Category: OpEx 4 OpEx

Recognize and reward appropriate efforts and behaviors. Practitioners: tactical, integrative, and strategic This seems obvious but challenging the way it is presented.  Obvious because acknowledging appropriate effort and behavior should come naturally.  We must learn to recognize and reward the right behaviors. I will often lead this concept with a…

Apply basic lean tools such as 5S and kanban in transactional and administrative processes. Practitioners: tactical, integrative, and strategic My own lean journey exploded when I stepped into number 120.  I had many years of practice with basic lean tools in the production environment, and many people still believe today…

Sustainability Needs a System Embrace, support, and promote effective environmental and safety systems. Practitioners: tactical, integrative, and strategic Sustainability has become a buzz word today.  Unfortunately, from my perspective, it has also lost its meaning and importance.  Protecting our environment means avoiding contamination that could injure or harm ourselves or…

Demonstrate humility, understanding that those who do the work are best suited to improve the work, and recognize that one’s lean learning is never complete. Practitioners: tactical, integrative, and strategic Demonstrate humility is a reflection of leadership presence in the organizational culture.  The lean principle of respect for every person…

Lead problem solving projects. Practitioners: tactical, integrative The four words in number 132 – lead problem solving projects – bring with them so much baggage.  What exactly is problem solving?  Does your organization have a common problem-solving practice, or is it a free-for-all?  I could ask the same questions of…

Act as an internal cross-functional expert providing guidance and consultation supporting the OpEx transformation. Practitioners: tactical, integrative, and strategic So many ideas come together in this final concept.  Respect for every individual come to the surface.  We lose so many opportunities for new ideas when our team members are overlooked…

Identify and communicate the benefits of real time visual measures. Practitioners: tactical, integrative, and strategic The first idea that surfaces for me when I read this statement is ‘many of our measures today are proxies’.  Many of our measures are only representative of what is happening.  This statement upsets a…

Apply the appropriate tools simultaneously for accelerated process improvement. Practitioners: tactical, integrative, and strategic The most obvious interpretation of this idea might be limited by our previous thinking.  Of course, we can utilize multiple tools at the same time.  We do it all the time.  It takes a bit of…

Grow personal OpEx learning and actively seek out knowledge, skill, coaches and mentors. Practitioners: tactical, integrative, and strategic New experiences are available all the time.  One of the biggest problems we face, however, is not knowing what we don’t know.  If we were more aware of those ‘things we don’t…

Eliminate barriers by establishing and enabling effective communication across suppliers, customers, and stakeholders, as appropriate. Practitioners: strategic The focus on this concept is strategic in nature.  When I first read this concept, I thought in terms of the highest-level value stream.  From end to end – supplier, organization, customer.  Where…