http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/ This is the blog of the Kaizen Products store. We talk shop about kaizen, tools to teach and do it, take customer feedback, and offer product walk-throughs. en Copyright 2009 Tue, 06 Nov 2007 17:06:38 +0000 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss entry I discussed using the 5S evaluation forms in the office. Yesterday, I did my monthly audit using my 5S Evaluation Forms. While doing so I trained another office employee in her first audit and found some strategies that may be helpful: 1. Be tough on scoring your statements. Remember that you are looking for ways to improve, if you score your area with a five, you are stating that you can not improve on this. 2. Be specific in noting your improvements. Most likely you will not be acting on these improvements right away, leaving you time to forget what you had meant in your short hand notes. 3. Take your time. I do this once a month, if I rush through this process I am not working at solving the problems, just completing a task without thought. 4. Have someone go over it with you. A second set of eyes always helps when you do any task, no matter how good you are at it. 5. Do the audit on a scheduled basis. An evaluation is only effective if you can look through and see improvements. Get a notebook and keep your evaluations for that area in there, look for improvement to see if this is working. For more information, or to learn 5S better look to the 5S Action Pack or Office 5S Action Pack.]]> http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/11/using_5s_evaluation_forms_in_t_1.html http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/11/using_5s_evaluation_forms_in_t_1.html Office / Administration Tue, 06 Nov 2007 17:06:38 +0000 mini posters and one of those suggestions was to place them next to your Kaizen Newspaper. An even better idea was brought to mind when a client placed their new PDCA Poster next to their Kaizen Newspaper and problem solving board. Placing this poster where you use the Plan, Do, Check, Act process gives those, both using and reading the Kaizen Newspaper and going through their problem solving activities, a clear understanding and reminder of the cycle. It is also bright and colorful bringing attention to it. All posters are great visuals in both the office and the shop floor. Making work visible, making work visual helps our businesses. Get Visual! ]]> http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/11/pdca.html http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/11/pdca.html Thu, 01 Nov 2007 21:57:11 +0000 There have been numerous ways suggested to use our 5S, 7Wastes and 10 Commandment Mini Posters. These posters are 8.5" X 11" versions of our large posters and small enough to be helpful reminders without taking up too much space. Here are some of the ideas we came up with: 1. As pages in a Lean Training Book 2. To hang in individual's work spaces 3. To hang next to the Kaizen Newspaper for a reminder on the 7 Wastes 4. To hang in the 5S Visual Area or Red Tag Area 5. To hand out at company meetings Share your ideas on how to use your mini posters and we will send a free pack of them to the first three we receive. http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/10/using_mini_posters.html http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/10/using_mini_posters.html Wed, 24 Oct 2007 23:47:40 +0000 5S Evaluation Forms. "Can they be used in the office?" The answer is yes. As you probably can tell from some of my other entries, I am in charge of our office, and I use the same forms here. They do not reference manufacturing or office. they do make reference to tools and machines, but I consider my tools and machines my computer and office supplies, etc. This actually brings up a good point that Jon Miller made on Gemba Research's Blog, "One of the most common misconceptions about doing Lean in the office is that there is a different set of Lean tools for the office." Read the whole article here. Remember, if the office is your Gemba, then Lean and Kaizen can work there.]]> http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/10/using_5s_evaluation_forms_in_t.html http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/10/using_5s_evaluation_forms_in_t.html Office / Administration Wed, 17 Oct 2007 22:33:07 +0000 7 Wastes Quick Guide and go to the Gemba! On the outside of the Quick Guide is The information you need to identify and recognize waste. - Descriptions, meanings and examples of the 7 Wastes. - Information on Value-Added vs Non Value Added and Waste. - Helpful tips. On the inside is the worksheet. Grab a overhead marker (one that will wipe off) and go to the Gemba. Remember the can be anywhere - office, shop floor or Emergency Room. You have everything you need to start identify waste. Follow the Stand in a Circle Exercise (30/30/30). Use your worksheet on the inside to record, and the outside of the Quick Guide to assist.]]> http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/10/using_the_7_wastes_quick_guide.html http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/10/using_the_7_wastes_quick_guide.html Fri, 12 Oct 2007 16:54:59 +0000 The 3 Evils of Meetings Poster in the room where meetings are held. It can be a constant reminder to those having a meeting and a small change could make a difference.]]