5S Definition

5S is one of the lean tools that help us identify problems, create a culture of discipline and make opportunities for improvement visible.

Many people get caught up in the discussion of 5s vs 4s vs 7s. Let's do not waste the time on such discussion the importance of 5S is visible in it purpose.

The purpose of 5S (as well of any other lean tool) is :

Make problems and opportunities for improvement visible.

Why do we want to have a place organized?

to be able to eliminate downtime when we need to look for things, avoid safety issues, identify bottle necks, etc.

In English language 5S is usually described as:

• sort
• set in order
• shine
• standardize
• sustain

5S was originally developed in Japan, so the "S"s used in English are just an adaptation of the underlying principle behind it.

In Japanese the 5S are:

• seiri (sort and eliminate)
• seiton (order)
• seiso (clean)
• seiketsu (maintain)
• shitsuke (discipline)

as you can see the underlying principles are the same and that is what really matters.

Seiri = Sort. This is a no brainer and does not need further explanation

Seiton (order) = Set in Order, here the parallel is also evident

Seiso (clean) = Shine, well what do we do when we shine? well we clean.

Seiketsu (maintain) = Standardize, A very efficient way to 'maintain' 5S is by standardizing and sticking to that standard.

Shitsuke (discipline) = Sustain.......the only way to be able to sustain something is through discipline, the discipline to adhere to the standards day after day.

Habit 3: Put First Things First

By changing the way we act on a daily basis, we can change who we are.

Spending the time fighting fires or reacting to urgent circumstances and emergencies will not allow us to spend or invest the necessary effort to develop the ability to prevent emergencies.

When we act in such a way, we are confusing the important with the urgent.

To avoid this we need to focus on planning, avoiding pitfalls, developing relationships, cultivating opportunities and getting adequate recreation.

Make sure to spend time in the important things rather than the urgent. The way to identify what is important to you, is through your mission statement and your goals.

Remember that we have different roles in life, (spouse, parent, manager, etc). We need to give each role appropriate allotment of time on our schedules.

Habit 2: Begin with the end in mind

In my opinion the most powerful statement that Covey uses to describe this habit is by asking you to imagine yourself sitting in the back of the room at your funeral. Imagine what people could honestly say about you based on the way you are now. Do you like what you hear? Is that how you want to be remembered? If not, change it. Take hold of your life. Implement
“personal leadership.”

Personal leadership means to create your personal mission statement indicating what are your goal. These goals will describe what type of person you are. In other words, are you self centered, money oriented or addict to work.

Based on these goals you can reflect in what you see yourself being and can modify certain things in order to allow you to become what you want to be.

Next: Habit 3. Put First Things First

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Habit #1 Be Proactive

Taking the initiative is a characteristic of highly effective people. Being proactive means that you can decide how the things around you influence you, in other words you can control if the circumstances around you abuse you or if you control them.

Covey explain this by referring to Viktor Frankl, who was a prisoner in a Nazi concentration camp. His entire family, except for one sister, was murdered in the camps. As horrific as his circumstances were, Frankl recognized that he was free, because he could decide how he would think and act in the midst of the horror. Even when he was a starving prisoner, he visualized himself lecturing in a classroom, telling students about the horror and what he learned from it. His mental discipline made him stronger than the camp guards. He inspired fellow prisoners and even some of the guards themselves. Frankl was pro-active. He took the initiative and accepted
responsibility for his fate. He recognized that fate was his to decide. He did not have the
power to walk away from the camp, but he had the power to master it.

You are what you do and say and an important element to start being proactive is that you start using the appropriate language, meaning using positive sentences instead of negative ones.

Instead of:
- Not he drives me up the wall, I can choose how he will affect me.
- Not, I can't or I have to, I will decide and I will choose.
- Not, that is just me, I can change the way I am.

Being proactive has a lot to do with starting the change within you instead of waiting for other to change.

Next: Habit #2 Begin with the end in mind

Summary of the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

This book written by Stephen R. Covey is an excellent read for everybody. It does not matter if your are looking for way to improve the way you lead people, or if you are trying to improve your relationships with others, this book is a must read for everybody. The style and applicability of all the habits described in the book put this book very high in the ranking of "must read" books.

