Welcome once again to one of my campfire chats about Lean implementation from the front lines. Grab a cup of coffee and rest your bones while this cowboy talks today about flow.
What is flow really? Flow is the seamless transition of work from one station to the next without any interuption. From a flat piece of steel, to a stamping lasering process, to a forming process, to an assembly process, to a painting process, to a final assembly area and packing. We view that as flow correct? Well I'd like to say yes this is flow but there are many more components to it, such as the purchase individual who orders steel, the CSR who inputs the orders, the shop floor guys and gals whom I supervise that can improve the flow, the drivers who deliver the product etc.... This flow bussiness can and is extremely involved.
The aspect of flow I'll address today is on the shop floor. When my turret guys need steel to punch for sequenced shop orders the material handler brings them the steel and stages it on roller flow track. This had worked well for us in the past yet there were and are periods of downtime This puzzled me and posed a problem. What did we do to fix this?
The first thing I did was GO TO GEMBA. Yes, that is right I left my desk and went to GEMBA. You know the place on the shop floor where the work takes place? Where you are able to ask the questions to the guys and gals doing the work who may have a better way. The place where one can observe the bottleneck, safety hazard, improvement opportunity, etc. Yes, GEMBA. I'll fully admit that was a gig at suits who fail to goto the shop floor yet purport they understand Lean and Lean methodology while directing from a desk high in the sky.
When going to Gemba I found a few things. There was an absence of visual management of the shop order. I didn't have a vertical file, nor an andon *flag device denoting status of need with material handler*, guess who came up with the vertical file idea? You've got that right buckaroos, the brilliant minds that work for me. They are the ones who drove the solutions to our problem of proper flow. It wasn't my divine insight or cowboy swagger. It was and is the people who work for you that will more than likely drive improvement if you know how to ask the right questions and afford them time.
Do you see a pattern here in my blog postings, People/Process/Culture. The key elements in securing a foundation for a Lean culture, as my team and I are doing.
After implementing the andon and vertical file, we decided that a better roller track system of flat stock steel that was better able to support the higher volume of through put we were getting. With greater through one has a need to maximize capacity and reduce downtime. That birthed more roller track that helped the material handler pick up processed parts and deliver them to the next operation. Once again, a Lean culture is a learning culture and we are recognizing the benefits of Lean.
In closing this post of flow, I'd like to ask you the audience a few questions. What are you doing to actively engage your workforce as I'm doing? What are you doing with the answers your workforce is giving you, i.e. is there any action being taking on the ideas and improvements you people are giving you? What results are you seeing on your Lean journey and are you recording them with photographs? I hear all sorts of individuals talk from a consultant level about the theory of Lean and this is great, what my team and I are doing is actually IMPLEMENTING LEAN and making manufacturing a more efficient and hospitable place to learn and practice the art and science of continuous improvement.
I'd like to thank you all for stopping by and reading this post. With the holidays quickly approaching I'll have some time off the day job and may be doing some more postings as Yoda and I have house projects that we are going to complete.
Happy Trails...
-Cowboy
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Leadership Part #3
Howdy folks and I'm back for the 3rd installment of the Leadership from the front line. I'd like to take the time to address the action component of what leadership entails as for some of us, the action component can be the make a win or alienate our team due to overzealous action.
This week has been filled with actionable and quantifiable win. Just ask the hardy souls I have out there on the front lines with me. I've listened to my guys and gals, I've observed what the problems were with my eyes and ears and most importantly we are working together to accomplish the short range and mid range visions that I have outlined for my fabrication and assembly areas.
I am teaching my people what KPI's are all about, how to know when the trends are moving in the right direction, what to look for from an elevated position on the org chart and what the suits want to see happen. Yeah buckaroos I'm starting to sound like I've left the ranch and become a high dollar engineer but I haven't. What I am doing is pulling my workforce forward. I set an achievable goal with my leaders within the team. I then describe this goal and if we hit the goal or not. Teaching the short and mid range vision tactic. This is how I've been able to pull the team forward.
