This is NOT a New Years Resolution!

As the year comes to an end, the topic of New Years resolutions begins to fill popular media, news broadcasts and general conversations.

The more I have reflected on the purpose and value of News Years resolutions, the more I realize they are not for me.  Instead, I choose to make decisions for how I want to live my life; building on the foundation that I have been laying for the last few years.

I will not have a laundry list of things I'm hoping to achieve, too many focuses creates a lack of focus.  I will not create lofty goals that are extremely challenging to achieve and as a result will fade away 30, 60 or 90 days into the New Year.

Rather, I will have about a half-dozen things I know I can accomplish and build into my life; not for 2016, but forever.  To support my focus I will create a scorecard, grade myself regularly, reflect on my results and change the set of my sail if needed.  It's up to me.

So.  Starting today, I declare that I choose to...

... No longer post, share, like, blog, write or talk in ideals.  For a few years now I have been on a path of Choice and Discipline, doing the things I feel I need to do (based on many readings) to get to the top in all aspects of my life and be a game changer.  Yet despite this focus I still find myself caught up in the popularity of quotes, 6 steps to ____, and sharing my opinion.  No more.  Starting now, I will simply be.  My results will speak for themselves.  Next stop, 10000 hours.

... Eliminate neglect.  Enough said.

... Devote my time in alignment with my personal mission statement, the current version of which I wrote in 2012 after the birth of my second daughter.  Challenge instead of comfort.  Books instead of TV.  Family time instead of screen time.  Exercise instead of lethargy.  Value instead of cost.  Discipline instead of regret.  Now instead of later.  Action instead of excuses.

... Surround myself with positive.  Life it too short to allow negativity to have any room in my life.

... Never stop acquiring new knowledge.  I will learn from a new book, a new song on the guitar, talking to Leo (Spanish - Gracias, Leo), another TED Talk, today's Darren Daily, Kaizen, time with family & friends, asking why, Seth Godin's blog posts, journaling, and so much more.  LIFE NEVER STOPS TEACHING, SO I WILL NEVER STOP LEARNING.

This is NOT a resolution.  This is my choice and discipline.

FITT Facts: Take the Waste Out of Lean

Take the waste out of Lean???  What!  Did I just say that???

Before all the Lean professionals out there get all worked up, allow me to explain myself.  If I ask you what jidoka is, can you give me the answer?  How about poka yoke?  Can you give me the definition/translation of heijunka?  Okay, let’s try an easy one with genchi genbutsu…  Unless you’ve been studying lean or are a certified lean professional you won’t have any idea what I’m talking about.

Here lies the waste in Lean, technically we’re over-processing by making something more complicated than it needs to be.  These terms can prove to be a barrier of entry for newbies to the Lean world and can make learning about Lean harder, not to mention make the learning process longer.  Not only do you have to learn about Lean methodologies, values and principles but you also need to learn Japanese.

Think about the last time you used assembly instructions to put something together…  What if some of the critical words in the instructions were in a different language?  Wouldn’t that make understanding the instructions harder than it needed to be? 

It's a little bit ironic, don't you think...  Lean teaches us to simplify processes, cut out waste and make things flow.  Lean teaches us to use simple SOPs with minimal words to make training and learning easy for anyone.  But then as you're trying to keep it simple you're hit with Hoshin Kanri, which is not an easy concept to learn even if I gave you the definition.

What if, in the beginnings of Lean teachings, instead of using the Japanese words we simplify everything by using the translation/definition only?  Then, once the understanding of Lean grows, we can start to introduce the Japanese words.

Instead of jidoka, say automation that detects defects.

Instead of poka yoke, say error-proofing.

Instead of heijunka, say load levelling.

Instead of genchi genbutsu, say go and see.

Originally I used all the Japanese words in my lean training but have since smartened up.  I have now tailored my own training around this concept of keeping it simple (in the beginning) and had great results with people no longer having to remember what that “pokie yokie” thing was. 

Be FITT!

FITT Facts: Waste #7

Waste #7 – Defects

Defects are obvious and the waste most likely to make it to your end customer.  This is the form of waste that always gets the most attention because you don’t have to be a trained lean person to see them.  Defects won’t just slow you down like the other forms of waste, defects will cause you to do work over again and thus create the potential of producing all other forms of waste.

A defect is defined as any errors, rework, scrap or missing information that negatively effects the product or service you are providing to a customer.  Remember, customers can be internal and external, so that missing piece of information on the form you handed to the next stakeholder in a process is also a defect. 

