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Machine cycle time is the time a machine actually requires to produce one unit of output. Machine cycle time has three basic components. It has the time to load the machine, the actual machining or machine time, and the unloading time. Machine cycle time seems like a simple concept, but Read more…
Machining time is the time when a machine is actually processing something. Generally, machining time is the term used when there is a removal of unwanted material. For example, in a drill press, machining time is when the cutting edge is moving forward and making a hole. This is known Read more…
A manager is a person in a formal position of authority, generally responsible for guiding a team or process towards an established goal. In virtually all cases, a manager is in a formal position, as opposed to a leader who may be in either a designated or an informal role. Read more…
Marketing is the combination of art and science used to determine which products or services a customer will buy, and then crafting a message to make those offerings more appealing. There is a veritable library of information available on marketing, so this term focuses on the impact continuous improvement efforts Read more…
Abraham Maslow (1908-1970), is a psychologist made famous by his “Hierarchy of Needs”. He proposes that people have a tiered structure of needs, and the most basic of these must be met prior to dedicating attention to more advanced, or higher-order needs. The hierarchy, from lowest to highest, includes: Physiological Read more…
A Master Black Belt is an individual who has been certified to train other black belts. Black belts are the trainers and continuous improvement team coaches for a company. Having a Master Black Belt is a credential. It is not a job title. Many who attain that level do, however, Read more…
The average or arithmetic mean (commonly just called the mean) is one of the most common measures of central tendency of a set of data. In layman’s terms, a measure of central tendency is simply a way of trying to describe the middle value of a set of data. The Read more…
Six Sigma is based on the DMAIC cycle. DMAIC stands for Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control, and is a step-by-step approach to solving large problems. Six Sigma refers to the standard deviations and is geared primarily towards reducing variation, so the output of a process fits within six standard deviations Read more…
The median is the point at which there are the same number of values above it as there are below it. This can apply to a sample, a full population, or distribution curve. When the data consists of a finite set (rather than a distribution curve), if there is an Read more…
Meetings are a gathering of more than one person to discuss a specific topic. Well planned meetings have an agenda. They also have a meeting manager who keeps the meeting on track and sets clear objectives. Poorly planned meetings generally miss out on one or more of those components, and Read more…
What did you have for breakfast last Tuesday? How many eggs are left in your refrigerator? If you had any trouble answering those questions, you will understand why memory is not a reliable tool for processes. People get distracted and skip steps. Requiring people to remember counts can be especially Read more…
A mentor is an experienced, wise counselor. The mentor must be trusted by the student. This often precludes mentors from being in direct supervisory roles. People often feel cautious about sharing too much personal information with bosses. In Lean, because of its Japanese heritage, a mentor is often referred to Read more…
Metrics are the measurements that companies use to help a team meet its goals. Metrics are formal. They should be clearly defined and tracked regularly. More importantly, metrics should be acted upon. Tracking information without doing anything with it is demoralizing to teams and consumes resources that would be better Read more…
Micromanagement is the act of giving overly excessive instructions to employees. It tends to reduce the effectiveness of an organization for a variety of reasons. If a manager is micromanaging an employee, he is not doing his own work, limiting his effectiveness. If a manager micromanages, her employees will be Read more…
Milestones were originally the stone markers along a route that told travelers the mileage. In modern times, milestones serve the same function for projects. Milestones are specific, definable points on a project that are used to indicate progress. If milestones are vague, they are hard to tell when they are Read more…
In logistics, a milk run is where a customer has a single vehicle visit a series of suppliers to pick up materials. In traditional shipping, the reverse is true. Vendors deliver to their customers. The name comes from the dairy industry, in which a single tanker from a processing facility Read more…
Mistake proofing devices, also called poka yokes, are the most effective way to improve quality. In a nutshell, a product (or process) is designed in which a mistake is impossible to make. This problem prevention is targeted at specific errors. In order to mistake proof a process, one must have Read more…
The mode is the number which appears most frequently in a set of numbers. For a finite data set, as in a sample of measurements, the mode would be the number that appears the greatest number of times. In a distribution curve, the mode is the number that corresponds to Read more…
As part of your continuous improvement efforts, you will need to experiment, and that means making models. Models are essentially, at their heart, experiments to figure out how to do things on a larger scale. They are intended to get all the mistakes and faults in ideas out before you Read more…
Lean operations strive to move materials through processes in the smallest quantity possible. As a value stream approaches one piece flow, inventory tends to drop and productivity rises. Unfortunately, this streamlined flow is often interrupted by large, fixed pieces of equipment that are difficult to move or replace. This type Read more…
The moonshine shop is a team in Lean manufacturing environments that specializes in pushing the envelop of what the company is doing in continuous improvement. It focuses more on experimentation and conceptual work than addressing specific problems. It is named for the similarity to old moonshiners who would set up Read more…
Morale is simply the attitude you have about work. Good morale means people are satisfied with their jobs and are willing to commit to the success of the company. With poor morale, people feel like the company is an adversary, and are reluctant to engage in much more that the Read more…
The waste of motion is one of the seven wastes attributed to Taiichi Ohno, the father of modern Lean. Motion is, simply put, moving more than necessary when doing work. It can be large motions, such as walking between work areas, or small motions, such as flipping a screwdriver over Read more…
The word “motivation” has two distinct, though related, meanings. In the more generic definition, motivation is simply something that provides an incentive to take action. This meaning also has something of a psychological component to it, as there is a linkage between the incentive and a behavioral response. In a Read more…
Motorola is the birthplace of Six Sigma. It was conceived by Bill Smith, an engineer at the company, in 1986. Many of the concepts within Six Sigma had been around for a while, but this was the first time that they had been organized into a cohesive system for making Read more…
Many Lean terms can trace their origins to Japan. Muda is one of those terms. It really translates to “wasteful activity”, but in common practice most people equate muda to waste. Since one of Lean’s main goals is reducing waste to improve flow, it is no surprise that muda has Read more…
Like many Japanese terms surrounding continuous improvement, there are several slight variations of translations of these three terms. In general, muda is the most commonly used of this group of terms. In practice, it has come to mean “waste”. Muda really means wasteful activity. Mura means the waste of inconsistency Read more…
Mura is one of three Japanese terms meaning waste. The others are muda, the traditional form of waste in which resources are not effectively used, and muri, meaning overburden or overexertion. Mura means inconsistency or excess variation in either processes or demand. When processes can’t be standardized because of the Read more…
Muri is a Japanese term for a specific form of waste. It means unreasonableness or overexertion. It is often referred to with two other Japanese terms. Muda is the traditional view of waste in which resources are used without adding to output. Mura is inconsistency or unevenness, usually as a Read more…
Murphy’s law has been stated in various ways, but essential boils down to “If something can go wrong, it will.” There are many addendums to the law, such as “in the worst possible way” or “at the worst possible time”. The origin of Murphy’s law is somewhat murky but seems Read more…