Source 4 Spring 2010 Sec

4th Edition Spring 2010

The home of Lean Thinking

Lean
Learning
Is it the key enabler to sustainable
continuous improvement?

Case study:
What effect did treating the
root cause have on Allergy
Therapeutic’s bottom line?

Managing risk proactively:
How to implement a zero
defects culture

Ready for the upturn?
Now’s the time to think Lean


In this edition…
1 Welcome
from Robin Jaques

2 Lean Learning
The key enabler to sustainable continuous improvement?

6 Ready for the Upturn?
Now is the time to think Lean

9 Online Lean Learning
A new alliance is formed

10 Case Study
How have Lean problem solving techniques helped
Allergy Therapeutics?

14 Zero Defects
A proactive approach to managing risk

16 Information and Events
Find useful events, websites and essential reading here



Welcome
to the home of Lean thinking.

Welcome to Source, in which We are also delighted to announce
we strive to bring you the latest a partnership with Leading Edge
Lean Thinking and examples of Group, to promote and develop
successful Lean implementation to online learning solutions.
help you with your own business
In the case study, Allergy
improvement journey.
Therapeutics tell us how they
Experience has taught us that the tackled the root causes of variability
development of Lean skills and in their production process, with
knowledge inside an organisation dramatic results. The adjacent
is key to sustaining a culture of article describes the theory behind
improvement and translating their approach and looks at the
Lean results from a short lived tools available to help us to make
programme to ‘a way of life’. ‘zero defects’ a reality whatever
the environment.
In this edition, Gary Griffiths
shares what he has learned from
planning, preparing, delivering Robin Jaques
Managing Partner
and measuring internal Lean
education programmes.
Robin Jaques

The home of Lean Thinking 1

Lean Learning

Lean Learning
– the Key Enabler for
Sustainable Continuous
Improvement
By Gary Griffiths

2 The home of Lean Thinking

Lean Learning

During the past On this journey, one major piece of For any corporate learning programme to
15 years I have learning for me has been how corporate succeed, I believe you must:
education, done well, not only helps a
had the privilege business to move forward, but can be
• Align and integrate your Lean learning
of working with a the critical factor in creating and sustaining
programme with the business strategy
(note: REALLY align it for the skills
number of leading a business wide culture of continuous
of today and changing capabilities of
organisations to improvement.
tomorrow)
develop a business that has The lessons I have learned have not come
• Develop a programme of Lean learning
both the process capability and from one single organisation in a single
that concurrently meets the needs
behavioural culture needed to sector and geographical region but have
of the organisational levels (senior
achieve that common “holy been compiled from working on a variety
management, middle management,
of Lean learning programmes, and these
grail” of sustainable continuous team leaders and workers)
lessons are summarised in figure 1.
improvement. Having worked • Create a “Learning System” of
in such diverse sectors as The Lean Education Model continuous development for
health, automotive, defence, individuals and the business (it’s not
Organisations are in business to make
service, food processing and a profit and grow by offering better
just about course content it’s about
retail across the five continents workplace application)
services to their clients, customers
of the world I have experienced and stakeholders. Any Lean learning • Ensure that any Lean training courses
a range of approaches to Lean programme therefore needs to give its are the start of the learning not the
implementation, some inevitably employees and partners the capability end (you will need to apply the Plan-
to support the business vision and goals. Do-Check-Act rigorously to your Lean
more successful than others.
Unfortunately, learning programmes often learning system)
fall short of this purpose.
• Recognise that you can’t do it all by
Hopefully this article will give you some yourself (the business competence
“food for thought” on how to develop a of most organisations is NOT always
more meaningful and sustainable approach learning and development so use
to Lean learning. partners to help).
These critical factors are not exhaustive
and are dependent on your situational
needs and level of capability – more
emphasis may be needed in one or more
areas. Having said that, for the Lean
learning programme to begin to make a
difference, all of these factors need to be
carefully considered and applied.
To help us think this through I will briefly
discuss the essential elements of each
factor. Remember what we want is a
Lean learning programme that ensures
engagement and provides ongoing
evidence of continuously improving
business results whilst providing space for
individual and team development.

