Over the last week or so, I've been exploring the circumstances for working in a lean fashion. Lean production efforts often start out with the visual workplace (5S). To that, firms will set objectives for their lean initiatives that has the effect of engaging people in looking for opportunities. Setting goals or clarifying intentions has the effect of engaging the reticular activating system. But that is not enough. People will only see what they can distinguish.

I used to work on my car. Actually, it's been a very long time since I last worked on my '63 Plymouth Belvedere with a slant six engine. I could gap the spark plugs, clean the points, change filters, oil, and lubricate. I had the distinctions for observing and taking action with the car. No more. The engine compartment is now so sophisticated (and it's been so long since I did anything under the hood) that I don't even notice what needs attention.

What we notice has to do with the distinctions we can make and the routines that we follow. Both our noticing and effectiveness in action increase as we take action. If we want to work in a lean way we need the distinctions of lean and we need to take action. Knowing about riding a bike and actually riding a bike are two separate matters. It doesn't matter how much time is spent showing bike riding, discussing the physics or riding, and explaining the actions of riding, learning to ride occurs on the bike. Learning to operate in a lean way happens by doing projects in a lean way.

In the posting 5R Protocol for a Listening Workplace I distinguish five conditions for setting the stage for lean project delivery. Those five conditions produce a clearing that allows for noticing and for listening to the everyday actions of project delivery. The routines on the project reinforce goals and intentions while deepening distinctions.

What's next? While a rewrite of the 5R Protocol is coming, I'll first take a shot at producing a quick 'n easy guide for project leaders. I'd like to do an experiment with a few adventuresome souls. Please drop me a note indicating your interest in joining the experiment.

posted by Hal at 9:20 AM | link  |   |   | Google It!  | Email This  |

I had two great plant tours this week. As part of the Lean Project Leadership (Shusa) Program that I comduct with Greg Howell we went on a visit to the Toyota plant in Georgetown, KY and the Aisin plant in London, KY. You haven't seen lean 'til you've seen a Toyota operation.

I've been studying lean production since 1986 when I visited Japan for 3 weeks. At that time I visited electronics manufacturers. I'd always wanted to see Japanese automotive companies. About 5 years ago I visited NUMMI in CA. Three things stuck out at the two KY companies:

1. Everything was clean, orderly, and obvious. There were numerous examples of special-purpose tools and examples of incredible kaizen.
2. The pace of production exceeded my expectation. People were in constant motion. I saw no one on the production line resting or in conversation with others. And yet, people didn't appear stressed. Most people were in great physical condition.
3. Both firms went to extremes to communicate with and among the production workers. There were communication stations throughout the production areas that described the standard work for that area and the current performance. The plant manager and the local president walked the production areas every day.

While touring I frequently wondered what practices could be adopted to make projects lean. Eventually, I got to ask a few questions about that. Both companies said the same thing. "Find ways to put all of the talents of the people to work on your projects." Sounds like good advice.

Sorry for being late with this week's Project e-Tip. I'e had an exciting week visiting the Toyota Camry plant and another Toyota Group company both in Kentucky. I'll provide some details on Friday. In the meantime, this week's e-tip is a follow-on to last week's. I raised the issue of conflicting intentions as a significant impediment to adopting practices of self-directed continuous improvement. In this week's e-tip I share how a project manager can create a situation for engaging all team members in improving activities that are focussed.

The Project Reformer's e-Tip of the Week

008: Set an Improvement Agenda for Your Project

The Japanese have a goal-setting practice called hoshin. They use it for annual and five-year planning. It is a top-down and bottoms-up approach that aligns individual intentions for improvement with the strategic intentions of the firm. The brilliance of hoshin goals is in the limitation imposed for no more than 2 or 3 goals/division. Why is it brilliant? First, there are no corporate conflicting intentions. Everyone is focussed on the same thing. Second, it engages everyone's reticular activating system in the same way. Take the time at the outset of every project to set 2 or 3 improvement goals. Do this with your team rather than for your team. Provide the context of the strategic intentions of your company. Also share what your customer would appreciate as added value. Then solicit team proposals in a way that allows a (re)shaping of goals. Finally, create a routine of reviewing improvements in team meetings. Last Planner is a trademark of The Center for Innovation in Project and Production Management www.leanconstuction.org

©2003 Hal Macomber | weblog.halmacomber.com | e-Tip Archive | PDF | Submit Tip

Keep your comments and suggestions coming. Much of what I write about is initiated by readers' comments and emails.

For all my subscribers...Blogger and Bloglet have been acting up. I continue to write and post 4 or 5 times each week. Please remember to check-in on me if you don't get Bloglet emails from Reforming Project Management. It's most likely just a glitch and not me abandoning the reform.

posted by Hal at 6:58 AM | link  |   |   | Google It!  | Email This  |

I've been reflecting further on the 5R Protocol for a Listening Workplace. I'm not attached to the speculation of a protocol. I am confident that something is at work on lean production initiatives that isn't in place for lean projects.

The lean production or lean thinking approach rests on what many people call pillars. Some of those pillars are autonomation (self-adjusting automation with a human touch), kaizen, the visual workplace (5S), non-stock production, single-minute change-over, productive maintenance, and zero quality control. Some folks may argue to add to or delete from the list, but it generally covers the territory of value-enhancing and waste-eliminating practices.

Projects are not principally production-oriented. In fact, many projects have nothing at all to do with materiel (material, tools, equipment). What makes a project a project is its one-of-a-kind, discrete, creation activities providing something unique for a customer requiring 2 or more people acting cooperatively over a period of time. We could give our attention to any part of that description. I continue to ponder what it would take to produce a clearing for ongoing value-enhancement and waste-reduction?

I'm using this strange word clearing. It is a metaphor. In a forest a clearing is an open space where the sun shines through to the forest floor. You'll notice different patterns of action from wildlife in clearings from their actions in the forest. When standing in the clearing you can also see things about the forest that you can't see standing among the trees.

Adopting a 5S approach in a factory creates a clearing both metaphorically and physically. Sorting what's used from what is not used creates more space. Placing the remaining materiel appropriate for its use makes it ready-to-hand. Cleaning as you work improves quality and safety. Combined the three groups of actions allow you to see something about the productive space that wasn't apparent in the cluttered state. You can see the production flows. You can see what adds value and what is just waste. You can see what is out of place. You can see what is breaking down. You can see each other. That is how 5S became known as the visual workplace.

Companies that adopt the visual workplace as a first lean action get off to a very good start. The clearing makes visible opportunities for people to participate in improvement and to maintain the improvements adopted. The other pillars of lean fall into place.

I've set out to create the same kind of clearing for the project setting, a setting that often is absent all materiel. The clearing needed is for making visible the space of cooperation. That space happens in the language of action: declarations, assessments, requests, promises, and assertions. While better speaking may improve the space of cooperation, there must be a listening for the speaking for it to be effective. The clearing I am after is one for listening.

Take another look at the 5R Protocol for a Listening Workplace. See if it produces that clearing. If not, then what do you speculate could produce a clearing?

posted by Hal at 10:13 PM | link  |   |   | Google It!  | Email This  |

Reference Papers

Project Resources

Books

Bookmark These Weblogs

Yahoo! Groups

RecipRoll