Lean Six Sigma at Jabil: ASQ presentation

Inviting all lean practitioners in the Tampa area to my next presentation entitled "Lean Six Sigma transformation: making it to stick" at ASQ Tampa/St. Petersburg Section.

Date: February 11, 2013
Time: 7:00 pm
Location: St Petersburg Clearwater Marriott
               12600 Roosevelt Boulevard
               St. Petersburg, FL 33716
             
Despite of all the resources and efforts that many organizations have committed to become Lean Six Sigma, evidence of truly successful transformation are scared. A recent large survey found that only 2 percent of companies that have a Lean Six Sigma program achieved their anticipated results. Even more, the Shingo Prize and the National Quality Baldrige organizations that give awards for operational excellence, went back to past winners and found that many had failed to sustain their progress.Why is so difficult? Why to many failed? What can we do?

This presentation will address these questions and provide insight look of how Jabil, a 130,000+ employee company with HQ in Saint Petersburg, is facing these challenge.


Click here to download this presentation.

Making value stream mapping a success: "Mind and Hand"

I see too often wasteful "lean" efforts focused on mapping value streams that would not be followed by actual implementation. They are used to decorate conference rooms, to fill Powerpoint presentations and to feature videos. 

It is absolutely necessary to know your current and target condition to define what actions we should take as part of the Plan-Do-Check-Act but with mapping we haven't accomplish anything yet. 

Last weekend, Dean Schmittlein "revealed" the secret of success of MIT as organization to create value: relentless application of its "mind and hand" principle which appears in MIT's logo. Here some data on MIT's "mind and hand" principle in action:

"Mens et Manus"

Companies found by living MIT alumni employ 3.3. million people and generate world revenues of  $2 trillion, "producing the equivalent of the 11th-largest economy in the world."

Thomas A. Edison who was well known for practicing the "mind and hand" principle once said "The salvation of America lies in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology". And, it is not by accident that James Womack and other scientists re-discovered "lean thinking" while working in MIT's International Motor Vehicle Program.

While "mind and hand" really is not a secret,  it is one of these key principles for success for any lean transformation. It is the same "learning by doing" principle used by Toyota and other lean organizations to describe the active approach to develop people. Even before Toyota, the Training Within Industry (TWI) program and definitely Deming's PDCA style for training programs used the same principle.

Next time that someone shows you a value stream map as the "mind and hand" question: "can we go and see what you are doing to reach your target condition?"

What can we learn from Medtronic Plant in Jacksonville, FL?

Not long ago I had the opportunity to visit the Medtronic plant in Jacksonville, FL and talked with their CI manager, Chad, and the operations manager, Emmanuel, to whom I thank for the opportunity. It was a refreshing experience on what Lean really is about. Here, key learning points that I would like to share with you:

• Keep it simple, lean thinking and solutions strive for its simplicity; which is different from simplistic. An example is their policy deployment approach: one wall, key drivers cascading down to specific task and actions that anyone can see. A simple and elegant solution:

• Make it visual, if we don't see what is wrong, little chance that we would deal with it. An example is their daily management board, take a look:

These are two of the key principles that we always need to remind ourselves and others.

Do you solve problems like a physician or scientist?

We are better prepared to drive Lean Six Sigma by understanding that people approach problems differently. One approach is commonly used by physicians to diagnose patients and another approach is used by scientists. To illustrate these two different but also opposite approaches, let's imagine two people facing the same problem; one uses a physician-like approach while the other a scientist-like approach :

Problem: "Machine A cooling process stopped when running product C"

Physician-like approach: What are the 3 most common causes for stoppages in this process? Which one is most likely to happen? Set an action plan based on the experience with previous solutions from a similar case. In this approach, symptoms are gathered and a treatment plan is set to address the most likely cause. Past solutions are evaluated based on the symptoms and try until the problem disappears. Most likely, you see this approach when visiting your family physician.  

Scientist approach: Why did the cooling process stop in this particular case? Level of water exceeded the maximum level?  Why? Why?... and Why? until the root-cause for this specific problem is identified and validated. In this approach, the particular problem is analyzed by using 5Whys or any other method to identify the root cause.      

Which approach is the best? It depends. While the physician approach might be faster to solve the problem, the scientist approach gives you the most about understanding the process. 

If we see problems as opportunities to learn more about the process instead of just making them disappear, a scientist-like approach - or PDCA in lean terms - is required. 

In the eyes of a good sensei, when solving a problem, one will fail if learning did not happen whether or not the problem went away. "What did you learn from the problem?" is a common question of a good sensei would ask to ensure we have learn by using a scientist approach 

Why Standard Work fails

I see a lot of lean practitioners missing the point of Standard work. Too often, standard work is implemented as step of a Lean Six Sigma Deployment without really understanding their purpose. As result, I visit too many plans in which standard work is used to show customers they are doing "lean" or just to check the box of a their continuous improvement plan. However, little or none value is gained from having it.

 Lean Six Sigma Deployment Memory Jogger, page 68

Standard work is just one step from a SYSTEM FOR IMPROVEMENT as presented in the "Cycle of Improvement" from the Lean Six Sigma Deployment Memory Jogger (page 68.) 

In this cycle, problems are made visible thanks to standardized expectations and then kaizen (continuous improvement) can be done to meet these expectations. That is why we say "There is not kaizen without standard work"; but it is also true "there is not standard work without kaizen" as performance naturally decays. Standard work then is a result to a system for improvement.   

Having standard work without the system for improvement is like having a fish without water. It is unsustainable. 

Contrary to the common approach of standard work, learn from traditional Industrial Engineering programs, standard work should not be the objective by itself, it is the means to the end: a cycle of kaizen.

A system for improvement requires processes in which supervisors and team leaders know how to use the Standard work following the 4 steps of the cycle of improvement shown above.


We use Standard work to eliminate waste, but if we create Standard work without the system nor teaching how to use it, we have only created more waste. 

Are you creating more waste?

My contribution to all lean practitioners

With the help of the publishers of Memory Joggers, GOAL/QPC, I am pleased to share with all lean practioners this quick reference handbook that provides the lean six sigma principles, methodologies and tools in a simple and visual way to be shared in the gemba.

While lean is simple, teaching it to others requires a thoughtful approach. In this handbook, I share my 10 years of experience on doing lean in a practical and visual way.

It is a simple and concise visual learning tool experience for those that want understand the methodologies, tools, and principles of Lean Six Sigma. You can use it as a quick reference guide, kaizen learning tool, a problem solving workbook, identification of waste and kaizen ideas, or a self-paced preparation guide.

Click here to download the first chapter

To Order an e-book or a printed version, please do so through the GOAL/QPC website.