> http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/10/where_the_meetings_happen.html http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/10/where_the_meetings_happen.html Thu, 11 Oct 2007 17:39:24 +0000 5S in a bag offers a simple and fairly easy task to get them started while teaching them the 5Ss. It is an easy simulation, one does not need to know about Lean concepts to see the benefits - and it doesn't take too long. An added benefit to new hire training. ]]> http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/10/new_employee_5s.html http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/10/new_employee_5s.html Human / Employee Relations Tue, 09 Oct 2007 17:45:36 +0000 5S/7Wastes card and recited all seven wastes, 5S and meanings. A lesson well learned. ]]> http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/10/remembering_the_seven_wastes.html http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/10/remembering_the_seven_wastes.html Thu, 04 Oct 2007 17:30:57 +0000 Factory Flow simulation, the one with the folding of the airplane, in numerous groups and classes. Did you know that you can do it all on your own and get similar results. Try it - have your participants dot he simulation as described in the Toolkit - then have them do all the steps on their own. See full article and my kaizen results. ]]> http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/10/one_person_one_piece_flow.html http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/10/one_person_one_piece_flow.html Office / Administration Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:13:08 +0000 10 Commandments of Improvement. I thought I would share this because I know I am not the only one who struggles in Customer satisfaction: 10 Commandments of Customer Service 1. Abandon Fixed Ideas – No one person is the same, what I may think is helpful and nice may seem sarcastic and detrimental to another. In the situation above I said that I tried to do everything in the nicest tone possible. That could be perceived as sarcasm. That could be why the customer felt that I wasn’t assisting them to the best of my ability. Just because what you are saying to your customer would be what you would want to hear does not mean that you are saying what they want to hear. 2. Think of ways to make it possible – Good customer service people are always thinking of ways to make solving the customer issue possible. Never stop thinking. A customer called, they had created an online account but there was a glitch, something that would not let them place the order. Instead of receiving all the information from them, I logged into our customer database and double checked that I had all the correct information. The customer was very pleased and it saved him time and energy. “I apologize for the inconvenience – what can I do to make this better for you – how can I help you” If you can’t think of how to make it possible, ask, most likely the customer will tell you what they want. 3. No Excuses Needed – Well, there is no excuse for poor customer service. Whether it is that I had a bad day, you are really busy or that customer was really mean to me, I should never be mean or make excuses. I received bad customer service at a store I frequent often for work. Because I was doing this exercise already I was looking at what the issue was while it was happening. The person was short handed, I watched the other associate walk out the back door, his hand wrapped and bleeding. Realizing this I stood and waited for her to finish what she was doing patiently. After a minute she looked up and rudely said, “I’ll be with you in a moment”. Then she continued to say that to me, after the fourth time she sighed and asked me what I wanted – without waiting for my full answer - she started spouting off what she could do for me. Then she came over to the counter and said, “Sorry we’re short handed and I am really busy”. She stated this three more times during my order, and I realized that the more she stated it, the more frustrated I got. Her excuses made me feel like an imposition, this is not good customer service. 4. Go for the Simple Solution, Not the Perfect One – Make the customer happy in a simple way. Listen to them, know what they want and try to give them what they want. It seems simple, as I think about it, it is simple. If the lady yesterday had asked me what I needed, and then listened to what I needed, and then tried to give me what I needed to the best of her ability, I would have left much happier, and I probably would not have this pit in my stomach because I have to go back there today. That seems pretty simple, it also would have saved me and her time and energy. 5. Correct Mistakes Right Away – No matter who made the mistake, fix it. Customers do not want you to tell them that employee X made that mistake, and they need to fix it, they want to know that their needs are important. Even if you don’t have the ability to fix the mistake yourself, take the information on what happened, what they want done about it and assure them that the problem will be fixed and you will personally let them know that it was fixed. 6. Use Your Wits Not Your Wallet – One of the people I respect the most in this field is always coming up with ways to make the customer feel better and solve their needs at the same time. She knows what she is allowed to do – and she can read a person very well to know how far to go. I notice as my years in service increase my wits get better, and I tend to use my wallet less. I watch everyone when I go out and try to learn what it is that they do to make me happy – to make others happy. 7. Problems are Opportunities – Take from all the customer complaints that you have had and learn from them. This is basically what I am doing here, looking at the times when I had customer complaints and trying to see what I could have done to make it better so that the next time I can make it better. 8. Repeat ‘Why?’ Five Times – My customer from a previous job got charged the wrong price on an item. As was policy at this store I refunded her the amount of her product, wrote up the slip and thanked her for her business. But she was still unhappy with my service. Why? Because this is not what she wanted me to do Why? Because she felt insulted by the policy – she wanted to pay for her item Why? Because she is not the customer that this policy was written for Why? Because not all customers are the same Why? Because customers have different needs What could I have done in this situation? Probably asked her what I could do to make the situation better, given her a choice, and listened a little better. 