What Made Toyota So Different?

In the last message, I explained how ‘Lean’ started way before Toyota came into view but they are recognised as the world leaders in Lean because they looked at things from a whole new viewpoint....

Lean - A new paradigm

The lean production system pioneered at Toyota created a new paradigm for excellence in manufacturing. This paradigm is founded on the belief that cost reduction is sometimes the only viable mechanism for a corporation to increase profit; price is not always an effective lever. Today, some organisations are fortunate enough to determine their selling price by first taking the product cost and adding on a sufficient profit margin:

Profit + Cost = Price

A company can therefore increase profit by raising the price of its product. However, in a diverse marketplace, most companies do not have this advantage as consumers and market conditions largely determine price. In these markets, companies face the following equation:

Profit = Price - Cost

This is often referred to as the 'cost-minus' principle because the company can only increase profit through cost reduction. Cost reduction in a manufacturing environment occurs through the elimination of waste. Waste can be defined as something for which the customer is not willing to pay; it is a non-value adding activity. The elimination of such activities shortens the lead time, so value is delivered to the customer faster and with less effort.






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Lean started way before Toyota !

Now, another common misconception amongst my clients is that ‘Lean’ and efficiency improvements all started with Toyota – wrong. Here is a very brief history of how it all came about and some would argue it started even before this!

Lean Six Sigma Overview - Lean Manufacturing
In 1910 Charles Sorensen and Henry Ford created the first moving assembly line as a way of reducing wasted motion and handling complexity in automotive assembly. Without question, the Lean system pioneered by the Toyota Motor Company has a common beginning with these early 'work flow' improvements. However, this common heritage led to two very different manufacturing systems: mass production and Lean production.

The objective of mass production is to maximise economies of scale through high capital utilisation. At Ford, the emphasis on flow was limited almost exclusively to the final assembly line, while subassembly processes, suppliers and distribution operated on almost independent production schedules, resulting in large batch sizes and high inventory levels. Inventory at all points was accepted as a necessary buffer to survive schedule and output instability. Quality was inspected and projected into the system through mass inspection and inventory buffers. Capital was a solution to the relentless push for capacity.

Finally, production was driven from forecasts, pushing material through the plant in anticipation of actual customer demand. The mass production system flourished in the high growth, boom phase of the automotive industry and was widely copied in other sectors.

The objective of Lean production is the elimination of waste through the efficient use of all resources. In 1945 the president of Toyota Motor Company issued an edict to the company to catch up with American three years otherwise the automotive industry of Japan would not survive. At the time, labour productivity in Japanese factories was 1/10 that of US automotive manufacturers. Scarce capital and small, highly diverse ?island? market did not support large-scale, mass production. Finding a solution to the challenge led to a fundamentally different 'Lean Production' system, which ultimately triumphed over mass production during the 1973-4 oil crisis. At a time of global recession and slow growth, Toyota sustained profits and grew US market share while US companies lost on both counts.






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Where did Six Sigma Come From?

This is a question I get asked a lot, even though it is well documented. So here is a very short history of Six Sigma -

History of Six Sigma
6 Sigma manufacturing philosophy came from Motorola

They recognised that sufficient process improvement would not occur using a conventional approach to quality. It was developed to help them reduce variation within a process by focusing effort on improving inputs to a process rather than reacting to outputs.

The process was failing the customer expectations Traditionally, processes aimed for process capability of 3 to 4 sigma (Cpk=1.0 to 1.33 or 93% to 99.3% acceptable) The customer received 6200 defective product per million at best Processes now aim for 6 sigma (Cpk=2) The customer would receive 3.4 defective product per million






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Is there a secret formula to a successful Lean Six Sigma project?

I’ve been asked many times by clients and students alike, what is the secret formula to a successful Lean Six Sigma implementation and the answer is never the same from company to company but one thing always seems to come up…

Implementing lean manufacturing or Six sigma or TQM or BPR or ......or ..... should be a relatively straight forward process for any business, the processes involved aren't difficult or complex and most of them are based upon common sense.

If you speak to any consultant or black belt they will tell you exactly the steps needed to implement the changes, in the order required.
Follow these steps and you have a changed organisation ............ Don't you ?

One vital flaw in the equation - an unknown variable - PEOPLE - Or to be more precise, the 8th Waste - The under Utilisation of People.
People touch every aspect of your business, from the CEO right down to the people who actually do the work.

We have factored in this variable from many years of hard won experience and knowledge.

Using lean six sigma improvement tools as a sticking plaster to try and cover a gaping wound is another common mistake made by management teams.
Business basics must be in place before lean principles or any other change programs can be successfully introduced - Discipline, timekeeping, absence, organisation structure etc. etc.

An organisation is a shadow of it's leader.
If the leader is not himself willing to change the way he works, the whole change program could be doomed before it even gets off the ground.
Change must be lead, by example, from the top.

Once the foundation has been laid and the organisation has in place some stability, lean six sigma can be introduced.





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Harnessing the 8th AND 9th Waste of Lean Six Sigma

Yes, you heard me right, there is a 9th Waste ! We all know the 8th waste is the under-utilisation of our people but what about the 9th waste; the under-utilisation of our customers.

An underestimated factor in all Lean Six Sigma deployments is the underutilized talents of our collective and collaborative potential and this isn’t just talking about our staff, as in the 8th waste of lean. We often get so busy with what each of us are doing individually, that we lose sight of how much more powerful we could be, if we combined our efforts!

In our opinion, herein lies the secret of Lean Six Sigma …
WE HAVE TO GIVE EVERYONE (Including our customers) THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTAKE AND PARTICIPATE, SHARE IN THE EXPERIENCE FOR MAXIMUM RESULTS!
Ask yourself how you can make the most of people’s time and investment in CI or LSS practices and how it will/could affect/benefit your business? Your resources, employees and customers are important assets – how are you using and utilizing them all in this process of becoming a more agile and cost-effective organization/business/operation ?

Always, start by asking what can I do? This personal hands-on approach can truly make a difference in any business.

