What is 6S?
Have you ever been in the middle of a job and not been able to finish because you can't find a particular tool? Have you ever run out of printer ink because nobody knew they needed to order replacements? Can't find that file you were working on last week? Did it delay...
What is a digital vision?
Your organization may well have a purpose and values well communicated with all stakeholders. A digital vision, however, is different. It's also, forward-looking and defines "who we want to become" as an organization considering emerging technologies. So you have...
Understanding the Five Principles of Lean
The primary principles related to lean originate in manufacturing practices but nowadays are used to innovate in the world of knowledge management. Lean fosters continuous improvement while keeping respect for people at the centre of its ethos. The primary principles...
How to Make and Use a Fishbone Diagram Template
Fishbone diagrams are a very helpful tool in your problem-solving arsenal. It is used to figure out cause-and-effect and to breakdown the contributing factors of an issue. They are named for their shape which, when completed looks like a fish's bones. A fishbone...
What is Lean?
Enhancing value for the customer is the essence of "Lean". This means delivering what the customer needs, when it is required and at the best possible price. Lean offers a structured methodology that maximises value for the customer through the elimination of waste...
The Lean Principles
Lean is defined as a methodology which maximises value for the customer by eliminating waste from a company's activities. Below, we will identify the five Lean principles to provide a path for the implementation of Lean Thinking and Continuous Improvement within an...
Poka Yoke
Three Effective Methods to Reduce Rework and Defects "Poka-Yoke" a Japanese term coined by Shiego Shingo in the 1960's meaning "mistake-proofing". It is a highly effective quality control tool. It stems from recognising that making mistakes is part of being human. A...
RESPONSIBILITY Is A Very Big Word.
What exactly is "responsibility"? While many people have varying views of its meaning and indeed, its context in the workplace, the dictionary provides six distinct definitions of the word: The state of being the person who caused something to happen.A duty or task...
Who is TIMWOODS
and why is he killing your business? TIMWOODS is a waste of time, resource and energy. Every company, department and role feel his impact. Often employees go about their daily tasks, doing things the way in which they "have always been done" and not questioning...
DMAIC – 5 Steps to Solving all Your Problems
DMAIC which stands for Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control is a powerful problem solving tool. Given time DMAIC could solve all your company's problems using data from the process. When used cyclically DMAIC in a key component of...
Mythbusters: tackling the biggest misconceptions about Lean
Those of us who help companies implement Lean thinking know the methodology is often misunderstood at the onset of an engagement. It's regularly the case that "Lean" is considered to be just another industry buzz word, associated with cost-cutting exercises. And,...
Mindset by Carol Dweck – The New Psychology of Success
Review by Gene Leonard Our mindset shapes whether we believe we can learn, change and grow - or not. An individual's abilities are set in stone in the fixed mindset. Growth and development are possible in the growth mindset. People with a fixed mindset seek...