The fourth rule implied in the work observed by Spear and Bowen at Toyota (from “The DNA of the Toyota Production System”, Harvard Business Review) says that all improvement should proceed as close as possible to the front line, using the scientific method and under the guidance of a teacher.   That’s great if you work at Toyota and your manager is a teacher of the Toyota Way… or if your company is already doing really well, so you’ve got a pile of cash to hire consultants to help you improve… but what about the rest of us, out on our own with little cash to throw around?

Reading books and blogs, taking classes and going to conferences is great (tremendous in fact – it’s the only way I know many of my teachers), but learning that isn’t IN gemba isn’t ABOUT gemba.  You’ve got to go see.  You’ve got to be there with a teacher.

Fortunately for me, coming from a cash-strapped organization and trying to boot-strap lean, I came upon a structured network of lean thinkers in our region early on in my lean learning.  It has made all the difference.

We talked to each other, we toured each others work sites, and we talked some more.  We shared stories of progress and frustration, and shared lessons learned and topics of interest.  And while I learned a lot visiting other network members’ sites, some of the best learning came after the group toured my OWN operation and offered constructive feedback – support and criticism.  The things they saw and told us about, the best practices and the problems, have helped us along the way.

When we don’t have mentors inside our organizations, lean leaders who already know the moves, to whom do we turn?  Study what you can find and seek out teachers, of course, but don’t neglect the practical impact of networking with others practicing lean.

Welcome to GBMP’s “Everybody, Everyday” Podcast – “Don’t Give Me Data, I Want Facts”.

I am sure you have heard this before.

Years ago my consulting business focused on shop floor control.  Back then (mid-1980’s) most companies did not have sufficient or timely information to effectively manage their business and/or make good decisions fast.

With scarcity of data as my opportunity and means of collecting more data my selling point, I would help business with their informational needs with the objective of having accurate and timely data to make better decisions.  My personal objective was to become the local expert on shop floor control and eventually bar coding.

Years later I worked for a mid-range, Manufacturing Software company demonstrating the software up and down the east coast.  Data again, was the sales focus and through this process I became more and more an advocate of less data was better.

Quite a transition from more is better to less is better.  Now let me tell you my story as to how and why I developed this new thinking.

I have witnessed or heard the following:

• We can’t have single piece flow, we would have to get up after every piece to enter the data into the production control system.
• “I spend more time punching the clock than I do making toast” Bruce Hamilton from GBMP’s“Toast Value Stream Mapping” video
• A experienced data entry operator will make one error in every three hundred key strokes.  How many unintentional mistakes do you or your people make?
• Our perpetual inventory control systems is out of control, I have to get up, walk to our materials department and check what we actually have, before I can answer a customers question.
• Every time we have to make a substitute from our standard bill or materials I have to do two additional transactions…..1) add the standard part back in and 2) deduct the substituted part.  Sometimes I just forget to do it, or don’t have the time.  Hey my job is to get the parts to where they are needed when they are needed.  The stupid system can wait.

I have learned that frequently, the more data you collect the more errors you collect.  If you won’t bet a weeks wages on the precision of your data, then perhaps you should rethink your data system and needs.

What is your experience?

What is too much data?

When do you have enough data?

How accurate is your data?

Does your work-in-process move so slowly that  you need to track each status change?

How much time do your skilled operators spend walking to and from the computer/bar code station and entering data?

“Meet” Tom McDevitt, Quality, Safety & Continuous Improvement Manager at the Rose Corporation in Reading, PA.

Dwight’s interview with Tom provides a compelling argument for the use of standardized work, even in a one-of-a-kind/engineered-to-order environment.  The 8-month value stream mapping and standardized work project enabled them to increase throughput to keep pace with customer demand. As a result, they achieved a 20% reduction in cycle time (which had a big impact on their bottom line).

Tom and Dwight also discuss Rose Corp’s success overcoming employees’ concerns about implementing lean and creating a culture of continuous improvement.

We hope Tom’s story will inspire you to share yours.  Please use the comment section below to join the conversation.

Part 3 of 3: “Communication Kata: The PDCA cycle for communication and measuring success.”

