Lean Sigma - It's Not About The Colour

Have you ever noticed how sometimes people have a tendency to ask for the top of the range product because it's the best money can buy when in fact something mid range is actually more than adequate enough for their needs?
Or someone wants something because it's the latest craze and everyone else has got one?
Then there are those who don't even know the product is available and carry on blissful unaware that there is a great product out there that can improve the quality off their life!

When it comes to the Lean Sigma product the above scenario's are all true.

If you've never looked at Lean Sigma or talked to someone about what it is and how it can improve your business or organisation (and it works for ANY organisation, Manufacturing, Schools, Offices, Charities...) then how do you know what it can do for you? Why buy something if you don't yet know you need it!

If you don't fully understand what it is all about don't rush out and get some Lean Sigma training just because the competition have done so!

And if you have looked into it and understand the Yellowbelt - Greenbelt - Blackbelt accreditation process then don't rush out and train half a dozen Blackbelts just so you've outdone the "Jones's" by getting more than they have!

This is beginning to sound like a consumer guide to purchasing and I guess it is a bit like that. If you are going to invest money then it's important that you are clear on what it is you want to achieve, what issues / challenges you have and what a successful outcome would look like.

Lean Sigma training is not about how many Grand Master Purple Belt Wizards you have or how many people you've trained or how many staff have been accredited. Lean Sigma is just a set of tools that can be used to improve your organisation, reduce waste, increase efficiency and reduce variability ensuring quality and profits are improved.

To really get the maximum from these tools you should be thinking about creating a true Lean Sigma culture with empowered, motivated staff who have a "can do " attitude, where Leaders are visible to the teams and Gemba Coaching is the norm and a data driven approach to problem solving is utilised. When this becomes part of the normal way of working you have achieved a true Lean Sigma culture, your very own Utopia!
Lean Sigma tools are just a small part of achieving this. To really embed the ways of working and begin to develop a cultural shift you also need to focus on behaviours (particularly those of the Managers & Leaders) as well as creating Performance Measures that support and drive those behaviours.

The Lean Team Approach

If this sound like something that would benefit your organisation, if you think this might address some of the challenges you currently face or if this sounds like a description of your vision for your organisation then maybe Lean Sigma is worth investigating. However, take heed of our warnings and make sure you buy what you need, and if you're not sure then don't spend until you are! What you want is a sustainable output and that won't happen overnight.

So as Christmas approaches be clear on what you require before adding Lean Sigma training to your list for Santa

To C or not to C, that is the question!

 

Congratulations! You've spent the last 6 months implementing a new change project that will improve ways of working, increase efficiency & productivity and increase profitability. Phew, it was hard work but it will be worth the effort when all these benefits are realised.
However, a further 6 months down the line and people have drifted back to the old ways of working or found 'work-arounds' for the new ways, efficiency & productivity have at best stayed the same and you're yet to see any financial improvement in profits.

Sound familiar? It is surprising how often an organisation never really obtains the full benefits of the improvement they spent time, effort and resource implementing. It's not because it was a poor idea and often it's not due to a poor implementation, though there are always things that could be done better. One of the biggest challenges to sustaining a change is the Control measures organisations put in place after implementation.

Those of you who follow our Blogs will know we love to follow the DMAIC process (Define Measure Analyse Improve Control) and in our opinion, key to embedding change is the Control step. We are always told to spend a significant amount of time in the planning phase of a project (Proper Planning Prevents P#!s Poor Performance) but often neglect to spend an appropriate amount of time thinking about what needs to be done to ensure the improvement is embedded and sustained.

So less rambling and more "How the hell do I do it?"

The first and possibly most important step is to ensure you have clearly defined the New Standards. What was once OK is now history and your new ways of working will require you to define New Standards. Involving staff in the creation of these will go some way to ensuring you have buy-in and in helping in the communication process. It's no good redefining the Standard if you then fail to effectively communicate it to staff AND ensure they have clearly understood what is required (message transmitted does NOT always equal message received!).

Here's another point for consideration - do people understand the impact of the change not only to their part of the process but also to their colleagues; customers; suppliers etc upstream and downstream? This becomes critical when they want to start improving or 'tweaking' the new process or ways of working - understanding the impact on the other parts of the chain.

OK so your New Standards have been clearly defined and communicated but if you want it to stick then you need to have the appropriate Metrics - What gets measured, gets done. Now it is very important that you get the right measures in place as all too often we see badly designed metrics driving the wrong behaviour and ways of working. Again get the staff involved in defining these so that you get ownership (after all they are going to be the ones filling in the data) and also to ensure that the Metrics are relevant. They must mean something to the people using them and they should feed in to higher level management Metrics (See Diagram below). And as we are always fond of saying: make sure your Metrics are Visual! Get them up on the wall, use tables, graphs or charts and keep them simple.
The final element of your Metrics is to ensure that whatever you are measuring, you are measuring it in a relevant time frame that allows you to intervene BEFORE you get a problem.There is no use logging a report is late, better to monitor it's progress against deadline so you can intervene BEFORE it becomes late.

 

With Standards and Metrics in place you are well on your way to embedding the change or new ways of working. All it now needs (and this is good Leadership practice anyway) is some Coaching. We're not just chucking this in as it's the latest craze to sweep business, we really believe in the power of effective Coaching by your Managers. We use a phrase "Gemba Coaching" which means Managers getting off their butt's and getting out on the shop floor or office every day and having real Coaching conversations with staff - "Where are we against the standard?" should be a frequent question asked. This is a fantastic opportunity (yes it really is!) for Managers to find out what is going on, how people are performing, what issues they face or what support they need. It is a chance to recognise and reward the right behaviours and where people are not meeting the standard, use Coaching to improve performance. It is important that Managers cast the right Shadow - remember people do as they see not necessarily as they are told!

So now you have some suggestions to help you ensure the next change you instigate is not only successfully implemented but becomes embedded and sustained providing you with the benefits you expected.

In-Place AND In-Use is the way forward!

If you find this article interesting please feel free to share it with colleagues. if you'd like to discuss more then get in touch, we're always happy to talk and help where we can.

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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