Here comes the real world component. You knew it was coming right, as I am not an academic preaching from a desk. We are living Lean everyday on the front line running the PDCA to constantly improve. I sometimes forget that not all my people are zealots and dive into Lean as I do. Yes having Yoda as my soul mate helps, but I personally have to interpret the education I'm receiving coupled with the long conversations she and I have on how to implement. For if I just take things right from the texts and lectures, run to the floor with it half-cocked pulling the trigger without a proper vision. Well, let's just say that I've learned the hard way. More than once have I made mistakes taking what I thought was the right information and implementing based on "gut feel" only to realize that I didn't have all the facts. Makes a guy feel sheepish to have to circle back to his cowhands and tell them "Yup, I was wrong again".
What the admission of being wrong does though is this. It demonstrates to your direct reports that you are not all knowing and will promptly admit mistakes. The humble component of being a leader. Look at some humble cowboys, Baxter Black the cowboy poet and Buck Taylor the actor. These guys have always had time for me when I have spoken with them and didn't outwardly demonstrate the "I'm too busy for you" attitude some leaders have been known to do. I'll openly admit to falling short of that from time to time. Though I have gotten better at it with age. Funny thing about age, with age wisdom doesn't always follow. Time to plug Burke Miller and Sam House once again for the Wisdom Discipline Leadership course. I'd suggest taking this course when available as you will learn about yourself as a Leader and as a coach. As being a good Leader, at times requires us to be a coach as well.
Looking at the content of this installment I've rambled somewhat and painted some really broad strokes. Hopefully you folks who are uber merchants out there on the Taylor Protocol CVI will be able to arc these points together. To those of you who are like myself and are uber builders with banker coming in a strong second. Look at this as a plan for direct action leveraging your innovator to lean how to ask the right question.
In closing I'd like to say this. It takes more than barking orders to be a Leader. It takes leading from the front and putting yourself on the line from time to time when doing the right thing isn't doing the right thing. You have to believe in your people and be willing to take risks with them and not use them as pawns. What it boils down to is the people component. As Leaders, we lead people. Without people we are just solitary individuals who roam the range.
Thanks for stopping by the campfire in this installment and I hope that you have taken something positive and useful away from a cowboys overview on his Lean journey right at the front line. Until we meet up again at Gemba. Happy Trails cowpokes...
Cowboy
This week has been filled with actionable and quantifiable win. Just ask the hardy souls I have out there on the front lines with me. I've listened to my guys and gals, I've observed what the problems were with my eyes and ears and most importantly we are working together to accomplish the short range and mid range visions that I have outlined for my fabrication and assembly areas.
I am teaching my people what KPI's are all about, how to know when the trends are moving in the right direction, what to look for from an elevated position on the org chart and what the suits want to see happen. Yeah buckaroos I'm starting to sound like I've left the ranch and become a high dollar engineer but I haven't. What I am doing is pulling my workforce forward. I set an achievable goal with my leaders within the team. I then describe this goal and if we hit the goal or not. Teaching the short and mid range vision tactic. This is how I've been able to pull the team forward.
Here comes the real world component. You knew it was coming right, as I am not an academic preaching from a desk. We are living Lean everyday on the front line running the PDCA to constantly improve. I sometimes forget that not all my people are zealots and dive into Lean as I do. Yes having Yoda as my soul mate helps, but I personally have to interpret the education I'm receiving coupled with the long conversations she and I have on how to implement. For if I just take things right from the texts and lectures, run to the floor with it half-cocked pulling the trigger without a proper vision. Well, let's just say that I've learned the hard way. More than once have I made mistakes taking what I thought was the right information and implementing based on "gut feel" only to realize that I didn't have all the facts. Makes a guy feel sheepish to have to circle back to his cowhands and tell them "Yup, I was wrong again".
What the admission of being wrong does though is this. It demonstrates to your direct reports that you are not all knowing and will promptly admit mistakes. The humble component of being a leader. Look at some humble cowboys, Baxter Black the cowboy poet and Buck Taylor the actor. These guys have always had time for me when I have spoken with them and didn't outwardly demonstrate the "I'm too busy for you" attitude some leaders have been known to do. I'll openly admit to falling short of that from time to time. Though I have gotten better at it with age. Funny thing about age, with age wisdom doesn't always follow. Time to plug Burke Miller and Sam House once again for the Wisdom Discipline Leadership course. I'd suggest taking this course when available as you will learn about yourself as a Leader and as a coach. As being a good Leader, at times requires us to be a coach as well.