Ways to avoid your LSS initiatives becoming frustrating, failing or coming up short:

Pay special and close attention to what the business culture really is! It could be totally out of alignment with the principles and fundamentals of Lean Six Sigma and cause some stress, tensions, or even resistance within and throughout the organization.
• Ask and answer yourself/your team, your business, partners and customer honestly what the existing climate is that would support (hinder/help) Lean Six Sigma working methods and how it will benefit all stakeholders?
• Here is another useful question: Is our organization hierarchical, rigid and autocratic and not a people centered company?
• Learning what not to do from the mistakes and discoveries, shared learnings and insights from others is critical. This is especially crucial from our customers, listen to their complaints, survey them regularly to ascertain what current products they would like more of, or variants of and what additional products that we don’t currently offer would they like to see in our catalogue? They are the people who pay all our wages and without whom, the business would not exist!
• Be aware that not everyone will necessarily share your enthusiasm for Lean Six Sigma. Some might dread what it does to their work load and world. Some initial resistance to any change is normal. Showing the value or the WIIFM (what is in it for me) is a very important part of the whole Lean Six Sigma initiative.








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What is Kaizen Jitsu?

I received an award last week from the CEO of the major Government Department that I’m currently engaged with, which was a great honour and made myself and my family very proud. At the dinner celebrations, a colleague asked what it was that the team that I’m part of did that was so different from the ‘Other’ Improvement people that they had worked with previously. I knew this person, like myself had a long history in martial arts, so I tried to put it into a language that I knew would resonate with him.

I told him that what we did was ‘Kaizen Jitsu’, or the 'Art of Improvement'.
The name comes from the Japanese 'Kai' = Change, 'Zen' = Good (Change for the good, or 'Improvement') and 'Jitsu' = Art.

After all, it's pretty pointless making changes in any organisation if, once you walk away, the organisation simply go back to the old way of doing things. (Does this sound familiar ?)

There is a way of implementing change in any organisation and at the same time ensuring you have the full buy in of all staff, whilst subtly but steadily changing the corporate culture into one where the changes will be embraced, sustained and ultimately improved upon moving forward.
This however, has to be done 'during' the change process, not as an afterthought or a bolt on as part of a 'cultural change process' or 'people change' process as employed by some of the big consultancy players.

In the words of the old Japanese saying, 'If the student hasn't learned, the teacher hasn't taught', or in my words - 'If the changes didn't stick, you didn't do your job' (Assuming you're the person who implemented the changes)

The short video clip below will expand a little more and I'll be covering more on this topic over the coming weeks. Specifically around the 'How'  https://youtu.be/OS1afWi_fZE









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What is Lean Six Sigma Office?

Lean Six Sigma Office is the application of Lean or Six Sigma methodologies into an office or service environment.
Many un-educated people have said in the past "This is not a car plant, you can't use Lean Six Sigma tools here", when speaking about an office or service environment.

How wrong they were!

Lean six sigma in an Office or Lean Service is spectacularly successful, often more so than when applied in a manufacturing environment. The tools and methodology is the same but the application is tailored to the specific sector and business, preferably guided by experienced practitioners and not left to internal people who have read the latest 'Lean' book.

Some results that have been attained recently by projects within office and service environments:
Sales Conversion increase of 81% within media Telesales business.
Right first time quality increase of 120% within media Telesales.
Productivity increase of 161% within UK bank divisions.
FTE reductions of 20-40% in all recent Lean Six Sigma Service implementations.

Lean Six Sigma Approach In An Office Environment
Some of the tools to use:
Standardised Work
Process Mapping
User Guides
Capacity Planning
5S
Line Balancing
Heijunka
Visual Management
Work Organisation

But most of all, Basic Management. Many companies aren't very good at the real management basics and the most worrying part of this is that they don't even know they aren't very good.

A solid training plan for the management team at all levels will bring about startling results, once they begin to apply what they have learned. A good way to get this application going is to get them signed up to a Lean Six Sigma Certification course, where application is part of the certification process. Lean Six Sigma Certification courses offer online training for green belt and black belt certification.









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The Consultant’s Mindset

In the course of my day to day work with clients, one of the key roles I undertake and thoroughly enjoy is mentoring the internal consultants or change agents, depending upon what the client wants to call them.

I may have told you before that part of my background is in sales, which gave me an enormous advantage over many of the people in my field as I was trained in the art and science of sales by some true masters of the game. So when a client asks “what are you going to upskill my people with?”, I simply reply “The art of getting what you want” but it is much more than that and here are a few examples of the skills that a great consultant needs to master to get to the top in their field:

“Understanding what needs to be done & developing solutions” which means…. enquiring, researching, analysing & developing solutions.
“Influencing others” which means….. winning support of the key stakeholders directly or indirectly.
“Being oriented towards change” which means….. active commitment to development of self and others & continually driving for change.
“Delivering results” which means….. acting with a sense of urgency & planning and delivering what is promised.
“Working with others and relationship building” which means…. giving and receiving feedback, actively supporting others, participating in team activities, developing rapport and acting with integrity and fairness.

In addition to these, an unwavering degree of self-belief is essential, which generally comes from intensive coaching and mentoring or simply from the person’s desire to continuously get better at what they do through learning and self development.





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Who Can You Trust?

A Lot of clients ask me how I know what kind of person I’m dealing with and how I know whether I can trust them or not. Now, we cover this in great detail in the Black Belt Course but I thought I’d cover the basics here of some of the types of people you may encounter during any change program.

Firstly we have the ‘Pioneers’: These people have vision, are energetic, take risks, challenge conventional thinking, are impatient, sometimes lack a detailed approach, recognise that they need a high quality support team around them, move on once a challenge has been met, find reasons why. These are the people who’ll get things going in the right direction.

Next we have the ‘Settlers’: These are you ‘Steady Eddie’s’, they will ‘Feed’ the pioneers with the physical & emotional resources they need, are more conservative by nature, often have a more methodical and detailed approach, warn pioneers of potential dangers, come to the rescue when necessary.

Now we get to the minority groups and first up here are ‘The Old Dogs’: You’ve all met these guys, they lament about how good things were in the old days, keep their head down, when necessary align themselves with the Well Poisoners in order to preserve the status quo and can sometimes be confused with the settlers.