Defect Waste Examples	What to do about it…
Missing field or information on a form.	If the form is electronic, make fields mandatory.
Forgetting to follow up with someone or to complete a task.	I highly recommend keeping to to-do list and a way for keeping track of all the little things that pop up.  Use a phone, tablet or an old fashioned notebook to keep tabs on you goals, priorities and tasks.
Not putting a tool/item back in its home.	Make sure the item’s home is properly labelled.  Were all the stakeholders who use that item/tool trained on proper home locations and use?  Process owners are a great tool to ensure areas/tool boards stay within standard.
Manufacturing out of specification.	Immediately get to the root cause and put countermeasures in place.  These defects often point back to lack of training or missing information/supplies, but the “I was rushed” response is also common.  Establish a DIRTFT (do it right the first time) mentality throughout the company.

Unlike the other forms of waste, you can’t sweep defects under the rug.  Defects are out there for everyone to see and they can cost you a lot of bottom line dollars. 

Develop the “STOP” mentality in all processes so that as soon as defects are produced you stop and get to the root cause, then immediately put solutions or countermeasures in place.

Be FITT!

FITT Facts: Waste #6

Waste #6 – Over Processing

Have you ever tried to crack open a walnut with a sledgehammer?  How about carve a turkey with a chainsaw?  If you do these things, as silly as they sound, you will get the result you’re looking for (opening the nut or carving the turkey) but you won’t achieve a quality product and will generate a lot of waste in the process. 

Over processing is defined as using ineffective processes, systems, tools or procedures to achieve a quality product or service.  Try to think about any areas where you’re putting too much effort into completing a task or process.

Over Processing Examples	What to do about it…
Using a wrench to tighten bolts and fasten tooling.	Next best practice would be to use a ratchet, even better would be to use an air ratchet/gun, and the ultimate is to use a quick connect.
Having a back and forth e-mail conversation.	Pick up the phone.  Better yet, if that person is in your office then go talk to them.
Creating long and/or arduous forms (maybe in triplicate…)	Simplify the form.  Ask why the form and its parts are needed.  Was it created due to an exception?  Processes should be designed to handle the normal scenario (as waste-free a possible) and people should be allowed/trained handle the exceptions.  Processes that are created to deal with exceptions end up creating a lot of red tape.

When your inner lean champion says something like “there’s got to be a better/easier way…” Listen.

Be FITT!

FITT Facts: Waste #4

Waste #4 - Waiting

Waiting is defined as people waiting for information, material, tools, machines, other people or anything else while a process sits idle.  No value added work is being done.

Waiting is everywhere; it can be found in ANY business that is selling a product or service and it doesn't matter if your company’s model is Business-to-Business or Business-to-Consumer. 

The funny thing about waiting is how much everyone dislikes it, yet so many businesses aren’t actively trying to eliminate it from all their customer’s interactions, internal or external.  Seriously... You don’t like waiting, so why make your customers do it?

Waiting Waste Examples	What to do about it…
An order sitting on a Purchaser’s or Customer Service Rep’s desk waiting for an approval.	Ask why the approval step is there in the first place; usually it’s due to a lack of trust upstream in the process.  Solve the upstream problem.  Define spending/decision levels for teams and individuals (only if the value exceeds X do you need an approval).  Re-prioritize the approvals so they can happen immediately.
Machines sitting idle, waiting for material or supplies to be delivered.	Work with suppliers to deliver product as needed, tied to your production schedule.  Share the production schedule with multiple stakeholders to eliminate the “I didn't know” comment.  Put supplies on kanban so you don’t run out.  Cross train crews so others can jump in should a person be temporarily unavailable.
Customer’s sitting on hold while they get transferred from person to person.	Usually caused by not knowing what others do or are responsible for.  Complete process-level value stream mapping that spans multiple departments; you’ll be surprised with all the “so that’s what you do” comments.  Don’t have an automated phone system.  Fully train your Customer Service Team to be able to handle most customer questions and know exactly where to transfer a call should they not know an answer.
Not being able to start a meeting because everyone is not on time.	Clarify expectations.  Ask yourself if you’re ready for meetings on time consistently and are actually creating the problem (set a good example).  Create a closed-door practice at the time meetings are to start.
Waiting for someone else on the crew/team to finish their job so that you can keep going.	There must be something value-added you could be doing other than standing and waiting.  In production; grab a broom and use it, work on a different order/project or clean something.  In an office; return a missed call, start drafting that e-mail or work on something else.  Ideally you should help the other person and balance the workload so people aren't waiting for other people.

Your ultimate goal should be to discover all the times a process stops due to waiting, get to the root of why the waiting exists, then put countermeasures in place to eliminate the waiting.  Processes must flow.

Be FITT!

