Start with the Basics
“Some people imagine that Toyota has put on a smart new set of clothes; the kanban system, so they go out and purchase the same outfit and try it on.
They quickly discover that they are much to fat to wear it!
They must eliminate waste and make fundamental changes in their production system before techniques like kanban can be of any use.
”
This quote always makes me chuckle because it’s so true. Inevitably, the companies Dr. Shingo is criticizing consistently fail to achieve their desired results and soon abandon their Lean initiatives. I see it all the time.
TPS and lean thinking are not a set of tools. They are organization-wide strategies that promote systems thinking, anchored in the pillars of continuous improvement and respect for people. Their sum is far greater than their individual parts.
Before any real improvements can be made, companies need to create and maintain stability—processes that are capable of delivering consistent value everyday. Additionally, process instability makes it very difficult to get employees to believe that the company respects their time and contributions.
“The Toyota Production System is 80 percent waste elimination, 15 percent production system, and only 5 percent kanban.”
Since the majority of work processes are inundated with waste, companies seeking stability must first focus on getting all of their team members involved with identifying waste and using scientific thinking to eliminate it. Trim the fat!
For this to work, it’s critical that these employees are provided with both the necessary training in A3 problem solving as well as a transparent improvement idea suggestion system that triggers and rewards action. Daily huddles with visual boards are also recommended.
Waste elimination enables all businesses to strive for continuous flow, which helps ensure value is consistently delivered to the customer. It’s only when continuous flow is impossible that pull techniques like kanban provide value. Start with the basics to stabilize your processes, then move on to more complex tools like kanban when appropriate. This approach will ensure that your lean journey meets expectations and is built to last.
#leanthinking #toyotaproductionsystem #kanban