This book premise is to choose a solid base of Values that will make your habits.

Values like integrity, dignity, quality, service, patience, perseverance, caring, courage should guide our lives.

The importance of developing your character is a key message of this book. You can develop your character by continuously and consistently conduct yourself by the set of values previously mentioned.

Humans are what we habitually do, therefore we need to adopt productive habits. Covey defines Excellence as a habit not as an aptitude.

In previous post we have talk about the importance of setting up goals, Covey goes a step forward by clarifying the importance of writing a mission statement for your life. This mission statement will help clarify your principles and the set of goals that you are going to set for yourself.

Successfull relations are built upon trust.

Covey also gives great examples and explanations about balancing all the aspects of your life, spirit, mind and body as well as a balance among all your relationships.


The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People are:

1- Be Proactive: This means taking always the initiative.

2- Begin with the end in mind: This refers to focusing on your goals .(you can refer to this post in order to learn more about how to manage your time to accomplish your goals).

3- Put First things first: This refers to setting up priorities.

4- Think Win/Win: We only win when others win.

5- Seek first to understand then to be understood: Probably one of the most important habits (at least in my opinion). In order to have effective communication we need to learn to listen first.

6- Synergize: Cooperation is stronger than individualism.

7- Sharpen the saw: Always keep improving. If you do not have time to sharpen your saw, because you are to busy sawing trees, you will never be able to do a good job.


Next Post I will summarize the first habit. Be proactive

Benefits of 5S , Why should I care about 5S in the office

Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize and Sustain, these are the famous 5S that people talk about. 5S has been a tool that have been normally used in the manufacturing environment and for this same reason when companies try to implement 5S in the office, they face a lot of resistance from the office workers. I normally hear people saying : "this is for the shop floor at the office we do thinks different" .

What people normally miss is the purpose of doing 5S.

What is the purpose of 5S?
The purpose of 5s is to make problems and opportunities for improvement visible, such as: excessive time looking for files, tools, papers, safety issues, excessive office supplies,etc.

These are other benefits of using a 5s program in your office, shop or home:
- You can't work to the best of your abilities when your office is a disorganized mess.
- Your workspace is a visual representation of what kind of person you are; that's
how your clients and supervisors see it.
- Out-of-control office clutter costs money in time, effort, late fees and lost business.
- 5S helps you get rid of things that take up space, even stuff you think you might need "someday."
- Sort through and reduce piles of paper by using a four-box sorting system.
- 5S helps you avoid daunting heaps of paper, put things right back after you use them.
- The discipline of 5S allows you to organize materials for the next day before leaving your office. So the next day you are set to go.
• 5S enable yourself to find what you want when you want it.

5s is the starting point for a Lean journey. The real power tool to drive change with your team, once you have implemented 5s is: Shop floor management or Office floor management.

Here an example of office shop floor management:

What is Kanban?

Kanban is a Japanese word for “signboard,” and it has become synonymous with demand
scheduling. Originally, the system was used to cut costs and manage the utilization of machines.

Today Toyota uses kanban to identify bottlenecks and to achieve continuous improvement. Kanbans, developed by Taiichi Onho in the late 1940s and early 1950s, are a key implementation tool for “just in time” (JIT) manufacturing systems.

With kanban, products only are produced either to replace goods being consumed by customers or to respond to signals your customers are sending. Key attributes of kanban scheduling include
reduced inventory, less overproduction, and greater responsiveness to changes in demand.

Kanban can be thought of as demand scheduling — meaning that the manufacturing plant
only produces goods based on their actual usage, rather than based on a forecast of what
will be consumed in the marketplace. You can use resources more efficiently if you replace
your traditional weekly or daily production meeting with kanban.

What is a SMART goal?

Every time you create a goal, this goal needs to be SMART, that means it should meet certain criteria in order to be an effective goal.

Specific. You can describe the details.
Measurable. You can measure the goal using either quantitative or qualitative assessments.
Achievable. You can achieve the goal.
Realistic. The goal is realistic given existing constraints, such as time and resources. Timebound. You must achieve the goal within a specified time frame.

