Lean Tools, Training, and Systems

Table of contents for this page

Hansei

Lean Thinking

"Thinking is the hardest work there is. That's why so few people do it." Henry Ford

By far the most important step of any problem solving method is

to pause to analyze, ponder, and reflect

on what has been discovered, what has been learned, what is still unknown...

to conceive possible countermeasures

that go beyond "obvious" initial thoughts

to daydream about alternate futures

that are more desirable, more compelling, more...

Hansei

Hansei is the Japanese word for this form of self-reflection, and it should be the single most important activity to happen in every PDCA cycle.

Ponder, Think, Reflect

when

When to use

Hansei Lean Thinking

Every time that you reach the 'Study' or 'Check' phase of the PDSA or PDCA cycle,

it's time for each of your team members to (independently) think, ponder, and reflect:

What did you expect to happen?
What actually happened?
What did you learn?
What still needs to be learned?
What experiment should we do next?
How should that experiment be designed?
When ready, what's the best way to standardize?
to secure, ratchet, and expand our hard-won learnings

PDCA Cycle
(or any other problem solving method)

Deep Thinking is best done alone

Deep thinking is best done alone in a silent, focused state of deep reverie.

Knowing this, most experienced teams allow a day or two after identifying problems and root causes before moving into proposed countermeasures.

how

How to use this hansei page

This page is not meant to be read like a book.

It is overflowing with questions and idea-starters...

each one worthy of focused attention at different times, to solve different problems

The most successful way to use this page

is to bookmark it, and come back to it each time that you have completed another cycle of Process Analysis and you are ready to (again) begin thinking about Process Improvement

(in a never-ending cycle of continuous improvement)

In a quiet, comfortable setting...

(perhaps with a warm beverage)

Review what you have learned so far by using your chosen Problem Solving Method.

What is known? What is unknown?

Set your intention

What is your intention for this Hansei session?

(Perhaps to come up with creative countermeasures for a specific challenge)

Enter an empowered state of mind

Enjoy some short ritual that brings you to an empowered state of calm alertness

Perhaps do a quick refresher
of our online training for

How to use trance for process improvement

Wander, then focus

With partially focused eyes, allow your attention to wander as your eyes dance over the somewhat blurry words on this Hansei page...

until your attention effortlessly settles on one question or idea that draws you to it

Ponder

Ponder that question or idea...

scribbling short notes, but not getting too detailed yet

Repeat

Then repeat that same habit... again and again...

until you surprise yourself with how many creative and useful ideas you have come up with.

Choose

Later... come back to your scribbled notes, and choose which ones you want to flesh out in greater detail

Perhaps using your decision making tools and/or perhaps using your Change Management template (ChangeMgmt.xlsx) to think about how to best present your ideas to the various stakeholders that might be affected by the changes.

Create Change

Complete the final phases of your chosen Problem Solving Method to:

Physically implement change
Validate whether or not those changes produced your expected results
Either Start Over - with fresh ideas,
or Standardize and Socialize your success

Perhaps use your Tool Selection Matrix (1ToolSelection.xlsx) to choose useful Process Improvement Tools and Systems to implement your ideas.

And then don't keep this a secret

People that consistently come up with well-conceived and well-presented great ideas will inevitably be promoted to higher levels of responsibility and influence.

One of the most important roles of any leader is to groom others
to improve their own habits and systems for creative thinking and problem solving...

ideally using teachable, repeatable systems for continuous improvement

like this one

starters

Reflection Idea-Starter Questions

to stimulate Hansei and Lean Thinking

What does this customer really want and need?
How we (truly) listened to the Voice of our Customer?
How well does this process fulfill those true needs?
Have we analyzed this process in the context of its value stream?
(to consider flow between processes)
Have we performed process analysis?
(to consider flow within the process)
What do we see?
What types of waste do we see?

Which of the 4 Rules in Use are broken?
In what ways?
Which Lean Principles are broken?
In what ways?
Where is flow being obstructed?
Where is inventory piling? Information flow stopping, clogging, and queuing?

Why? How might things be redesigned to flow unobstructed?
Where are things being batched?
Why? How might things flow in smaller clumps?
Where are things being pushed downstream before the next process is ready for it?
How might they be pulled?
Where is there confusion, and lack of a standardized way of doing things?
What might help? Which standard work tools and methods might help?
What policies might be affecting this process?
(e.g. quarterly quotas, seasonal promotions, etc.)

Who has the power to reconsider these policies?
Have we considered this from the perspective of the concerns of all stakeholders?
Have we played catchball? to ask others for their thoughts, their questions, their concerns, their ideas...

Have all of the Gemba Interview questions been asked? (GembaInterview.xlsx)
Have we asked all of the right people?
What do we see in those answers?
What is NOT the problem?
Use your Is Is Not Analysis template
Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?
What is the root cause of this problem?
How do we know?
(that our data is accurate, that our assumptions are correct, that we're making progress...)
Have we done sufficient brainstorming of creative ideas?
Are we trying to narrow our focus, or expand our thinking?
Where are we in our process improvement cycle?
Which step? What's next?
What have we learned?
What did we expect to happen? What actually happened?
What's next?
Are we ready to standardize this process to lock in the new (better) way?
Or should we run another PDCA experiment to learn something that still isn't fully understood?
How can we best standardize work to ensure that everyone does it the new (better) way?
How might we make work and flow more visual?

