Posts tagged as:

tools

Helping Make A3 Work, Part 4 (of 4)

11.25.2009

This is my last in the 4 part series on A3 problem solving. I’ll be answering more questions on a webinar hosted by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers which I hope you’ll check out and join. On to our final questions.
Q8. Is there software that can help me with this?
Yes and no. The no is [...]

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Helping Make A3 Work, Part 3

11.24.2009

I am continuing on with more Q&A about the problem solving process of A3, popularized through the use at Toyota and an effective coaching and development tool. So onto the questions.
Q5. What is the best way to start?
I think it is best to start on a problem that you have no other means to solve, [...]

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Helping Make A3 Work, Part 2

11.23.2009

Last Friday I started posting some Q&A on the transformation of problem solving using A3 methods. This is in support of a webinar I am leading on the topic. Here we continue to the Q&A.
Q3. What advantages does A3 have over other problem solving methodologies?
There are some advantages that are small. It is often more [...]

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Helping Make A3 Work, Part 1

11.20.2009

On December 15th, I’ll be providing a webinar on the topic of A3 problem solving. I’ve been spending a good amount of time lately helping leaders from various organizations improve their lean thinking by utilizing A3 problem solving. In the following few blog posts, I’ll answer some of the common questions people have about A3 [...]

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To Standardize, or to Not?

11.19.2009

A frequent question that I get is how far to take standardization. This is particularly true for multiple locations. Then the question becomes how far do you go to standardize from site to site.
As with anything, to key to avoid getting lost in questions like this is to get and remain clear on the purpose [...]

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Observe with purpose

10.22.2009

Direct observation has been an under appreciated aspect of lean for most of its life. It has gotten a lot more attention in recent years, unfortunately this is thanks in part to the use of jargon, such as gemba and genchi genbutsu. For those of you who know me, you know I hate jargon. It [...]

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Value Stream Mapping Font

10.19.2009

I ran across this over the weekend. I was shocked, but also saw how simple this could make working with simple value stream maps on your computer. It’s a font you can download that contains value stream mapping symbols. You can download it for free from Ambor.  
I generally don’t think that people should spend too [...]

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Put Down That Tool

10.15.2009

What tool should I use for solving this problem? What’s the right tool? There are many tools in the toolbox of lean for problem solving and process improvement. When an organization teaches people to use the tools, there is often an over-reliance on jumping into using the tool without making sure it’s the right tool.

Here’s [...]

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PDCA in Non-Deterministic Systems

10.13.2009

When does PDCA not apply? Can we say “not here”? Alan Shalloway attempted to address this for the software community in his blog last week. You can read his full post yourself. Apparently many in the software community (but not all, before you call me out on that) feel that PDCA can’t work because your [...]

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