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100 mile rule

100-Mile Rule

The 100-mile rule for meetings and projects is a mental tool for deciding whether to interrupt a person for a problem. In a nutshell, if the issue is big enough that you would call the person back to handle it if the meeting was a hundred miles away, it is Read more…

100 Percent Inspection

100% Inspection

A 100% inspection is exactly what it sounds like. It is a check on every single piece of work. The inspection can be done on both physical products on the shop floor, or information in an office setting. Most 100% inspections originate from a few main sources: Government regulations. Some Read more…

demings 14 points

14 Points, Deming’s

In his book, Out of the Crisis, W. Edwards Deming lists his 14 points for management. The overall aim of the book is to transform the style of American leadership. At the time the book was first published in 1982, American industry, especially automotive companies, had started to lag behind Read more…

3 reals-look at real work at real place

3 Reals

The ‘3 reals’ ties closely to the concept of gemba. The premise behind the ‘3 reals’ is simply that you can’t learn about something unless you go to the point of impact and look at what is actually happening. The 3 Reals Go to the real place… To observe the Read more…

4-10 Workweek

The standard work schedule week is five 8-hour days, totaling 40 hours. Some companies opt for a 4-10 workweek with an additional day off each week. There are several pros and cons to each schedule. To make the decision even more challenging, the pros and cons can flip for different Read more…

5 Principles of Lean

Lean principles are the guiding concepts that drive the basic behaviors of an organization. While many Lean advocates create their own unique set of principles, the most famous were first presented by James Womack and Daniel Jones in their book Lean Thinking. The 5 Principles of Lean Specify value. This Read more…

5 Ps of Effective Meetings

The “5Ps of Effective Meetings” is a simple memory device to help you, not surprisingly, run more effective meetings. Because of the rising complexity of business operations, problems increasingly require a collaborative solution. Those collaborative solutions tend to require meetings. Unfortunately, this increased demand for meetings also tends to increase Read more…

5 Whys

The 5 Whys problem solving tool helps you with root cause analysis. It gets you to the heart of a problem. When you identify an issue or an abnormal condition, ask why it occurred, but don’t stop there. Continue to ask why several more times. Try to go 5 questions Read more…

5S

One of the fundamental tools in any Lean toolkit is 5S. In a nutshell, it entails creating an organized, effective workspace that supports the processes being performed in the area. You Probably Already Use 5S at Home The original 5S terms come from Japanese words: Seiri (Sort): This step entails Read more…

Who What When Where How and Why 5W1H

5W1H

5W1H is shorthand for “Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How.” It is used both in problem solving and in project planning. This set of questions is sometimes referred to as the Kipling Method or the “6 Serving Men of Creativity”, due to a poem that appeared in Rudyard Kipling’s Read more…

6 Big Losses for OEE

6 Big Losses of OEE

There are 6 big losses of OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness). 6 Big Losses Breakdowns Setup and Minor Adjustment Idling and Minor Stoppages Reduced Speed Defects and Rework Startup Loss Each of these losses saps a small portion of potential production you could be getting from your machines. Total productive maintenance Read more…

6 M’s

The 6 M’s are a mnemonic tool used primarily during the creation of a cause & effect diagram. The 6 M’s are: Machines Methods Materials Mother Nature Manpower (People Power) Measurements Watch the 6 M’s Video Let’s look at the 6 M’s in more detail. Machines: Tools and equipment used Read more…

6 P’s

The 6 P’s is a mnemonic tool similar to the 6 M’s. Both are used to categorize causes on an Ishikawa (cause & effect) diagram. The 6 M’s were traditionally used for fishbone diagrams on the shop floor or other production environments. The 6 P’s originated when more and more Read more…

6S

6S is a mnemonic device used to recall the steps to improve workplace organization and effectiveness. It is essentially 5S with safety specifically added. The six “S” terms are: Sort Straighten Scrub Standardize Sustain Safety In truth, safety should always be considered when making any changes, observations, or assessments about Read more…

7 Wastes

The 7 wastes is one of the most important continuous improvement terms you will hear. Most of the Lean tools, at their core, focus on reducing waste to improve flow. The seven wastes provide a systematic way to categorize problems and identify improvement priorities. When assessing a process, looking for Read more…

8 Wastes / 8th Waste

The 8 wastes are a variation on the seven wastes that were first proposed by Taiichi Ohno, the father of modern Lean. The original seven wastes are: Transportation Inventory (Excessive) Motion Waiting Overprocessing Overproduction Defects (Note that the first letter of each of these wastes spells the acronym “TIMWOOD“.) The Read more…

80/20 Rule

The 80/20 rule states that 80 percent of the effects of something come from 20 percent of the causes. The 80/20 rule is also known as the Pareto Principle after the Italian economist, Vilfredo Pareto, who first mathematically analyzed the distribution of wealth in Italy. The 80/20 rule helps prioritize Read more…

8D Analysis

8D Analysis is a problem-solving methodology. It takes a step by step approach to identify the root cause of a problem and permanently eliminate it. Because there is a cost in terms of time and effort in using a formal methodology such as 8D analysis, it is usually only done Read more…