See Beyond the Horizon

Lean Nation, Today I want to discuss root cause problem solving.  Like most of the topics I discuss,  I find the application of problem solving is generally lacking in many organizations, and when applied it is most often not seen as a habit or a daily ritual.  In the pursuit of organizational excellence we will delve into this topic.  Let us begin with the definition of root cause problem solving. Root cause problem solving involves resolving operational and customer issues by identifying and eliminating the underlying causes of problems or events.  Oftentimes in the workplace what we see is only a symptom of the actual problem.  By understanding the true cause of problems and events, organizations can detect, countermeasure and implement effective solutions to permanently eliminate issues.  There are a few major benefits to having systems that enable root cause problem solving:      -Root cause problem solving supports a comprehensive approach to solving problems.   By providing long

  One of the tenants of continuous process improvement is to go to the workplace to see problems.   In lean terms, this is know as going to "gemba".  Gemba is a Japanese word that loosely translates to real-place  or the place that work is done.  In the western culture,  gemba is almost holy.  It is widely accepted as the source of all truth for seeing and eliminating wasted time and activity in the workplace.  This gemba term is accepted for both product and service industries and applies anywhere work is done. This blog is not about gemba, however,   but rather lack of gemba.   I am somewhere between concerned and appalled at the lack of gemba visits by both leaders and continuous improvement people alike. I'm sure this blog will not be popular with all readers, especially the firm "work from home crowd", but let me explain.  In the last two months alone I have personally encountered the following that impacted my clients ability to generate meaningful positiv

On Dec 26, 2023, David Mann passed away.  For those of you that don't know, David was the author of the Shingo award winning book on using visual management to change culture.    His book, now in its third edition is shown here. The book is easy to find on either Amazon or Thrift Books.   In this book, David uses real examples from his time at Steelcase to show the elements of visual management and the behaviors needed to leverage all the good from this visual management. The book was a breakthrough for those wishing to understand visual management.  Let's spend a minute on visual management.  Unpacking this lean concept,  I coach that visual management is being able to discern normal from abnormal conditions at a glance so that an intervention can happen in real-time to keep things on track.   We want the workplace to talk to us through visual and audio clues.   In an business we want to know: 1. Are we ahead or behind? 2. Are we staffed appropriately? 3. Do we have enough to

  Lean Nation, Building off of last months blog on productivity,  I though it would be beneficial to expand on that topic.  You can review the initial blog here.   https://breakthroughhorizonsltd.blogspot.com/2023/11/what-happened-to-improving-productivity.html  Productivity  is the efficiency of production  of goods or services expressed by some measure. Measurements of productivity are often expressed as a ratio of an output  to an input,  typically over a specified period of time.  In more practical terms, I prefer to measure productivity in a unit of time divided by the input.  In production, a very common definition of productivity is labor hours per unit produced.  In the service industry, a common definition  is labor hours per unit of service completed.  Using lean thinking we are in pursuit of three objectives:  improving quality, reducing lead-times, and improving the cost of goods and services through  the elimination of wasted time and activity .  Improving productivity is

In my recent travels across the U.S,  I have been watching continuous improvement teams select measures for improvement.  Recall that by seeing and eliminating waste, we have the ability reduce defects, shorten lead-times, reduce cost, and grow our business.  I coach that every improvement project needs one key measure and the other measurement dimensions can be used as balancing measures.  Regardless of what we pick, when taking on a lean project we should always target 10% plus improvement. So why the blog?  What's happening?  In my recent surveillance, many organizations, particularly service organizations and public institutions are leaving cost off as a key measure.  Productivity is essential!  What exactly is productivity and why is it critical?  Productivity is the measure of how efficiently a process converts inputs into outputs. It is important for businesses and government institutions because it affects their profitability / budget, competitiveness, and customer satisfac

  This blog I'd like to talk about the weekly operating review as a component of lean excellence.  When I work with organizations pursuing lean excellence, most all have a strategic plan.   Industry tends to run with 3 to 5 year plans, and public entities tend to work with one year plans to coincide nicely with their one year budget cycle.  Following the completion of the strategic plan comes the selection of measures and then the strategic initiatives to meet the outcome measures. Leaders then cascade the goals and objectives to their subordinates followed by more detailed project plans.  What happens next is what I would call a dog's breakfast:  Some organizations have no success, some have moderate success, and a small minority of organizations are able to accomplish their strategic objectives and achieve measurable success. Why is this the case?  A short list of possibilities include the following: Having been a VP of Operations, I have been guilty of not even looking at my