A Step-By-Step Guide to Implementing the Bright Ideas Employee Suggestion System
Organizations seeking to accelerate their Lean transformations are wise to tap into into minds of stakeholders at all levels. The most successful Lean organizations understand that the people who do the work and have direct experience with the process are best equipped to raise issues and drive sustainable improvement each day.
Bright Ideas provides a structured, visual management system for employee suggestions. It offers a simple, effective, low cost way to actively engage employees in continuous improvement activities, while ensuring all improvements are aligned with the organization’s key strategies.
This system shows respect for people—as organizations eschew the traditional top-down management culture for an environment focused on developing the capabilities of all employees—providing them with the opportunity to:
✅ Eliminate waste
✅ Experiment and learn
✅ Solve problems
✅ Remove frustration
✅ Innovate
✅ Deliver value-added work
✅ Continuously improve their work and work experience.
II. Why Bright Ideas?
Toyota is famous for creating the production system that inspired Lean Thinking. One of the company’s keys to success is its’ engagement of workers throughout its’ enterprise. Between 1951-1991, Toyota’s employees implemented over 20 million improvement ideas and 90 percent of the overall employee suggestions were approved.
In recent years, employees from Toyota’s Georgetown, Kentucky plant have averaged 80,000 improvement suggestions per year with a 99 percent implementation success rate. There’s no secret to the automaker’s success: IT’S THE PEOPLE.
Bright Ideas’ core objective is to foster an environment where everyone can quickly and effectively use the scientific method to systematically surface reoccurring problems and solve each one at its’ root cause.
In other words, Bright Ideas helps workers identify abnormal conditions (gaps between their operation’s current state and target condition) and empowers them to creatively discover ways to bridge these gaps.
Many Lean transformations fail to reach their lofty expectations because continuous improvement activities are done To the people, rather than with the them. Bright Ideas aligns with the latter helping organizations unlock the knowledge, creativity, and excitement of workers throughout the enterprise—the ingredients of a world-class culture.
The upcoming sections will provide you with a step-by-step guide and proven template for implementing this system at your company.
III. Steps to Implement Bright Ideas
Set up visual white board for Bright Ideas system and place in easily visible area. I recommend placing it in a high-traffic area of the facility, but you most likely will want to avoid narrow hallways.
2. Select department/area to pilot the system.
3. Select 4-5 Key Result Areas (KRA) that represent organization’s mission and purpose and select a different color for each KRA.
4. Sponsor in pilot area conducts awareness meeting with team members to communicate the implementation of the system.
5. Team members fill out cards (stickies or index cards) that include their improvement idea on them and place it in the Incoming column. The cards should be standardized to fit the needs of the organization.
A3 Card template
Example from a classic Seinfeld episode.
6. The Sponsor MUST move each Incoming card to the Selection column, review the card, and make decision within 72-hours.
It’s helpful to involve additional leaders with authority/responsibility over the area to collaborate with the Sponsor when reviewing each submission.
7. Sponsor can take three (3) different courses of action:
A. Move card from Selection to Active column and assign for implementation by initialing and circling Approved. The Sponsor should add written notes on the back of the card to document the plan and actions required for implementation. Is it a just do it? Is the root cause known? Does it require an A3? Does its’ scope fit the criteria for a rapid improvement event?
B. Move card from Selection to Parking Lot. These cards include approved improvement ideas, but due to project prioritization, current resources, and/or WIP limits, their implementation must be postponed to a later date. The Sponsor should state the reason for postponement on the back of each card and speak with the team member about the decision.
C. If the improvement idea that DOES NOT meet the criteria for approval, the Sponsor then writes the reason for rejecting the card and communicates this to the team member. These steps ensure the logic the Sponsor used to make the decision is sound.
10. Sponsor conducts concise huddles with team members at least once (1) per week to review and discuss the cards.
This can often be incorporated into the area’s pre-existing daily huddles.
11. As a card is implemented, the team member or Sponsor moves the card to the Completed column and updates the overall scorecard with the results of the implemented improvements.
12. Sponsor covers the status of the system once a week in a weekly meeting to celebrate completed improvements and discuss active ones in the pipeline.
IV. Bright Ideas Board Columns
1. Key Result Area (KRA)
Each organization should decide on the KRAs that fit best in its’ culture (i.e., Safety, Quality, Productivity, People Development, etc.)
2. Incoming
The column where the team member places each filled-out card.
3. Selection
1-2 times per week, Sponsor reviews newly submitted cards and either moves them to the Active or Parking Lot columns.
The Sponsor might want to work with a team leader during this review process to lessen their load.
Sponsor must review each card, formulate a decision, and inform the team member within 48 hours of the cards’ submission.
If the idea is rejected, Sponsor MUST explain the reasoning on the back of card and speak with team member. Sticking to this time standard is critical, as it promotes accountability and drives action.
4. Active
This column displays the cards that the Sponsor approved. The cards represent the improvement projects team members are currently working on (WIP). Establishing WIP limits is critical to ensure the system is sustainable.
5. Completed
Completed projects are moved into this column.
6. Parking Lot
These cards include approved improvement ideas, but due to project prioritization, current resources, and/or WIP limits, are postponed to a later date.
V. Tips for Engaging Team Members
Illustration of sticky-note with “Daily Habits”
I recommend using the straight-forward techniques for positive behavioral change outlined by James Clear in his book Atomic Habits:
Make it obvious.
Place Bright Ideas board in visible location; display completed A3s in a centralized location so everyone in the organization can check them out.
Make it attractive.
Sponsors and team leaders practice discipline and accountability in reviewing submissions and approving ideas; tie suggestion system involvement to opportunities for cross-training and career advancement.
Make it easy.
Focus on waste elimination; develop clear standard work for the system; teach team members to follow the DMAIC process and capture their improvements on A3s.
Make it satisfying.
Remove long-standing problems; track results; consistently celebrate success; offer organization-wide recognition to team members.
Additional Best Practices
🎯 Set tangible goals; select and measure impactful metrics.
🎯Transition from lagging metrics to leading once the system achieves the necessary stability.
🎯 Track and communicate weekly results throughout organization.
🎯 Meet often to discuss and continuously improve the system.
🎯Capture Lessons Learned.
What should we keep doing?
What should we stop doing?
What should we start doing?
🎯 Celebrate and share success!
VI. Summary
I hope this article inspires you to develop a transformative employee suggestion system in your organization.
Please use this as a guide and adapt the process to the specific needs and culture of your company.
I’d love to hear about your experiencing adapting Bright Ideas to your organization.
References
Yasuda, Yuzo. 4o Years, 20 Million Ideas: The Toyota Suggestion System. Productivity Press, 1991.
Liker, Jeffrey K. The Toyota Way 2nd Edition. McGraw Hill, 2021.
Clear, James. Atomic Habits, Avery, 2021
Author
James Bussell, Executive Director, Jacksonville Lean Consortium