Mura Part #2

So yes ladies and gents it has been another spell since my last post.  My time has been spent with 60 hour work weeks, academic pursuits, professional development with Yoda and the leaders of the Lean world, coupled with extensive travel in my every other weekend off modicum of a work cycle that has been prevelant the past 6 months or so.

Let's get to the meaty part of Part #2.  Since my last post my team has effectively reigned in the late orders within a certain area of my operation.  Yes, the heijunka table worked.  Though it may not have been a heijunka in the true sense of the word, it suited the purpose of "manufacturing triage".  I took the triage scenario from prior careers and implemented it in manufacturing.   Do the best, for the greatest good.  Aligning steel to be cut/lasered/formed by standard blank sizes, minimized movement, maximized thru-put, reducing late shop orders, etc. worked with the modified heijunka.

Yoda will always ask me, "So... what did you learn?  What will you do different next time?  What results were repeatable?  What didn't work? Why didn't it work?  Were you driving out waste?  Why did you get in the state you were in to begin with?"  I believe I have answers to those questions.  Where do those answers lay you may ask.  In the results.  Life is a PDCA cycle, heck I'm learning life is an engineering problem that can be navigated with Lean thinking.  If what you are doing works, record your results and try to repeat with better results.  This is where engaging your team really comes into focus.  That is exactly how we drove down our late shop orders,  I engaged my team and challenged them and myself to do things better using Lean principals.  Yes, educating your team does go a LONG way.  Some of you manager "senior team" types need to take note.  Listening to the guys and gals on the floor will save you a ton of headaches.

I'd also like to credit my Ohno circles for allowing myself to ask the multitude of questions needed to goto the right people to actually have a starting point.  Without questions, we as leaders are left with nothing but giving orders and direction to individuals who may already have the answers, yet haven't been tapped.  This can be an issue with those of us who are Alpha's and our CVI is Builder/Banker using the Taylor protocol.

I'll leave you buckaroos with something I stated on twitter, I used to have all the answers to lifes problems, now I have questions and mindful action.

Thanks for stopping by and I'll be back to a weekly post as Yoda has tasked me to MAKE TIME

Happy Trails,
Cowboy