Lean Management
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Lean Management is a powerful approach to modern management, proven in the world's most successful companiesIt consists of:
- To rely on the know-how, L'inventiveness and the motivation of the team
- Focus actions on the ground and on theteam because that's where the greatest improvements are needed
- Aim for and meet the expectations of customers
- Thus reducing the waste and the losses in a sustainable
- Implementing a set of tools, methods and best practices
Key concepts of Lean Management
Here is a brief overview of the main concepts of Lean Management:
The 5 Whys
The 5 Whys is a problem-solving method designed to analyze a problem in depth (up to 5 levels). The goal is to delve into the issue to uncover its root cause. The 5 Whys method is used in many management fields and is well-known today.
The 5S
The 5S are the Japanese acronym for five recommendations aimed at streamlining tasks in a spirit of continuous improvement:
- Seiri: To get rid of,
- Seiton: To arrange,
- Seiso: Clean,
- Seiketsu: Standardize,
- Shitsuke: Discipline & Educate.
The 5 Zeros
The concept of the 5 zeros is one of the fundamentals of Toyotism, which has become Lean:
- Zero defects,
- Paperless,
- Zero breakdowns,
- Zero stock,
- Zero delay.
Thus, the "Just in Time" and "Kanban" systems were developed, which are well-known in many quality and operational excellence initiatives.
Gemba
Lean aims to better serve the customer while improving profitability. To achieve this, Lean seeks to mobilize all stakeholders, from the front line to senior management. Indeed, who knows their work environment better than those who work in it?
These are the people who hold the key to improvements. It is on the ground that problems can be identified most quickly. It is also on the ground that solutions for improvement can be conceived and implemented.
This is the Gemba (or Genba).
The "Gemba Walk" is a regular "walk" on the ground, in the factory, workshops and offices where appropriate, in order to see, listen, ask questions and learn how to create value, sometimes accompanied by a Lean expert-coach, called "sensei" in Japanese.
Hansei
Hansei is self-criticism. It's an individual and collective mindset to cultivate, allowing you to develop your ability to see and analyze mistakes, starting with yourself and your team...
Analyzing errors, as well as acknowledging that they have been made, is indeed a foundation of continuous improvement and operational excellence.
However, learning and coaching in a collective method are necessary so that self-criticism does not turn into either a trial or a blank session.
Performance indicators
A key performance indicator (KPI) is a crucial tool for all improvement initiatives. When carefully selected as a team, the KPI should not only measure progress on improvement scales but also generate an action plan. These indicators will be compiled in a dynamic dashboard.
Jidoka
The key idea is to reduce process variability in order to prevent, in particular, non-conformities from occurring at the customer level. The goal is to "get it right the first time." Therefore, it's necessary to eliminate the sources of errors.
At the slightest problem occurring during the production process, the Toyota Automatic Error Detection System (Jidoka) raises an alert and allows line workers to take all necessary measures to resolve the issue, even if it means interrupting production. (Source: Toyota website)
Differentiate between tasks that can be performed by humans and those that can be performed by machines. Do not use humans as guardians of machines; instead, assign them to tasks that can only be performed by humans. Taiichi Ohno
Quote reported by Wakamatsu, author of "The Toyota Mindset"
We will also use Poka Yoke and FMEA to identify and analyze potential failure risks.
Just in Time
Just-in-Time (JIT) is the method of producing only at the right moment. Instead of "pushing" production based on sales forecasts, which are more or less accurate, production is "pulled" by customer demand.
This allows for a drastic reduction in inventory and work-in-progress (WIP) to retain only what is necessary to manufacture the items ordered by the customer and deliver them on time. It's a complex method to implement, but the gains are significant.
Kaizen
This is the principle behind continuous improvement. It involves developing, optimizing, and perfecting continuously, but without abrupt changes, and always in a cooperative manner.
Kanban
Kanban is the approach to implementing a Just-in-Time production system, which operates in reverse flow. Production is "pulled" by customer demand. Each workstation in the process acts as a customer for the workstation preceding it.
Thus, it is the downstream station that requests supplies from the upstream station, using a "Kanban".
This Japanese term refers to the label containing the few essential instructions for placing the order.
Muda
"Muda" refers to the first type of waste: It encompasses all unnecessary costs that must be eliminated. Examples include waiting times, redundant travel, unnecessary inventory, and overproduction.
Mura
"Mura" refers to a second type of waste: These are all forms of irregularities most often due to a lack of standard and, more generally, anything that is likely to hinder the regularity of flows.
Muri
Muri refers to the third type of waste: over-reliance on resources. The term "Muri" encompasses all forms of excess that can be reduced without compromising product quality. This necessitates developing standardization and adjusting the takt time.
However, it is advisable to incorporate a "slack" safety margin into the processes to avoid putting excessive strain on personnel and equipment. It is also essential to adapt tools and methods to the specific circumstances. In this regard, it is crucial to understand and interpret the Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) to avoid building overstressed production systems where even the slightest disruption can jeopardize the entire process.
PDCA
PDCA, for Plan ➔ Do ➔ Check ➔ Act, is associated with the Deming Wheel, implying that we repeat the 4 operations: Plan, Do, Check, Act.
SMED
SMED, or Single Minute Exchange of Die, is a method designed to eliminate downtime spent adjusting production parameters during changeovers. The idea is to organize tool changes quickly and optimize settings to be as simple as possible between each changeover.
Standardization
Standardization is a key element of Toyotism and Lean Management, just as it was for Taylorism and Fordism. However, Taiichi Ohno takes this concept even further to better leverage the "best practices" developed in his workshops. Everything hinges on the quality of the design of the procedures defining "how" to perform the work. Over time, the procedure is improved (Kaizen).
In practice, procedures are too often established by those who prescribe them and are far removed from reality. In fact, they apply "recipes" and "methods" without taking into account the realities on the ground, without considering the perspective of those who will be responsible for implementing them.
Dynamic dashboard
The dashboard should not be just a display of indicators and ratios.
Takt Time
This term defines the ideal time to complete a task, from the customer's perspective. It allows for the sizing of a production line. For example, a customer buys 300 units per day: Production must therefore be sized to be able to deliver them.
The "Cycle Time" defines the actual execution time of a specific task, independent of the customer. Ideally, the Cycle Time should be as close as possible to the Takt Time. If the Cycle Time is greater than the Takt Time, the order will never be fulfilled; if it is less, there will be overcapacity.
Continuous Improvement and Lean Six Sigma
While Six Sigma is used to drastically reduce process variability, Lean, on the other hand, seeks to eliminate everything unnecessary within the process. The entire Lean philosophy lies in the fundamental principle of continuous improvement. Progress is made in stages using a PDCA cycle (the Deming cycle): Plan, Do, Check, Act.
The success of the project therefore depends essentially on the ability to accurately measure progress according to the performance objectives set.
BLM: Achieving Strong Growth