The most dangerous group and hardest to spot are the ‘Well Poisoners’: They will Find ways to sabotage and/or delay advances by; talking much and doing nothing, setting up committees that promise much & deliver little, spread unhelpful rumours, discredit people, intentionally avoid taking responsibility & find reasons why not. Can be terrific allies if they can be ‘turned’ BUT don’t count on turning them. The biggest tell-tale sign here is ‘Do the actions match the words?’ If they don’t, you may well be dealing with hidden intentions, so beware!






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Earn What you Deserve…

A question I get asked repeatedly by internal improvement consultants and client improvement team members, who I have acted as a mentor for is; “How can I earn more”, or more often “I wish I earned as much as you”. Now my response doesn’t always go down that well, as it is very direct but very true! You will always earn what you deserve to earn, not what you want to earn.

So in answer to the question, “How can I earn more”, the simple answer is – Deserve more! By this I mean, get better at what you do, become better educated in your subject matter, learn the skills you need to get paid more. It is hard work and takes effort but the rewards are a by-product of the work you put in.

Let me explain this in language that improvement people will understand – Cause and Effect. For every effect there must be a cause, so if your income is the ‘Effect’, the actions you take and the level of knowledge you have and how you use that is the ‘Cause’. In short, YOU are the ‘Cause’, so to change the ‘Effect’ (your income), you need to change the ‘Cause’ (You). Get better at what you do and the effects of that will be the benefits you reap.

The farmer understands the law of cause and effect better than most. He knows that the harder he works up front, ploughing and planting and being vigilant in keeping away pests, the better the harvest he will get and the more he’ll get paid. The work HAS to be done BEFORE the rewards can be reaped. This is the law of cause and effect. Most people get this backwards and expect to get the benefits before putting in the work but unfortunately for them, the universe doesn’t work that way.

So, if you want to earn more, learn from the farmer who’s been following this simple law for millennia, get better at what you do, study for your black belt, deliver projects on time and deliver benefits out of the back of these over and above what was expected and learn from those who’ve walked the road before you. A good mentor is worth their weight in gold.

Most importantly, take responsibility for your own life and career because nobody else can put the work in for you, just as you wouldn’t ask anyone else to do your breathing for you. Start now, put the work in now and you’ll reap the rewards.

It’s your choice but always remember, you’ll always earn what you deserve!






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What are the characteristics of a truly effective team?

I am continuing my team building discussions with my client and explained that Teamwork is what makes a team work effectively together as a unit.  It also helps team members feel happy, productive and fulfilled as individuals.  As the team’s leader, encouraging teamwork is one of the most important things you can do to help accomplish your team’s and organisation’s goals.

The following list contains signs that can be seen when a team is working effectively:

Team members:

• communicate openly and frankly with each other, both giving and receiving feedback
• can compete and co-operate at appropriate times
• are committed to quality and achieving goals
• support other team members and the team itself
• share responsibility for solving problems and making decisions
• support the leader

Planning
Planning is all about deciding what needs to be done, by whom and by when, in order to meet an objective or a given responsibility.
Or, put another way, it is about plotting a way to get to where you want to be and making adjustments along the way as they are needed.

Why Plan?
Effective time spent up front on planning usually means less wasted time and effort spent on monitoring whether the project is working and on remedying any shortcomings.
             
Remember, in order to produce a quality product, which is of paramount importance, it is essential to take the time necessary to guarantee that we can actually achieve  it.  Planning therefore enables you to focus on what needs to be achieved.

By breaking this down into logical steps you can then:
• allocate and obtain resources, both internally and externally
• prepare for contingencies
• monitor progress against plans
• take prompt action on any variance
• evaluate performance and develop better plans for the future

Of course, planning can never guarantee success.

You must plan and try to stick to that plan, and yet be flexible enough to recognise when it will not work and be willing to change it.  A plan after all is only a detailed guide with signposts.  It does not solve problems, but it can provide a framework for dealing with them should they arise.

Planning Requirements
The author Lewis Carroll once said ‘If you don’t know where you’re going, then any road will get you there.’

So when planning you have to have a clear understanding of exactly what it is you are trying to achieve.

What is your objective?
Other criteria which must be specific and clear, include:
• what standards are expected (quality, cost, volume)?
• what resources will be available, internal and external?
• what constraints are there?
• How long have you got?
• are there any other variables that you need to be aware of, for example the environment or situations that may affect the plan?

You must always remember that the plan will be implemented by people:
• who is available?
• what skills/knowledge do they have?
• what are their strengths and weaknesses?
• is any training required
Once you know what information or help you need you can then think about who or where you will get it from.


How to Plan
As we have just said the Planning process begins with the clarification of the objective it is important to understand exactly what is to be achieved.

It is also important to understand any constraints within which you have to work.

A large complex objective may be broken down into smaller tasks which can be then allocated to members of your team accordingly to their skills and strengths.

The order or sequence in which the tasks will be carried out then needs to be determined to give a logical flow.

Some tasks may be dependent on others for their completion and it is important that this is identified and highlighted.  So last step is to draw up a detailed plan of what is to happen.

    This allows everyone in the team to see what is required and allows
    everyone involved to measure progress once the plan is underway.


Implementing the Plan
The implementation process involves a number of responsibilities including:
• briefing
• controlling, monitoring and taking corrective action
• seeking/providing feedback
• reviewing/evaluating performance and results

Briefing
As the plan will be implemented by people, it is vital that they are briefed accordingly.  They will need to know what the overall plan is:
• the big picture
• what their role is within the plan
• responsibilities
• outcome expected of them
• specific targets

Controlling
This is the key activity during implementation:
• are standards being maintained?
• are things going according to plan?
• are people working well together?
• are you on time?
• do you need to take corrective action/modify the plan?

Feedback
Feedback is vital so that individuals in the team know how things are going and how they as individuals are contributing to the achievement of the objective.

To be effective, however, feedback must be handled properly.

Reviewing
The objective is to learn as much as possible from what has happened to improve performance on future tasks.  The review should be based on analysing in detail what went well and what did not go so well.  It is important to be honest and admit mistakes for the review to be of value.  It is equally important to develop a strategy for maintaining the good things as well as improving the bad.