Figure 1 – Lessons learned from implementing Lean learning programmes


Lean Learning

Align Lean Learning to Concurrent Multi-level Develop a Lean
Business Strategy Lean Learning Learning System
• Deploy Lean learning as part of your • Provide appropriate Lean learning for • Look at learning as a process. The most
business strategy. In many organisations all levels. Learning is not a luxury or a successful organisations approach Lean
training is treated as an optional activity reward for high achieving employees. learning as an integrated system, not as
driven by the “nice-to-have” skills of Learning is crucial to the development a secondary or functional activity. Be
today but not by the “must-have” and success of an organisation and clear on what you want the programme
changing competencies of tomorrow. should be approached as a whole-of- to achieve and design a full end-to-end
During the strategy formation and organisation experience involving all or life cycle learning framework with
deployment cycles we can use tools employees in some form of structured appropriate systems to monitor and
to envision what tomorrow’s business learning and development. While the manage successful fulfilment of the
will look like and which new skills type of content and the level at which defined value criteria.
and competencies will be needed to a programme is delivered may vary,
• Share good practice across the business.
achieve it. learning and development should be
Different areas of organisations usually
continuous and involve all levels in an
• Link Lean learning to individual have certain training systems that are
organisation, providing a common thread
Performance Development tailored to suit their specific learning and
via the Lean learning content.
Programmes - what gets measured development requirements. Sharing what
gets done, especially in large • Link Lean learning to roles and is working well can also help reinforce
organisations. Therefore, the learning responsibilities. Learning needs to be the organisation’s core values.
and development of employees needs tailored to the current and emerging
• Translate Lean learning to added value
to align with the organisation’s strategic skills necessary for employees to be
competence. Corporate education
goals and cascade to the individual effective in their roles. The learning
needs to involve more than just passive
performance development plans of should combine common skills and
attendance at a course. The programme
each employee. competencies required for specific
should encourage participants to break-
functions and responsibilities in
• Continually question how Lean learning out into groups to discuss issues, interact
the organisation as well as other
enables performance. It is important with their co-learners, and have the
competencies, such as situational
to conduct periodic reviews to ensure opportunity to apply or experiment with
leadership, coaching, facilitation and
employee learning is adaptable and concepts and tools. Employees with a
team-work skills.
relevant to the organisation’s goals as proven track record for the successful
well as the employees’ requirements. • Create mixed level networks. A and continued application of learned skills
In addition, programme content progressive learning environment and competence need to be recognised
needs to be kept up-to-date and should remove all forms of rank and and rewarded accordingly.
relevant to the evolving strategic superiority so that employees interact,
goals of the organisation. share experiences, ideas and learn from
each other, regardless of position or
status. Use the “Action-Learning set”
methodology which encourages groups
to examine real and personal issues they
are faced with so that the group can
work out some options for improvement
but more importantly agree on a
collaborative set of improvement actions.


Lean Learning

Apply a Plan-Do-Check-Act Partner with Lean As I mentioned at the start
Methodology Learning Expertise of this brief insight into
• Plan every programme thoroughly. • Consider partnering with external Lean learning, I have been
The success of a good Lean education education and training providers, e.g. privileged to work with many
programme starts with good planning. universities. These providers can bring
great companies over the
The planning phase needs to consider objectivity to programme design and
the realistic learning goals, the current development and can often introduce the years. Each one has set out
skills of the participants and their learning latest thinking, concepts and methods, to develop its people and
styles. The planning process also needs which might not be accessible to processes to help continuous
to define the content and structure and internal resources. Online Lean learning performance improvement and
any support materials and teaching aids packages are also worth considering as
that will be required. It is vital during part of a structured skills development
each one has developed an
the planning phase to clarify the desired programme. They are available for all approach of their own. Having
(and measurable) outcomes and how levels, externally accredited in many cases experienced these different
participants will demonstrate their level of and, while individuals participate online at approaches, I truly believe that
understanding and competence gained. their own pace, the organisation retains the critical factors above are
overall visibility of the progress that’s
• Create a listening process. While an
being made.
what make the difference in
organisation will have learning goals, it is the most successful cases. Any
also important to listen to the views of • Join external Lean learning networks.
stakeholders. Consult with stakeholders Interacting with like-minded people
organisation that incorporates
to explore topics and issues they would stimulates and challenges traditional these critical factors in its
like to be addressed. All too often course thinking. By joining an external learning learning programme will find
evaluation forms are left in the back of network, organisations can expand the that they move closer towards
the HR information cabinet and are not perspective their employees have to a the “holy grail” of sustainable
used to take the programme onto the greater extent than they would when
next level, so please make sure you their reference circle is internal only.
continuous improvement
continuously and rigorously apply to in order to provide better
• Look for help to develop learning
the principle of P-D-C-A.
frameworks. There is significant value in
services and profitable growth.
• Check learning is making a difference. having an external person as an adviser
The most effective means to check the or to oversee the development of the
value of a Lean education programme is programme. A person at arm’s length to
the difference it makes on-the-job. Some an organisation can assist with developing
training has an immediate impact, but a learning framework that, ideally,
often the real difference in an employee’s incorporates formal programme content
skills and competence becomes apparent as well as opportunities for employees
over time. Therefore learning and to experiment and develop their level of
development should be monitored over understanding further.
time, perhaps three to six months after the
event, to observe and measure the level
of difference in the skills and performance
of each employee and to ensure the
application of the new skills is sustained.