In this installment, Meryl discusses making the distinction between true north and target conditions. Transitioning from theory to action can cause confusion. Communication Kata follows the same structure as Improvement Kata using a plan of action (PDCA) to avoid such confusion. But how do you measure the success of your communication? Meryl says her philosophy – “Say what you mean, mean what you say and don’t be mean when you say it” - has evolved as a result of her introduction to Toyota Kata. Her philosophy now includes accountability, trust and sincerity. And to take it one step further, she adds that communication should be dynamic. It should spark and inspire others to their best potential. Successful communication is collaborative, where ideas cross-pollinate, and result in unexpected discoveries and surprises.

Listen in on Dwight’s 3rd and final conversation with Meryl Runion, creator of The SpeakStrong method, to hear all about it, and visit www.speakstrong.com to learn even more about Meryl, The SpeakStrong philosophy and her books.

Part 2 of 3: Inclusion, and the challenge of creating a different way of thinking

Do you practice lean the way a doctor practices medicine or a lawyer practices law? What is the significance of changing the words you use when communicating with your team from declarative to generative terms (practicing lean versus doing lean)? Listen in on Dwight’s 2nd conversation with Meryl Runion, creator of The SpeakStrong method, to hear all about it, and visit www.speakstrong.com to learn even more about Meryl, The SpeakStrong philosophy and her books.

Stay tuned for Part 3 next week:  “Communication Kata: The PDCA cycle for communication and measuring success.”

Part 1 of 3: What gets in the way of creating new habits?

Meryl Runion writes about how to speak strong and lean – how to communicate in a way that is pull based, collaborative, efficient and customer-focused. The true value of her method is in the thinking behind the phrases. Lean and continuous improvement also involve creating a vision of perfection to strive toward. The SpeakStrong Method is based on universal principles of effective communication with practical applications and specific phrases for the challenges of today’s business world. It is lean-aligned and kata-based for continuous communication improvement.

And, once you crack the code and develop the magic ear and eye, communication excellence becomes simple, easy and natural. Learn more about Meryl, The SpeakStrong philosophy and her books at www.speakstrong.com

Stay tuned for Part 2 next week: The Kata mindset – Inclusion and the challenge of creating a different way of thinking

GBMP Continuous Improvement Manager Bob Elliott discusses how cellular flow reduces lead-time, cost, improves quality and reduces frustration.

Member Companies Attending:

• Adhesives Research
• Restek Corp.
• Misco Products

Measures discussed included:

• On-time delivery – a standard method for calculation
• Inventory accuracy
• Closed jobs
• Value Add
• Total Lead Time

The plant tour focused on small but frequent improvements coming from the shop floor.  A very impressive tour.  Good job Rose!

The afternoon was spent in a Value Stream Mapping training session, presented by Dwight Bowen

Everyone is a leader in some situations and, once the direction is clearly communicated, must manage a process towards a successful outcome or, if not successful, a process of learning and better understanding the problem at hand.

“Management is efficiency in climbing the ladder of success; leadership determines whether the ladder is leaning against the right wall.”  -Stephen Covey

I have selected six of these qualities, those that I believe to be the most powerful from the list. I believe an effective leader:

1. Communicates philosophy & values. Sets organizational direction, embracing and sharing organizational value, defining the organization from the inside clearly expressing how the organization is viewed  by the marketplace. Makes it clear who we are. The organization is not a product or a service but a value-based organization. An example: All decisions are made by testing their effect on our values.  1^st- We communicate to our customers our beliefs (ex: our belief is to challenge the status quo of all our products and services, always using the scientific method to make improvements), 2^nd- our products and services design reflects this culture of innovation, and 3^rd- all our products and services are of the highest quality provided at a competitive cost.  Excellent leaders always speak about values and beliefs first.
2. Explains the reasons for an activity.  Motivation is difficult when you don’t know why something needs to be done/changed/improved.  We all need an answer as to why we need to make this change, a compelling answer clearly, consistently and effectively communicated to all involved.
3. Has a strong sense of urgency.  We thrive when leadership presents both urgency and patience.  Urgency to improve a condition and patience with the PDCA process, the scientific process, one of discovery.  It is clear to me that excellent leaders have your back.  Don’t be afraid to make a mistake, just be certain you learn from it.
4. Is humble.  Leaders with big egos often create a team of meek followers or silent objectors.  The good ideas come from the boss, the little ones from someone below him or her.“The chief executive who knows his strengths and weaknesses as a leader is likely to be far more effective than the one who remains blind to them. He also is on the road to humility, that priceless attitude of openness to life that can help a manager absorb mistakes, failures, or personal shortcomings.” – John Adair……..and this leadership mindset creates loyal and passionate followers.   
5. Makes hard work worth it.  If there is a noble cause to follow, stated in leadership’s philosophy and values and we know why changes need to be made, hard work becomes rewarding and less difficult……the easier part of Dr. Shingo’s “easier, better, faster, cheaper” phrase.
6. Is courageous –  “There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.”  -Niccolo Machiavelli. Excellent leaders cannot be fearful of making mistakes.  If the organization is not improving it is likely losing it’s competitive edge.

