Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt – The 8 types of muda examples and general solutions Part 4

9. The waste of Overprocessing

Welcome back everyone. By now you have a general understanding of waste and have probably began to see and identify many examples of the eight types of muda within your organization. In order to understand each form of waste at a more advanced level, we’re going to look at each letter in detail in Mrs. Mr. Tim Wood’s name. In this section, we will look at the waste of overprocessing. By the end of this lecture, you will clearly understand why we’ve always done it this way only adds to waste what some of the more common examples of overprocessing are. And lastly, like every other waste, we will suggest some of the more common ideas or solutions that can help reduce this type of waste.

Okay, let’s get started. The simplest way to define the waste of overprocessing is doing more to a product than the customer specification or transformation process requires the first time through. Overprocessing is often referred to as inappropriate processing because it includes steps that are not needed, extra handling and duplication of activities, and frankly, processes that are just not statistically capable of producing the desired results. We oftentimes find this form of waste in a non-manufacturing environment where poorly designed processes, lack of standards, and the famous we have always done it this way attitude resides.

As a side note, this type of attitude or culture is often not a form of insubordination, but rather a simple lack of understanding of specifications or the absence of standards or procedures. These things can be corrected rather easy. Look at one example of overprocessing. Here the painter sprays the part, lets it dry, then runs some sandpaper over before spraying it again.

When asked why he does this, he mentions that there is a dimension he is required to meet and it takes multiple steps in order to comply with this dimension standard. Is this an example of over processing? Well, yes, it is. As a side note, upon further review, it was discovered that the dimension only applies before the paint is applied and there is no specification for the paint’s thickness at all. Okay, by now we are ready to talk about some of the more common solutions associated with the waste of over processing or inappropriate processing.

The correction of inappropriate processing involves very heavily behavioral changes as they are often related to a culture that does the same thing just because it’s the way they’ve always done it. This sometimes takes time to do. As you seek to remove overprocessing and inappropriate processing, some of your solutions should be focused around the training and development of people in your organization. For instance, employees who know how to effectively conduct a root cause analysis and use the five whys are able to ask why things are happening, why a process may be necessary, and what they can do to change the results of that process.

Another important mindset that can really contribute to proper processing and development of appropriate procedures is to extend thinking beyond the traditional economy of scale and faster is better type thinking. In fact, the great Taichiono once hinted at this concept by saying the slower but consistent tortoise causes less waste and is much more desirable than the speedy hair that races ahead and then stops occasionally to doze. He later went on to say the Toyota production system can be realized only when all the workers become tortoises.

10. The waste of Defects

Welcome back, everyone. By now you have a general understanding of waste and have probably began to see and identify many examples of the eight types of muda within your organization. In order to understand each form of waste at a more advanced level, we are going to look in detail at each of the letters within Mr. Or Tim Woods name. In this section, we will look at the waste of defects. Well, specifically, by the end of this lecture, you will clearly understand what a defect is and why they are so disruptive. We’ll share with you some key examples of defects. And finally, we’ll share some methods of reducing or mitigating the waste of defects.

Okay, well, let’s start off by looking back at a formal definition of just what a defect is. Well, formally defined, a defect is any physical or information based problem that either decreases the value in the eyes of the customer, causes the activity to be less effective, or places the health of the service or the product in danger. Additionally, we can say that defects oftentimes cause weaknesses or failures to complete or perform a necessary task. In general, there are four classifications of defects. Those four classes of defects are very serious, which can be summed up by saying the defect causes severe injury, damage, or catastrophic economic loss, and it is directly related to that defect. The next one is referred to as serious, which, as you might have guessed, results in direct injury or financial loss.

That is rather significant. Our third class of defects is referred to as a major defect, which refers to major problems that are reasonably foreseeable. And the final classification of defects is referred to as minor defects. These type of defects create minor problems with respect to the intended use. For example, a minor defect might be something that doesn’t affect the fit, form or function of the product. With us understanding the general class of defects, it is important to understand the overarching class of defects.

And that is, a defect is a defect and they cause problems. It is best to consider any error, rework, scrap, lack of compliance, or lack thereof as a defect is only part of the journey towards mitigating defects in your organization. In Lean, we call this concept poke or mistake proofing. Here are three basic rules to follow when mistake proofing or error proofing in your organization. Number one, don’t accept a defect. Not internally, not externally. Just don’t accept it.

Number two, don’t make a defect. And number three, finally, don’t pass on a defect, not to an internal customer and not to an external customer. Now, while those rules certainly are good ones to follow, we still need a method of reducing defects in place in order to ensure that we are not losing material, labor, investments and capacity that has most likely already been charged to the job. Now, let us first look at the three general stages that we can discover a defect at in order to better establish some appropriate solutions.

