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Wednesday, December 16, 2009

How long does this lean stuff take to master?

I was fortunate to be working with an organization doing some lean training this week. This training was detailed lessons in some of the more common tools for seeing and eliminating waste. These include flow mapping, takt time, time observation, loading diagrams, VA/NVA analysis, standard work, and process control.

Through the training, we were fortunate to have the time to practice each tool with real examples. After the four days, the team members were generally overwhelmed. not that tools are complicated, as each one in itself is relatively simple to learn. None require more than a fourth grade education.

The sense of overwhelming comes from the hundreds of applications of the tools, and the decision making that is required to select the right tool in the right setting. This takes years to master. Becoming an "expert" in even the most basic tools takes continued practice in a variety of applications. The more you practice ( properly practice ) the tools, the easier they are to use.

After many years in this line of work, I still see tools misapplied, or the same set of tools used on all types of problems. One idea you might consider is what waste an I am trying to see or eliminate, and what tool is designed to expose this waste. This action will prevent using a hammer on all problems, because not every problem looks like a nail.

Ron
www.breakthroughhorizons.com

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