Planning Tools and Techniques
There are many tools and techniques that can be used to aid and simplify the planning process.
These include:
• flow charts
• ‘To Do’ lists
• matrices
• schedule charts






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How do you ensure your change team is balanced?

I was working with this client recently and we started the talk about thier team, the question came from the client about how do we know how to identify people who would fit into certain ‘Team Roles’? and how do we ensure the team is ‘Balanced’?

I'm sure you will have your own thoughts in this regard, but take is this:

Leaders
...... people who co-ordinate the activities of others, including the review process.  They clarify goals and promote decision making, motivate and encourage the team to achieve, listen to members’ opinions and check that they have been understood by everyone.

Doers
...... very action orientated, like to achieve tasks, very concerned about achieving objectives, they contribute drive and energy to the team.

Thinkers
...... carefully think through problems and ideas.  They are typically very analytical and will usually enjoy planning and problem-solving.

Carers
...... very interested in developing a good team ‘spirit’.  They are sensitive to people’s feelings and morale, and will work to ease tensions and develop good relationships.


One important point though.  Just because you are a ‘carer’ does not mean that you only have ‘carer’ characteristics.  ‘Doers’ are quite capable of thinking and caring, ‘thinkers’ are capable of doing and caring, and ‘carers’ are capable of doing and thinking.

An effective team, therefore, needs the right balance of doers, carers and thinkers.  A leader needs to develop skills in blending this mix and be able to use the available ‘balance’ effectively.
               
One danger you must take care to avoid however, is in getting too many of one type.

Unless you recognise the danger and compensate for it, your team will show characteristic weaknesses.

Too many ‘Leaders’
Here you will suffer from too many ‘Chiefs’ and not enough ‘Indians’.  You may lack planning skills and/or good team relationships.

Too many ‘Doers’
Here you tend to be very active and show a lot of effort, being particularly competitive.  However, you tend not to spend enough time on planning and reviewing and tensions may well develop in the team.

Too many ‘Thinkers’
Here you will be effective at problem-solving and produce well thought out, detailed plans.  Your groups discussions will be well disciplined and your review will tend to be very analytical and searching.  You will however, lack drive to achieve ‘the task’, with too much time being spent on analysis without actually doing anything about it.  Insensitivity to people’s problems may also cause you troubles.

Too many ‘Carers’
Your team will be ‘great fun’ to work in.  The atmosphere will be comfortable and relaxed with excellent working relationships.  The problems will come, however, in lacking drive to achieve your task and in giving inadequate attention to problem-solving and planning.  You will tend to avoid conflict, ignoring difficult issues and explaining failures away.

In all the above cases, a simple solution is for the over-represented role members to adopt their secondary team roles.






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Synergy depends on communication and common goals and team spirit

Following on from my recent post on building your change team.

The next question the client usually asks is “What about the team roles? Won’t there be some conflict if we just pull together a few positive , can-do people?” – Absolutely, that’s why the team roles are important:

Team Roles
The most common feature of successful teams is the fact that they are made up of the correct mix of people.  We all have different strengths and weaknesses.

To achieve ‘synergy’ in a team, you must have the correct blend of these strengths and weaknesses.

Synergy
‘No individual can be perfect but a team can be.’
In fact, one definition of synergy emphasises just this point.

The total energy of a team, harnessed and working together,
is greater than the sum of individual parts.

For synergy to occur in a team, there are three essential requirements:
• communication
• common objectives and goals
• team spirit

Communication
Obviously, you must have good communication with the team.

Everyone must understand what the team is trying to achieve and what the needs of others within the team are.

Basically, you must:
• not talk over each other
• listen to what people are saying
• make sure everyone has a chance to contribute
• not let communication be dominated by a few, excluding others in the team                                                                                                    
As we have just said, along with effective communication you must also have common objectives and goals.

Objectives and Goals
Everyone in the team must understand what the team is trying to achieve, the ‘big picture’; what actions have been planned and what progress is being made towards the goal.

If you are not aware that a problem exists, how can you contribute ideas for the solution?

Finally, the third essential requirement - TEAM SPIRIT.

Team Spirit
This is a measure of the belief, fellowship and self value exhibited by the team towards each other and the whole.

SYNERGY depends on COMMUNICATION and COMMON GOALS and TEAM SPIRIT

One important thing to remember though.  Even if we have the right ingredients to achieve synergy in the team, we still need the correct mix of roles for all individuals to maximise that synergy.

Probably the easiest way of thinking about the roles people play in a team is to look at:
• who are the potential leaders - leaders
• who likes to get things done - doers
• who thinks carefully about problems - thinkers
• who likes to have good working relationships within the team - carers






If you enjoy reading my blogs, please take a look at my many other on-line resources,

Website, http://www.beyondlean6sigma.com/
Blog, http://leansixsigmauk.blogspot.co.uk/
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/leansixsigmacert
Follow me on twitter, https://twitter.com/DrLeanSigma
I have also recently launched a new range of Lean Six Sigma on-line training courses which you can read about here, http://www.beyondlean6sigma.com/programmes/




#leansixsigma, #beyondlean, #leansixsigmacertification, #leansixsigmatraining lean six sigma, lean six sigma training, lean six sigma certification, lean six sigma

Geting your team to continue to perform

One of my recent posts I discussed what makes a successful change team.

so, you've formed a team and you know they will go through the stages of chaotic, formal to mature but how can you get them there and ensure they continue to perform at a stellar level?

Team Reviews

To move from the chaotic stage to the mature stage, the team must build on its experiences.  It is commonly believed that you learn from experience.  Actually, you gain understanding from reviewing and thinking about your experiences.  You can then draw appropriate conclusions and plan to modify your behaviour in the future.
You learn by doing and understand by reviewing

The Learning Cycle
There is a procedure for conducting a team review.  It is a skill that should be learned and practiced.

Procedure
Start by analysing your team results
• did you achieve the task?
• what aspects of the task did you do well?
• what aspects of the task did you not complete satisfactorily?
• did individual roles, contributions, activities and attitudes benefit the team?


REMEMBER, your analysis should be factual and honest.            