What is Goal Setting

Goal setting is a formal process during which you define targets that you plan to achieve. When you set goals, you commit to outcomes that you can accomplish personally or through your team.
Goal setting creates a long-term vision for your unit, and provides the motivation to get you there. It has the additional benefit of helping you decide how you want to focus your resources and spend your time.

By setting goals and measuring their achievement you can focus on what is most important to accomplish on a daily, weekly, and annual basis provide a unified direction for your team achieve more and devote less energy to noncritical tasks motivate your team and boost its overall job satisfaction.

How do I learn to say "no"?

Do you find yourself saying yes to every request that you get from your boss or your colleagues?

Maybe you are trying to be nice to them, but remember that when you do so, you are putting aside the things that you had in your schedule, so please learn to say no.

First, you need to be clear about why you are saying "no." This will help you stand by your decision and avoid guilt. If the request is unreasonable, but you still want to say "yes," perhaps you can offer a reasonable alternative.

Try to commit only to those tasks that support your goals. While you may be tempted to commit to a task outside of your stated goals to be a team player, you should only do so if it does not jeopardize your other work. If you do not have the time required to devote to it, you are not helping anybody by committing to it.

Learn to say "no" to non-priority projects, even when they are presented by management. List the projects you are currently working on and ask the requester to decide on priorities when he or she adds new projects to your responsibilities.

How to work with "to-do" lists

A "to-do" list is one of the simplest, and most commonly used, scheduling tools. It captures all of the tasks that you need to carry out on a given day. Many people use to-do lists in combination with a weekly or monthly schedule, and many planners and computer calendars have to-do lists built in. The lists allow you to break down the tasks on your schedule as specifically as you require. For example, where your schedule might direct you to "return phone calls" at a certain time on Tuesday, your daily to-do list would likely detail each person you need to call.
An effective to-do list includes the following:

- tasks in priority order
- meetings you are scheduled to attend
- decisions you need to make
- information you are waiting for
- calls you need to make or expect to receive
- memos, letters, and e–mails you need to write
- any unfinished business.

Find a point in the day, possibly at the end of the day or first thing in the morning, to write down your to-do list. Periodically review your list as the issues of the day arise.

Here are some strategies for creating and using your list:

- Be realistic about how many things you can do. A rule of thumb is to include half the number of things you think you should be able to do.
- Include time required and completion date for each task.
- Don’t worry about putting items on the list in a particular order.
- Cross off each item as you complete it.

Save old lists in a box or drawer. You’ll enjoy seeing how much you’ve accomplished.

Time Management Series Post (7) How to handle interruptions

As a manager, you often are presented with interruptions that must be addressed immediately (for example, binders for your important meeting did not arrive).

You can often delegate the handling of the interruption. But in the cases where you are the only one who can address the interruption, handle it quickly, so you can return to your priority tasks. Even when handling the interruption takes half the day, focus your energy on the time in the day you have left.

Review the types of interruptions that tend to occur, and try to develop contingency plans. Then authorize others to deal with the problems if they happen again.

You do not always need to be open for visitors. In some cases, you may find it appropriate to refuse to see a visitor without an appointment.

Determine whether your unexpected visitor has an immediate crisis or an issue that has to be dealt with quickly. Schedule another time to meet with the visitor, if possible. (For example, "I think I can help you, but right now I’m in the middle of something. Can we meet after lunch about this?") Refer the unexpected visitor to another appropriate person, if possible. (For example, "I can’t pull away right now, but check with Bob and see if he can help. Let me know what the two of you work out.")

If you must meet with someone, make a note of where you are before you break away from your work. Quickly return to that task after the interruption.

Phone calls can be extremely distracting. You spend time not only in taking the call, but also in taking follow–up action, and then in recapturing your mental position before the interruption.
Some strategies for managing phone calls include the following:

screening telephone calls, using either an assistant or voice mail referring the caller to someone else, where possible keeping the call brief and focused if you must take it (determine the amount of time you want to spend in advance, and do not exceed it).

improving your phone skills to reduce the length of time you need to spend on the phone carving out a block of time in the day when you take phone calls and letting everyone know the schedule working in a room without a phone using e-mail instead of phone calls as much as possible
Try to handle paper only once. Respond to it, file it, pass it along, or toss it out.

