Lean thinking is not just for factories. 5S is an easy to implement process to organize any workplace. With a little pro bono coaching, my new friends at Holland Physical Therapy have completed their first 5S project. Here’s how we did it: We started out with this quick one-page lesson in 5S, the seven wastes, […]
Plan-Do-Check-Act
Spaghetti Diagram
A spaghetti diagram provides a visualization of the flow of material and/or people through a manufacturing or business process. A spaghetti diagram is primarily used to visualize transport and motion, two of the seven wastes in lean thinking. A spaghetti diagram is easy to construct. The most important input is process knowledge. Assembling a small […]
Manufacturing Plan Verification
Our dynamic economy is characterized by constant change. New products are brought to market, achieve commercial success, and then are made obsolete by something better, faster, cheaper. An essential element in successful product creation is manufacturing plan verification. A manufacturing plan is a comprehensive compilation of all the facts, figures, and assumptions around making something […]
Simulation Output Reports
Discrete Event Simulation is a portal to the future: find constraints, test strategies to break them, improve performance to the goal, maximize investment returns, and reduce risk. Shown below are three powerful simulation output reports. Time in State. Time in state simulation output reports are especially useful in finding the constraint in the process. Before […]