Analyse why you performed the way you did
You need to shift the focus of the review from ‘ what happened’ to ‘WHY it happened!’  Your analysis should cover both task and process related aspects - how your team approached the task; how you as team members worked together.

Having focused on the causes you can now identify what strengths you can maintain and develop and what weaknesses you need to overcome

Again, this should include both process and task related aspects of your performance.

It is important at this stage that you adopt the ‘Pareto Principle’.  Try to concentrate on the ‘significant few’ factors or weaknesses - the ones that are causing you the most problems.  Once you have eliminated these, you can then move on to the lesser concerns.

REMEMBER, do not try to change everything immediately.  Instead, use the Continuous Improvement principle of aiming for steady, continuous progress rather than risky wholesale change.


Plan for improved performance in the future

Try not to forget, a good review is just as concerned with the future as it is with the past.
You are not carrying out a review as a ‘post-mortem’, you are attempting to understand what you have done in the past so that you can improve in the future.

Having carried out your review you can develop a plan which:
• maintains and builds on the strengths of the team
• overcomes the weaknesses identified

Most importantly, your plan for improvement should be:
• feasible
• practical
• understood by everyone
• able to identify who will do what
• clearly directed and agreed by all for the next task.

This completes the learning cycle.







If you enjoy reading my blogs, please take a look at my many other on-line resources,

Website, http://www.beyondlean6sigma.com/
Blog, http://leansixsigmauk.blogspot.co.uk/
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/leansixsigmacert
Follow me on twitter, https://twitter.com/DrLeanSigma
I have also recently launched a new range of Lean Six Sigma on-line training courses which you can read about here, http://www.beyondlean6sigma.com/programmes/


#leansixsigma, #beyondlean, #leansixsigmacertification, #leansixsigmatraining lean six sigma, lean six sigma training, lean six sigma certification, lean six sigma

The different stages of your change team

In my last post, we looked at the early stages of forming a team and in this post I’ll discuss the ‘formal’ and ‘mature’ stages:

Formal Stage
The formal stage is likely to be more successful, but this success will be limited by inflexibility.  The team at this stage of its development tends to be too regimental and fails to utilise the full capability of all its members.  This is due largely to over-rigidly defined roles within the team.  Probably the worst case of this being that far too much dependence is placed on the leader to co-ordinate, plan, make decisions as well as to control.

Typical characteristics of formal teams include:
• strong likelihood of overreacting - becoming too formal in procedures and roles
• strong leadership often seems the answer to problems of the chaotic stage - the leader is often criticised for failure to be strong enough during chaotic stage
• formal/specific roles (timekeeper/secretary etc.)
• poor flexibility
• not making use of capabilities of members


Mature Stage
Gradually, the team begins to develop out of the formal stage and starts to take ‘liberties’ with its own procedures without slipping back into chaos.

This progress to maturity is not guaranteed however.

If the team rebels against the rigidities of the formal stage too early, it can easily slip back to the chaotic stage.

On the other hand, some teams get stuck in the formal stage and never quite reach the mutual understanding and trust needed to move to maturity.

The breakthrough to the mature stage usually occurs when the team realises that some parts of their formal procedures are of no use to the particular task they are doing.  The team cuts corners and finds it can cope.

Typical characteristics of mature teams include:
• procedures for objective setting, planning, discussions etc. that are agreed and based on the task or situation
• procedures that are flexible rather than rigid
• team roles that are more relaxed, with members contributing on the basis of what they can offer in a specific situation, not according to rigidly defined responsibilities
• communication that is good within the team. (ideas and suggestions are given freely and are listened to and built on)
• leadership style is more ‘involving and participative’ as the situation dictates

The team in its mature stage of development is likely to be very effective.





If you enjoy reading my blogs, please take a look at my many other on-line resources,

Website, http://www.beyondlean6sigma.com/
Blog, http://leansixsigmauk.blogspot.co.uk/
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/leansixsigmacert
Follow me on twitter, https://twitter.com/DrLeanSigma
I have also recently launched a new range of Lean Six Sigma on-line training courses which you can read about here, http://www.beyondlean6sigma.com/programmes/




#leansixsigma, #beyondlean, #leansixsigmacertification, #leansixsigmatraining lean six sigma, lean six sigma training, lean six sigma certification, lean six sigma

What makes a successful change team?

I’ve been asked by many of my clients "What’s the best way to pull a successful change team together?"
Now, there are many views on this kind of thing out there but I like to keep it simple! As Bruce Lee once said "simplicity is genius"

Firstly, you need to look at the type of person you want to entrust with improving your organisation – Attitude is everything! A positive, can-do attitude wins every time for me over any number of MBA qualifications, so let’s take a look at teams………

There are lots of definitions as to what makes a team.  One of the better definitions states:
‘...... a team is a group of people who co-operate and work together to achieve a goal in a way which allows them to accomplish more than individuals working alone could have achieved.’

Ideally, they will all be working together towards commonly understood, shared and achievable objectives.

Obviously, when a new team is formed, it is very rare that it will perform effectively from the start.  There is a development process that each successful team must go through.

This development process has three distinct stages:

• chaotic
• formal
• mature

Chaotic Stage
The chaotic stage is the very first stage that a new team goes through.

As the name suggests a team is the chaotic stage of development will exhibit typical characteristics.  These include:

• inadequate planning
• not enough time given to setting clear, agreed objectives
• making too many assumptions, particularly about objectives, targets and team roles
• underestimating problems
• no clear procedures, agreed ways of working or development of understanding
• poor communication within the team.  (during discussions, some team members will dominate while others will not be able to get their ideas heard)
• everyone tending to talk at once.  (this, coupled with poor listening skills, will lead to ideas that are lost)
• leadership is either non-existent, unclear, too heavy-handed or not accepted by the rest of the team

It is easy to see that teams in the chaotic stage will fail more often than they succeed.  However, these failures will be ‘explained away’ and ‘glossed over’ instead of being analysed objectively.

Chaotic teams will be fun for a while. Team members will tend to overcome uncertainty by diving headlong into the task without really giving thought as to what they are doing or how they are working together.

Eventually though, the team will begin to react against the chaotic stage by becoming more formal in its approach.  There is a danger however, that the team will overreact and introduce formal procedures that are too rigid and restraining.

