that and it didn't work for me either" - if only they'd have shared)






AAR's don't need to be formal, 'group in a room' sessions, they can just as easily be a quick 5 minute review at the end of a meeting. Often I quickly perform them at the end of a training session on a flip chart. For more complex reviews it's always good to get as many of the people who were involved so that you get a broader input and perspective.

If you need a simple template to help you with an AAR then CLICK HERE to get a simple Word template to use.


So back to Christmas. Before you start thinking about next years goals take some time out to perform an AAR of the last 12 months and your progress against this years goals. Celebrate your successes and carry on doing what works. Identify what didn't work and learn from it so that 2013 has a much better chance of being the year you achieve all your goals.

Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year to All

LeanTeam – 12 Top Tips for Business Improvement

Lean Sigma Tools & Techniques

 

1. D.M.A.I.C. – the universal approach to problem solving. No matter how large, small, complex or simple the problem is, using this approach will ensure you arrive at the right solution:
   Start by DEFINING the problem, what is it, why is it a problem and what is the impact to you, others and the business. This step ensures everyone has the same understanding of the issue and that you are tackling the right problem.
   Then gather some data so that you can MEASURE the extent of the problem. This is important as often we think we have an issue but data will confirm this and allow us to influence others. Data always trumps a ‘gut feel’!
   Using the data ANALYSE the issue. There are plenty of Lean Sigma tools that can also help during this phase of the problem solving (see below).
   Once you have an understanding of the issues and have got to the root cause of the problem only then do you move into the IMPROVE phase.
   The final stage, CONTROL, is vital for sustainability yet is often forgotten. Ensure you have systems in place to ensure the new ways become the normal ways. Make sure you act and behave in a way which is consistent with what you want.
   
   
2. The Foundation of any Lean Sigma organisation is the implementation of a true 5S culture. 5S isn’t just about housekeeping and making sure the place is tidy, it’s about a place for everything and everything in its place. The 5S process is:
   
   
   
   1S – SORT: Tidy things up and most importantly throw away what you don’t use – be ruthless!
   2S – STORE: Find a home for everything. Use Shadow Boards for tools, foam inserts for draws and clearly label and mark out where things should be. This makes it obvious when something is missing.
   3S – SHINE: Clean everything. This helps you to see wear and tear thus allowing you to replace things before the breakdown.
   4S – STANDARDISE: Take a photo of how an area, desk, cupboard etc should look and pin it nearby so everyone is aware of the standard that is expected.
   5S – SUSTAIN: Routinely audit your area against your defined standards and take action if things are not how they should be.
   
   
3. Root Cause analysis. Ensure you are focusing your efforts on the right thing by using the 5 Why’s technique to get to the real problem. Ask “why is that happening”, then ask why again and keep going until you drill down to exactly what the real problem is. This is a key technique if you want to prevent problems from reoccurring by addressing the real cause of the problem.
   
   
4. Process flow. Map your processes to really get an understanding.
   
   
   This is not just manufacturing processes but things like expenses process, induction process, supply chain process, invoicing process etc. Use post-its to identify each step and then arrange them in the order they happen to get a visual representation of your process. You can then use this to identify wasteful steps, bottlenecks etc. Make sure you include people who use the process to ensure you get a real and accurate picture of what is actually going on.
   
   
   Behaviours
   
   
   
5. Shadow of the Leader. Model the behaviours you want to see in others.
   
   People do what they see rather than what they are told. If you want people to act or behave in a certain way then set the example by modelling the behaviours yourself. Praise people when they get it right and use coaching to help people rectify errant behaviours. Do not underestimate the power of influence your Shadow has on those around you. Remember: You don’t have a choice on whether you cast a Shadow or not, only on whether it is a positive or negative one!
   
   
6. Gemba Coaching. Get out there to see what is really going on. Modern Managers can find themselves trapped behind a desk not sure of what is happening in their own work area. By walking about amongst your staff you can see and hear what is really going on and use your coaching skills to reinforce the standards you expect. A benefit of this is that you will find the need for fewer meetings as you deal with issues and queries as they arise.
   
   
7. Motivated, High Performing Teams. Together with a 5S culture this forms the foundation on which an organisation can look to build upon and implement sustainable improvements or changes. High Performing Teams perform with a “can do” attitude and work together more harmoniously achieving greater results.
   
   
8. Empowered TEAMS. If you operate a Gemba Coaching regime and you have High Performing Teams then it is essential that you Empower your staff and allow them a level of responsibility to own their problems.
   
   You’ll be pleasantly surprised at how people take to the opportunity to problem solve or improve their ways of working. Gemba Coaching allows you to keep a level of control and assurance over what occurs.
   
   
   Performance Management Systems
   
   
9. Standard Work. Clearly identify and articulate the Standards you want everyone to work to. Having everyone following the same ways of working reduces errors and improves output and quality. Use your Process Maps to identify Best Practise and then incorporate this into your new ways of working.
   
   
10.    Visual Controls. It’s true that what gets measured gets done!
    
    When you have identified your quality critical parameters then ensure you capture appropriate metrics and make them easy to understand and visible. Give ownership for collecting, updating & monitoring the metrics to your Empowered Teams.
    
    
11.   Dynamic, real time data.
    
    Be proactive rather than reactive and have real time trending of your data to allow you to spot issues before they arise. Use simple statistical charts to visualise data trends and take action when trends begin to change.
    
    
    
    
12.   Tiered Accountability. Assess issues and risks to performance, prioritise, assign resources and accountability for action, and track the completion of actions.  Connect the activities of team members, managers & support functions to maintaining & improving the performance improvements. Use a series of tiered review processes, operated at successive leadership levels and focus on the 'critical few' resolvable issues in order to ensure that something gets fixed!
    
    
    
    
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