Standardized work instructions are in important part of Deming and lean manufacturing management systems. Processes need to be standardized and continually improved (kaizen). Without a documented standard process variation normally increases over time as processes drift away from the desired standard. As new ideas for improved are proposed those changes can be tested using PDSA and adopted if successful.

The key is not having a document saying this is what the standard process is, the key is having a document that is actually used. For that reason it is essential that the work instructions are easy to use (visible and as simple as possible) and easy to update (to avoid the common problem of the process changing and the work instructions losing touch with what is actually done).

Resources on standard work instructions:

• Visual Work Instructions Basics by Mike Wroblewski
• Why Standard Work is not Standard: Training Within Industry Provides an Answer (pdf format) by Jim Huntzinger
• Standard Work is Kaizen Instruction for Managers by Jon Miller
• Toyota Way Fieldbook by Jeffery Liker

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Why Toyota Won and How Toyota Can Lose by James Womack

This is another excellent article by Womack. See more articles on lean management by Womack. Reissue addition of the Machine that Changed the World (with revised forward and afterword).

Related: lean manufacturing portal - lean thinking articles - Toyota Production System posts

A draft version of Learning Lean: A Survey of Industry Lean Needs by Gene Fliedner and Kieran Mathieson is now available. This voice of the customer report is product of some of those involved in the Lean Education Academic Network. Conclusions:

I think it is an interesting read.

Related: Applying Lean Tools to University Courses - Lean Education Academic Network Spring Meeting - Applied Quality Engineering Education - voice of the customer

Educational Reform Failing K-12 Students, Educator Says by Victor M. Inzunza:

Applying Deming’s ideas to education is a challenge (it is not as simple as applying the ideas in another business - some additional thought is needed to see how ideas apply to education systems) but very worthwhile. David Langford has done some great work in applying Deming’s ideas to education.

Related: education related posts - Quality in Our Schools - K-12 (kindergarten though high school) quality improvement links - Applying Total Quality Management Principles To Secondary Education, Mt. Edgecumbe High School, Sitka, Alaska by Kathleen Cotton - Feel Bad Education by Alfie Kohn

• Listening, Responding, Refining by Matt Cutts - “But you don’t need blogs or digg-like sites in this picture to respond to feedback; those are just tools. The important thing is the process. It’s a process that many groups at Google use, and that (frankly) every team at Google should consider using.” related Curious Cat post: Dell Innovation
• Deming Revisited by Skip Angel - “The entire organization should look at the processes across the organization and determine if everyone is working towards customer needs in the most efficient way possible.”
• The Power of the Heijunka by Lee Fried - “Each day the team now meets to discuss improvement opportunities. All work is visible and loaded in one hour increments with the work rule that everyone will stay until the work is done. Batches are smaller, productivity is way up, inventory is way down and quality is up in each area.”
• The Model Line Revealed by Ted Eytan - “Since much of this area’s work revolves around information technology, there is integration of IT work into the plan - no surprises when work is requested; IT is not set up to be seen as unresponsive.”
• Is Zero Defects Possible? by Jon Miller and reactions: Zero Defects is Wrong Approach by Peter Abilla - How to Achieve Zero Defects by Ron Pereira - Zero Defects, Zero Sense by Robert Thompson - Deming on Zero Defects by John Hunter
• Top 10 reasons why happiness at work is the ultimate productivity booster by Alexander Kjerulf - “When you don’t like your job, every molehill looks like a mountain… When you’re happy at work and you run into a snafu - you just fix it.”

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Lean and Not Mean: Simple Management Most Effective:

This article is another simple overview: I like the title. For more information, see some of our favorite lean articles and our lean manufacturing blog posts.

An interesting series of posts on Google NYC, Top Google engineer talks to NYC software industry:

Google continues to stress the importance of letting engineers pursue customer delight. It seems to be working pretty well, even if some don’t like the primacy of engineers at Google.

Google Engineering: The REAL story

Related: Stretching Agile to fit CMMI Level 3 - Agile Management - Google New York Speaker Series

Toyota to name first foreign director:

Related: Toyota Production System posts - Toyota Institute for Managers
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The triumph of lean production by Steve Schifferes

Just think about that Toyota’s Georgetown plant (seen by many as one of the best examples of lean manufacturing) stops the line 2,000 a week. Do you think your organizations systems are as well designed as the Georgetown plant? Does your organization stop to examine what needs to be improved with anything approaching that level (granted Georgetown is large but even so…)?