I'll discuss the formal stage in my next blog.



If you enjoy reading my blogs, please take a look at my many other on-line resources,

Website, http://www.beyondlean6sigma.com/
Blog, http://leansixsigmauk.blogspot.co.uk/
Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/leansixsigmacert
Follow me on twitter, https://twitter.com/DrLeanSigma
I have also recently launched a new range of Lean Six Sigma on-line training courses which you can read about here, http://www.beyondlean6sigma.com/programmes/




#leansixsigma, #beyondlean, #leansixsigmacertification, #leansixsigmatraining lean six sigma, lean six sigma training, lean six sigma certification, lean six sigma

The One Secret to Successful Lean Six Sigma

Many of my clients and colleagues are forever asking the question “How do we assure sustainability for a Lean Six Sigma Project.” This is by far the most difficult part to achieve and it is all about the people.

Based on my personal scars and experience, any improvement activity is 20% about the tools and 80% about the people and it is people that determine the sustainability.. so, what determines whether change ‘Sticks’ or not ?

The beliefs, behaviour and actions of individuals all form part of the make up of the ‘Culture’ of an organisation and it is this ‘Culture’ that determines the sustainability of your Lean Six Sigma project, Programme or Transformation.

In order for anything to remain in place, it has to be accepted as ‘The norm’ or the ‘Modus Operandi’, or put quite simply, “It’s the way we do things around here”. The change must become part of the culture of the organisation. If it doesn’t, it will always be “The stuff we have to do as well as our day job” and will be dropped at the earliest opportunity.

So, what exactly do we mean by Culture? Associated words and phrases….
• Way of life, customs, traditions
• Society, background, ethnicity
• Conduct, behaviour, habits, manner

Definitions……
• “…relating to the cultivation of the mind or manners especially through artistic or intellectual activity…”
• “… the norms and values that people live by…”
• “…unwritten rules that define what is expected of people and how they should behave…”
• “…the way we do things around here…”

And that leads us to our next question, what do we need to change the culture?

Firstly, we must begin to change the behaviour, values and beliefs of the leadership. To do this successfully requires skill in building rapport, influencing and sales, as the first step in any change of ANY kind is, DESIRE !

Then we need to find Change agents within an organisation who exhibit a “pioneering spirit”. We need to define a ‘picture’ and ‘feel’ of the desired future and plan a strategy and roadmap to make it happen.

Involve as many people as possible who will define it, create a plan and take the actions necessary for it to be realised. And finally, Effort, skill and patience.

What do we need to do to go about creating the desire, which will in turn allow us to begin to change the behaviour, values and beliefs of the leadership? Firstly, answer the following questions:

• Who has a need that I/we can & must satisfy? – either a business or a specific person
• Who do you know who is respected by the people you need to influence?
• Who do you know that you suspect might be respected by the people you need to influence?
• If you don’t know anyone then what research will you need to do to find out?
• What chains or links between people can you create?
• What value could you create for the person/people in the chain?

Ok, so we’ve covered what we need to do to make Change stick but to be honest, that’s the easy bit.

Now we get into HOW we go about changing the beliefs, behaviours and actions of the key people connected to the change programme. This can only be achieved by influencing, negotiating, demonstrating the benefits and getting the stakeholders to WANT to do things differently – Creating the DESIRE !

Some say these are the “Soft skills” or the “Fluffy stuff” or “People skills” and that some people have these as a natural ability but they can’t really be taught to people who don’t ‘Have it’.

That’s absolute garbage! This is an exact science, as exact a science as physics. It’s common name is …… SALES

Or, how we use these exact techniques to build solid relationships with high degrees of rapport and trust in order to get our stakeholders to actively want to exhibit the desired behaviours and actions that will in turn, shape the culture into one which embraces the changes introduced, as the new NORM.

This is too big a section to be covered extensively in this blog post but is covered in our black belt syllabus at http://www.beyondlean6sigma.com/programmes/black-belt/

Or, to really become an expert in this field, we run a 5 day consultancy masterclass, which covers the “People” side of Lean Six Sigma in great depth, get in touch with me.




If you enjoy reading my blogs, please take a look at my many other on-line resources,

Website, http://www.beyondlean6sigma.com/

Blog, http://leansixsigmauk.blogspot.co.uk/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/leansixsigmacert

Follow me on twitter, https://twitter.com/DrLeanSigma

I have also recently launched a new range of Lean Six Sigma on-line training courses which you can read about here, http://www.beyondlean6sigma.com/programmes/




#leansixsigma, #beyondlean, #leansixsigmacertification, #leansixsigmatraining lean six sigma, lean six sigma training, lean six sigma certification, lean six sigma

Meetings – Timewasters, or Timesavers?

Here is one of my personal pet hates. The meeting that adds absolutely no value to anyone involved.

A few weeks ago, one of my clients asked if we should set up a meeting but when I asked what exactly would be the purpose of the meeting, so that I could decide whether or not it would be something I, or anyone else should invest any of their time in, she couldn’t answer. Needless to say, I didn’t attend – and nobody died! Now here’s the useful bit regarding meetings:

Meetings can be either “formal” or informal, but they should only take place when the purpose or objective can be achieved more effectively through the sharing process than by any other method of communication. That is would the information be just as effective if it was sent in a memo format or even displayed on a notice.

Before any meeting takes place we should ask ourselves

“Why am I having this meeting”

If it is not possible to state the purpose of the meeting than perhaps there is no need for it to go ahead.

We should not fall into the trap of holding the weekly departmental meeting because it has always been held. Many meetings waste a great deal of time and therefore money for the simple reason that they are held for historical reasons rather than practical ones.

Setting Objectives

Generally speaking objectives fall into one of four categories:
• To give information
• To make decisions
• To investigate
• To plan

We can look at these four categories in more detail.

To give information – This type of meeting is solely concerned with passing on information to members of the meeting: -
e.g.
• New product launch
• Start of shift meeting
• Change of company procedures

It is possible that some questions will be asked and a degree of sharing of information, but, in most meetings of this nature it is mostly a one way process of communication.

