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

In Place AND In Use - The Key to Successful & Sustainable Change

Following on from our April Newsletter we thought we'd focus a bit more on this idea of In Place & In Use.

So what do we mean when we say something is In Place & In Use? Imagine you have a written procedure that clearly details how to perform a task. It has been approved and authorised and trained out to people so everyone knows it exists and is there to be followed. The procedure is In Place.

Now if you were to audit people against the procedure and you found they were following it to the letter and it had become a natural part of their normal working routine then the procedure is In Use.

However, what we often find is that people find work-arounds or don't follow the procedure to the letter, instead finding subtle ways to do things differently. Often this is for a good reason; the procedure may not truly reflect what they do; they may have found a better way to do something.  But equally it may just be because they prefer the old ways, drifting back to their comfort zones as no-one checks up on them or police's the new ways of working.

Imagine 2 security personnel at the entrance to a metro station. One is there to ensure you put your rucksack or luggage onto the conveyor belt through the x-ray machine, the second watches the monitor to ensure the luggage does not contain anything illegal. Here we have a process In Place.

You then notice that the majority of people completely ignore this process and walk past without having their luggage x-rayed. Neither security person acts to prevent this. Our process is clearly NOT In Use. (This might sound a ridiculous example but I actually observed this on my travels!)

So if we have procedures, rules & regulations  but fail to follow them or comply with them (for whatever reason) then we have In Place but NOT In Use.

So why is this important?
If no-one is following rules or processes then why have them. It requires time and resource to create them, approve them, train them etc and to what gain!
If people are doing things their own way we immediately introduce variation and non-robust processes. Errors are far more likely to occur. Standard Work is a key foundation for efficient, high performing Organisations.
By allowing people to ignore processes and rules you are sending out a message that these are not important things. Thus people may start by ignoring the 'little' things but can eventually end up deviating from the important things. (Think back to our April newsletter on the Shadow of the Leader!)

Many issues we encounter with Organisations can often include this In Place & In Use model. It often links directly to the culture of an Organisation and is at the root of a myriad of other issues they face.

 

So the $64m question - how do we get things In Place & In Use?

There are a number of things you can do to help including:

• Involve the right people in defining processes and ways of working. Get those involved who actually use it, they often know best.
• Don't be afraid to update / amend things once you've got them In Place. Review what you've done to check it is working. If people aren't following procedures ask why; is there a better way, have you made things more difficult; is it a training issue.
• As a Leader get out and check people are doing what you think they should be, do it often, be visible and take action when you see deviations. What you do & say send out very powerful messages.
• Be pragmatic - you don't need rules for everything! Focus on the critical aspects and get them standardised and agreed

So when you are out and about take note of things around you, you'll be surprised by how many things you spot that are clearly In Place but so obviously being ignored and therefore NOT In Use.

If you want to find out more about this or Culture Change in general then please feel free to contact us. We'd love to help your Organisation stand out from the rest.

 

Spring Clean Your Organisations' Efficiency!

You may or may not have heard of 5S but our short Blog on this topic will hopefully enlighten you and remind you of the benefits of a clean and tidy work environment.............

What is 5S? It comes from Japan and is 5 Japanese words used to describe a process of improving the working environment. The English translation of these 5 words are: Sort - Store - Shine - Standardise - Sustain. 
So what are the benefits of 5S? Many people mistakenly believe that 5S is just housekeeping but it is far more than that by a long way. If you could improve the efficiency of your Organisation by 10% would you do it? Would you believe that simple reorganisation of your workplace could achieve this or much more. Well 5S can help you achieve efficiency improvements, is a very inexpensive tool to implement and provides a solid foundation upon which to build future improvements within your Organisation.
 

1S Sort

Get rid of what is definitely not needed.

• Take photos (before/after) and then, clear the workplace and remove all un-needed items such as racks, tools, containers, equipment, excess materials
• If in doubt …………….. Throw it out!!!!!!!!
• Check points for your workplace:

1.  Can you find any unnecessary things cluttering up your workplace? 
2.  Are there any unnecessary cables or pipes just left as they are? 
3.  Are there any tools or materials left on the floor? 
4.   Are all unnecessary items sorted out, classified, stored and labelled?  
5.  Are all equipment and tools properly classified and stored?

2s Store

Organise what’s left!  Arrange and identify for ease of use.

• Everything has a place:  Everything in it’s place
• Designate locations in a variety of ways:
•  Lines on the floor
• Signs hung from the ceiling
• Shadow boards for tools 
• Use photographs of how it should look:
• Take a photo of how a meeting room should be left
• Place a photo on he inside of a cupboard door to show how it should look

3s  Shine

Clean up what’s left and then clean daily.

• Paint, refurbish, etc…. Get the remaining items into the same condition as when they were new
• Cleaning is also careful checking
• Check points for your workplace:

1. Look carefully at the floor, aisles and around machines & equipment.  How much oil, dirt, dust and rubbish can you find?
2. Are any parts of the machine dirty? (Possible early warning signs of wear and tear!)
3. Are any air, electrical supply lines or gas and water pipes oily, dirty or in need of repair?
4. Are light bulbs, reflectors or shades dirty?

This is as far as many organisations get. The next two S’s are harder and often get forgotten about. This is why 5S often fails when Organisations try to implement it.

4s  Standardise

Standardise cleanup methods - Orderliness is the core of this step. Ensure everyone is clear on what the standards are and create a consistent approach for carrying out tasks and procedures. Recognise and reward the right behaviours; coach and correct deviations from the standards.

• Make Sort, Storage and Shine a daily habit
• Assign responsibilities to apply these procedures - ownership is key
• Integrate Sort, Storage and Shine into regular work activities, e.g. tidy desk policy / work area at the end of the day
• Check on the maintenance of Sort, Storage and Shine
• Check point for your workplace:

1. Do you have standards, procedures and assigned responsibilities for Sort, Storage and Shine?

5s  Sustain

Set discipline and make it a way of working. Regularly audit against the agreed standards and involve / empower the workforce.

• Follow the rules that you set!
• Involve everyone in the production of Standard Documents and Check Sheets
• Develop habits you won’t forget!
• Offer incentives / prizes for the highest scoring areas
• Check points for your workplace:

1. Do you have a daily inspection routine and is it followed?
2. Do you have a regularly maintained 5S radar chart?

If you follow ALL five of these steps then you will be pleasantly surprised at the benefits you can realise:

• Improve Safety
• Decrease 'down time'
• Raise employee morale
• Identify problems more quickly
• Develop control through visibility
• Establish convenient work practices
• Increase product and process quality
• Strengthen employees' pride in their work
• Promote stronger communication among staff
• Empower employees to sustain their work area

So take a look at your office, meeting room, production or work area and ask yourself if it is an environment you are proud to work in. If the answer is "no" then maybe it's time to think about implementing 5S.