A project in Lean or SS lingo is a focused temporary activity to achieve a specific goal in a specific time (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_management). The goal and the activity is usually more unique and innovative than it is ordinary or routine. Ordinary activities would not be a project but part of standard duties. Typically the project is to bring about beneficial change or added value. Usually the project is to take advantage of an opportunity or solve a problem. A project is going to take special management, i.e., project management, especially because the project is focused on a shorter-range unique problem. The project for this assignment is not a mere report or other generic educational activity but a specific accomplishment. To be a project, the student must perform actions. See the previous Project Planning and Management assignment for more details about projects and project management.
What is a Problem?
A problem (which can be viewed as an opportunity) is a gap between (a) what is and (b) what is desired. Without a gap or difference between a and b there is no problem, therefore no possible solution or improvement. The more detailed the description of the difference between a and b, the better. None of the following are problems (therefore, no solution is required) because the what is is not stated.
- I want to be in Hawaii.
- The goal is zero defects.
- My ideal weight is 170 pounds.
None of the following are problems because the what is desired is not stated.
- I am in Terre Haute.
- The pizza crust was ½ inch thick.
- I weigh 190 pounds.
All of the following, though there may be an implied what is and/or what is desired, are too vague to define a problem gap.
- People don’t have access to enough food.
- Quality should be higher.
- We need to be more efficient.
The following might be solutions to problems, but without a clearly stated and well understood problem gap, the following cannot be said to be potential solutions, let alone a good solution or the best solution. You could say that the following are solutions looking for a problem or remedies looking for an ailment.
- Take an aspirin.
- Teach sight reading.
- Construct a control chart.
What is a Lean Problem?
The problem for this assignment must be a Lean problem, i.e., a problem of efficiency. Recall the following formula.
Recall that efficiency can be increased by performing more work and/or by performing less waste. Work transforms something (product, service, or activity) so that customer-desired value is added. A gap between what is and what is desired could be stated about the rate or amount of work. Recall that waste is any activity that is not work.
Work.Lean focuses more on reducing waste than increasing work but there are ways to increase work. For example, standard work (work instructions and the like) can increase work, in addition to reducing waste. Ergonomically, persons can do things in ways to increase output, prevent tiring, and prevent injuries and health problems. Similar things can be said about psychological and sociological factors. Similarly, machines and technology (including tools and materials) can increase output. Better quality (especially reliability), safety,planning and management in general in the process, product, or service also tend to increase work and lower waste.
Waste. Typical categories of waste include the following (http://cms.indstate.edu/). There are many sub categories. See the text book and previous assignments.
- Defects
- Overproduction
- Waiting
- Not utilizing talent
- Transportation
- Inventory excess
- Motion waste
- Excess processing
Quality
If the Six Sigma DMAIC problem solving technique would never have been stated, quality would still be central to Lean. In essence, quality is focused on doing the right thing, e.g., hitting the target or meeting the specification. Lean is focused on doing things the right way, i.e., efficiently. Of course, doing things the right way is also a target, a form of doing the right thing. In increasing work and/or in decreasing waste, it is assumed that quality will not get worse, e.g., that the value to the customer will not decline (otherwise it wouldn’t be work, i.e., increasing customer-desired value). In fact, the expected outcome of better efficiency in producing customer value is that quality (and safety and job satisfaction and several other good things) will all increase.
Defining quality and value. There are several definitions of quality, e.g., (a) fitness for use or (b) conformance to requirements. From a consumer view, fitness for use makes more sense (though fitness for use can be stated as a requirement). Neither fitness for use nor conformance to requirements are decisions made without a value context, i.e., there is a cost comparison to be made (in terms of dollars or other form of value). Quality is often defined as performance compared to expectations (or requirements). Value would be quality compared to cost. See the following conceptual formulas.
Standard forms of value. If the activity does not result in an increase in consumer-desired value, the activity is not work but waste. A Lean problem could be related to any of the following standard forms of value (https://personalmba.com/12-standard-forms-of-value/). The gap (problem) between what is and what is desired concerning work or waste could be related to any of the following forms of value.
- Product – Create a single tangible item or entity, then sell and deliver it for more than what it cost to make.
- Service – Provide help or assistance then charge a fee for the benefits rendered.
- Shared Resource – Create a durable asset that can be used by many people, then charge for access.
- Subscription – Offer a benefit on an ongoing basis, and charge a recurring fee.
- Resale – Acquire an asset from a wholesaler, then sell that asset to a retail buyer at a higher price.
- Lease – Acquire an asset, then allow another person to use that asset for a pre-defined amount of time in exchange for a fee.
- Agency – Market and sell an asset or service you don’t own on behalf of a third-party, then collect a percentage of the transaction price as a fee.
- Audience Aggregation – Get the attention of a group of people with certain characteristics, then sell access in the form of advertising to another business looking to reach that audience.
- Loan – Lend a certain amount of money, then collect payments over a pre-defined period of time equal to the original loan plus a pre-defined interest rate.
- Option – Offer the ability to take a pre-defined action for a fixed period of time in exchange for a fee.
- Insurance – Take on the risk of some specific bad thing happening to the policy holder in exchange for a pre-defined series of payments, then pay out claims only when the bad thing actually happens.
