5. Engage the Masses
What is a Quick Hit?
Improvement where:
• one individual or a
small number of
people can quickly
implement an
improvement
• within scope of their
department.
Every little thing adds up!
6. Engage the Masses
Purpose of a Quick Hit
• To engage the masses
• Mechanism that was simple, easy
to use, and relevant for all
employees.
• Encourages change process.
• Make change not just suggestions!
Quick Hits – simple, easy to use, relevant
29. Testimonial
My thoughts
do count!
Team work!
Bring it on!
MMmmm
Pizza!
Hey, what if
we implement
this or try
that?
Can I
help? What else
can we
do?
Why didn’t
we do this
years ago?
Wow, that
was easy!
Let’s rewind. In 2010 L-3 Wescam launched a Conversion Plan for our Lean Journey. The Support and the Core Foundation were both required to make the conversion. Under Engagement, you can see where Quick Hits fit in.
A Quick Hit is a project where one individual or a small number of people can quickly implement (minutes or a few hours) an improvement, and is within the scope of their department.
If it’s outside the scope of the department or large in scope, a project charter is necessary.
The purpose of Quick Hits is all about engaging the masses. We wanted a simple, easy to use, and relevant mechanism for all employees. The Quick Hits encourage the change process, and actually results in making changes, not just suggestions.
…give permission. Give tools.
First, a support structure was created for our Lean journey, which started with Green Belt Training. In 2012, the official Launch of Quick Hits in Operations was added to our goals for the year. Each employee was expected to get 3 Quick Hits per Employee by the end of the year. This Launch was pushed by supervisors and Green belts throughout operations.
We needed to ramp up our approach in order to achieve the set out goal so an effectivity assesment was completed at the beginning of 2013
The problem was, no one was very familiar with what the quick hits are, just that they needed to get 3 completed by the end of the year. Even if they did know what it meant, many didn’t know how a quick hit could be implemented: Put in a request? Ask your Supervisor? Do it yourself? Even if they knew these were improvements that they could implement themselves, there was still the question of finding time to get them done!
In 2013, the goal was set to reach 3 Quick Hits per employee again but we needed a new spin. After receiving upper management buy in, the Quick Hits Blitzes were launched in Quarter 2.
Quick Hit Blitzes are facilitated events that happen with a cell team and are executed within the cell. Running about an hour, the blitz starts with a training portion, which covers the 8 wastes and how to identify them. Next, a Quick Hits Gemba walk is completed with the team. The team identifies wastes and comes up with a list of potential quick hits, which is then translated into an Action Plan. This Action Plan is posted in the cell and is then completed within 1 week to bring the blitz to a close.
Each Cell receives a facilitated blitz in their cell every 3 months. With each new blitz, a new spin is added either to the training or to the examples provided to draw out more Quick Hits.
On top of the blitzes, a monthly contest was created. 1st Prize for most Quick Hits per Employee in a cell gets a Pizza Party. Each month brings a new winner, and a new reason to celebrate. Upper Management also attends the pizza parties to offer congratulations and to reiterate the importance of Quick Hits and the contribution each of the employees made and its important to the success of our Lean Journey.
Results were put up on monitors throughout the building and showcased on our Excellence in Action Boards.
Again, Quick hits are all about engaging the masses. Here are some photos of cell teams that have worked together on Quick Hits. Next, we have a representative of one of our cell teams, Jeremy, to give you some examples of Quick Hits done in their cell.
Here are our annualized savings for Quick Hits!
More savings include a reduction in floor space of 1215 sq. ft., 324 Potential Health and Safety Issues Resolved, and 10 Green Wastes Reduced.
Just recently, interest in Quick Hits has expanded outside of Operations into other departments, such as engineering. The next step with Quick Hits is to move out of operations into other departments and the office area.
*add different departments
…cell do it yourself.
…conclusion.