Related: Andon definition - Jidoka definition - Ford and Managing the Supplier Relationship - The Georgetown Kentucky Way - Toyota’s New Texas Plant
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Western Trailers improves efficiency – with some help:

I am much more interested in lean stories where waste is reduced and employment increases than where employment is decreased. The idea is to reduce waste, increase value to customers and grow.

Related: Idaho’s TechHelp - Wisconsin Manufacturing - Applied Quality Engineering Education - Terex Handlers: Lean Manufacturing - La-Z-Boy Lean

This interesting interview with Google CEO Eric Schmidt covers many topics:

The culture of challenging ideas as done in the academic environment seems a key cultural component of Google. So many other organizations may talk about striving for the best solutions but so much actual activity is driven by who says what not by what is best. Even at Google that is certainly true to an extent, but Google seems much more committed to the best solution. The culture is one of finding the best engineering solution.

Related: Eric Schmidt podcast - Meeting Like Google - Google Shifts Focus - Google Management - Innovation at Google

Google’s Website Optimizer allows for multivariate testing of your website.

Google provides an online slide show with audio (a good example of one way to share online information sharing in my opinion). This tool seems to have limited experimental options to what is on the page (it does not appear, for example, that one variable could be current customer v. new visitor…). Still it looks like an very easy way to do some simple multi-factorial experiments. Google offers a list of partners for those interested in consulting and more advanced features (and for those experts reading this you can apply to be a partner).

Related: Design of experiments posts - articles on multi-factorial experimentation - Google: Experiment Quickly and Often - Data Based Decision Making at Google
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Ian Bradbury, President of Peaker Services Inc., will discuss his company’s implementation of Dr. Deming’s theory of management at a seminar in Lansing, Michigan, 23-25 April 2007. As I mentioned previously I will be co-presenting this seminar. Several interesting articles:

So What’s System[s] Thinking by Ian Bradbury

Improving Problem Solving by Ian Bradbury and Gipsie Ranney.

Appraising the Performance Of Performance Appraisals by Harry Goldstein discusses some of the management decisions at Peaker Services.

Related: Deming’s Ideas at Markey’s Audio Visual - Management Improvement Calendar

Nice presentation for those interested in software application development: Waterfall Bad, Washing Machine Good. I must admit I think this slide show would be much better with audio adding details… As it stands now it is a nice slide show (though maybe only if you already agree with the idea of agile development practices).

The basic idea: reduce the initial planning phase and increase the iterations (similar to turning the PDSA cycle quickly) and interaction with users. The application of agile methods does require some different thinking - less up front planning can seem odd strategy (when so often lack of planning is a problem). But within the context of software application development “planning” is largely about trying to document every single detail to eliminate the need to cooperate in the process of developing the application (keeping walls up between IT and the rest of the organization…).

Related: If Tech Companies Made Sudoku - Agile Software Development
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Good is not almost as good as great by Seth Godin - “They understand what a customer wants. They’re not just better than good. They’re playing a totally different game.”
Great point (says John Hunter)
“Fire half your salesforce. Then, give the remainder, the top people, a big raise, and use the money left over to steal the best salespeople you can find”
Not a great point (John again), instead change your system to support the behaviors you want to encourage.

• Demystifying Design of Experiments by Ron Pereira - “This engineer was using your traditional OFAT [One Factor At a Time] problem solving approach. The problem with this technique is that you cannot determine how the various parameters interact with one another.”
• Kaizen tips for Getting your music heard by George Howard - “For instance, ‘Actively pursue a superior, complete customer experience,’ becomes relevant when we replace the word ‘customer’ with ‘fan.’”
• Management By Standing Still by Mike Wroblewski - “this technique can be directly linked to the famous ‘Ohno Circle’, a circle drawn by Taiichi Ohno on the Toyota shop floor for engineers to stand in for hours on end ‘to see and understand’.”
• Nine Rules for Fighting Endless Meetings by Jon Miller - “Meetings will be more productive when you start with an agenda that answers the questions: Why am I at this meeting? Who requires that I be here? When does this meeting end? How will we know if the meeting is successful?”

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Innovation with Joel Barker at the Cranky Middle Manager Show:

The implications wheel is a powerful tool that is underused. It seems to be something that people don’t really see as worthwhile at first glance. The key is how it is used to identify and mitigate threats (to the organization’s future) and to spot opportunities.

Related: Ackoff, Idealized Design and Bell Labs - Systemic Thinking - articles on innovation by Clayton Christensen