Looking at the content of this installment I've rambled somewhat and painted some really broad strokes. Hopefully you folks who are uber merchants out there on the Taylor Protocol CVI will be able to arc these points together. To those of you who are like myself and are uber builders with banker coming in a strong second. Look at this as a plan for direct action leveraging your innovator to lean how to ask the right question.
In closing I'd like to say this. It takes more than barking orders to be a Leader. It takes leading from the front and putting yourself on the line from time to time when doing the right thing isn't doing the right thing. You have to believe in your people and be willing to take risks with them and not use them as pawns. What it boils down to is the people component. As Leaders, we lead people. Without people we are just solitary individuals who roam the range.
Thanks for stopping by the campfire in this installment and I hope that you have taken something positive and useful away from a cowboys overview on his Lean journey right at the front line. Until we meet up again at Gemba. Happy Trails cowpokes...
Cowboy
Monday, December 1, 2014
Leadership Part #2
Howdy folks and thanks for stopping by. Continuing on with our leadership series here out on the range. I'd like to really look at what leading and cultivating a Lean culture is. Leaders lead. What is that exactly one may ask? I'm here to tell you what leading is all about. Leading is knowing when to keep your mouth closed and listen to your direct reports. As we have seen in my past blog postings, at times as an uber Alpha, we have a hard time listening to our people. Isn't that where it all starts, the respect for people component. When we have a disconnect with the individuals doing the work, and those giving direction there is a problem. There must be open channels of clear direction and communication both ways from your direct reports. If you are the top performing cowboy on the ranch and your subordinates do not know where you are heading. You are more than likely going to infuse variation within the work, and guess what? Yes induce DOWNTIME.
It may sound elementary to effectively communicate, yet I see this every day as a real disconnect between leaders and their direct reports. Yes, that includes me. Now that we have identified a problem, let's look at some tools we can use to prevent these situations.
Standard work, elementary right.... Well standard work needs to be standard, not a constantly fluid process. Rather a continuously improving process that has set points in which we can check the results. Yes, we are looking at communication in a PDCA format.
Listening to our direct reports helps us as leaders in a few ways. First it gives them a voice, and secondly we as the leader receive a first hand report of what is going on from our front line people. I remind myself every day of how I need to listen. Yes, even this cowboy has a tendency to develop selective hearing. When that happens I am the cause of the breakdown, and we all have been part of that. Most recently I failed to listen to one of my lead individuals, guess what? A shop order that could have been prevented from going late went late due to my own arrogance for lack of a better term. Yet it is during these moments we emerge, or as my ink pen states I-Emerge.
I'd like to thank everyone for stopping by for part 2 and I hope that your Thanksgiving was filled with family and good spirits. I'll be back in a few days with more words from the front line and the lessons I'm learning as a Lean leader. Happy trails......
Cowboy
It may sound elementary to effectively communicate, yet I see this every day as a real disconnect between leaders and their direct reports. Yes, that includes me. Now that we have identified a problem, let's look at some tools we can use to prevent these situations.
Standard work, elementary right.... Well standard work needs to be standard, not a constantly fluid process. Rather a continuously improving process that has set points in which we can check the results. Yes, we are looking at communication in a PDCA format.
Listening to our direct reports helps us as leaders in a few ways. First it gives them a voice, and secondly we as the leader receive a first hand report of what is going on from our front line people. I remind myself every day of how I need to listen. Yes, even this cowboy has a tendency to develop selective hearing. When that happens I am the cause of the breakdown, and we all have been part of that. Most recently I failed to listen to one of my lead individuals, guess what? A shop order that could have been prevented from going late went late due to my own arrogance for lack of a better term. Yet it is during these moments we emerge, or as my ink pen states I-Emerge.
I'd like to thank everyone for stopping by for part 2 and I hope that your Thanksgiving was filled with family and good spirits. I'll be back in a few days with more words from the front line and the lessons I'm learning as a Lean leader. Happy trails......
Cowboy
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