For quick responses, communicate in person, by e-mail, or on the telephone. You can also respond directly on the memo you received. Avoid sending back a paper with the comment "let’s discuss." Instead, set up a specific time to meet.

Problem Solving Quote

"A Problem well stated is a problem half solved"

---Charles F. Kettering
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Problem Solving Quote

"It is not that they can not find the solution,
it is that they can not see the problem"

---G.K Chesterton



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The 7 Wastes and the 8 Wastes

7, 8, 9 ,,,, how many are they really?

Well, in reality there are much more than 7 or 8. We normally use 7 or 8 because they cover all the major things and teaching 7 or 8 is easier that 9, 10 or more.

Here are some good ways to remember the 7 or 8 wastes. If you have more, please submit your comment

Tim Wood
T= Transportation
I = Inventory
M= Motion
W= Waiting
O= Overproduction
O= Over processing
D= Defects

Here is the other one

Worm pit
W= Waiting
O= Overproduction
R= Rework
M= Motion
P= Processing excessively
I= Inventory
T= Transportation

Another one

Down Time
D= Defects
O= Overproduction
W= Waiting
N= Non Utilized people (The 8th waste)
T= Transportation
I= Inventory
M= Motion
E= Excessive processing

Time Management Series Post (6) How to get rid of time waters

Do you have a colleague that always come to talk to you when you are in the middle of something, do you always get that unexpected phone call from your boss asking you to do something, or simply your stress does not let you get to do the things you need to do?

If your answer is yes to any of this questions, that means that your are dealing with time wasters.

A time waster is anything that keeps you from doing things that have more value and importance to you.

Identify your time wasters, and then develop strategies for dealing with them. For example, instead of personally handling certain emergencies, set procedures in place for others to handle them or to prevent them in the future.

For each time waster, brainstorm strategies that match your personal style. That means, don’t commit yourself to making 10-minute call backs if you enjoy making personal contact in a relaxed manner. Instead, spend your energy on organizing your thoughts before a call, so you complete all your business in one call and don’t need to make additional ones.

Experiment with the strategies you develop and keep the ones that are effective. And, let your colleagues and direct reports know that you are working on managing time wasters. Enlist their support and ask for feedback. Remember, though, that only you can determine whether you are using your time wisely.

Some common time wasters include

- interruptions
- unexpected visitors
- telephone calls
- paperwork
- procrastination
- meetings
- travel

Next: How to handle interruptions

Time Management Series Post (6) Creating your schedule

In times where lay offs are in the news everyday, no wonder if you are faced with doing more things with the same amount of time that you had before some of your people or colleagues were laid off. Therefore here are some tips to create your schedule taking in consideration the different things that we had already discussed. The KEY, your priorities should come first.

To build your schedule, take your top priority tasks and block them into time slots over several weeks or months, using a scheduling tool that allows you to take a daily, weekly, and monthly perspective.

Keep in mind what you have learned about the times during the day when your energy is at its peak. Important work or activities that need creativity and intelligence should be scheduled for the time when you are most alert. Routine or mundane tasks should be carried out during the periods of low energy.

Schedule only part of your day, leaving time to deal with crises and the unexpected.
Combine tasks, where possible. You might be able to open mail while you’re booting up your PC.
Consolidate similar activities, such as returning phone calls, appointments, paperwork, and meetings, to one block of time. For example, make all your phone calls at one scheduled time during the day.

Identify tasks to work on when you have unexpected free time.

Try scheduling backward. Determine what time you have to leave that day and then work backward. Put in the most important things first.

As the week progresses, move uncompleted priority tasks to the days still left in the week. When your schedule changes, be sure to record what really occurred. If you begin to see a trend, rework future portions of your schedule to reflect what you have learned.

Once you have created your schedule, keep it easily accessible. A wall or desk calendar should always be in view; a computer-based calendar should always be open on your desktop. Check on your progress throughout the day to see if you are on target.