Ready for the Upturn

Ready for
the Upturn?
Now’s the time to think Lean
By Simon Castleman and Robin Jaques



Recent statistics appear to when the upturn eventually happens the the boundaries of your business, making
indicate that Britain has taken company will not be able to respond your supply chain responsive to demand
to the new opportunities that present pull from your customer also reduces the
the first step on the long road themselves. demand for cash.
out of recession, although there
What typically happens in this situation is
remains the risk that we may
that the non-value added activity, instead
drop into “the second dip in a of being removed from the business, is
W-shaped recession”. In this passed on to the remaining employees of
period of uncertainty many the firm, burdening the retained workers
companies face a dilemma – and undermining their productivity.
whether to keep cutting back The other aspect of the business that has
on costs and prepare for the been impacted by the recession is stocks
worst, or to increase spending of raw materials, work in progress and
on materials or manpower to finished goods.
take advantage of the increase In a Lean world excess stock
in economic activity. allows process inefficiency and However let me add a word of caution
at this point; one of the problems with
Whichever scenario finally emerges the so hides waste in a business. So
many Lean implementations is that they
one thing that most people agree on is that whilst reducing stock is a laudable find someone with knowledge of the Lean
managing cash flow is of critical importance, activity this is only the case so toolbox and then set about applying those
particularly since the banking system still
long as it does not prevent the tools even if they are using the wrong tool
appears to be reluctant to lend sufficient
sums of money to sound companies.
business taking advantage of in the wrong area.
opportunities that an increase in In addition, without taking full account
The general consensus appears to be that
economic activity brings. of the complete value chain it is possible
the level of “de-stocking” has reached
to make one area more efficient to the
its minimum and indeed there is some If we assume there is a sudden upturn
detriment of the value chain as a whole –
evidence that companies are rebuilding in demand for our goods or services
creating islands of excellence in a sea
their stock levels. On the other hand the natural reaction is take on more staff
of waste!
it seems likely that the levels of or purchase more stock to meet this
redundancies and layoffs will continue demand. Unfortunately recruiting staff with Any improvement of a value chain
for some time to come. the right skills and increasing stock levels should be grounded in understanding
to meet the new demand levels both what the customer really values (and that
The standard approach to this kind of
require additional cash and therein lies the does not mean sending out a series of
economic situation is to cut costs across
problem, particularly if the company is not questionnaires to key customers), you can
the board and although this might be a
cash rich and relies upon the bank. then start to map the value stream starting
short term expedient it rarely considers
with the customer.
how waste can be removed from the firm. By applying Lean Thinking, waste can be
rapidly identified and steps taken to ensure
Indeed in some situations the cuts have
that those activities which are of no value
been so deep that there is a risk of lasting
to the customer are reduced and ideally
damage to the body corporate such that
eliminated and, although it impacts outside



This will enable you to identify the key The feedback was revealing in This meant that they could not only grow
areas to apply the appropriate tools from terms of how Cogent operated their business profitably going forward,
the Lean toolbox to maximise customer but also shorten the supply chain to their
value and benefit to the business.
in the current market and customers whilst reducing the threat
also insightful in terms of what from competition in what is traditionally a
For example, Cogent Power (featured
they could do differently to be mature, highly competitive, price sensitive
in the Shingo-Prize winning book Staying
Lean: Thriving not just Surviving) carried
successful in tomorrow’s market. market place.
out 130 face-to-face interviews with 17 At the beginning of this recession the key
key customers of its Canadian plant. The Common themes were: imperative was to reduce costs and to “out
process set out to understand what the survive” your competitors, the situation
customer valued at different touch points • they were doing a lot of things is now changing to taking advantage of
within the business and specifically what right, just needed to do more of the opportunities out there by generating
good looked or felt like against each of the them – and release time from customer value whilst at the same time
identified values. activities that were not adding value minimising the demand for cash.
from their customers’ perspective
One approach to doing this is to apply
• despite having supplied customers Lean Thinking to your business not by just
for several years, they were applying the tools but by looking at what
mistaken in thinking that they knew your customers really value and maximising
the real influencers the efficiency in that value stream so you
• many of their customers wanted can deliver what the customer demands as
to have a more proactive and well as what they value on time, on quality,
advanced partnership with them in full every time.

