Lean Production Simplified by Pascal Dennis
1. What new insights were gained as a result of reading the book (article, essay, post, etc.)?
Having never used them in practice, I am fascinated by Toyota’s A3 reports described on page 134. The A3 methodology is a template for completely documenting a problem and solution on one A3 size piece of paper (A3 is the metric equivalent of Tabloid or 11″ X 17″ paper). 8D, DMAIC, and other problem solving methodologies have always seemed overly complex, tedious, and prone to send the user down many different trains of thought. The A3 report seems to strike a balance between detail and brevity. I am anxious to try it out. Here is an Excel template created by someone that has never used one before (me).
My favorite new Japanese word is nemawashi. Dennis describes it asan “elegant word [that] means ‘to prepare a tree for transplanting’ and connotes the process of consensus building that creates alignment” (p. 130).
2. What old insights were confirmed, abolished, or questioned as a result of reading the book?
Lean Production Simplified has the best description of Deming’s PDCA (Plan Do Check Act) cycle I have read (p. 146). Interestingly, Dennis adds an axile as the first step to the cycle called “Grasp the Situation.” In the PDCA cycle Dennis separates strategic planning in the “Grasp the Situation” phase from tactical planning in the “Plan” phase. I always thought of the PDCA cycle as a tactical tool, but Dennis applies it globally. In fact he says, “A manager’s job is to practice and teach PDCA” and “PDCA thinking must inform all our activities from day-to-day kaizen, to problem solving, to strategic planning” (p. 146).
A former boss of mine stressed the importance of visual management, so I thought I knew what visual management was. To my boss, visual management was posted work instructions and SPC . I was under the impression that visual management meant making sure the operator had visual job aides. Reading Lean Production Simplified, I had an epiphany. “Visual management means managing by exceptions. In a visual workplace out-of-standard conditions are immediately obvious and can be quickly corrected” (p. 46). Dennis says this type of workplace “talks to you.” Things like posted pictorial work instructions, 5s, and error proofing are ways to ensure a workplace talks not only to operators, but supervisors, manager, and others too. Now I realize what the 10 foot 2 second rule is about. 2 seconds should be long enough for anyone to understand the status of a workplace that is within 10 feet. This can only happen if the workplace “talks.”
3. How does the book compare/contrast with other books or current events?
I like that this book was written in 2007. The other books and articles I have read on lean production are 20 plus years old. This is a fresh explanation of lean production with the beneficial experience of 20 plus years germination.
Reading Lean Production Simplified reminded me of The Memory Jogger II. Each Lean Tool is reviewed and described in detail. But, Lean Production Simplified provides a detailed analysis of each tool, not merely a memory jog. It instills confidence in the reader. Lean Production Simplified is the handbook for lean practitioners.
4. Are there any other points of interest not already mentioned?
There are many typos in this book. Modern spell-check type errors, the kind that replaces a misspelled word with the wrong correctly spelled word. These errors are worse because the brain can usually overlook a misspelled word, but the wrong word causes the reader to take a time out from reading to determine what the correct word should be based on context. These errors in no way diminish the value of the material, but they are a minor irritation.
In: Book/Article Reviews, Lean / Six Sigma · Tagged with: lean