tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16711894.post114264395632866921..comments2023-08-03T11:16:11.202-04:00Comments on Got Boondoggle?: Kaizen Priorities Part 2Mike Wroblewskihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03451872136821100772noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16711894.post-1143085367533901502006-03-22T22:42:00.000-05:002006-03-22T22:42:00.000-05:00I think this discussion is useful. There is anoth...I think this discussion is useful. There is another interesting post on a similar topic I ran across today: <A HREF="http://blog.nayima.be/blog/Entry20060209.html" REL="nofollow">Looking for conflict</A>. More of my thoughts : <A HREF="http://evop.blogspot.com/2006/03/lean-and-theory-of-constraints.html" REL="nofollow">Lean and Theory of Constraints</A> and <A HREF="http://evop.blogspot.com/2006/03/lean-thinking-and-management.html" REL="nofollow">Lean Thinking and Management</A>Curious Cathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05269438998983808916noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16711894.post-1142894036206165972006-03-20T17:33:00.000-05:002006-03-20T17:33:00.000-05:00Thanks Chet and Mark for your comments. The path ...Thanks Chet and Mark for your comments. The path of the lean journey has certainly not been filled with bottom line success in American manufacturing. As we sort out the issues in successfully adopting a lean philosophy in American, debates will exist.Mike Wroblewskihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03451872136821100772noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16711894.post-1142795699621019822006-03-19T14:14:00.000-05:002006-03-19T14:14:00.000-05:00I disagree that improving cycle time is just about...I disagree that improving cycle time is just about "faster." Most cycle time improvement opportunity comes from "easier" (removing waste, delays, etc.) and "better" (improving quality, which improves cycle time).<BR/><BR/>When I think of "faster", I think of the idea of doing the value-added work faster. That's usually not the great opportunity, trying to push people or machines to be faster.<BR/><BR/>I'm doing a lot of lean work with hospital laboratories. 90% of their cycle time is waiting time, so we focus on layout changes and batch size reductions.... to me that's "easier", which does focus on cycle time. <BR/><BR/>"Faster" would mean literally running through the lab with tubes of blood and nobody wants to do that!<BR/><BR/>Thanks Mike for your on-going blogging. I think, though, it's unrealistic to say "let's not debate" this, because debate is inherent in the blogging culture and I think that's how we learn is by debating things.Mark Grabanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07953086531083611251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16711894.post-1142787754287831592006-03-19T12:02:00.000-05:002006-03-19T12:02:00.000-05:00I use the analogy of walking into a black room wit...I use the analogy of walking into a black room with a can of white paint. It doesn't matter where I start, I will show improvement. You have given me a context for where to start and Bill has said it always has to be in that corner. <BR/><BR/>I have found that as we improve one aspect - improved process, reduced cycle time, improved capability, or reduced cost - the other aspects become issues to be resolved or they become a part of the work at hand. If we run a kaizen blitz to shrink the footprint of an operation or a line, we simplify, we reduce, and we improve as we go. And when we are finished with that task we have opened up other windows for improvement of other aspects.<BR/><BR/>As to the accounting rant, if we let the numbers guide us to our next target, we would never get out of Lean Office projects, because ~50% of our cost is overhead. I joke with my peers and my students that the reason Lean Office is not more popular is that some smart people have realized that the natural progression of lean in their offices would be the end of their department and the cost it creates.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com