To build your schedule, take your top priority tasks and block them into time slots over several weeks or months, using a scheduling tool that allows you to take a daily, weekly, and monthly perspective.

Next: How to get rid of time wasters

Time Management Quote

"Yesterday is not ours to recover, but tomorrow is ours to win or lose"
--Lyndon B. Johnson

Time Management Series Post (5) How to schedule your time

It is important to understand the reason for scheduling your time in a written form. A schedule is a written commitment to accomplish your tasks in a specific time frame. It also gives you a chance to visualize your days. If your schedule becomes overbooked, you might want to revisit your priorities. You should keep only top priority tasks and activities on the schedule.

Using different tools to schedule your time allow you to see if you can afford to handle any unplanned activities or requests.

Scheduling tools also provide you with a list of reasons why you are not available.

Some of the most common scheduling tools are:

• Wall calendars, daily and weekly planning guides
• Agendas
• to-do lists
• Scheduling software

Tasks, the backbone of your goals

Breaking your goals into manageable tasks is the first step in time management. List of the key task required to achieve each of your goals and put them in sequential order.

Once you have done that, estimate how much time each task will require. If you have completed a similar task before, you can often use that as a basis for a time estimate. Establish deadlines for the completion of the tasks.

Remember to identify the tasks that add more value to the accomplishment of your goals, those tasks should get more attention than the other ones.

Next: Creating a schedule

Time Management Series Post (4) Trying to do too many things

It is important to acknowledge that one can not achieve all, even your top priority goals.
If you try to do too much this could have a negative impact on all areas of your life.

Keep in mind the following:
-Ask for feedback from your boss and direct reports
-Learn to delegate
-Try to avoid pursuing low priority goals altogether, they have limited value and little importance
-Know your key responsibilities and focus on your top priority goals and tasks
-Resist the urge to step in and take over because others are not doing their job or not doing it to your standards
-Do not assume everything has to get done

Next: How to schedule your time

Time Management Quote

"The whole point of getting things done is knowing what to leave undone"

--Lady Stella Reading

Time Management Series Post (3) The True North, your goals

Having a clear set of goals allows you to decide what is really important for you on a daily, weekly or monthly basis.

Simply put if you do not know what is important for you, the chances are, you are going to spend your day performing urgent tasks that do not help you achieve your top goals.

So, How can you truly plan and manage your time?

1. Review your long term goals and priorities in your life
2. Review your long term goals and priorities in your company, department or team.

Knowing this allows you to identify the specific tasks that you need to pursue. The goals help you determine which tasks you should not be pursuing.

Does this activity help me achieve any of my long term goals?

well, if the answer is negative, you know that the activity should not be on your schedule.

Next: Trying to do too many things at the same time

Time Management Series Post (2) Understanding where your time goes

Do you really know where your times goes?
Often people wish there were more hours in the day when the answer lies in spending the time they have more wisely.

If you are able to get a better picture about where you are spending your time, you will see if this time is being spent effectively or if it is being waste in activities that do not contribute to your goals.

A lot of people underestimate how long things really take, if you try to do an experiment to find this out, you will be amazed all the time you spent in trivial stuff and quick phone call, these 2 could add up to 2 hours of your day.

Understanding when your are at your peak can help you schedule your time more effectively, for example if you know that right after lunch you struggle staying awake or you find it difficult to concentrate, do not use this time to read emails or go through complicated documents, instead use this time to group meeting or something different that prompt you to stay awake.

In order to find out where you are spending your time, try logging all your activities for a week. Try to record where you are spending your time. You should identify how much time are you spending on:

• Scheduled appointments
• Telephone calls
• Fire fighting
• Unexpected meetings
• Being interrupted by others
• Report writing and analysis
• Administrative work

Once you have identified all these activities, try to identify patterns in your time usage. You might find very interesting things like : unexpected visitors always come after lunch, or Fridays you are always spending more time on the phone.

