PDCA

The idea behind the PDCA cycle is to empower employees to independently identify and solve problems. It is also a crucial element of the continuous improvement process (CIP).

Many projects in which a culture of continuous improvement (CIP) is to be anchored also fail because of the tools required for this. With the A3 Report, for example, there are such tools. Just for clarity upfront, problem solutions, decision bases and strategies are presented on a sheet of paper in DIN A3 format. The A3 Report provides employees with a kind of template for which analysis and action steps must be taken when solving a problem. This process, in turn, is based on a systematic approach: the PDCA cycle.

The four phases of the PDCA cycle

Of all the quality improvement tools, the PDCA cycle is the most important. It describes the basics of an improvement process and divides it into four phases:

Phase 1: Plan

In this phase the problem and the actual state are described, the causes of the problem are analyzed and the target state is defined. In addition, measurements for reaching the target condition is defined.

Phase 2: Do (Implementation)

In the implementation phase, the predefined measures for achieving the target status are fixed.

Phase 3: Check

In the review phase, the experience gained and the results achieved in implementing the measures are reflected and the measures are readjusted if necessary.

Phase 4: Act

In this phase, the experience is gathered and the problem-solving process is evaluated and standards for future action are derived.

PDCA Cylce

Teams always go through this process when they have identified a problem or a relevant opportunity for an improvement. Then a new PDCA cycle is started with the aim of establishing a new standard in the company which serves as a basis for further improvements. The following case study shows how working with the PDCA cycle works.

The PDCA cycle explained using a case study

The management board of an electrical motor manufacturer has adopted a new strategy to further expand the company's quality leadership in electric motor production and increase customer satisfaction. To this end, the management team defined the following so-called breakthrough targets:

• The production processes must be state of the art

• The work must be based on the zero-defect principle

• The striving for continuous improvement (CIP) should be anchored among the employees

These goals have been broken down to all levels. At a meeting, the head of department pointed out to the group leader that the five pressing lines he supervised produce less than the target of 35k motors per day. The consequences: Supply bottlenecks and customer dissatisfaction. The group leader should now solve this problem. In accordance with the PDCA cycle, the following procedure was followed.

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PDCA Phase: Plan

The group leader analyzed the production figures of the past weeks. He found that the joining line supervised by the team leader only delivers an average of 32k motors per day instead of 35k. The team leader suspected that this was due to high line rejects. They then took a look at the sorted motors in the quarantine stock. The result: the labelling on almost all rejected motors are displaced or not readable.

The group leader asks the team leader what could be the cause of the problem. His assumption: "The printer is not running perfectly and the application process is not stable. A check of the incoming labels has proven that all material is in specification, so the failure has to be within the printing and application process. The team leader then looked at the scrap figures in the shift reports. It turned out that over 80 percent of the rejected motors are produced during the night shift.

So the group leader and the team leader observed the labelling process in the following night shift. They noticed that the labeling belt occasionally jams in the conveyor belt, which is why the labels are applied offset to the desired location. The team leader suspected that this was due to the fact that the printer mounting and so the printer location was in the wrong position, a further analysis has shown that a new employee has been placed in the night shift and he didn’t understand the correct setting and placement of the printer after exchanging the labeling roll. In addition, it came out that the cartridge has to be replaced after 24 hrs which also was usually coming to the night shift. So the root cause was clear.

The group leader then asked the team leader to formulate a target state for possible countermeasures. He knows through trainings that targets should follow the SMART rule, but on this topic mainly measurable. He wanted to achieve the target by training the new operator. Done deal.

PDCA Phase 2: Do

But the group leader was not satisfied with that. He asked the team leader if he knew exactly how the operator were going to change roles and cartridges if there was a standard operation instruction (SOI) of this process and how to train new operators. The team leader denied this.

In the following night shift, they both watched the change of roles and cartridges by experienced and inexperienced operators. The experienced operators made sure that the labels did not touch the floor during the change and that the printer is in the correct position after replacing the role. The inexperienced, on the other hand, often rubbed the labels on the floor and just pushed the printer in the station without checking the first parts after replacement. Dirt gradually collected in the label dispenser, causing the tape to jam from time to time and the incorrect position of the printer led to misplaced and crushed up labels which in the end of line led to the rejects of the motors.

The group leader asked the team leader and his team to consider possible countermeasures, prioritize them and draw up an action plan. The countermeasures were among others: 

1. 5S sessions at the end of each shift to restore cleanliness and order in the line

2. Installation of training matrix in order to know how is able to follow the process and how is experienced enough to train new operators

3. Install a Poka Yoke fixture to ensure a process stable positioning of the printer

4. Install a counter with light indication when the cartridge of the printer needs to be replaced after an evaluated amount of labels printed

Based on the prioritization, the team members drew up an action plan. They also agreed:

The current status of the project is always documented on the cell board of the labelling line for the next three months

The progress figures are reported in the daily shop floor meeting – not the team meeting of the cell. It has mgt. focus.

PDCA Phase 3: Check

In the following weeks, the team leader of the cell reported daily the figures and the impact of the measures on the outcome. They also defined further measures on the basis of their experience to date. For example, the machine is always stopped when the label tape reaches into the light barrier, caused by an air blast. The measure was to install a duct for the carrier tape of the labels into a bin placed under the line, easily accessible for the line clean up at the end of the shift.  As a result, the reject rate fell by almost 80 percent after three months. The initially formulated target of 40 percent fewer rejects was achieved.

PDCA Phase 4: Act

After this assessment, the group leader asked the team leader what he wanted to do with regard to standardization. He replied that he would prepare a written description of the optimal process "maintaining the label printer" as well as for training new operators. In addition, from now on he will carry out a daily process control in order to detect target/actual deviations earlier.

The group leader praised the team leader and asked him at the next team leader meeting to inform the team leaders of the four other production lines about the new standard and the findings in the PDCA problem-solving process so that they could learn from the experience. Him himself informed the head of the motor production department that the problem of insufficient motor production had been solved.

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.

Production Diary

With the help of a production diary, based on a pre-defined shift planning all other functions and outcomes are planned and tracked. This includes the mgmt. team as well as all supporting functions. In order that everyone is aware about the upcoming week the production diary is openly displayed on the shop floor. With the production diary and the pre-set structure of daily meetings of the shop floor mgmt. all daily activities are carried out. Best known part is e.g. Gemba Walks and the included problem solving activities e.g. A3 or just confirming that all processes run as planned.

With this big part of shop floor mgmt. it is clear that all regular meetings planned along the production diary are set. All other unplanned activities or extra meetings need to be conducted respecting the fixed schedule of the production diary.