People often ask us how they will know they will be "done" with Lean. We tell them Lean will never be complete; that each improvement locked in by the use of Standard Operations will probably be replaced with a better method at some point in the future. What we can do is offer the person a glimpse of what if may be like to work there at some point in the future should they implement Lean.
Lean tools and methodology can be applied to transactional and back office processes, with a similar result.
- Anyone walking onto the shop floor – your management team, customers, other employees – can immediately see the % complete of every job. For many items they need only to look at the pieces accumulating in shipping boxes and see how much space remains in the boxes.
- Anyone will also see if a rush order is being worked, pushing another job aside. Because the process lead time for every order will be as short as for any other, rush jobs will simply be inserted into the process in the front of the line as the next order. Some locations use green floor paint to indicate scheduled work and yellow painted areas to place rush orders.
- Overtime is worked only when necessary due to temporary increases in demand.
- Anyone will see if the equipment is all working properly and if an activity is taking longer than expected to complete. Problems of either type will be communicated to whoever needs to know, without having to go looking for anyone.
- You will be tracking what parts of the equipment historically break, and will have frequently needed spare parts nearby. Instructions on how to troubleshoot and repair the equipment will be nearby. Proactive maintenance will be done in a way your team develops, perhaps with photographs located on each machine showing what maintenance needs to be done and the steps involved in completing it. Some locations place colored magnets on a photograph or drawing of the machine to show areas that are leaking or wearing so they can be easily seen and repaired.
- Each process in frequently done work scopes will have been observed by your team, with ways implemented to speed the process and make the work easier for the employee. Suggestions of what needs attention and often how something might be improved are a normal part of the employees' job. Many fasteners will have been redesigned to operate more quickly and require fewer tools. "Standard Operations" sheets at each work station will be updated as improvements are put in place.
- Your team will have looked at each activity – starting with activities where mistakes have been made in the past – to find ways to "mistake-proof" the activity. Impromptu teams will form to address issues as they are discovered.
- You and your team may decide to split up sequences of tasks, increasing the number of eyes checking each predecessor operation and driving each toward a single – and best – practice. Alternatively, depending on the product and process, your team may decide a chaku-chaku line, in which one employee performs a sequence of operations back to back, to be the better process.
- Only the tools needed for that work station will be located in that work station. Tools that will be needed for the next order, if not used frequently and already located in the work station, will be located before the work arrives at that work station. Surfaces that tend to collect clutter are eliminated. Storage areas will be well thought out and will have only enough space for what is needed in that area. Each storage spot will be labeled with what belongs there, and often only what belongs there will fit there (e.g Pick N Pluck foam "shadow box" drawers).
- Employee training and cross-training will reduce the impact of any one individual being absent.
- Internal and vendor Kanbans will make reordering and restocking of inventory easy and mistake-proof for any employee.
- The employees will all work to Standard Operations sheets reducing the need for your staff to direct their activities. Their improvement ideas will increase your margins and customers will be willing to pay a premium for your ability to provide them with accurate information and a quality job. You and your staff will either be going home earlier each night or able to spend more time bringing in additional orders.