- Capital – Purchase an ownership stake in a business, then collect a corresponding portion of the profit as a one-time payout or ongoing dividend.
Categories of Lean Activity
The standard Lean categories include the following (http://blog.lnsresearch.com/blog/bid/188295/28-manufacturing-metrics-that-actually-matter-the-ones-we-rely-on). The following and other Lean categories would all focus on more work and/or less waste. Each category has several sub categories. Your problem could involve any of the following.
- Improving customer experience
- Improving quality
- Improving efficiency
- Reducing inventory
- Ensuring compliance
- Reducing maintenance
- Increasing flexibility & innovation
- Reducing costs & increasing profitability
Lean Tools
Technically, any activity that leads to more work and less waste can be said to be a Lean technique or tool. The similar can be said about any activity that leads to hitting the target being a quality tool. Specially, there are fairly standard techniques for quality, safety, Lean, project management, and many other fields. A common list of Lean tools follows. See the book and previous assignments for more details (https://www.leanproduction.com/top-25-lean-tools.html).
- 5S
- Andon
- Bottleneck Analysis
- Continuous Flow
- Gemba (The Real Place)
- Heijunka (Level Scheduling)
- Hoshin Kanri (Policy Deployment)
- Jidoka (Autonomation)
- Just-In-Time (JIT)
- Kaizen (Continuous Improvement)
- Kanban (Pull System)
- KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)
- Muda (Waste)
- Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)
- PDCA (Plan, Do, Check, Act)
- Poka-Yoke (Error Proofing)
- Root Cause Analysis
- Single-Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED)
- Six Big Losses
- SMART Goals
- Standardized Work
- Takt Time
- Total Productive Maintenance (TPM)
- Value Stream Mapping
- Visual Factory
Scope of Project
The project should require at least 20 hours to complete. If previous assignments were related to the project (which is possible and recommended but not required) the project could only require a short amount of editing. The project cannot be trivial, e.g., merely being more efficient in mowing your lawn by switching from a push mower to wide-cut riding mower. A certain amount of significance and rigor (as to the size of the project and the LSS tools employed) is required. If the lawn mowing problem can be stated as a Lean problem and is solved using the DMAIC steps, using applicable LSS tools at each step, it might be approved. A very large-scale project may not be feasible. If the student’s project is work-related, the part of the project that the student personally performs and writes up for this course must be completed within the course’s schedule. Therefore, the project needs to be a certain size and complexity. The instructor makes this decision, based on the student’s proposed project. Live communication with the instructor is the best method for the instructor to provide advice and approve a project of the right size.
No teaming. The student must (her- or himself, personally, physically) conduct their own project. No significant amount of work can be performed by someone else.
Recency. The project should be performed during the course term. The instructor might approve something that was started before the term (but probably not more than 6 months ago).The project must be completed and written up before the due date. Each DMAIC step must be complete. The Control step includes how well the LEAN solution worked (the Improve step) and the methods to maintain and monitor (Control) the improvement. With my permission, the Control step could (a) evaluate how well the Implementation step solved the LEAN problem and (b) provide a plan to maintain and monitor the improvement but without yet having had the time to actually start the monitoring.
Part of a bigger project. The student’s project may be part of a bigger or longer project. What the student does for this course may or may not overlap with a bigger project (of an employer or other organization) that other people are involved with. However, what is stated as the project and documented for this course will be the part the student did. The student might work on part of a longer project, the student’s personal part which is of shorter duration. Note that if your project is part of a bigger project, your part must be identifiable as a project in its own right, i.e., have all the elements of a complete project, Lean problem statement, use all DMAIC steps, and appropriate LSS tools at each step.
Summary
Your project must (a) define a Lean problem; (b) use the DMAIC steps to solve the problem, (c) using applicable LSS tools at each step.
Undergraduates
- Relying on all your knowledge, skills, and experiences, especially the previous assignments in this course, complete a LSS project*. See the case studies in the text for examples. As a guide, the project should be at least to a Bronze Lean level and/or at least the Six Sigma Yellow Belt level.
- The write-up should be at least 5 pages for the body (but it will probably take more than 5 pages). Organize the document around headings similar to the following (in order). You can use synonymous headings that better fit your project. Include a title page. Use APA final form style (tables and charts go in the body where you want them to go or in appendices if they are too large for the body). You do not need an abstract or reference list (unless you have references).
- Introduction (short, merely introduce project and provide short overview).
- Project plan with schedule and budget (can be an appendix).
- Define
- Measure
- Analyze
- Improve
- Control (include typical control plan elements, e.g., who is responsible).
- Project review (include the reporting to the process owner and others, how the document is to be archived, how the knowledge learned from the process will be spread to others.
- Evidence an actual project was completed (this might be in the form of picture, statement from an employer, or other evidence depending on the nature of the project; the evidence might be in the body of the report or as an appendix; consult the instructor).
- Reference list if necessary
- Appendices as necessary
- If you planned ahead, this assignment can essentially be the combining and summarizing of assignments II – X. Contact the instructor if you have any questions.
- Post to the corresponding forum and the Turnitin link. The report/initial part of the assignment will be graded within Turnitin. One of the options for the Professionalism assignment allows a tie-in between the two assignments (see the Professionalism assignment).