• there were many ‘quick win’ Engaging your workforce in this pursuit by
improvements that they could using Lean Thinking as a foundation for their
act upon quickly. development will not only help you create
value for your customers and margin for
your business but will also leave you with a
The feedback indicated that there was a flexible customer centric workforce.
real market opportunity for the business
to grow into new but aligned market areas In any event a flexible workforce and a clear
where they had expert knowledge. understanding of customer value, combined
with a positive cash position, are amongst
Traditionally the business had supplied the key attributes which will define those
quality component parts to other companies who do not just survive the
manufacturers but Cogent Powers end recession but are in a position to thrive in
users indicated that there was now a real the new order that emerges, whatever that
opportunity for the business to add value to turns out to be.
their existing product offering by moving up
the “value ladder” and developing a higher
quality engineered product and service at a
competitive price.


Online Lean Learning

Partnership offers online
Lean learning programmes
S A Partners has announced Leading Edge produces flexible online and S A Partners chairman Professor Peter
a partnership with Leading Edge instructor-led training modules that help Hines commented: “When done
organisations to manage the development successfully, Lean learning programmes
Group, a Cork-based company of Lean skills within their workforce at transfer into an organisation the knowledge
specialising in online Lean every level from basic awareness through and skill that was initially provided by
learning solutions. The to practical application (see figure 1). external consultants. They therefore play
alliance gives S A Partners Programmes are accredited externally by a vital role in the long term sustainability
the opportunity to extend institutions such as University College Cork of continuous improvement, enabling
its offering and to grow its and the Irish and American Institutes of businesses to retain and develop that
Industrial Engineers. Leading Edge Group learning inhouse.”
Lean consultancy business in has offices in Cork and Toronto and has
Ireland, while Leading Edge worked with clients including Pfizer, Dell
Leading Edge chief executive Joe Aherne
added: “Our strength is in providing
will be able to reach new and PepsiCo.
learning for the entire workforce,
customers in the UK and work S A Partners challenges and coaches whatever degree of involvement they will
with S A Partners to develop businesses across all sectors to improve have in implementing Lean Thinking. We
new learning material. their performance by applying Lean know that it is the combination of Lean
Principles. It places significant emphasis tools and their systematic implementation
on transferring knowledge and skills into that yields the best results, and this can
client companies, to help them to sustain only be achieved through commitment
improvements in the long term. In 2009 across all levels of the organisation. The
a case study of the company’s work with online option also gives individuals the
Cogent Power, entitled ‘Staying Lean: flexibility to study at their own pace, with
Thriving not just Surviving’ was awarded a access to an experienced mentor.”
Shingo Prize for Research.

BLACK BELT
6 month online
(l/r) Chris Butterworth, Managing Director, programme for
career-minded Lean
S A Partners Ireland; Professor Peter Hines, practitioners,
Chairman, S A Partners; Steve Hardgrave, including leadership
and project management skills.
Strategy Consultant, Leading Edge Group and
Joe Aherne, CEO, Leading Edge Group. GREEN BELT
13 week online or instructor led programme to
achieve proficiency in understanding and
applying Lean tools. Includes mentoring support.

YELLOW BELT
2 day classroom overview for those likely to be involved in
Lean projects - including a demonstration of Lean tools.
A foundation for further Lean skills development.

