SMART - OBJECTIVES

Goals are helpful both in our daily work and in our personal lives, as they give us something to work for. 

SMART - Objectives drive us forward and continually remind us of what we want to achieve. They help us to set priorities more clearly, to focus better and give us the strength to continue.

HOW TO DEFINE GOALS 

Objectives can be manifold, but one of the best known methods to describe goals is the S.M.A.R.T. methodology. The 5 steps can be used to clearly describe a goal and make it "tangible".

The acronym SMART stands for the following 5 steps:

S - specific | Clearly defined goals

M - measurable | The target should be measurable (has a KPI)

A - accepted | The accessibility of the goal should be accepted by all stakeholders (alternative: ambitious/attractive)

R - realistic | The attainability of the goal within the set framework should be realistic,

T - terminated | The time of target achievement is clearly defined.

FURTHER DEVELOPMENT, SMART BECOMES SMARTER

Some of the terms have changed over time. So the A at the beginning stood for agreed upon. This is from the thinking that the term is used within a company. In this respect, it was important that a goal was accepted by all involved. Over time "agreed upon" often became "achievable" or "attainable".

Not only the terms themselves have changed. The acronym itself has often changed recently. Many authors have switched to making SMART - SMARTER.

The E stands for "evaluated".

The R stands for "reviewed."

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In my opinion, the popularity of SMART goals stems from the simplicity of the method and the higher probability of success. Why should it be higher? Now the SMART method requires from the person or department that set the goals a certain time and focus on those goals. When one is so intensively involved with defining goals, one inevitably thinks of ways in which the goal could be achieved. Furthermore, one has already taken the first step and is now more motivated to take the next necessary steps.

Of course these steps must not be missing. Action plans must be derived from the goals, whose degree of goal achievement should be regularly reviewed. Regular monitoring of progress enables me to adjust my next actions to the achievement of my goals. 

Doctor Nurse Principle

In the Doctor Nurse principle, the operator creating value is considered as the doctor, he receives tools and goods he needs to do his job from the nurse in this case logistics. For this reason, the doctor can’t do his job without the support of the nurse.

What can we learn from hospitals and how can we adapt it to the lean world.

In hospitals it is crucial that the doctor can fully concentrate on a surgery, the doctor is the single point of contact towards the patient using his tools combined with his training. Everything distracting him from being focused has to be eliminated. In order to give him this capability he needs assistant right next to him. The nurse’s job is to support the doctor and provide him with all equipment, tools and material he needs just in time.

Applying this principle to production is not that hard. To use the doctor nurse principle on the shop floor some requirements have to be met. As mentioned think about the operators as the doctor, they have to concentrate on production. As they are the once generating value for the whole organization by assembling the components which customer are willing to pay for – they need to be placed in the center of all activities – the rest is supportive.

In lean manufacturing this is called the line-back approach. Primary processes are the once that add value so focus on the operation and prepare everything that supports it. The nurse takes care of all other activities, most of the time non-value adding activities but necessary.

Doctor Nurse Principle

Arrange the work station in a way that gives the nurse free accessibility to the work area without disturbing the doctor, i.e. filling up kanban shelfs with new material while simultaneously removing empty boxes.

With the approach of separation of primary and secondary processes in two physical areas none of the process will be interrupted by the other.

In addition, this principle is driving the mindset of the organization to focus on a lean production process and how best it can be supported. If you do so, you will also have the advantage by separating value-adding and non-value-adding activities to find you approaches to minimize the non-value adding activities.

Another way of calling the nurse a nurse is a water spider or in lean terms a Mizusumashi – the inbound material supplier.

Shojinka

Constantly improving the amount of workers in a production cell to match the volume of demand and type which has been given to the unit requires that training is provided to every worker in various process steps. The layout of the work cell is done in a circular or U-shaped layout, where the number of operators performing can vary and be adjusted. The capacity and ability to have an adjustable manufacturing process is relevant to meet the demand profile and have a sustainable growth.

Ever thought if there was a particular way through which you can use less manpower but produce more? Needless to say, there is a way through which you can do this: Maximizing the output while simultaneously minimizing the input is a business 101 idea and theory that we carry with us since inception, and strive hard to completely tackle for the whole of our careers.

There certainly is a way through where you can do more with less, and that way is known as Shojinka. It is also referred to as "flexible staffing" or "flexible manufacturing." Shojinka is again a Japanese term, and it was born from the lean manufacturing principles of Toyota. There is no denying that the idea of "flexible staffing" has proven to be the best performer in lean theory.

So what can be understood as Shojinka

Primarily, Shojinka is defined by two elements. The first one is the operators are trained on several workstations and following a qualification matrix. The second one is the layout for the work cell, of cause preferable in a U-Shape layout rather than a straight old fashioned line, but this has to be discussed in all cases separately.