The first stage is in the product or process design stage. This tells us that oftentimes defects are built into a process or product without anyone really knowing it. While there is no doubt that it is always better to prevent product and process design errors before they even happen, another very appropriate approach for reducing the amount of product and process design errors is to take a more structured approach at the design.

One approach that might work for you is the concept of quality function deployment. This concept seeks to define the customer’s needs and then finds the best way to translate those needs into plans that you can execute. The next stage that defects can be discovered in is when the process or production has begun already. At this stage you must do the following number one have a method such as on cords to stop right away and signal the need for help when a defect happens. Number two contain the problem and ensure nothing else gets damaged. Step three find the root cause of the issue and utilize the concept of pekoe by ensuring that when the root cause is removed, it cannot happen again.

Finally, we should note that concepts such as Six Sigma, which is designed to reduce variation and identify special causes of variation and common causes of variation, can provide a means of significantly reducing both the number of defective parts and the inherent cost of poor quality associated with defects. Now, the last stage that a defect will often occur in is after the fact when the part is being inspected. If you haven’t guessed already, producing to batch size can be very damaging here because if all the parts were made with the same process, chances are they are all bad.

The overarching strategy at hand when we experience defects is total quality management and Six Sigma. However, when a defect is discovered after the fact, you must find out where the defect happened and remove the root cause while training workers on quality tools and utilizing methods such as statistical process control. Well, that wraps up our detailed view on defects. So until next time, keep on improving and we will keep on giving you solutions that ignite your power.

11. The waste of underutilized resources and skills

Welcome back everyone. By now you have a general understanding of waste and have probably begun to see and identify many different examples of muda in various parts of your organization. In this lecture we are going to take a deep dive into the form of waste everyone is closely connected with. In this lecture we will look at the waste of underutilized resources and skills. By the end of this lecture you will clearly understand what specifically underutilized resources and skills means, what types of environments cause this type of waste and finally we will suggest to you some key activities that help promote resource development and people development. Let’s get started here. Now, formally, the 8th form of waste was identified and added to the other seven forms of waste by Dr. Jim Womack.

This type of waste suggests that we go to a great effort in order to obtain well qualified and experienced employees that eventually end up working behind a desk from nine to five. While the work that these individuals do on a daily basis may seem very important, it is guaranteed that almost every individual is capable of much more than what he or she does on a regular basis. The waste of underutilized skills oftentimes can be compared to the waste of computer capability or machine talent. Too often we use the same systems and same procedures because it is what we do normally on a daily basis we rob those computers or machines of their full potential, like our computers and machines.

The same goes for our most important asset, which in any case is the people who work with us or around us. Oftentimes a production employee may do the same task day in and day out in order to just stay busy. Rarely do these individuals get engaged and sometimes they are never even spoken to. However, that individual, if engaged and empowered, may know of some significant ways to improve their job functions. After all, they work in the gamba day in and day out, seeing waste and creating value firsthand. Additionally, the waste of skills can be the result of conflict within organizations. Whether that conflict is with leadership or a fellow team member, conflict can keep people in shelves, trapping them and creating an environment where many are afraid to shine.

Finally, we must address a common cause of underutilized skills, which are errors and rules that when they happen, leave people feeling as though they are handcuffed and may never be forgiven of their mistakes again. The waste of skills is not easy to correct and oftentimes requires behavior, cultural and organizational changes. But when the change occurs within companies, they oftentimes experience and find happier, more productive people who want to live the spirit of kaizen. Some ways that you can ensure your employees talent does not go to waste are seek to build an organization of teamwork where silos do not exist. Employee involvement in all phases of the company begins to develop a culture where experience, creativity and the intelligence of employees can harness their full potential.

Some ways that you can harness these great attributes of your people are treating employees with respect, keeping them informed of necessary information, and establishing an environment where they are part of the decision making process. Additionally, employees should be empowered and provided with the necessary training and tools and leadership that will support their efforts in problem solving and improvement initiatives. Employees should be aware of the level of authority they have and be allowed to use it. Finally, the process of developing and utilizing standards keeps the focus off of people and places it on the process which allows us to create a no blame culture while reducing errors and complicated overbearing rules, policies and processes. People are our most important asset and their skills, like other capabilities of a company, should be used to its fullest potential and then rewarded and recognized based on their efforts.

Before we wrap up this lecture, I’d like to ask you a question. In what ways have you experienced the waste of underutilized skills or talent? After you answer this question, I’d like for you to stretch your mind a bit and share with others how you would go about eliminating this form of waste. You can answer these questions after reviewing the slides for the course. Well, that wraps up our detailed look at the waste of underutilized skills and resources. So until next time, keep on improving and we will keep on giving you solutions that ignore your power.