Starting from a point of almost complete ruin after World War II, the Toyota Motor Company rose to become the largest car maker in the world in the mid-2000's. This resulted in many inquiries into the source of their success. Starting in 1988, the engineers and architects of Toyota's success began to open up. As a result, the Toyota Production System (TPS) has evolved … [Read more...]
Lean manufacturing transformed the manufacturing world during the 2000's. Invented in Japan, where there are neither natural resources nor excess space for production, manufacturing needed to be lean, mean, and efficient to provide value. In turn, the success of japanese manufacturing resulted in an explosion of interest from around the world. The Toyota Production … [Read more...]
Lean Project Management is the application of lean concepts to project management methodologies. Lean is a method used in the manufacturing industry which results in significant increases in product quality and production efficiency. Project management, on the other hand, seeks to produce one single product or service (or just a few) while satisfying stakeholders and … [Read more...]
The Agile methodology, while born from the crucible of software development, has transcended its origins, showing remarkable versatility across various sectors. Here's how industries beyond tech have adapted Agile principles to enhance their operations, product development, and even customer service: Manufacturing: Lean Meets Agile The manufacturing sector has learned … [Read more...]
A google search for the term "lean project management" is a perplexity. At the time of this writing, the search results didn't even attempt to place a result for lean methodology applications to project management until the bottom of the first page. Once there, the articles and courses that purport to teach lean project management as if lean was just another well … [Read more...]
Six Sigma is quality. Lean is speed. The synergy of both is the most powerful engine available today to sustained value creation. Six Sigma was developed as a quality improvement system by Motorola and gained widespread traction in the 2000's with high profile adoptions by General Electric, Honeywell, and others. Lean originated out of the Toyota Production … [Read more...]
A value stream map is a tool used in lean manufacturing to identify and communicate the value-producing processes within a factory. Value stream maps utilize a standard set of industry recognized symbols to map out the plant's processes, from raw material to finished product. Value stream maps are used to improve the plant's processes, perform continuous … [Read more...]
Value stream maps are diagrams used in lean manufacturing which identify each step of the manufacturing process. They are used to determine the value stream, that is, the steps that result in the creation of value. Their purpose is to visualize the manufacturing process so that anything that is not necessary to create the product of value can be … [Read more...]
Jidoka is the ability of machines and assembly line workers to detect when a quality non-conformance issue has occurred and immediately stop the production line to make the necessary improvements to the process. Jidoka originated in the Toyota Production System, where it was not just the worker's right to "pull the cord," but their responsibility. Far from leaving … [Read more...]
Human beings are naturally predisposed to resist change because of the risks it entails. Maybe the change will fail. Maybe it will reduce business or personal income. And maybe it will result in a loss of job security. We'd rather the devil we know, than the devil we don't. But process improvement is often an exciting step forward that makes an … [Read more...]