Let’S have a look on the Pros and Cons of Shojinka

Pros

Flexible staffing, as its name suggests, has the biggest advantage in that the staff is flexible. This means that the operators have been provided with training in almost every part of the production following the qualification matrix.

This will enable them to work in areas of production where there is more demand or will allow them to switch quickly as the demand changes. Unlike a highly specialized working environment or fixed linear manufacturing, flexible staffing allows you to keep your efficiency high under every type of manufacturing demand, rather than an ideal pre-determined set. In addition to this, Shojinka also provides an opportunity for operators to work on improving products or on the various side whenever the demand falls all across the board. It will not only enable your staff or the operators to become more effective and efficient at changing levels of demand, but it will also allow them to swap between these specific levels on a shop floor that has been properly and correctly set up.

The inputs and the final outcomes are kept on the identical and corresponding sides of the work cell due to the U-shaped manufacturing line, which ultimately helps your organization of logistics and transportation. Furthermore, it also enables the operators to move conveniently between the first process step and the final process step on an assembly line without the need to walk its whole or complete length.

Cons

As soon as it has been implemented and applied, there are almost no cons to the Shojinka assembly line.

But to start off implementing flexible staffing you need to clear of some major obstacles to get started. If not already implement you have to install a training matrix and train your operators accordingly, to get them qualified to handle all aspects of your operation. Undoubtedly, it may require you to make some investment upfront.

Simultaneously with the training of your operators you will need to standardize every process step in your production. By doing so you will reduce the amount of training and therefore qualification needed in order to fulfill the requirements for the single process steps, as they are broken down to the simplest operation.

Clear and simple “Standard Operation Instructions“ (SOI) will be required to explain the operation and guide operators through the qualification and later performing the process step. By this due to variation of operators in a assembly cell they can get fast into new work requirements. In addition the supervisor can always react faster as the standard process is always described and if deviation occurs the cause is faster detected and eliminated.

So the cons can be wrapped up as investments upfront. Paying all of the expenses at the initial stages for the purpose of integrating and incorporating Shojinka will prove to be worthwhile in the end. There is no denying that your workforce will ultimately become significantly streamlined and that Takt Time of goods will be flexible to the max.

Kamishibai Board

The Kamishibai Board is part of the visual management in Lean Management that supports you on managing recurring tasks in a way that the status of each task is clearly recognizable by everyone in your organization.

The tasks are listed by their frequency and the responsible persons. The design of the cards can vary, but typically T-Cards are used as the handling is quite easy. These cards contain on both sides the information of each task. One side of the card is red the other one green. RED: to do, GREEN: done. So the color is indicating the status of each task.

By using these two color coded cards everybody in the organization will recognize if all activities are on track or if there is a backlog ahead on performing daily, weekly or monthly activities.

Example Kamishibai Board - weekly tasks with assigned persons

Kamishibai is a Japanese term, to bring it in operations terms it can be understood as mini-audits. The Kamishibai is a great starting point for Gemba Walks mainly in the admin area of your organization but can also be utilized in the service and maintenance department. It also supports 5S activities and assists in checking the continuous improvement actions on checking on standards and improvements during regular meet ups.

The Kamishibai approach has different sections. E.g. a simple planning board with T-cards with a red and a green side, a list of person in charge and a 3C list. The 3C list thereby describes the Concern, defines the Cause and lists the Countermeasures, find a free template (in flip chart format) here.

The planning section has the tasks tank, on the far left side all tasks are stored in holders (T-Cards) or e.g. magnetic cards that are also green on the one and red on the other side. One section further to the right you can implement a matrix with responsible person for each row and all weekdays as column. By this you can easily assign tasks.

Between the organizational and the problem solving part there should be space for the escalation or support needed tasks. It might happen that an assignee is not able to fulfill a task as he/she is in the need of information or active support from a different level or department.

To sum it up. The benefits of the Kamishibai methodology is mainly the visualization part. It gives clear structure and is understandable at first sight. With the Kamishibai you are able to perform so called “mini-audits” on a regular basis that helps you driving the continuous improvement process in your organization and supports you on performing effective Gemba Walks. Instead of heaving some chit chats you can bring information straight to the point and address any issues fast.

You can use the Kamishibai methodology for all kinds of work areas in your organization, e.g. you have control indicators for methods, processes, documents, standards and much more. In the end the Kamishibai helps you to keep the routine of defined standard work procedures as results of KAIZEN activities. If it works congrats, if not congrats - you found something that can be improved.

Kaizen Manager

Kaizen Manager (Change Agents)

Kaizen Mangers are the people in your organization who initiate changes within your organization or support departments on the path along the continuous improvement process (CIP).

Change Agents are the key players in your organization to integrate new processes or improvement actions and simultaneously stabilize departments throughout a change or transformation process.