9. Seek Ideas from Many People – I told you about one of the people in my past that has influenced me. There are many others – the idea is to take from all of them, and I can say that I have taken and that I still take – to make myself better. Taking the time to watch your peers, your supervisors and your employees do there job can be a wealth of information. I have even put someone on hold to ask how to deal with the issue at hand. And I have to say – I have put someone on hold to have someone else deal with them. That in itself is improvement, knowing when I am not the person that will make that customer happy. 10. There is No End to Improvement – Every day we deal with customers. And every day I ask myself how can I make every customer happy. The only answer I can come up with is “With Continuous Improvement”. ]]> http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/09/10_ways_to_improve_customer_se.html http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/09/10_ways_to_improve_customer_se.html Sales / Customer Service Thu, 20 Sep 2007 15:45:09 +0000 Gemba Research’s Blog Panta Rei. “I am looking for a standard routine for cleaning up servers, especially shared diskspace.” Coincidently, my company just went through a red tagging event on our server. It is my belief that the best way to go about this is the same way you would go about a 5S event in your storage room. Before you do anything make sure that you “Insist on giving people training about kaizen and the 7 types of waste before doing 5S with them. If 5S doesn't make sense to them, they will oppose it.” Then, the main difference is I don’t have a Red Tag that I attach to the items I sort out. So, create a space that you can put all of your red tagged items. My space is a folder that I named “07 Red Tagged Items”. I name this with a “0” to start so that it shows up as the first file when someone opens the share disk area. Then, 5S: SORT: Take a couple of hours and start going through all of your folders. Move all the unnecessary, duplicate and old files and folders to the designated place. My standard work is to put the view of the folders on Details so I can see the date the last time the file was used. Almost everything on your server should be something that is used on a regular basis, just like in your office or shop floor. If it hasn’t been used in the last 6-12 months, it is most likely not needed, or even worse, not updated. STRAIGHTEN: Make your files visible by pulling files to higher levels and getting rid of redundant folders or unnecessary folders. The farther down you have to go to get to a file the more time and motion you are wasting while in this 5S event, and the more searching that is needed while you are working a typical day. Also the farther down they are the harder it will be to see what needs to get sorted out. Through sorting and straightening you have most likely found things that are basically trash, empty folders or files that are duplicates or old versions. Delete what you know is useless, put the rest that seem outdated or useless in the red tagged folder. SWEEP: You can’t really sweep, or dust something electronic, though you can clean it. Delete un-needed items, organize items you found, and finally send out a message to all who use this disk space, something like this: Files and folders on our server older than 2006 have been red tagged. (Look for '07 Red Tagged Folder') Please move these files to a RED TAG HOLD folder if you want them saved. All tagged items not saved will be moved to offsite place on September 10, 2007. Please confirm that you have read this message. STANDARDIZE: Go back and make some rules on your server. You may be able to make it so people can’t create folders inside folders – keeping the areas that are harder to see down to a minimum. SELF-DISCIPLINE: Creating standard work for this is probably the best way to make sure that you spend as little time as possible. The fact is you will have to do this more than once. I try to do it at least once a year. I set myself reminders to do so. As you do this you will find ways that will help you better sustain the improvement. The first time is always the hardest, but as you continue to do this process you lead by example and people will start to follow.]]> http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/08/5s_in_the_electronic_world.html http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/08/5s_in_the_electronic_world.html Computers / IT Fri, 17 Aug 2007 15:48:43 +0000 5S / 7Wastes card that had all the seven wastes listed and a pad of paper - I found an example of every one of the seven wastes in my filing cabinet. Waiting: How many people wait for me to search through and get something from my file cabinet? Most of them because my file cabinet is locked when I am not using it, because there is sensitive information sitting in my file cabinet concerning employees, legal issues, accounting and customer information. Motion: Searching, need I say more, how many times do I search in the file cabinet? Almost every time I go into it, I may know exactly what drawer and the main header on the file folder, but then I have to go through folder to find the document I need. Inventory: I have to keep a box of file folders and hanging files on hand – why? Because I have a file cabinet that requires them, I can’t just throw all the paperwork into the drawer without them. Processing: The fact is that almost every item I have in my file cabinet is also on my computer. Why do I have two file cabinets full of paper work? First let me say that I did have four of them, so I am better than I used to be. But, the laws require us to have certain items in paper form, the world still sends paper invoices, checks, notices, etc. and the majority of us, myself included, doesn’t trust the electronic world enough to through away our file cabinets full of documentation. Transportation: Every quarter I go through each of my file cabinets and box up all of the previous quarter paperwork and put it into archive, which happens to be downstairs on the other side of our very large building. Defects: While doing this I found a major defect in filing systems that is most likely common among all offices. Papers get “put away” and then shuffled around, when I took all my files out there were my papers I had “put away” sitting on the bottom of my file cabinet drawer. Overproduction: While in my file cabinet I found folders and folders of pre printed material, this pre printed material was no longer valid, it came from a process that was outdated at least six months ago. I ended up sending it to recycle, and the folders they were in to the re-use pile. Now I am sure that if I had grabbed the 7 Wastes Quick Guide and done the stand in a circle 30/30/30 exercise on the inside I could have come up with a lot more examples of the 7 Wastes of my filing cabinet. That is if I could see the inside of my file cabinet without wasting motion. ]]> http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/08/the_7_wastes_of_the_file_cabin.html http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/08/the_7_wastes_of_the_file_cabin.html Office / Administration Thu, 16 Aug 2007 15:35:55 +0000 Office 5S Action Pack, I came across a drawing showing an office worker checking daily, weekly and monthly tasks. This slide reminded me of how I have created a standardized schedule in my office, and got me thinking of why I do this. As an office, service or admin worker, how many tasks do you have in a day? In a week? In a month? How about in a Year? A lot of us fill numerous different roles in our office, creating a lot of tasks that are range from daily to yearly to one time tasks. Standardizing a schedule can seem like a minor effort to us, but it can have a major impact on our productivity. We may even think that we already have a standardized schedule, but how self disciplined are we to follow it. The challenge, make it visible. How well we follow a standard schedule becomes quite clear when it is physically posted and followed. Some tasks are minimal in importance, but some can cost the company a lot in time or money if forgotten. Office functions, such as Accounting and HR have a lot of tasks that fall into this second statement. If you make these tasks visible, and check them off as they are complete you have less chance of missing these tasks. Warning though, if they are missed you are not the only one who can see the error. Try this: -If you have not already, take your daily, weekly, monthly and yearly tasks, no matter how small and put them into a calendar. (Hint: If using MS Outlook or ACT!! you can set reoccurring schedules and reminders.) -Print this schedule on a weekly basis. Don’t forget to make this changing of schedules each week a task. -Post it close to your desk where you can see it and cross tasks out as you go. -Let your boss and peers know what you are doing, this way they can see your schedule. This will provide them with a lot of information, for instance when a busy time is so they won’t interrupt you. -As you get comfortable with this you can change the blocks of time you allot for each task to represent how much time it takes to do each of these tasks. Additional Benefit: In an office where there are few office staff, or a lot of office staff we each have tasks that are ours alone. What happens when we go on vacation? Who does the tasks that we are responsible for? Do these responsibilities go undone? If there is someone else in the office that can complete these while you are away, these weekly calendars give others the ability to see what needs to be done that week that they would not normally think of doing. Imagine saving the company costs by making sure tasks are completed and making the pile of past due tasks you have smaller when you return to work. Just don’t forget to leave someone in charge of your calendar while you are out. This is just one of the ways to get started in standardizing and self discipline in your office. See Office 5S Action Pack for more. ]]> http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/08/office_5s_selfdiscipline_throu.html http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/08/office_5s_selfdiscipline_throu.html Office / Administration Wed, 15 Aug 2007 17:03:54 +0000 Lean blog found a good video case study from the TV show ER on how to (and how not to?) do kaizen in healthcare. Take some hints from this, and do some role playing between your managers and team leaders. How would you handle similar situations in teaching kaizen in your hospital, factory or office? It's not often that you can learn something useful from prime time television.]]> http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/06/video_case_study_how_to_teach.html http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/06/video_case_study_how_to_teach.html Healthcare Tue, 05 Jun 2007 06:37:21 +0000 5S Challenge contest held at the Gemba Panta Rei blog a few weeks ago. Ron put his prize of the 5S in A Bag to good use in starting to teach his daughter about 5S. Kids in school these days have agendas (day planners) with Steven Covery sayings (7 Habits of Highly Effective People, and so forth) so why not teach pre-schoolers the value of 5S and one-piece flow? Take one toy out, put one toy away. I've heard that the Montessori system does something similar. With Lean thinking it's never too early to start improving. While "most of the work you do is waste" is not a positive message for youngsters, "there is no end to improvement" and "use your wits, not your wallet" (two of the 10 Commandments Kaizen) are both surely nuggets of wisdom for the ages. ]]> http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/05/start_young_with_good_habits_5.html http://blog.kaizenproducts.com/2007/05/start_young_with_good_habits_5.html Education Wed, 30 May 2007 04:52:02 +0000