Ask the following questions during your analysis:

• Does your time usage match your key responsibilities?
• How’s the payoff? you do not want to spend most of your time on activities with minimal payoff.
• What can be delegated? Remember, your role as a manager is to direct your team

It is important that you have a clear understanding of what your goals are and what you want to accomplish. Having this clear will help you identify activities that you should avoid or in which you should spend less time.

Next: The true North - your Goals

Time Management Series Post (1) What is Time Management?

"if management is the art of getting the right things done, time management is perhaps the single mos critical management skill"

These are the topics that we will be covering during the next posts:

1. Analyze how you currently spend your time and pinpoint opportunities for improvement
2. Identify which tasks are most critical to achieving your long term goals
3. Plan your time efficiently using scheduling tools
4. Control time wasters
5. Put your schedule into action, evaluate it along the way, and modify it as needed.

What is Time Management?

Time management is the process of controlling your life through your use of time.

Everybody has the same 168 hours a week. When you manage your time proactively, you determine what you value in your professional and personal life, and you direct your efforts accordingly.

By mastering time management, you will be learning to balance the many pressures on your time and still achieve your goals, this helps your avoid burnout and stress, and allows you to be more effective. Keep in mind that time management is a personal process: only you can judge where you are using your time wisely.

Time management has 3 different phases. These 3 phases do not necessary need to be follow in order, you will to decide which one is more critical for your particular case.

Phase number 1: Analysis

Phase number 1: Planning

Phase number 1: Follow up and evaluation

Analysis

In the analysis phase you need to find out where your time is going right now, pay particular attention to what drives your use of time, In some cases you will discover interruptions that you can manage with specific strategies. In other cases, time factors are less controllable but may have patters that you can learn to work within.

Planning

Review your goals, outline the tasks required to achieve them, an determine how much time you will allocate to each task. It is equally important to identify tasks that do not support your goals and assign a low priority to them.

Once you understand your key tasks, you can schedule your time using a calendar or daily planner. You can also develop strategies for dealing with time wasters like frequent meetings. If your work is affected by factors beyond your control, like the stock market, develop contingency plans in advance so you are prepared for the unexpected.

Follow up and Hansei (Reflection and adjustment)

After you have followed your plan for a reasonable period of time, step back and reflect. (Hansei)

• Did you achieve your goals?
• how well did your schedule work?
• What would be done better the next time?

Using the results of this analysis and reflection, modify your scheduling strategies for the future, then begin the planning process again.

Now I want to make a parallel of this 3 Phases to the well known PDCA Cycle (Plan, Do, Check, Act/Adjust).

The 3 phases that were just described are a variation of the PDCA Cycle. This is just another application of the Cycle on Time management.

Next: Understanding where you time goes.....

Practical Problem Solving (9) Step 8 = Standardize Successful Processes

Structure successes so that anyone can implement without muri, mura or muda

Share new standards through Yokoten (Yokoten is the process of sharing the success with the entire company. Can the solution found be applied to other area of the company?)

Start the next round of Kaizen to continually strive for the ideal situation

Develop a clear standard for the successful process. This will be your new baseline from which you will have to close the gap to your ideal situation

Ensure countermeasure effectiveness and identify what the checking process will be to visualize a gap/progress. What is the plan to Standardize and Yokoten?

Practical Problem Solving (8) Step 7 = Check both Results and Processes

Evaluate results and processes, and share it with members involved





Assess the overall results, and the processes used to achieve the results (Did you use a good process?)





Three key viewpoints need to be considered when assessing the overall results:

your own, the customers, and the Company's

Asking the following questions will help you do hansei on the problem solving process and the assessment process

–Did I learn from the process?
–Did it lead to customer and stakeholder satisfaction?
–Did we produce results or develop processes that will help the company?

Understand the factors behind the success or failure to accumulate knowledge and know-how. Please value processes as much as results, only constant results can be considered results (repeatable)

–Do not assume the outcomes of a project. See them first hand for yourself before evaluating.
–It is not enough to know what happening. Insight and improvement come from knowing why.

Next: Standardize Successful Processes

Practical Problem Solving (7) Step 5 and 6 = Develop and Implement Countermeasures

This is the part where you are really to get to solve the problem, so without preconceived ideas develop as many potential countermeasures as possible. Utilize your network of team members for ideas to get diverse opinions from inside and outside the company. This is an opportunity to seek bold and creative ideas.



