Episode B.005 The Discipline of Lean

Continuous Improvement Opportunities

• Design For Manufacturability – starting backwards or at the end, can the job be made easier for each successive step?
• Inventory – can it be made easier to find? Is there any pre-sorting that would help?
• Downstream Steps and Customer Feedback – what has been the downstream feedback on your work? What has been the customer feedback on your work?
• Current Costs – using the current process, what does it cost for you to make it?
• Raw Materials Inventory – What percentage of raw material inventory doesn't meet your specifications – either requires rework or is discarded?
• WIP Inventory - What percentage of WIP inventory doesn't meet your specifications – either requires rework or is discarded?
• Finished Goods Inventory - What percentage of finished goods inventory doesn't meet your specifications – either requires rework or is discarded?
• Under Utilized – what percent of your time is spent doing nothing and/or looking for work?
• Soliciting Feedback – how should management solicit your improvement ideas?
• Tools – do you have the tools necessary to do your job? How long does it take to find the tools necessary to do your job?
• Setup – how long does it take for you to set-up a job?
• One Piece or Batch Run – How is the work scheduled? Do you take the next thing or bundle it to run it all at once?