WHITE BELT
For more information visit A 1 day classroom programme to introduce the workforce to the Lean philosophy,
www.sapartners.com drivers for change, potential benefits and the role they play in ensuring success

Figure 1


Treating the root cause

Treating the
root cause
Lean problem solving
techniques have a
positive impact on the
bottom line at Allergy
Therapeutics



Allergy Therapeutics develops, manufactures and sells a range of pharmaceutical
products for the treatment and prevention of allergy. Their flagship product is Pollinex®
Quattro which is transforming immunotherapy by vaccinating against allergy with only
four injections.
Allergy Therapeutics vaccines are “The focus was on the speed at Individuals were given the authority to
prescribed only by medical practitioners which incidents were resolved, stop the production line if a fault occurred
and are administered either by injection or and to call for help from relevant qualified
placement under the tongue.
not wholly on the quality of personnel before production resumed.
the resolution.”
In addition to branded products, ‘specifics’ “We used to get managers
are developed to address unique In addition to the financial implications of
this waste, the unpredictability of supply together in a meeting room to
combinations of allergies for individual
patients. Hundreds of products can threatened the company’s ability to resolve problems, now it’s the
therefore be supplied in thousands penetrate new markets. The need people that are directly involved
of combinations. to remake product had a negative in the process that solve the
impact on capacity, staff morale and problems – on the shop floor
customer satisfaction.
as they occur.”
Treating the cause
Secondly, the teams examined the potential
The solution was to engage the risks facing the business, to enable them to
most appropriate resources from manage risk proactively.
within the Allergy business, and deploy
Teams of people attended more than
a combination of Lean tools and techniques,
40 workshops working on a PFMEA – a
to mount a two-pronged attack on
Process Failure Mode and Effect Analysis
process improvement.
– that examined the potential risks in
“At first I was sceptical that Lean producing a core product. Each risk was
The £45m business is headquartered in tools that had been deployed given a score based on severity of impact,
likely occurrence and ease of detection.
Worthing, UK, with extensive sales and in environments such as
marketing operations in several European Using these scores, the team could prioritise
engineering could be applied to risks and consider countermeasures to
countries. Patient safety is the company’s
pharmaceuticals. My confidence reduce the chance of variability occurring
priority and vaccines must comply with the
strict pharmaceutical regulations that apply in in the methodology grew and and/or increase the likelihood of detection.
each country in which its products are sold. now I know that the Lean Allergy Therapeutics are also collaborating
principles work, whatever more closely with suppliers to help eradicate
Drivers for change
your business.” variability that may be caused by raw
At the start of the ‘Odyssey’ journey, due materials, thereby extending Lean Thinking
to the nature of biological pharmaceuticals, Firstly cross functional teams worked with
up stream in the supply chain.
variabilities resulted in defective product external Lean consultants to identify and
having to be scrapped and remade. Incidents resolve the root causes of variability
of variability in the production process were contributing to a more stable production
a resource burden that was not sustainable process. This activity would also reduce
and warranted action. waste, free up capacity and enhance
durable sustainability.



Allergy’s Kelly Goss and Dick Knapp talk colleagues through the progress made on their parts of the ’Odyssey’ project.

Tracking progress
The benefits achieved so far:
Allergy appointed a full time manager to the
Odyssey project and established a project
room as a base. Senior managers were
• Wasted product reduced in the first year of the programme
given roles as project sponsors to reinforce • Financial savings above target
the impact of the project in supporting the
company’s overall strategy. • Personal skills development, e.g. 25% of the workforce trained in
Lean problem solving techniques
Weekly PDCA (plan, do, check, act)
meetings are held, using a tracking • Involvement of staff at all levels and the building of teams working
document to report on the progress made across functional boundaries
of numerous smaller concurrent projects.
• Improved staff morale
After the first year a communication event
was held, at which each of the teams could
• Increased communication with staff regarding the programme’s
explain to their colleagues what they had achievements – a ‘voice’ for all those that are contributing
been doing and what had been achieved • Improved customer satisfaction
so far.
• A culture of interrogating and targeting root causes
Allergy Therapeutics has achieved significant
benefits in the first year of the Odyssey • A methodology for proactively managing risk through the PFMEA
programme, some which have a monetary
• Greater collaboration with suppliers
value, and others that do not, but which are
no less critical to the success of the business. • A more structured process for classifying and resolving incidents.



Source interviewed Head of
Supply Operations, Ray Keeling,
for his thoughts on the Odyssey
project’s achievements.