Narrow down the ideas that are the most practical and effective. A helpful tool called a criteria matrix may be useful to look at items such as effectiveness, cost, risk, feasibility, etc.

Select the countermeasure to implement based on the overall evaluation of the proposed countermeasures.

Build consensus with others (Nemawashi) to achieve an increased level of speed and smoothness. Explain purpose, Target and overall problem solving process of Countermeasure.

Implement the Countermeasures

Create a clear and detailed action plan. When creating the action-plan, be sure to clearly identify the four W’s and two H’s of the countermeasures.

Who, What, Where, When, How & How much?

A helpful Tool called a Ghant chart should be used here to monitor overall effectiveness of your planned activities using the PDCA.

Helpful Hints: Identify an effective countermeasure that directly addresses the root cause. .

Ask yourself :

will this countermeasure truly fix this root cause?

Ask yourself

could this countermeasure create a new problem ?

Don't rely on past experiences. Involve all stakeholders

Make sure to follow up on the countermeasures to see them through. In order to accomplish this, check progress regularly and thoroughly communicate by reporting, informing and consulting with all your stakeholders.

Do not forget to also share negative news quickly since the news may influence what they are doing and they may need extra time to resolve issues.

Avoid potential risks and prepare contingency plans for unforeseen changes.

Never give up. If you cannot achieve the expected results, try other measures. No matter what difficulties we may encounter, through ‘trial and error’ we must always make the best attempt and strive to take the next step forward.

Next Step: Monitor both results and processes

Practical Problem Solving (6) Step 4 = Root Cause Analysis

First of all you have to confirm the situation of the problem occurring. Ask the following questions:



Do problems occur continuously or sporadically?

Do problems occur cyclically?



Without prejudice or preconception, consider as many potential cause factors as possible. A helpful tool for this may be the use of the brainstorming fishbone to help put your causes into categories.

Example: you can use the 4M: Man, Machine, Method, Material.....you can even add a fifth one Environment.



Confirm with facts through Genchi Gembutsu




You have a cause when you can show there is a link between the existence of your problem and the existence of another occurrence or condition.


The best way to demonstrate a Cause / Effect relationship is to remove or block the cause. If the problem goes away you have found a Cause of the Problem. This is how you check if you have found the root cause of the problem


Pursue and specify the root cause by repeatedly asking “Why?” and building a chain of Cause/Effect Relationships to the root cause

Stop when you believe you have reached the root cause and check to see if it this cause is effectively counter measured will it address all the causes up the chain?

When you are in the middle of this investigation listening to others, please beware of clarifying whether you are hearing an "opinion" or actual "facts". Example: It is cloudy outside, so it will rain today. The fact here is that it is cloudy outside, the opinion is that "it will rain today"

Next: Developing Countermeasures

What is a Process?

A series of actions (or activities) that transforms inputs (or resources) into a desired product, service, or outcome.

There are different types of work processes within the workplace.

•There is the process flow a “part/vehicle” follows throughout a sequence of defined work areas within production.

•There is a “standardized process” a team member follows that creates value-added work within a particular work station in order to ensure repeatability.

•In administration there are “standard operating procedures” that are followed in order to create a consistent output.

Practical Problem Solving (5) Step 3 = Target Setting

This step seems to be easy, but you should not fall on the trap. This step is very important, because you do not want to set up unrealistic goals, or set the expectations too high. Remember that Problem Solving is helping us improve continuously and at a steady pace.

Start with the prioritized problem at the point of occurrence.

Make the commitment about solving the problem

Set a measurable, quantitative, concrete and challenging target.

Be specific with the target, clearly identify how much and by when

Remember that with this process you are taking care of specific issues one step at a time, this will contribute to reduce your GAP to your ideal situation.

The following are some common mistake in Target Setting:

• Confusing "What to do" with the target
• Confusing the "Method" with the target
• Confusing the "Ideal Situation" with the target

These are some examples of good target setting:

Why do we set the target in step 3 and not in step 1 or 2?