Why I Run in the Rain

As I was completing my usual Sunday evening run tonight, I thought to myself, "why am I running in the rain?"  The rain was coming down a lot harder than I can remember, and I can say with complete confidence that I was the wettest I've ever been following a run in the rain. Literally every inch of my running gear was soaked.  Back to the question: Why?

Finishing my run, the answer became more and more clear.  Here's why I run in the rain.

1. I don't want rain to be an excuse. 

Excuses are easy to come by but they all stink. I run in the rain to prove to myself that rain isn't an excuse not to run, instead it's a reason to go running. Yeah it's raining, so what?  Yeah I'm going to get wet, big deal.  If it wasn't raining I'd get wet anyway from sweating. Besides, after the first few minutes you get so wet it doesn't really matter anyway. 

2. Three-and-a-half years ago I made a choice. 

I made the choice that I was going to make running part of my life to get, and stay, in good shape.  The choice was the first part, having the discipline to stick with it is the hard part. However, I'm happy to say that three-and-a-half years later I'm still running and only missed a handful of runs in that time. Remember, nobody's perfect!

3. I can beat the voice. 

We all have that little voice in our heads telling us that it's too hard, too late or I'm too tired. I don't like that voice. I'm not going to say I beat that voice all the time, I have my moments and I think we all do, but when I can find a moment to prove that voice wrong I'm going to take it. 

Your turn!

FITT Facts: Never Give Up!

There is a video (actually a Volkswagen commercial) I use in my FITT training of a little boy, dressed as Darth Vader, who tries to use the Force on a variety of things from the family dog to a sandwich on a plate.  

For the non-Star Wars geeks out there the Force is what allowed the Jedi, using their minds, to move/manipulate objects and alter people's thoughts.  

Back to the commercial…  Despite having many unsuccessful attempts at using the Force the boy does not give up.  The commercial ends with the boy's dad pulling into the driveway in his new VW and then getting brushed off as the boy runs by him to try the Force yet again on the car.  As the boy is standing in front of the car, hands outstretched at the car and sheer determination in his focus, the engine erupts to life and the boy is shocked.  It worked!! 

I’ll never know if the dad ever tells his son it was the remote car starter and not the Force that started the car, but the lessons from the commercial and its ties to Lean are evident.

Never give up
No matter how many times that little boy tried and failed to use the Force he didn't stop trying.  One of the fundamental visions of Lean is to strive for perfection.  However, you and I both know that perfection doesn't exist and is in the eye of the beholder, but that shouldn't stop you from trying to get there.  Even if you achieve a fractional improvement, it’s still improvement.  Even if you fail, at least you learned what not to do.  Failure is only a result and one step closer to success.

Lend a helping hand
Two times in the commercial the little boy is helped out by people around him; once by his mom who pushes over the plated sandwich, and in the end by his dad.  When you see someone around you working towards a goal or struggling with a project help them however you can.  Don’t ask, just help.  If someone doesn't want your help let them tell you so.

Choice and Discipline

First you have to make the choice to do something, no one else can make that choice for you.  Second, if you’re going to be successful, you have to find the discipline to stay the course no matter what obstacle gets in your way.  The boy had made the choice to use the Force and wasn't stopping for anyone or anything until he got it.  Lean/FITT is the same, the only way anyone will get good at it is to continually practice the skills and apply the knowledge not only through successes but also through missed targets for improvement, poor or no attendance at training, failure on projects or any other hurdle that gets in your way.  Leap the hurdles and keep going.

Check out the Volkswagen commercial here: Volkswagen Darth Vader Kid

Be FITT!

FITT Facts: Waste #3

Waste #3 is... Motion!

Wasted motion is defined as any movement of people or machines that does not add value to the product or process.

Motion Waste Examples	What to do about it…
Moving your chair and/or reaching across your desk to answer the phone.	Especially if answering the phone is a large part of your workday, it’s time to find a new home on your desk for the phone.
Bending down to get a tool out of a toolbox so you can setup or work on a machine.	Canvass stakeholders for input and create a tool board to hold all tools used in each area, then create multiple tool boards.
Turning around to get supplies/inventory to work on a process or production line.	See previous solution.  All supplies should be kept at point of use, which may require two storage locations (one at point of use and another central store).
Making a movement twice when one should be enough.  Also, forgetting to get something and reaching twice.	Visual SOPs to remind you of tools needed.  Avoid doors on cabinets that prevent you from seeing what’s available/needed; something may be behind the door you didn’t open and opening a door/cupboard is wasted motion.
Using your mobile device while driving…	Besides the legal issues, you should really think about using hands-free technology.  But my car doesn’t have Bluetooth…  Then invest in a Bluetooth device for your vehicle!
Any bending, reaching, turning, etc…	The ultimate goal for eliminating wasted motion is to have all items/tools that are used on a regular basis be within arm reach and in front of you.

