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Lean Terms
Takt Time
Takt time is the required pace of production to meet customer demand. It is calculated by dividing the working time available, generally for that shift, by the customer demand during that time period. Despite its apparent simplicity, it is one of the most misunderstood terms in continuous improvement. It is Read more…
Lean Forms and Continuous Improvement Tools
Takt Time Calculator
A takt time calculator is simply a tool, usually a spreadsheet, with the takt time calculations already programmed in. It is most useful for people who don’t routinely calculate takt time. The takt time calculator should take people through all the steps of determining takt time. Get Our Takt Time Read more…
Lean Terms
Target Condition
When most people think of goal setting, KPIs, or improvement metrics in general, they tend to focus on targets. A lead time of 2 days is a target. 97% on time delivery is a target. Productivity of 7.6 units per labor hour is a target. Setting targets is an integral Read more…
Lean Terms
Taylor, Frederick
Frederick Winslow Taylor (March 20, 1856 – March 21, 1915) is most well known for his work on time and motion studies and scientific management. While the facts and data aspect of his work is aligned with modern Lean, his theories of management diverged from Lean in one major way. Read more…
Lean Terms
Team
In its purest form, the definition of a team is “a group of people associated with each other for some form of joint action or activity.” The word choice for this definition is very deliberate. Some definitions add in verbiage that implies effectiveness. Examples include “common goal”, “working together”, “organized”, Read more…
Lean Terms
Theory of Constraints
The “Theory of Constraints” is the management philosophy of Eliyahu M. Goldratt. He introduced it in his 1984 book, The Goal. The overall premise is that a system can only produce as fast as the slowest step. The throughput of the system, therefore, can be improved with a focused effort Read more…
Lean Terms NoIndex
Therbligs
In the early 1900’s, Frank and Lillian Gilbreth refined a system of analyzing work to improve processes. They focused on identifying the core “motion cycles” that combined to form work activities. This detailed understanding of work let them identify inefficiencies and eliminate waste. The name “Therblig” comes from a near Read more…
Lean Terms
Time Management
Time management is the act of consciously planning out how one spends the hours and minutes of a day. For structured, repetitive production work, most people tend to be fairly good at managing their time. When the demand is not so consistent, though, people tend to squander a lot more Read more…
Lean Forms and Continuous Improvement Tools
Time Observation Sheet
The Time Observation Sheet is one of the four primary forms for developing Standard Work. The others are: The Standard Work Sheet The Standard Work Combination Sheet Work Instructions The Time Observation Sheet is used to, not surprisingly, observe the cycle times of the steps of Standard Work. Unfortunately, many Read more…
Lean Terms
TIMWOOD
TIMWOOD is a mnemonic device used to help people remember the different forms of waste associated with Lean. These seven wastes are widely accredited to Taiichi Ohno. The TIMWOOD Acronym Transportation: Moving materials from one place to another is a waste of transportation. Inventory: Anything more than immediately necessary to Read more…
Lean Terms
Tolerance Stackup
Tolerance stackup is the cumulative effect of the components of a product being skewed towards the same side of the specification limits. Tolerance is the range between the lower specification limit and the upper limit of a part. Imagine you have a product that lines three or four or more Read more…
Lean Terms
Tooling
Tooling is a generic term for any of the variety of equipment associated with production machines, especially ones that do fabrication. Cutting tools, dies, precision clamps, injection molds, jigs, and fixtures all fall into this category. Most companies with more than just a few production machines will have a tooling Read more…
Lean Terms
Total Productive Maintenance
Total Productive Maintenance keeps machines operational in a way that supports production processes. Total Productive Maintenance combines routine scheduled preventative maintenance with predictive maintenance to limit the impact machine downtime has on operations. The “total” part of Total Productive Maintenance means that machine operators take on a big part of Read more…
Lean Terms
Toyoda, Eiji
Eiji Toyoda (Sept 12, 1913 – September 17, 2013) was, at the time of his tenure, the longest serving president of Toyota. He was the nephew of Sakichi Toyoda, the man who founded Toyoda Loom Works, the predecessor of the automotive version of the company. Eiji Toyoda reportedly visited the Read more…
Lean Terms
Toyoda, Kiichiro
Kiichiro Toyoda (June 11, 1894 – March 27, 1952) was the son of Sakichi Toyoda, the founder of Toyoda Loom Works. Kiichiro Toyoda was the man responsible for shifting the course of Toyoda from being a textile company to becoming an automobile manufacturer.
Lean Terms
Toyoda, Sakichi
Sakichi Toyoda (February 14, 1867 – October 30, 1930) was the founder of Toyoda, though originally, it was not an automobile manufacturer. It was called the Toyoda Loom Works. In addition to being an entrepreneur, Toyoda was an inventor and created an automatic loom that stopped itself when a string Read more…
Lean Terms
Toyota
Toyota is ground zero for modern Lean. It is where all of the historical advances in manufacturing technology and operational leadership and supply chain management came together in what is recognizable as the current version of Lean. Taiichi Ohno is widely credited with being the most instrumental person in creating Read more…
Lean Terms
Toyota® Production System
The Toyota® Production System began in earnest in post-World War II Japan as a way of managing operations in a challenging economic time. The Toyota Production System really began as a synthesis of Henry Ford’s operations and those of the U.S. supermarket system. Taiichi Ohno, often credited as the founder Read more…
Lean Terms
TPS
TPS is the acronym for the Toyota Production System. TPS is more of a business philosophy than a production system, though. It focuses on manufacturing and logistics but doesn’t neglect the human aspect of production. TPS was founded in large part by Taiichi Ohno. TPS can trace its origins back Read more…
Lean Terms
Training Plan
Training does not happen by accident. Building an effective team requires planning. This training plan should, at the minimum, consider the following: The overall needs of the organization An assessment of the current skills of the team Training capabilities Training goals This training plan does a few main things. It Read more…
Lean Terms
Training Term
Success in continuous improvement relies on many factors—leadership, communication, and employee engagement, to name a few. None of the intangibles matter, though, if employees and leaders are not properly trained. In a nutshell, training is the act of passing usable skills from one person to another. Instructors need two basic Read more…
Lean Terms
Tribal Knowledge
Tribal knowledge is the unwritten collective wisdom of an organization. It refers to the tradition of tribes handing information down from generation to generation in the time before the written word was developed. In the same fashion, when information is not document properly, it must be passed from employee to Read more…
Lean Terms
Trust
Trust is an important part of continuous improvement. Team members have to believe their bosses. They have to be sure that making gains won’t cost them their jobs and that making mistakes on projects won’t get them in trouble. Lean requires a great deal of autonomy from frontline employees. Lean Read more…
Lean Terms
Two-Bin System (Kanban)
A two-bin system is a kanban method used to simplify replenishment on a production line. The process is simple. An operator pulls from one bin until it is empty, and then, depending on how the kanban card is attached, either turns in the kanban card (if fastened by hook and Read more…