Setting the target at step 3 can establish how much of the problem (GAP) we can address in step 1 by solving the problem to tackle. If we solve only one portion of the overall problem by solving the problem to tackle it the require us to decide how many other problems we have to tackle to reach the ideal situation.

It also narrows the focus for Root Cause Analysis therefore recognizing the impact of the countermeasures.

Next: Root Cause Analysis

Shop Floor Management

What is Shop Floor Management?

Shop floor management is a mechanism that allows operators, team leaders,
supervisors and managers to discuss and resolve shop floor problems where
they are happening (at the shop floor)

Shop floor management helps management and employees to bring transparency
and focus on improving the processes. This is achieved through the
visualization of the problems that hinder the achievement of our goals.

Some of the advantages of Shop Floor management are:

Short reaction times through real-time detection of problems
Sustainable remedying of problems
More efficient use of resources.
Structured planning and controlling of activities (t-card system)
Rapid detection of current/target statuses and trends with some key metrics
Communication becomes more efficient and discipline is increased

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Practical Problem Solving (4) Step 2 = Breakdown the problem

Break down the process in manageable pieces to solve one at a time as each may contribute to your overall GAP


In this step you have to use the 4W: What, where, when and who. These constitute the contributing factors to your GAP


Something very important to keep in mind in this step is not to ask WHY or to jump towards causes that might be causing your problem.






Use Genchi Gembutso so that you can look at what should be happening. This will also allow you to confirm the facts and determine the Point of Cause.



The point of cause is where the problem is happening withing the process. So remember that if the process it is not defined, you should try to visualize it, Where there is an output there is a process.



Some tools that help you visualize the What, Where , When and Who are Pareto Diagrams, Tree Diagrams, Pies and Scatter plot diagrams.



Now that you know where the Point of Cause is, you have to prioritize your problem.



These are some questions that will help you set a priority for your problem:

•Level of Importance

–Does this effect my group/department KPI’s?
–Does this affect a department hoshin item?
–How long has this problem existed?
–What impact does this have on team members?
–What impact does this have on the company?


•Level of Urgency


–Who does this problem affect?
–Does it affect the groups KPI’s?

•Potential for Expansion


–What will happen if I ignore this problem?
–Will it stay the same?
–Could it get worse?



(Next: Target Setting)

Practical Problem Solving (3) Step 1 = Clarify the Problem

During this step the person or team that is solving the problem should basically do 3 things.



a) Clarify what the current situation is

b) Clarify what the Ideal/Target situation is and

c) Visualize what the gap between the two is. (here is where you need to quantify What is Happening and What Should Be Happening also know as WIH vs. WSBH)



Visualizing the Current Situation, Target and Gap:





A very important question that you and your team need to ask is:


How does solving this problem align with company expectations?

This is a very important question, since you do not want to spend resources in doing things that are not align or are contributing to the overall goals of the company. For this reason is it so important that everybody understand the vision and the plan that the company has in order to achieve the vision. Please see the post about Blue Sky.

During this step please consider the following questions that will help you clarify your problem:

- Why am I looking at this problem?

- How does solving this problem relate to the purpose of my work in my current role?

- What is my Ultimate Goal in solving this problem?

- How solving this problem will add value to your company?

Next: Break down the Problem

Practical Problem Solving (2) 8 Steps for problem solving

The 8 steps of the practical problem solving are a more detailed application of the PDCA cycle:

the 8 steps are:

1 - Clarify and validate the problem

2- Breakdown the problem and identify any deviations from your target

3- Set an improvement target

4- Perform the root cause analysis

5- Develop the countermeasures

6- See the countermeasures through (implement the countermeasures)

7- Monitor / Check / Control the results and the processes

8- Standardize Successful processes and adjust accordingly

As you can see steps 1 to 5 are activities that we do within the PLAN of the PDCA. The other steps are the DO = implementing your countermeasures, CHECK = Monitor your results and processes and ADJUST/ACT= Standardize successful processes and adjust accordingly. (Please see diagram)

Next: Step 1- Clarify the Problem