Be FITT!

FITT Facts: Waste #2

Waste #2: Inventory.

Inventory refers to the unnecessary storage of materials (raw or finished goods), supplies, products, information, data, etc.

Although some inventory (a.k.a. buffer inventory) can be deemed necessary due to supplier lead times, sourcing challenges, cost or delivery constraints, the goal should be to minimize or eliminate inventory.  Inventory is a cash flow killer that ties up money in stuff that just sits and doesn’t create any value.

Remember: if you ever find yourself justifying a waste with “that’s the way we’ve always done it,” then you probably have an opportunity for savings and improvement.

Inventory Waste Examples	What to do about it…
Keeping many years of order history, physically or electronically, when the data is never/rarely looked at or used.	Why do you keep it in the first place?  Only keep history of changes and the previous two orders.
Buying “extra” office supplies because you ran out once.	You need an inventory replenishment system with min/max/restock quantities, trigger levels, and process owners.  Kanban can be a simple system that doesn't require an ERP or fancy software to implement.
Producing/storing too much raw/finished product for a customer because they will “eventually use it” and you “won’t have to purchase/run it as often.”	Work with suppliers to determine ideal/minimum order quantities and lead times that maximize cost and value.  Work with customers to get consumption forecasts.  Improve setup times so that many shorter runs is more cost effective.
“It’s cheaper if I buy 10,000 rather than 1,000.”	Sure, the per unit cost may be less, but what if the product becomes obsolete?  What else could you do with the space needed to store so much?  Find the sweet spot  between cost, storage space, customer demand and lead time.
Leaving all your e-mails in your inbox.  Also applies to files in folders on your computer/network.	Create files and sub-folders to organize your e-mails.  Really ask yourself why you’re keeping all those e-mails in the first place.  Think of the time spent scrolling through your inbox/folders to find that one e-mail/file.  Keep it clean and current.

Be FITT!

The Launch of FITT Facts

At Ideon, we've been on our Lean journey at since 2010, in which time we've cut amazing amounts of waste out of our processes across the entire company. Right from the beginning we wanted to make Lean our own, something that we could all rally around and take pride in. To achieve our unique Lean identity we had a company-wide naming contest from which came the winning name FITT, which stands for Finding Innovation Through Teamwork.

Part of our continued FITT journey involves me, a Certified Lean Blackbelt, delivering training to our Team Members on many Lean tools and topics such as 5S, set up reduction and an introduction to Lean with my FITT 101 course.

I was ing FITT 101 to a group of Ideon employees the other day when I was inspired to start sending out e-mail teachings on a weekly basis to keep the ideas, topics and learnings from my Lean training at top of mind; and with that, FITT Facts was born.

FITT Facts will be a resource to help teach about Lean through Ideon's and my own wins from completed projects, information and examples of lean, and even the history of lean. To help launch FITT Facts I will be touching on each of the forms of waste in no particular order. The forms of waste are at the foundation of lean; all lean activities/kaizen are ultimately meant to reduce or eliminate these forms of waste.

Waste #1: Transportation. Transportation waste is defined as the unnecessary movement of people, products, material, information, supplies, etc..

Here are some transportation waste examples and ways to reduce/eliminate them:

1. Pushing anything on carts or dollies over long distances. Instead, receive/store at point of use/occurrence. Also, aim to do packing or boxing immediately at the end of a production line.
2. Inefficient route planning (sales and drivers). Take a few minutes and plan your route and/or group all close destinations together.
3. Printing a report and walking it around an office. First off, do you even need the report? Find out who needs the report and what specifically is needed, maybe you can cut down some of the report processing time. Next, e-mail or electronically share the report using cloud technology instead of walking it around.
4. Using forklifts to move materials. Some easy solutions to this are changing the area layout to reduce driving distances and/or create circular paths. Ultimately though, AGV's (Automated Guided Vehicles) are ideal but can be cost prohibitive for small and medium size businesses.
5. Walking to get a common-use tool, supply or item. It's time to create a new home for the thing you're walking to get, sometimes and ideally this can mean getting multiples of the same tool. If multiple homes is not an option then find a central home for all people to access it. A detailed example of this waste is to place a printer centrally in an office rather than in the far corner.

Some of this stuff sounds simple and obvious, but you would be surprised how often people continue to do something a certain way because it's THE WAY WE'VE ALWAYS DONE IT and have never stopped to ask WHY?

Stay tuned for more FITT Facts. There are many Lean professionals out there, I'd love to hear their comments and ideas on these topics.

Be FITT!

Thank you Lena (aka Lean-a), James and Colin for the inspiration.