Smart Work takes Kaizen Thinking. What!?

The subject of today's blog has to do with the efficiency of work.  It springs from the manufacturing world, but it applies to almost everything.  You can use the principles in the office, in sales, and in any work situation.  You can even apply these principles to cleaning your house or gardening.

If you are in the manufacturing world, you are probably familiar with the concept of lean manufacturing, and you've likely heard the word Kaizen.  The rest of you are probably thinking "What the heck is Kaizen?".  

Kaizen is a Japanese word that means continuous small improvements by eliminating waste.  This concept was developed and refined by Toyota.  There's nothing ingenious about it.  It is simply a different way to think about being more efficient in your work.  It is a deliberate mental exercise to identify waste.

Waste is broadly defined as any activity that doesn't contribute directly to the production process.  Specifically, it can be: 

1.  Waste of motion.  Are you having to move around too much? 
2.  Waste of time waiting on a machine or person.
3.  Waste of overproduction.
4.  Waste of defective production.

If you identify a source of waste and reduce it, you are becoming more efficient. The key is to first identify things that are waste.  Then you figure out ways to reduce it.  (Note:  You can never eliminate all waste.  Just getting rid of some is a victory.)

Let's make up a theoretical example.  Pretend you're a fry cook at a burger joint.  You get an order from the counter for a cheeseburger and fries.  You walk to the back of the kitchen to get a bun (waste of motion).  You put mustard and fixings on the bun.  (no waste).  You get your patty and put it on the grill.  (no waste).  You watch the patty cook (waste of waiting on a machine).  After it cooks, you put the patty on the bun and fixings and wrap up the burger.  (no waste). Then you put the fries in the fry basket and start them frying.  You watch them fry (waste of waiting on a machine).  The company's order form doesn't have a size of French fries, so you make enough for a large order (possible waste of over-production).  

Finally, you are done.  Your customer gets a Luke-warm burger and hot French fries that he waited for a long time to get.  You can't fix that, but you can do better going forward.  

You now have a list of all of your waste.  It is time to reduce it.

The first two things you do before your next day of work:  You modify the order form so it includes the size of the French Fries that are ordered.  (eliminating possible waste of over-production.). You move the buns closer to the grill.  (reducing waste of motion)

The next day you get an order for a cheeseburger and fries.  First, you put the fries in the deep fryer.  Then, you put your patty on the grill.  While those are cooking, you make use of the wait time by preparing the bun and fixings.  (reducing waste of waiting on the machines.)

You are done.  Your customer gets their food much faster.  It is hot and delicious.  You will probably get more customers.  When you do, you'll be able to output more food.  You'll improve productivity, feed more people on Earth, and most likely create a higher living standard for yourself and others who work with you.

Your company's new motto:  Saving the world, one fry cook at a time.

This example is obvious and a bit simplistic, but it makes the point.   Our work can be improved by Kaizen thinking. The process of identifying and reducing waste applies to nearly every kind of job.

Doing this kind of Kaizen exercise doesn't have to be a big company-wide effort.  You can apply it to one small project, or do the exercise with a small group.  It is a very flexible concept that can be applied in a number of ways.  I challenge you to give it a try.