By Thomas D. McBride
Partners for
Creative Solutions, Inc.
Our last issue introduced a hybrid approach to eliminating waste that has been very effective in office and support areas, as well as on the factory floor. Part I addressed the "discovery" stage, where the waste-chaser seeks the most fertile ground by performing a fact-based analysis of existing conditions. Good detective skills combined with the right analysis tools and a Pareto (80-20 rule) philosophy will lead to the discovery of a set of root causes. These are the targets that must be attacked in the next stages to eliminate waste and improve your business results.
The next two steps in the process constitute the "creative" stage.
7. Visualize the perfect solution - Forget about how it is done now. What would be the ideal solution; that is, one in which all waste is eliminated? Visualizing the perfect solution bypasses incremental thinking and produces much more effective solutions.
8. Brainstorm - This step helps groups generate ideas that are beyond the obvious. To be effective the group must get into a creative mode as opposed to a practical (get things done) mode. Sessions should be short and lively, and absolutely no criticism of ideas is allowed. The objective is to generate and document a huge quantity of ideas.
The final stage is "project management", where the work gets planned, executed, and followed up. Projects run the risk of losing momentum at this point, and getting results demands a solid commitment from organizational leaders.
9. Select action items - Evaluate each brainstorming idea and select which ones to implement. It is critical to prioritize your list by weighing the benefit of each against its difficulty of implementation. Keep the list short and powerful.
10. Action plan - Do the low cost, high impact items immediately, and develop an urgent but realistic timetable for completing the rest.
11. Monitor the plan - Stick to the plan and avoid "starts and stops." Status reviews keep management involved and help to avoid "scope creep."
12. Measure results - Track progress against goals to ensure success. Frequent posting of meaningful measurements is vital to sustaining gains. Don't forget to celebrate successes.
This process works well in any type of organization. When the going gets tough, using this process will get you back on track. (Part I of this article is available at www.productivityreports.com)
Fall 2001 -Volume 11, Number 4