LEAN AND SIX SIGMA

The week was a brilliant one. There were a lot of simulations that helped us learn a lot. There was something important to take away from each day. If I need to implement these principles in my organisation, I need to understand them to the core. Talking about lean six sigma, I need to start thinking on lean principles in order to impleemnt them. For example, James Horton (from bombardier) told that he went into starbucks and observed that it is so annoying to wait in the queue for your turn to get coffee. That is a non-value added waste in the process. As a manager I need to think on these lines in order to implement the approach successfully.

One of the major learnings was to not make assumptions about the process and try to understand it first. It aligns with the principle of knowledge put forward bt Deming. After understanding the root causes it becomes necessary to treat one problem at a time. If we try to implement solutions for multiple problems we cannot know exactly which solution is effective and which is not. To have a complete know how of the process take it step by step.

Also, it might be possible that individual departments and processes may work well individually, but it doesn't mean they will work together as a system. It aligns with the appreciation of a system. During making a plane, we tried to time the individual processes but at the end the whole system of assembly line was not able to come together. It is important to develop a systems thinking. Think of organisation as a whole and start thinking. The biggest obstacle that one can face as a manager is the resistance to change. That is one thing that I need to learn to tackle. One way is to involve the employees in the evolution of the idea. But, given the organisation environment that I have seen back home, it is not that easy to do. I need to reflect back every day and try to find the right solutions for these obstacles.

I have always been taught to listen to the customer. It is the most important aspect of the business. But now I know a few scientific ways to implement it. Process improvement is always about the listening to the voice of the customer and listening to the voice of the process. According to the Takt time we can then figure out in what time I need to make one product in order to fulfill the demand. JCB factory had a lot of visual signals. These can also be an important point to consider while running an organisation.

Lean is about improving the speed of the process and six sigma is about making the best quality on point. Considering a basketball game, reducing the time taken for a ball to be transferred from one corner to other comes under the lean thinking and hitting the ball on point/target with minimum variation is the six sigma ideology. They can be used together well. Reducing the waiting time in a queue in coffee shop is a non-value added waste which can be removed by introducing the online order and payment system before entering the cafe. It reduces the waiting time and increases value added time. This comes under the lean thinking(reducing cycle time).

In my organisation most of the products are made in batches. Once a batch of sole is applied on the shoe, then the whole batch goes under the next step. This method keeps the customer waiting. The customer waits for the whole batch receives a large quantity at once. A better solution can be single piece production(assembly line). It can help to introduce concepts of Just-in-time and help to reduce costs. This is an approach that I need to consider. It can save a lot of time and money. It can help to address the issue of batch defect and a single defected product can be treated in the assembly line without affecting the other products. Initially, I would like to start off with the pull system. It helps overcome the problem of overproduction. We will be making the products on the demand of the customers. TAKT time can help further to design the process.

Lean requires a learning organisation in action, which requires a culture of continuous improvement, which further requires to identify the problems in implementing the continuous improvement culture. This is the methodology of identifying the root cause. I need to figure out from where I need to start off. There has to be a starting point.This is the beauty of self-reflection, it helps you to understand where you are and what needs to be done right to achieve a particular result. There are a lot of things to consider.

Saurabh Kukreja : 25 Nov 2018 15:53 |  Comments (0) |  Report a problem