You are Head of Supply And that led to the start Were there any
Operations, what does of the Odyssey project? turning points for you?
that involve?
I conceived a three year project to address There are two that stand out for me.
Supply operations basically encompasses the challenges. In the business case that I We had an early breakthrough in the
all the functions needed to bring a product presented to the board, I explained that production of the Tree product. We took
to market, including: health and safety; we had to make an investment in skills great satisfaction from solving a
validation of processes, facilities and development and diagnostic work and very complex problem with a new
equipment; Information Technology; probably wouldn’t see tangible results in storage solution.
planning; purchasing; manufacturing; the first six months, but the first year’s
The second turning point was what we
warehousing; packaging, and; distribution. results have exceeded our expectations.
called our “Town Hall” event, held to
What did you find when you Why did you seek communicate the progress of Odyssey
took up the role in 2005? external help? to all our staff and our new shareholders.
The feedback from the event was
There was inherent variability in processes, The consultants challenged and
overwhelmingly positive and I felt so
resulting in waste. externalised us and this was what we
proud of everyone’s contribution.
needed. They brought a comprehensive
What was your vision
‘Zero Defects’ approach that was closely Do you have any regrets?
for change?
aligned to our objectives and included skills
Only that I wish I’d started Odyssey two
I felt strongly that we should focus on transfer to ensure that in time we would
years earlier! Times have changed since
our core brand and put in place effective be able to continue the improvement
the project began, but with what we’ve
structured problem solving techniques on our own.
achieved so far, the business is in a much
based on fact and scientific based evidence.
What do you think has stronger position to achieve a paradigm
I wanted us to move to a culture of
been the secret of the shift in our performance.
transformational change to enhance
success here?
sustainable business performance.
We’ve embedded and integrated the skills
and problem solving processes into the
compliance systems that govern our day
to day work (so they aren’t perceived as
an additional burden). We’ve also invested
in skills development to ensure we can
continue the improvement and sustain
the benefits.


Zero Defects

Zero
Defects
A proactive approach to
managing risk
A retailer is losing market A pharmaceutical company is unable to
meet regulatory standards due to excessive
Why would an organisation want to adopt
these techniques? Often it is only after a
share because the internal non-conformances. A braking problem has occurred that action is taken
distribution warehouse systems manufacturer is concerned about its to compensate – the business reacts. For a
product failing in the field. serious issue, such as a car parts recall, this
supply chain is not is too late – it costs a great deal of money
Each of these businesses has dramatically
optimising performance. improved its business performance by
to correct the fault and the manufacturer’s
A flat screen TV implementing a Zero Defects approach.
reputation is severely damaged in the
market place.
manufacturer is losing So what is it? It encompasses a number of
tools and techniques which, if used together, Alternatively problems may be captured
capacity and output due provide a powerful mechanism for tackling internally through an inspection process – in
to quality issues on its deep seated business issues. this case market perception is not damaged
but nevertheless there are significant costs of
assembly line. inspection, scrap, rework and lost capacity.


