Signs the Lean Enterprise Process is Working
Even as experienced lean consultants involved in helping all types of different organizations during their lean enterprise process, it can be difficult to identify when the team members begin to apply the acquired lean concepts into their work flows and routine practices.
A first signal of the lean enterprise process working often is when a team, with or without the active participation of their designated leader or supervisor, decides to take responsibility for one aspect of their performance. The common aspects are usually well defined ones such as lead time or an instance of rework makes it clear the process needs adjusting.
Once the team commits to delivering on time every time and tracks it, the team is taking accountability for results and not just clocking in and out for work. A further step would be the team developing tracking and reporting visuals as part of a daily meeting on performance. That will be great progress!
The second signal is seeing the team meeting where the work is being done, not in a meeting or conference room. Normally, meetings happen in places like that in front of a white board or sitting at a table. This removes the team from seeing obvious signs they miss all day long working on the plant floor or in their particular work cell. Once the team starts to connect what is happening in their work space with reasons why and how processes could be improved, members are energized and become believers in the efficacy of the lean approach.
It becomes clear problems are rarely the case of one person not doing their job. The discovery is problems normally derive from a combination of issues related to training, missing components or information, faulty or poorly maintained equipment or how things are being done without examination or recognition. The team gets serious when they evaluate the entire flow process and verify each step. Only when every level – operators, line supervisors, plant managers, executives – from every department – operations, shipping, quality, front office, sales – are involved in the lean enterprise process can real progress occur and be sustained successfully.
A third signal is when the team comprehends fully how costly rework hurts the team and company. It is not only productivity loss, but damaging to team morale and leads to increased frustration.
When that point is reached, team members and the manager will all focus more on status visuals and checking all the little things more carefully that can lead to rework. The challenge is huge because in most companies there are budgets for investments and large costs, but running costs are always squeezed. The default may be to buy a new machine instead of maintaining the existing one correctly since it appears to be easier. In fact, it is a waste of money and time. When people understand that, they focus more on taking care of their job sites, their machines and each other.
One easy test is to drop a piece of paper unnoticed near a machine or within a work cell and see how long it takes for a team member to pick it up and dispose it properly. If it happens quickly, that highlights people are paying attention and care about what they are doing. If it sits there as people shuffle by it repeatedly, there is more work to be done in the lean process.
Please contact Prosit for help with lean consulting and lean enterprise projects or complete our lean assessment form to start or re-start the lean enterprise journey. We look forward to working with you and seeing all the above signals happen in your facility.