Work is about getting things done. The best way improve productivity is to practice Kaizen. It’s that simple. One step at a time. Kaizen is a Japanese word that roughly translates into “slow improvement”. It is a perfect method to use to perfect a process and begin the practice of continuous improvement. It makes tasks easier and more effective. Isn’t that what a good productivity system is … [Read more...]
5S System – Spring Cleaning The 5S Way
A 5S System is a low-cost system that is easy to put in place and has many benefits to your company or department. If you have thought of implementing a 5S System Spring is the perfect time. Everyone is used to “spring cleaning” so the mindset is already in place. Start by doing Gemba Walk to see how people work and obvious areas for improvement. Kaizen is about daily improvement, a change for … [Read more...]
Management By Walking Around MBWA
Management by walking around, sometimes called management by wandering around is the western version of the Japanese Gemba walk. It is Genchi Genbutsu which means “go and see for yourself”. The place you go to is the Gemba, the place where it happens. In this case where the work happens. Read the article The Gemba Walk – A Tool For IT Management and Leadership for more on the Gemba walk. In … [Read more...]
A 5S Office System – Sustaining the 5S Office System
Standardize and Sustain are the fourth and fifth steps in a 5S Office System. These last two steps are about keeping your 5S Office System running smoothly. To do this you must set up standards and reinforce the 5S Office System. After the first three articles A 5S Office System – Part 1 Planning, A 5S Office System – Part 2 Laying The Foundation and A 5S Office System – Part 3 Your First 5S … [Read more...]
5S System Challenges – Slow and Steady Implementation
You will face many challenges implementing and sustaining a 5S System. One of those is that a 5S System represents change. One way to make the change easy for employees it to use a slow and steady method if implementation. The first thing to remember is there is no cookie cutter solution when it comes to developing and implementing a 5S System. Each organization is different as are the people … [Read more...]
The Gemba Walk – A Tool For IT Management and Leadership
A management technique known as “The Gemba Walk” is about getting managers and leadership out of their offices and into the workplace. An Information Technology department by nature is in a constant state of change. For this reason a Gemba walk is a good way for IT managers and leaders to stay in touch with everything that goes on in the workplace. The idea behind the post “The Keys to … [Read more...]
A 5S Office System – Part 3 Your First 5S Office Campaign
There are many benefits to a 5S Office System. Saving time, saving money, increasing efficiency, increasing production and increasing morale are just some examples. In the first two articles A 5S Office System - Part 1 Planning and A 5S Office System – Part 2 Laying The Foundation, we looked at planning for and laying down the foundation of a 5S Office System. Now we will look to put everything … [Read more...]
A 5S Office System – Part 2 Laying The Foundation
In the first article A 5S Office System - Part 1 Planning we looked at the planning and first meeting stages of implementing a 5S Office System. Now you will learn how to build on this to lay the foundation for your 5S Office System. First a word about overdoing it. The 5S system was created for the manufacturing environment. Part of this is using items such as shadow boards where the outline … [Read more...]