What other processes or teams might benefit from similar changes?

Who needs standard work?

systemic

Lean Thinking = Systemic Thinking

Systemic Thinking consists of both:

1) Analytical thinking

(very common)

Thinking about parts or elements.

Taking apart.

Isolating root causes.

2) Synthetical thinking

(much less common)

Thinking about how parts and elements interact as part of a greater whole.

Looking for repeating patterns and themes.

Identifying similar processes that could also benefit from your most recent learning lessons.

To find tools to expand your thinking,
filter the 'Expand' column
in your Tool Selection Matrix

goals

Lean Process Design Objectives

Objectives to keep in mind when getting into the details of lean process engineering

The most important lean objectives

Lean Principles and Ideals
Lean Flow
Lean 4 Rules In Use
Avoid the Deadly Wastes of Muda
Use the PDCA scientific method
Between Do and Act...

set aside some uninterrupted quiet time
to think, ponder, and reflect on what you've learned (Hansei)

Technical Design objectives

Ask "How would this process be if it were waste free?"
Ask the A3 Gemba Interview questions to unearth all types of muda. Any here?
Examine the value added by each activity (as perceived by the customer)
Eliminate unnecessary non-value-add activities
Reduce non-value-add activities that are 'necessary' for the way we do things now
Simplify processes
Consider opportunities for self-service
Consider opportunities to transfer responsibility to suppliers or outsource service providers
Consider possibilities for someone with lesser skills to reliably accomplish this work
Consider opportunities to eliminate the need for sub-processes
Consider opportunities to combine multiple activities into one
Consider opportunities to split a single complex process into simpler processes
Make user interfaces easier and more productive
Eliminate 'islands of information' — make information available to everyone that needs it
Eliminate redundant data entry
Eliminate redundant verifications and controls (that are only needed if the process is untrustworthy)
Eliminate handoffs (and all their associated errors, inefficiencies, and time delays)
Relocate, retime, and redesign controls to provide information in its most useful form, time, and place
Is there a clearly-marked place for everything?
(inventory, tools, people, equipment, instructions, performance feedback mechanisms...)
Is it safe?
Is it ergonomic?
Can routine maintenance be performed easily?

Idea poppers

Try reversing it. Try it forwards & backwards. Try pushing & pulling.
Focus on what is constant and similar
Focus on what is variable and different
Enlarge or reduce. (A larger handle. Larger dial. Magnifying glass...)
Concentrate or disperse
Link or separate
Add or delete
Think parallel. Think sequential.
Change the sequence
How might sorting take advantage of differences and common features?
How might colors, shapes, or icons be used for more obvious visual management?

Modularization

How can this process be divided into more bite-sized modules?
Which pieces of the re-designed process could be implemented independently?
When should we deploy each modular portion?
How might we start by testing a limited-scale prototype?

"The quality of your life is determined by the quality of your questions."

~ Tony Robbins

social

Hansei Social Design Objectives

Empower Customer Contact Personnel

Teach everyone in your company to use Problem Solving Tools and Methods
Provide customer contact personnel the responsibility, authority, knowledge, skills, and tools to provide what customers want from them — quickly and efficiently.
The ideal is for one person to be able to handle everything the customer needs. If it proves too much for one person, then make it the responsibility of one clearly-defined team.
After starting with the people and teams that have direct interface with external customers, extend this same concept to the people and teams that serve internal customers.

Design simple processes and fulfilling jobs

In general, process redesign should:

Replace complex processes segmented into simple jobs
Create simple processes performed by workers with more complex (and fulfilling) jobs

Job Design Matrix template

Reduce organizational boundaries

Re-draw organizational boundaries to:

Reduce the number of organizations traversed by a single process
Ensure that all members of a team reside within a single organization

Every lean tool needs
a corresponding
Lean Coaching System

Recast management as a supporting role

When front-line people are empowered, they need:

Clear goals, clear measurements, and clear rewards
Personal development coaching
Resources and elimination of obstacles

They don't need:

Daily micro management
Layers of managers above them obstructing communication in both directions

Ensure job security

Reassure people that it is safe to contribute their ideas for process improvement, using your templates for:

Job Security Promise
Change Management Stakeholder Analysis
Job Design Matrix for career path planning

tools

Hansei Idea Generation Tools

for continuous process improvement

Some of the more popular Idea Generation tools for lean process improvement include:

Lean Management Systems	Waste Observation	Process Analysis
Problem Solving Tools	Kaizen Events	Decision Making tools
A3 Problem Solving	8D Problem Solving	PDCA Coaching
Root Cause Analysis	Brainstorming	Strategic Planning
Relations Diagram	Change Management	Hoshin Team Catchball
Voice of the Customer	FMEA	Idea Storyboard
Value Stream Design Forms	Flow Charts	Standard Work
Value Stream Analysis	SMED Setup Reduction	Yamazumi