Zero Defects

Once problems have been discovered, the headings of Severity, Occurrence and The PFMEA is entirely proactive. It forecasts
the organisation needs to investigate Detection. The three ratings multiplied failures and stimulates preventative action
the root causes and introduce effective together deliver the “Risk Priority Number.” before these failures occur. In the real
countermeasures to ensure that it will The PFMEA is sorted by Risk Priority world, events may occur that are entirely
never happen again. Anything less is an Number so that the highest numbers are unforeseen, or they are so far down the
unsustainable workaround that has the at the top, thereby prioritising the projects PFMEA list that they are not scheduled to
potential to fail once again. required to reduce risk. Preparation of this be looked at for some time. The urgent
document requires a significant investment in need to react to these might outweigh the
Implementing a Zero Defect time, but it becomes a live management tool proactive approach from the PFMEA. Whilst
philosophy as part of a with a potential lifespan of many years. immediate action will have to be taken to
continuous improvement culture, Having invested in diagnosing the process,
protect the customer as the result of this
providing a mechanism for what are the next steps? The only choices
new occurrence, the PFMEA will need to be
identifying issues and fixing root updated – certainly in terms of occurrence,
are to reduce the level of occurrence or
as it’s actually happened! This re-sorting may
causes, can have a major impact increase the possibility of detection. Severity
bring this new issue to the top of the list,
on growth and profitability. will remain the same whether it happens
requiring a team to investigate for root
frequently or rarely.
The tools and techniques that sit within the cause immediately.
Zero Defects package include a daunting Multi-disciplinary teams are then In parallel with the PFMEA, it is frequently
list of acronyms and Japanese buzzwords - set to work on the highest risks beneficial to use the techniques of Jidoka
PFMEA, Jidoka, Genchi Genbutsu, 8D, using root cause problem solving (line stop) and Genchi Genbutsu (go, look,
5Y, process flow and variables, multi-
disciplinary team work, poke yoke, 5W1H
skills. Armed with a thorough see). If an issue has occurred, it is helpful
understanding of a particular for staff to have the authority to stop the
action planning, PDCA, 5 step checks, process and call in qualified people to
the CI process. risk, they can design a counter
investigate what has happened. By stopping
It may not be necessary to deploy all of
measure, the “poke yoke,” that the line, memories will be fresh regarding
these, but it will certainly be necessary to will eliminate or dramatically what happened and the evidence will still be
bring a number of them into play. The skill reduce the risk. there. If the issue is deep rooted, the learning
lies in understanding fully the issues facing from this can be used to feed back into the
The next stage is to implement the
the business at the outset, and designing problem solving teams, which should speed
counter measure. The team will need to
the correct response. This response must up the whole process.
demonstrate skills in project management
include adequate resourcing of the project in
terms of finance, time, commitment, and so
and 5W1H (why, what, who, when, The Zero Defects approach is
where, and how the new way of doing not a ‘one size fits all’ solution.
on. Let’s look at the tools in more detail. things is going to be brought on stream).
This is complemented by the discipline of
The approach should be tailored
PFMEA is “Process Failure Mode
and Effect Analysis.” There is also a PDCA (plan, do, check, act) to ensure that to suit the business according
Design FMEA equivalent. This approach is the new process is working, that we have to the issues that it is facing.
proactive and examines in detail all aspects not incurred unintended consequences and Experience shows, however,
of the process that expose a business that there is no way of slipping back to the that the application of the
to risk. Many of the risks may not have old way of doing things. A 5 step process is correct tools and techniques,
manifested themselves yet, but they could, designed as a final formalised sign off that the
implementation was successful. Overall there
fully supported by management
and appropriate action should be taken to
prevent the occurrence. are eight stages involved, and the process is commitment, will virtually
commonly referred to as 8D. guarantee success.
The PFMEA is essentially a detailed process
flow chart, which an experienced team then On completion, the team can be disbanded, Each of the ZD mechanisms has been
starts to challenge. The team brainstorms but not before the PFMEA has been updated proven and a continuous improvement
all potential failure modes for each step with the new occurrence and detection process built upon root cause problem
in the process and their effect on the ratings for that particular risk, which should solving should be an inherent part of all
customer. Each of these is then rated under drop down the list of highest priority. management teams’ forward thinking.


Information & Events

Information
& Events
Useful Websites Networking Events
Lean Related Websites Lean Leadership:
www.sapartners.com www.linkedin.com An interactive training event that looks at
www.superfactory.com the skills needed to lead a sustainable
Linkedin discussion groups: Lean deployment.
www.improvementandinnovation.com
Lean & Green 26 & 27 May 2010, Cork
www.leanenterprise.org.uk
Lean Enterprise Food & Drink 2 & 3 September 2010, Stockholm
Lean Enterprise Retail
Staying Lean: Thriving not just Surviving
Lean Enterprise Asia Pacific A one day workshop that investigates
Lean Enterprise Ireland what is needed to sustain Lean business
Lean Enterprise Nordic improvement, featuring a Shingo Prize-
winning case study.
Lean Enterprise United Kingdom
28 May 2010, Ireland
Lean Enterprise Benelux
3 June 2010, Toronto
Lean Enterprise Central and Eastern Europe
16 June 2010, Netherlands
Lean Enterprise Mediterranean
Lean Enterprise Canada Further details on:
www.sapartners.com

Recommended Reading
Lean Management Journal Staying Lean: Thriving not just Surviving
by SayOne Media and the Lean Enterprise by Hines, Found, Griffiths and Harrison
Research Centre The book Staying Lean: Thriving not
The Lean Management Journal (LMJ) just Surviving tells the story of how a
aims to bring to the forefront the diversity multinational organization implemented and
of thinking around Lean concepts and to sustained Lean to turn around its financial
showcase Lean excellence from around the performance. It is designed to be used as
globe. It also aims to provide a platform for a practical workbook to guide others along
Lean debate and continuous improvement their own journey to embed Lean in the
through shared experience, interviews and organization and to sustain performance
case studies. improvement over the long term.
For more information and a free pilot copy Publisher: Lean Enterprise Research Centre
visit www.leanmj.co.uk (1 Feb 2008)
ISBN: 0953798291


Contact details

www.sapartners.com

Source 4 Spring 2010 Sec

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