First we lead using the organizations shared values, then we keep focused on those values.

• What do you think makes a good leader?
• What do some leaders do to unintentionally diminish their organization?

Many long lists exist defining the qualities of good leaders.  I used  “The One Minute Manager” by  Kenneth H. Blanchard & Spencer Johnson, to gather this  list of 75, all of which is listed in the podcast narrative (click media player above to listen).

Attributes of strong leaders/managers:

1. Challenges me to do my best.
2. Sets a good example.
3. Explains the reasons an activity.
4. Helps me polish my thoughts before I present them to others.
5. Is objective about things.
6. Lets me make my own decisions.
7. Cares about me & how I’m doing.
8. Does not seek the limelight.
9. Won’t let me give up.
10. Gives personal guidance & direction, especially when I’m learning something new.
11. Is empathetic & understanding.
12. Is firm but fair.
13. Keeps a results orientation.
14. Makes me work out most of my own problems or tough situations, but supports me.
15. Lets me know where I stand.
16. Listens exceptionally well.
17. Doesn’t put words in my mouth.
18. Is easy to talk with.
19. Keeps the promises s/he makes.
20. Keeps me focused on the goals ahead.
21. Works as hard or harder than anyone else.
22. Is humble.
23. Is proud of those managers s/he has developed.
24. Gives credit where credit is due.
25. Never says “I told you so.”
26. Corrects my performance in private.
27. Never flaunts authority.
28. Is always straight-forward.
29. Gives at least a second chance.
30. Maintains an open door policy.
31.  Uses language that is easy to understand.
32. Lets bygones be bygones.
33. Inspires loyalty.
34. Really wants to hear my ideas & acts on them.
35. Lets me set my own deadlines.
36. Celebrates successes.
37. Is open & honest.
38. Doesn’t hide bad news.
39. Gives me enough time to prepare for discussion.
40. Is enthusiastic.
41. Follows through.
42. Is patient.
43. Wants me to “stretch” my skills.
44. Gives me his/her full attention during discussions, & won’t be distracted.
45. Has a sense of humor.
46. Handles disagreements privately.
47. Reassures me.
48. Makes me feel confident.
49. Tells me the “whole story.”
50. Says “we” instead of “I”.
51. Makes hard work worth it.
52. Can communicate annoyance without running wild.
53. Is courageous.
54. Insists on training.
55. Is a stabilizing influence in a crisis.
56. Gets everyone involved.
57. Wants me to be successful.
58. Is optimistic.
59. Operates well under pressure, or in a rapidly changing environment.
60. Has a reputation for competencewith his/her own peers.
61. Has a good understanding of the job.
62. Is tough & tender.
63. Believes we can do it.
64. Sets attainable milestones.
65. Communicates philosophy & values.
66. Is perceptive; doesn’t believe that everything needs to be spelled out.
67. Has a strong sense of urgency.
68. Preserves the individuality of his/her team members.
69. Thinks & operates at a level above that expected.
70. Wants to make the organization the best in the industry.
71. Is willing to act on intuition; believes feelings are facts.
72. Empowers us.
73. Is there when we need her/him.
74. Enjoys his/her job.
75. Likes to spend time with us.