Ideas into Action Blog

Value Stream Mapping

With many books and resources on the subject, some expounding complex symbols and definitions, Value Stream Mapping can seem difficult and offputting. In fact it is straightforward and the best way to get started is with simple "Post It" (TM) notes. There are some good "how-to" videos on YouTube. Here are my favourites:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mcMwlgUFjU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7R5Mv486oQQ&feature=related

As for the data you should collect. Try this for a starter set (the bold items being the critical ones):

• Total time from customer order to receiving an order (customer lead time);
• Total time it takes an item (on average with standard deviation) to move through the process (manufacturing lead time);
• Total estimated actual processing (touch) time for the item in the process (on average with standard deviation);
• Number of items processed per day (with standard deviation)
• Total available time per work day
• Number of people in process
• Regular planned downtime, meetings etc
• Frequency at which work arrives into the process(pattern of arrivals)
• Cycle time for each activity (average time to perform the activity, with standard deviation if possible)
• Quality level (% right first time) and quality issues at each activity step
• Average time (with standard deviation) waiting in queue to be processed at each step.
• Distance travelled for jobs (walk time)
• Information/ paperwork required and completed
• Delivery schedules
• Inventory levels
• Equipment used; resource constraints

Happy mapping !

Posted by Ross Maynard on Mon, 31 May 2010   read more...

NLP Master Practitioner Certification Programme, Falkirk from September 2010

Our 15 day NLP Master Practitioner programme is certified by INLPTA, the leading international register. The programme starts in September and is delivered over four long weekends – one per month – until January 2011. Contact us for a full course outline.

Posted by Ross Maynard on Mon, 24 May 2010   read more...

Get Dirty with the Data 3: Measures of Flow and Waste

In my previous blog – Get Dirty with the Data 2 - I noted that cost is a lagging indicator – the outcome of a business process. The performance of that process is what drives its costs, so we need good measures of the effectiveness of the process and those factors which increase cost but add no value for the customer.  So what should those measures be ? That depends quite a lot on the nature of your processes, but here is a starter set of performance measures to think about.

Posted by Ross Maynard on Mon, 24 May 2010   read more...

Review of "5S in 90 Minutes" by Andrew Scotchmer

5S lies at the heart of lean and, yet, there are only three books dedicated to the subject on Amazon. Perhaps that is because it is more of a practical than a intellectual skill. Nonetheless, 5S provides an excellent grounding for building a team that can progress to lean improvement. 5S provides the discipline to identify and map flow, calculate takt time, define metrics and standard work, and understand capacity. "5S in 90 Minutes" is the best of the books I have read on 5S, setting the topic in the broader lean context and providing some really good insights into the purpose of 5S. I spent much more than 90 minutes on it and the book deserves that attention. The  book could have some more templates or checklists to aid the process, but overall this is the best book on 5S I've seen.

Posted by Ross Maynard on Fri, 14 May 2010   read more...

5S in Glasgow

Hugh Brawley and I ran a 5S event this week in Glasgow. In two days we turned a shambolic production area into something much tidier and more organised – filling three skips in the process.

Posted by Ross Maynard on Sat, 1 May 2010   read more...