In manufacturing, when stuff goes wrong, there tends to be physical evidence, such as a part with holes in the wrong place. It is therefore often easy to find the immediate cause of the problem, which might be to say that the wholes were drilled in the wrong place and go yell at the person who does the drilling. But in Kaizen, the immediate cause of a problem is only the beginning of the analysis, not the end. The team is supposed to start with the problem and ask “Why?” seven times to determ...

In manufacturing, when stuff goes wrong, there tends to be physical evidence, such as a part with holes in the wrong place. It is therefore often easy to find the immediate cause of the problem, which might be to say that the wholes were drilled in the wrong place and go yell at the person who does the drilling. But in Kaizen, the immediate cause of a problem is only the beginning of the analysis, not the end. The team is supposed to start with the problem and ask “Why?” seven times to determ...

One of my favorite Kaizen techniques is visualization. On the shopfloor this takes the form of large signs that graphically display key quality metrics. The charts show overall trendlines but also break out individual teams. This is a powerful motivator. When there are large gains in quality, the credit can go to the team(s) that produced the progress. Conversely, when the overall chart shows a dip or a slow down in improvement, it is often readily apparent which team is responsible. Some peo...

One of my favorite Kaizen techniques is visualization. On the shopfloor this takes the form of large signs that graphically display key quality metrics. The charts show overall trendlines but also break out individual teams. This is a powerful motivator. When there are large gains in quality, the credit can go to the team(s) that produced the progress. Conversely, when the overall chart shows a dip or a slow down in improvement, it is often readily apparent which team is responsible. Some peo...

Another basic tenet of Kaizen is that inventory is evil. Inventory is what folks use to cover up the problems and inefficiencies in their production process. In traditional analyses of inventory, the cost of inventory is generally determined based on the cost of the capital that is tied up and the space for the inventory. Kaizen considers a significant additional cost that is much harder to quantify – the cost of allowing problems and inefficiencies in production to persist. Kaizen thinks of ...

Another basic tenet of Kaizen is that inventory is evil. Inventory is what folks use to cover up the problems and inefficiencies in their production process. In traditional analyses of inventory, the cost of inventory is generally determined based on the cost of the capital that is tied up and the space for the inventory. Kaizen considers a significant additional cost that is much harder to quantify – the cost of allowing problems and inefficiencies in production to persist. Kaizen thinks of ...

A great Kaizen technique is to drive towards lot size one. In manufacturing this means that each part goes through the process separately. It usually also means that you can interpserse different parts in the production process. For instance, in the case of the injection molding supplier for Porsche that I mentioned previously, it meant figuring out how to paint each part separately instead of in batches of twenty parts. Some of the advantages of lot size one are immediately apparent. Say you...

A great Kaizen technique is to drive towards lot size one. In manufacturing this means that each part goes through the process separately. It usually also means that you can interpserse different parts in the production process. For instance, in the case of the injection molding supplier for Porsche that I mentioned previously, it meant figuring out how to paint each part separately instead of in batches of twenty parts. Some of the advantages of lot size one are immediately apparent. Say you...

Another key Kaizen technique is the customization of tools or even the creation of entirely custom tools. In one of the early posts I wrote about how a Japanese automotive supplier was able to switch parts in injection molding in minutes whereas a similar German supplier needed almost 12 hours. The basic setup they were using was quite similar, but the Japanese supplier had made extensive modifications to the basic injection molding machine. For instance, the die (mold) has to have a certain ...

Another key Kaizen technique is the customization of tools or even the creation of entirely custom tools. In one of the early posts I wrote about how a Japanese automotive supplier was able to switch parts in injection molding in minutes whereas a similar German supplier needed almost 12 hours. The basic setup they were using was quite similar, but the Japanese supplier had made extensive modifications to the basic injection molding machine. For instance, the die (mold) has to have a certain ...

In 2008, I wrote a mini series about Kaizen and Software Development. Kaizen or continuous improvement asserts the centrality of quality as the only way to achieve the trifecta of quality, speed and cost. Simply put incremental improvements around quality will result in lower cost and higher speed. Much of agile development has really been the re-invention of techniques long known in manufacturing. In my series I cover lot size one, no inventory, visualization, root cause analysis and customi...

In 2008, I wrote a mini series about Kaizen and Software Development. Kaizen or continuous improvement asserts the centrality of quality as the only way to achieve the trifecta of quality, speed and cost. Simply put incremental improvements around quality will result in lower cost and higher speed. Much of agile development has really been the re-invention of techniques long known in manufacturing. In my series I cover lot size one, no inventory, visualization, root cause analysis and customi...