JULY 2022CIOAPPLICATIONS.COM9matter experts that often work closest to the equipment or situation that needs addressing.Let me provide you with a couple of real-life examples of how this works. First, a talented and insightful Department Manager approached me many years ago when I was a Continuous Improvement Manager. He was looking for help regarding improvements prospects and problem-solving opportunities in his department. Our company had a foundation of Lean Six Sigma capabilities, but it was limited due to the program's maturity. Our Lean leaders were called Skill Coaches. Seeing an opportunity with this request, I assured him that I could help if he were willing to dedicate a few floor employees. He was more than accommodating. I trained several Skill Coaches while addressing the areas of concern and opportunity. Before long, he had a little army of Lean Skill Coaches and experienced team members in the hourly workforce. These individuals were conducting Lean events essentially unsupervised by management. They delivered results, improved their jobs, felt empowered, and gained a sense of self-accomplishment. The biggest problem that we were facing is the department was making improvements that were vastly outpacing the other parts of the factory. The other Department Managers wanted to be a part of the action. It took a bit longer for the Department Managers to catch on to the "magic" of Continuous Improvement. It was not me as an individual. It was leaders and teams that I was able to develop with the resources given to me by the Department Managers. After gaining this understanding, it was not long before Continuous Improvement worked for them. They soon saw returns tenfold and above what they committed for resources.The second example took place a few years ago. This time, I was the Manufacturing Manager. I had a significant opportunity if I could reduce the change over time on a machine. Every bit of product produced could be sold. The change over time contributed to nearly a month of lost production annually. At first, I was reluctant to ask for a Lean team due to being short-staffed; however, I decided to move forward because the opportunity was too great to ignore. Surprisingly, I easily assembled a team using volunteer overtime despite the employees working some long hours. I underestimated the machine operators' desire to improve their work even in difficult times. Frankly, these Lean events are not only rewarding; they can also be fun for the employees. The team went about the business of reducing the setup reduction time. At the end of the event, the team showed well over a fifty percent reduction in change over time. Unfortunately, we were not able to sustain the gains. The change over time reverted to its original time. This defeat could have easily been the end of our efforts, but the team had shown me that it was possible to do it in a much faster time. I asked the team to reconvene for a couple of days to revisit the event and its results. They made a few minor changes to the procedures and saw an improvement similar to the original outcome, but it did not sustain again. I knew that there had to be more to the story. I also knew that I had the people closest to the process working on the problem. I had faith that they could determine what we needed for this improvement. I asked them to get together once again. This time, they drilled down to the root cause of why it was not sustaining. The team was comprised of young and energetic operators. They felt very comfortable going up and down ladders and working off from catwalks. They failed to consider the older, more senior employees that may not be as comfortable in this scenario. We needed to add more safety rails to the catwalks that still provided access to do the changeover. It was a huge success. We sustained the lower change over time and made the whole process safer in the end.These examples highlight how CI worked for the factories where I worked and for me. They also highlight some key elements necessary to get to this situation. First, find a true champion that values the minds of their employees as much as their hands and backs. This person will be willing to invest the time and resources to improvement teams to make their area better and the employees' lives better. The improvements made with this individual as a champion will create an example for others. Next, be persistent. Recognize the success within the failures. Though the change over time did not hold to the event's first outcome, it still was reduced during the event; therefore, it was most likely possible. Trust and empower those employees to drive to the root cause. More times than not, they will prevail when they have your support and encouragement. Also, remember, a complete failure is one less path that needs to be traveled to get to success. Finally, seek gains that genuinely impact the business and that team members can be proud of the results. This promotes a cascading effect of improvement while covering the investment of learning. CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT MUST TRANSITION TO A CULTURE WHERE IT IS THE METHODOLOGY THAT MAKES IT EASIER TO GET RESULTS
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