To make decisions – this type of meeting is held when one person deciding alone may make a biased decision, or when the views of several different people would lead to a better quality of decision.

Much discussion will probably be necessary to reach an agreement but the final decision will be more agreeable if everyone has had their say.

A lot of discussion will probably be necessary to reach agreement.

To investigate – This type of meeting is held to bring together people representing all side of an issue, i.e. to investigate a quality concern. It may be necessary to bring together people from a number of different areas to ensure all angles of the problem are investigated. It might also be useful to consider bringing in outside expertise.

To plan – This type of meeting is held to ensure that representatives of all people affected by a decision, or with responsibility for action, are involved in the planning stage of a project, i.e. Project Planning Team. If the plan is to be implemented smoothly it is important that agreement is reached on all sides.

Types of Meeting
Meetings can be classified in a number of different ways. The type of meeting depends on: -
• Frequency – how often the meeting is held
 Start of shift
 Weekly
 Monthly
 Quarterly
 Annually

• Composition – who is attending the meeting
 You and your supervisor
 You and your peers
 You and your customers
 You and your suppliers
 You and your workers

• Motivation – what is the reason behind the meeting
 Information giving
 Budget planning
 Wage negotiation
 New product design

• Decision making process – what the scope is for making decisions
 Working party
 Executive Committee
 Board of Directors

No matter what type of meeting you are going to chair you will have to do some planning and preparation.

Preparation
A certain amount of pre-meeting preparation is essential if the meeting you are chairing is to be effective.

This in itself will not guarantee success, but the absence of good preparation will definitely detract from the effectiveness of the meeting.

This pre-meeting preparation can be thought of in terms of the five W’s:
• Why should we hold the meeting – the objectives
• Who should attend – the people
• What is to be discussed – the agenda
• Where should the meeting be held – the venue
• When should the meeting be held – the timing

From this we can obtain the order in which we must carry out our preparation:
• The objective
• The people
• The agenda
• The venue
• The timing

The Objective
We have already discussed the types of objective which a meeting may have. However, we cannot over emphasise the importance of knowing why we are holding the meeting and what we want to achieve – the outcome.

The People
The value and success of any meeting, other than perhaps the information giving type, is seriously threatened if too many people are present.

Decisions will be difficult to reach or people may feel intimidated and therefore reluctant to make possibly valuable contributions.

Between four and seven is the ideal number but twelve is generally considered the outside limit. Any more than this and the effectiveness of the meeting will be greatly reduced.

It is therefore important that a lot of thought goes into deciding who should attend.

The following guidelines may help you in making the decision:
• Invite only people with the authority to get the job done
• Invite a representative from all groups who will be affected by the decision
• Invite the people necessary to reach agreement on the various issues

If despite having followed these guidelines, there are still too many people attending, there may be a case to split the meeting into sub-committees to address separate issues.

The Agenda
Of all the documents and papers required for a meeting, by far the most important is the agenda.
Properly used, it can speed up and clarify the objective of the meeting.

In most instances, items on the agenda are too brief and vague and therefore do not allow participants to prepare adequately for the discussion points.

It is a good idea to put out a circulation list with the agenda so people can see who else is expected to attend.

The purpose of the agenda is to give discipline to the direction of the meeting, ensure no important item is overlooked and to allow participants time to prepare. For these reasons it is important that the agenda is written rather than carried around in someone’s head.

Even for emergency meetings, called in response to a crisis, a scribbled agenda of the points to be covered can help give direction and stop the meeting becoming side tracked on irrelevant subjects.

The following guidelines may help you when you are writing an agenda:
• Show the time and place of the meeting
• Gather items for discussion from the meeting attendees
• Convince yourself that an item is worth discussing before accepting it
• If a person who submits an item cannot attend the meeting don’t take the item unless absolutely necessary
• Write items in order of their potential ease of disposal, not in order of size or difficulty, i.e. items on which agreement can easily be made to unite the group during the early part of the meeting should be dealt with first
• Write items in a logical sequence
• Set a time limit for each item (even if you do not stick to it religiously it will always be a guide)
• Be realistic on how many items you include on the agenda
• Write down the purpose of each item i.e. for information, to discuss, to decide etc. This will give the participants more detailed information on what to prepare
• Use simple language i.e. ‘take a decision’ – do not conduct a review of its commercial viability
• Never leave people guessing – show exactly what is to be discussed and why
• Outline what preparation should be done by participants and any other paper they should bring
• ‘Any Other Business’ consider whether you want to include this. It can be seen as an opportunity to waste time or introduce a hidden agenda item. But it could be useful for someone to raise an issue, which occurred after the agenda was set.

Where possible, the agenda should be set in advance and circulate, ideally, 48 hours before the meeting. (Long enough to allow people to prepare but not so far in advance that the meeting will be forgotten).

The Venue
Arrangements should be made for a suitable venue to be available for the duration of the meeting.

If the meeting is just in house the geographical location is not an issue but if some attendees are from other places try to balance out the travelling times.

Although you may not have much choice over where you hold your meeting is should be in convenient place for all members. It should be free from interruptions and should have adequate seating for all participants.

The Timing
There is no hard and fast rule on the length of time a meeting should take.

Obviously, the points to be covered on the agenda will govern how long will be necessary. However, for a meeting to be effective it should certainly not take any longer than two hours.

If this is not the case, items should perhaps be moved to the next meeting. If this is not possible a break should be taken during the meeting and the frequency of the meetings should be looked at for the future.

There may be a genuine case for holding more meetings of shorter duration.

There is no ‘best’ time for a meeting to take place, other than when everyone is available. However, it is generally considered that performance and alertness fall off rapidly during the latter part of the day. For a meeting to finish promptly it is always a good idea to hold it just before lunch.

Again consider the travelling time of individuals and how they will be arriving. If they travel by train allow them time to get from the station. Breakfast meetings are becoming more common and offer the opportunity to combine hospitality with information.

Establish when information will be available if it is crucial to the meeting. If you need up-to-date financial information and this is produced quarterly try to arrange your meeting after each quarter.

The Meeting itself
Having successfully carried out all the pre-meeting preparation necessary, we are now well along the route to have an effective meeting.