When talking about a Kaizen Manager or Change Agent he/she has the following duties with the support of the Change Leader:

• Support the change process by defining the program, participants, selecting suitable processes and defining the targeted state

• Set individual targets for responsible/affected persons

• Support responsible persons for each individual improvement process through coaching or scheduling exchange rounds with other key players. (To stay on track)

• Support the onboarding process for new people to the program

• Support on the transformation process from learning to actually doing

• Coordinate and support further expansion within departments

• Support on the transformation process of organizational culture

• Challenge status quo with fundamental questions on existing procedures

• Work closely with the heads of departments to anchor the new improvement culture across the complete organization

What ever it takes, it has to be clear that a sustainable change culture can only be established if all of your mid and top mgmt. themselves drive the integration of all their direct reports. The Kaizen Manager is the pure supportive function in the role of an internal consultant to guide the process.

Makigami

The Japanese term Makigami is developed out of two. First the MAKI (yeah like the Sushi) meaning roll or rolled and KAMI meaning paper. Before you go wild, in the word combination you write kami with “g”. So the question that rises is: What you do with a rolled paper? You use the Makigami to draw and redesign administrative processes. Like with all Lean or Opex activities, once the process is visualized with the help of a Makigami “value-adding” and “non-value adding” activities are marked. On the bottom of the Makigami you will find a time axis which shows the operating time and the pure value adding time.

With the help of the Makigami process analysis, the process is always viewed from the perspective of the process itself, never from the perspective of the employees. This has to be clear also for the waste attack activities in the process. With the Mantra of OPEX: the central question that must be brutaly honest answered: Is the customer willing to pay for this process step/activity? Is this what you are doing adding value to the final product or service?

After you recorded the current state of your process you start to redesign it by asking yourself permanent the following question:

What should the ideal process look like?

Take your planned future development and corporate vision into account to make sure you are not running in the wrong direction.

OCT

The Operator Cycle Time is the time an operator needs to fulfill a dedicated process step, including loading and unloading but excluding waiting time.

The Operator Cycle Time is measured from when the operator starts his/her process and is stopped when he/she is ready for the next workpiece (no matter if it’s there or not). Yes I said that the OCT is exclusive waiting time, but not exclusive the waiting time within the process itself. That means if the operator is waiting for a machine, he/she loaded, to finish the operation and unload the workpiece, this waiting time will be included in the OCT.

Most of the time OCT can be seen as the same as “cycle time”. The main difference comes from the waiting time an operator has, while a machine is running a process and the operator him-/herself would be ready for the next piece. This means in the end the OCT is always shorter as the CT. Going even further this means that the OCT can be shortened when installing a HANEDASHI device that autounloads the workpiece after the operation.

As with all lean management activities and targeted increase on productivity and flexibility time is on focus. But make sure to understand the process first, before running improvement actions you have to know what to improve.

A3 Report

The term A3 report comes simply from the size of paper which is used for the documentation of the report. The structure itself follows the PDCA methodology.

In the lean manufacturing world the best known use case of the A3 report is the problem solving report. In this case the responsible person from the quality department takes the A3 report, starts the problem solving actions and follows a systematic structure that makes it possible to describe the effects that are currently leading to a deviation from the standard. Using the A3 only makes sense when you don’t know the root cause yet. If you already know the root cause don’t waste your time. Fix it and go back to normal.

Schematic structure of an A3 report

Let us go through the different stages of an A3:

Describe the problem:
The A3 gives you the chance to initially describe the problem or symptoms - this can be done verbally or as a sketch. Don’t forget to mention when it was and under what circumstances. No matter what it must be easy to understand.

Keep in mind that the target in Lean Mgt. is always to train the people to improve their problem solving skills. Therefore if you are a quality representative try to coach the operators in this process or make a team work out of it.

The result of the description of the problem is the delta from the target state.

Root Cause Analysis:
Please be aware that your paper is only and A3 format. So either you go with an Ishikawa or a 5 Why. But not more. If you can’t conduct a root cause analysis with either on of these methods, the A3 is probably the wrong approach at all.

Counter Measures:
Following the PDCA plan your counter measures what you and your team or operators found out or might think have the most effect.

Lessons Learned:
Great you have done the job, you followed the PDCA and the root cause was found, defined measures helped and the problem is solved. No finalize the A3 report on where to find the documentation and what impact will it have on other operations as lessons learned.

When you are a quality representative using the A3 method ensure that the A3 report is also used for long term development of employees and quality standards.

With the help of the A3 report and a clear coaching through the quality department, all employees learn to recognize, evaluate and solve problems on their own. This is serving the general rule of continuous improvement (CIP)

Therefore the A3 systematic increases the problem solving competencies of your whole organization. And as already said, a problem is only the missing of an idea.

