the process improvement secret
DESCRIPTION
The process improvement secret that the gurus will never tell you. via @squawkpointTRANSCRIPT
How to be a Process Guru.
Even a boring occupation can be interesting when your goal is to do it better. ~ R. Half
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The gurus have written
lots of books about
process improvement:
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asta
Some talk about statistics,
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rian
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some talk about bottle necks,
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inm
olly
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some talk about
Stakeholders…
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82
60
80
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culture…
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aces
uit
cata
lyst
measurement…
or control. fl
ickr
.co
m/t
un
nel
bu
g
But there is one secret the gurus keep to themselves
All these
guru’s
have a
Secret.
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Process improvement is really
• Really
• Really
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war
db
rice
processes
is…
Improving
Process improvement is really
• Really
• Really
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/ced
war
db
rice
processes
is…
Improving
really
Process improvement is really
• Really
• Really
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/ced
war
db
rice
processes
is…
Improving
really
really
Eeasy fl
ickr
.co
m/w
akim
ita
E Eeasy ###### Asy! fl
ickr
.co
m/w
akim
ita
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do
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(But that doesn’t sell books.)
The secret to process
improvement is to…
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stop doing stupid stuff!
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no
taga
in
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alie
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all that is left is perfection.
When you stop the
stupid stuff…
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imo
s
So who
defines
stupid?
Is it you?
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ht_
seek
er
Is it
you?
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wta
stic
Is it
your
boss?
The woman who
owns the company?
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lan
do
ver3
Or the man who owns the bank?
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y74
Or the man
who owns
the bank?
No it is your customers!
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zzle
bo
rnan
db
red
No it is your customers!
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zzle
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rnan
db
red
If they are not prepared to pay for what
you are doing, then it is fair to say…
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skip
per
It is Stupid!
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nio
skip
per
It is Stupid!
Why do something your customers wouldn’t pay for?
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To help you see
the stupid stuff
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ie8
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a clever man
(called Tim Woods)
found seven types
of stupidity.
Though he called them waste not stupidity…
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zaw
eeze
r
That was more
politically correct!
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eyer
ice
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bis
sch
op
So here are the
7 wastes:
1. Transportation Moving things that don’t need moving.
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vole
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1. Transportation Moving things that don’t need moving.
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vole
nsz
ki
Land fill that’s shipped to China.
1. Transportation Moving things that don’t need moving
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vole
nsz
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Land fill that’s shipped to China.
Delivering paperwork to Glasgow.
2. Intellect Not using your employee’s brains.
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Wasted qualifications…
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-d
2. Intellect Not using your employee’s brains.
and the world’s most tedious conference call.
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2. Intellect Not using your employee’s brains.
Wasted qualifications…
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cob
ald
anza
3. Motion People moving further
than they should.
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cob
ald
anza
3. Motion People moving further
than they should.
Double keying data or
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cob
ald
anza
3. Motion People moving further
than they should.
Double keying data or
endless walks to
the photocopier.
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rgt-
4. Waiting Wasting your time.
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/ -m
rgt-
4. Waiting Wasting your time.
Your call is important to us.
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rgt-
4. Waiting Wasting your time
Your call is important to us.
It will be with you in 7 to 10 days.
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5. Over Production Making more than you need.
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Running the machine at full speed.
5. Over Production Making more than you need.
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Interviewing job candidates “just in case”.
Running the machine at full speed.
5. Over Production Making more than you need
6. Over Processing Doing more than you really should.
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6. Over Processing Doing more than you really should.
Quality assuring the quality assurers.
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6. Over Processing Doing more than you really should
Quality assuring the quality assurers Gift wrapping the gift wrap.
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7. Defects Things gone
Wrong.
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ow
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1
7. Defects Things gone
Wrong.
We don’t have this
where I work.
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ow
allis
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7. Defects Things gone
Wrong.
How about you?
We don’t have this
where I work.
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ow
allis
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8. Stock Piles of stuff nobody needs.
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8. Stock Piles of stuff nobody needs.
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gers
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h
Big write off costs…
8. Stock Piles of stuff nobody needs
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Big write off costs…
but it’s OK, we got a bulk buy discount!
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ie8
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There you have it…
Tim Woods and the 7 wastes:
Transport
Intellect Motion
Waiting
Over Production
Over Processing Defects
Stock
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isra
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The very astute
will have noticed…
This is 8 wastes
Not 7.
Gurus rarely
agree!
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urd
on
Don’t worry too much about the gurus.
Process
improvement
is easy…
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/wak
imit
a
Just stop doing stupid stuff!
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/ e_
no
taga
in
Then you will have the
perfect process.
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inra
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There is just
one small
problem!
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s
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en
gth
am
You have to find the
fool…
Who designed in the
stupid stuff in the first
place…
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/co
lalif
e
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olo
pat
ern
ost
er
And persuade
him to
take it out
again!
One way…
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edo
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y
or another.
When I work out how to do that, I will write a book and call myself a Guru as well.
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utt
erh
acks
To learn more about process improvement visit
www.squawkpoint.com
Based on the “Lean Thinking” ideas of Womack and Jones.
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