The next step is to look at the meeting itself.

To do this we must consider:
• The responsibility of the chairperson when dealing with the subject
• The responsibility of the chairperson when dealing with the people
• Taking minutes
• Participating in the meeting
• Overcoming the barriers to effective meetings


I’m not going to cover the whole subject here in one post but if you want to get the comprehensive guide to effective meetings, simply go over to our website at http://www.beyondlean6sigma.com/resources

If you enjoy reading my blogs, please take a look at my many other on-line resources,

Website, http://www.beyondlean6sigma.com/

Blog, http://leansixsigmauk.blogspot.co.uk/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/leansixsigmacert

Follow me on twitter, https://twitter.com/DrLeanSigma

I have also recently launched a new range of Lean Six Sigma on-line training courses which you can read about here, http://www.beyondlean6sigma.com/programmes/



#leansixsigma, #beyondlean, #leansixsigmacertification, #leansixsigmatraining lean six sigma, lean six sigma training, lean six sigma certification, lean six sigma

What is Gemba Management?

A Client once asked me why he needed to leave his office to go to the workplace to carry out this ‘Gemba thing’. After a little persuasion, the client, (Who was quite new to his role as a senior Manager at one of the major banks) reluctantly went and spent a half day in amongst his teams in the ‘Gemba’. When he returned, he requested we have a short debriefing session and he was nothing short of enthused about how much he’d been able to learn about his operation, it’s strengths and weaknesses and the people who worked for him. My favourite quote was “I’ve learned more in the last 3½ hours about this operation than in the previous 4 weeks so called ‘Management Meetings’.

‘Gemba’ management is a style of management based on high visibility at the Gemba (the place where value is added), and the active promotion and use of Lean Six Sigma tools and techniques in day to day tasks.

An Organisation is a shadow of it’s leader

If you demonstrate belief in the new working methodologies, those you lead will see this as an acceptable behaviour and attempt to emulate this behaviour. However, if you simply pay ‘Lip service’ to the change initiative – Guess what those who work for you will do?

Your staff may not always do as you ask, but they will Always attempt to do as you do!

What kind of shadow will you cast?





If you enjoy reading my blogs, please take a look at my many other on-line resources,

Website, http://www.beyondlean6sigma.com/

Blog, http://leansixsigmauk.blogspot.co.uk/

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/leansixsigmacert

Follow me on twitter, https://twitter.com/DrLeanSigma

I have also recently launched a new range of Lean Six Sigma on-line training courses which you can read about here, http://www.beyondlean6sigma.com/programmes/



#leansixsigma, #beyondlean, #leansixsigmacertification, #leansixsigmatraining lean six sigma, lean six sigma training, lean six sigma certification, lean six sigma

Change The Culture And You’ll Change The Organisation!

Many of my clients and colleagues are forever asking the question “How do we assure sustainability for a Lean Six Sigma Project”. This is by far the most difficult part to achieve and it is all about the people.

Based on my personal scars and experience, any improvement activity is 20% about the tools and 80% about the people and it is people that determine the sustainability so, what determines whether change ‘Sticks’ or not ?

The beliefs, behaviour and actions of individuals all form part of the make up of the ‘Culture’ of an organisation and it is this ‘Culture’ that determines the sustainability of your Lean Six Sigma project, programme or Transformation.

In order for anything to remain in place, it has to be accepted as ‘The norm’ or the ‘Modus Operandi’, or put quite simply, ‘It’s the way we do things around here’.

The change must become part of the culture of the organisation. If it doesn’t, it will always be ‘The stuff we have to do as well as our day job’ and will be dropped at the earliest opportunity.

So, what exactly do we mean by ‘Culture’?

Associated words and phrases….

 Way of life, customs, traditions

 Society, background, ethnicity

 Conduct, behaviour, habits, manner

Definitions……

 ‘…relating to the cultivation of the mind or manners especially through artistic or intellectual activity…’

 ‘… the norms and values that people live by…’

 ‘...unwritten rules that define what is expected of people and how they should behave…’

 ‘…the way we do things around here…’

And that leads us to our next question, what do we need to change the culture?

Firstly, we must begin to change the behaviour, values and beliefs of the leadership. To do this successfully requires skill in building rapport, influencing and sales, as the first step in any change of ANY kind is, DESIRE !

Then we need to find Change agents within an organisation who exhibit a ‘pioneering spirit’. We need to define a ‘picture’ and ‘feel’ of the desired future and plan a strategy and roadmap to make it happen.

Involve as many people as possible who will define it, create a plan and take the actions necessary for it to be realised.

And finally, Effort, skill and patience.


How do we go about creating the desire, which will in turn allow us to begin to change the behaviour, values and beliefs of the leadership? Firstly, answer the following questions:

• Who has a need that I/we can & must satisfy? – either a business or a specific person

• Who do you know who is respected by the people you need to influence?

• Who do you know that you suspect might be respected by the people you need to influence?

• If you don’t know anyone then what research will you need to do to find out?

• What chains or links between people can you create?

• What value could you create for the person/people in the chain?

Ok, so we’ve covered what we need to do to make Change stick but to be honest, that’s the easy bit.

Now we get into HOW we go about changing the beliefs, behaviours and actions of the key people connected to the change programme. This can only be achieved by influencing, negotiating, demonstrating the benefits and getting the stakeholders to WANT to do things differently – Creating the DESIRE !

Some say these are the ‘Soft skills’ or the ‘Fluffy stuff’ or ‘People skills’ and that some people have these as a natural ability but they can’t really be taught to people who don’t ‘Have it’.

That’s absolute garbage! This is an exact science, as exact a science as physics. It’s common name is – SALES

Or, how we use these exact techniques to build solid relationships with high degrees of rapport and trust in order to get our stakeholders to actively want to exhibit the desired behaviours and actions that will in turn, shape the culture into one which embraces the changes introduced, as the new ‘Norm’.

This is too big a section to be covered extensively in this blog post but is covered in our black belt syllabus at www.beyondlean6sigma.com

Or, to really become an expert in this field, we run a 5 day consultancy masterclass, which covers the ‘People’ side of Lean Six Sigma in great depth.




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