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MUDA

MUDA – Also see Timwood

In this article we want to talk about MUDA or the 7 kinds of waste known as TIMWOOD.

The seven kinds of waste have to be discovered and eliminated in daily operations. Therefore we will be looking at the 7 kinds of waste and learn how to use appropriate lean tools to reduce these non value-adding activities.

First of all use Gemba Walks to find out more about whats happening on the shop floor. Only through the on-site inspection you can see what is really going on. It is simply not possible to record the types of waste in the conference room at the green table. The CIP Kaizen action on site is always necessary to reduce waste.

When talking about production the ultimate goal is to increase value-creating activities in the complete organization and not to reduce them. Therefore non-value-adding activities are called MUDA - Japanese for wasteful.

Overview of the 7 kinds of waste and the lean approach to avoid these

The individual parts of muda are easily remembered with a simple mnemonic aid called TIMWOOD. TIMWOOD stands for the first letters of the several kinds of waste. Lets have a look at those and some hints what it means:

T = Transport

• Material flow

• Product-/Value-/Process orientation

• Just in Time material supply of workstations

• Pull steering of production with the Kanban principle

I = Inventory

• Just in Time or Just in Sequence material supply

• Pull steering of production with the Kanban principle

• Takt time

• Linking suppliers

• Reduction of batch sizes or production lots

• Implementation of One Piece Flow principle

 M = Motion

• 6 S principle   

• Standardization

• Fixed allocated spaces

• Shortest ways

 W = Waiting

• Multi machining

• Multi process handling

• Material flow in U-shaped manufacturing lines

• Implementation of SMED

• Installation of Andon Boards

 O = Overproduction     

• Leveling of manufacturing orders

• Mixed-Model-Production

• One-Piece-Flow

 O = Overprocessing/-engineering  

• Processes are not necessary

• Kaizen activities

• Quality circle

• Idea Management

• Reduction of complexity

• Reduction of components needed

• Reduction of unnecessary process steps

• Reduction of hand overs and quality loops

D = Defects

• Reduction of scrap rate or rework

• Internal customer supplier management

• Self-inspection

• Poka Yoke principle

• Automation

• Zero Defects principle

• Stop the line authority

• 5S activities as part of the standard work

• Visual Management and visual aids

S = Unutilized Staff

• Idea Mgt.

• Shop Floor Mgt.

• Lean Innovation

Each of the individual elements of the 7 kinds of waste often interact with each other. If you think about your organization as a system, it is necessary to classify not only one characteristics. An approach can only be derived when several classifications of waste have been analyzed.

The 3 MUDA expressions

With the individual process sections and activities and the corresponding 7 kinds of waste, they can be divided into the following activities:

Value Adding Activities 

Kanji Muda - Waste in terms of machinery and equipment

Hiragana Muda - Work that needs to be done in order to fulfill the task but not really add value

Katakana Muda - Everything not needed

All this combined is your total workflow

As seen in real life up to 75% of non-optimized processes are non-value-adding activities which means they are pure waste and eat up your resources. Therefore it always makes sense to eliminate each of the 7 kinds of waste in order to increase productivity. To get an idea see the following picture:

Katakana Muda (red - waste that can be eliminated immediately)

• Waiting

• Searching

• Filling

• Double work

• Stacking of components

Kanji Muda (gray and yellow - waste based on machines and equipment)

• Machinery movement without any function

• Oversized machines that can produce more than the required parts during the cycle time

Hiragan muda (green - work that is necessary for the provision of services under the current conditions; value-adding process steps)

• Return to starting position

• Cleaning

• Tightening

• Manual operation of machines

So how to recognize and eliminate the 7 kinds of waste?

Muda can always only be detected at the place of action. Therefore Gemba Walks are the best way to go on the search. But one thing has to be clear - it does not have to be always big projects to reduce waste. Continuous Improvement is key - recurring CIP or Kaizen activities are very supportive to develop an eye for the 7 kinds of waste. Training makes masters.

Second - it doesn’t has to be expensive. Most actions can be implemented at low cost. E.g. make a spaghetti plot to visualize and recognize obvious unnecessary movements.

Third - always have an eye on the value-adding activities. With a trained eye from GEMBA WALKS you will have improved awareness of waste already in the planing phase of new processes. Use those lessons learned and avoid waste in the beginning.

We don’t want to go into details but there are two other types of losses that can be witnessed in an organization. Mura meaning deviation and muri meaning overload (man, machine, material equally). If you want to read more about these, have a look here.  

Let us come to an end - even when it is hard, we could keep going on and on…

But some rules:

1. No excuses!

2. Be creative in first place - money always comes second

3. Never try to explain why something doesn't work, try how it works!

4. Adjustments kills your time and ambitions. Adjustment means to fight the symptoms not the root cause!

5. Do not worry about problems that do not yet exist.

Happy Improving!