Lean Acres

James Bowie

Description

Change can be hard. It is often difficult to conceive performing tasks in a different order, in a different place, at a different time, or in a different manner altogether. And this is only for the individual. When we talk about organizational change the difficulty increases exponentially with each individual that is added to the equation.
This book uses as its basis a fable – the story is not untrue, but it is not fact either. It is a story in which the group dynamics are real, the problems are valid, and the solutions legitimate. It asks you to consider a complex environment with multiple classes interacting between functional units with requirements that are perceived as exclusive and unique, and personalities that reinforce presumed boundaries. It asks you to follow along as all these individuals work together using the basics of four quality methodologies (Lean, Six Sigma, Theory of Constraints, and Business Process Reengineering) to address the problems they face, discover solutions together, and move forward in their continuous performance improvement journey.
"Lean Acres is fantastic in its appeal and innovative in its writing style. Jim Bowie introduces an amazing convention by using talking animals on a farm (“Lean Acres Farm”) to represent “real” stakeholders and teach Strategy and Process Improvement methodologies (Balanced Scorecard, the StrateTree, Lean Manufacturing, Six Sigma, the Theory of Constraints, and Business Process Reengineering) in ways that are easy to understand and enjoyable to learn. His step-by-step guidance through the each tool and philosophy make this book essential for Leaders, Managers, Quality Professionals, and anyone interested in improving performance in any industry. The message is simple, the illustrations are an excellent complement to the story, and the Reader interaction (Pre- and Post-Tests coupled with Rest, Reflect, and Relate sections at the end of each chapter) reinforce education, application, and relevance. Take a trip to Lean Acres today – you will be better for it." Mikel J. Harry Co-creator of Six Sigma and best-selling author.

Sujets

• Business
• Qualité, hygiène, sécurité, environnement
• Total Quality Management
• Gestion et management
• Seis Sigma
• Theory of Constraints
• Economics
• Réingénierie des processus d'affaires
• Six Sigma
• Lean

Informations

• Publié par: ASQ Quality Press
• Date de parution: 19 novembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780873892926
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Lean Acres
Also available from ASQ Quality Press:
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The Logical Thinking Process: A Systems Approach to Complex Problem Solving
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The Executive Guide to Understanding and Implementing Lean Six Sigma: The Financial Impact
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The Certified Six Sigma Black Belt Handbook, Second Edition
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Six Sigma for the New Millennium: A CSSBB Guidebook, Second Edition
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The Certified Six Sigma Green Belt Handbook
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5S for Service Organizations and Offices: A Lean Look at Improvements
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Lean Kaizen: A Simplified Approach to Process Improvements
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Lean for Service Organizations and Offices: A Holistic Approach for Achieving Operational Excellence and Improvements
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Lean ISO 9001: Adding Spark to your ISO 9001 QMS and Sustainability to Your Lean Efforts
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Root Cause Analysis: Simplified Tools and Techniques, Second Edition
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The Certified Manager of Quality/Organizational Excellence Handbook, Third Edition
Russell T. Westcott, editor
To request a complimentary catalog of ASQ Quality Press publications, call 800-248-1946, or visit our Web site at http://www.asq.org/quality-press .
Lean Acres
A Tale of Strategic Innovation and Improvement in a Farm-iliar Setting
Written by Jim Bowie
Illustrated by Madeleine E. McGraw
ASQ Quality Press
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
American Society for Quality, Quality Press, Milwaukee 53203
© 2011 by ASQ
All rights reserved. Published 2011
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bowie, Jim.
Lean acres : a tale of strategic innovation and improvement in a farm-iliar setting / written by Jim Bowie ; illustrated by Madeleine E. McGraw.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-87389-809-6 (soft cover : alk. paper)
1. Organizational effectiveness. 2. Cost control. 3. Quality control. 4. Industrial efficiency. 5. Industrial management. I. McGraw, Madeleine E. II. Title.
HD58.9.B685 2011
658.4’012—dc23 2011019128
ISBN: 978-0-87389-809-6
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
Publisher: William A. Tony
Acquisitions Editor: Matt T. Meinholz
Project Editor: Paul O’Mara
Production Administrator: Randall Benson
ASQ Mission: The American Society for Quality advances individual, organizational, and community excellence worldwide through learning, quality improvement, and knowledge exchange.
Attention Bookstores, Wholesalers, Schools, and Corporations: ASQ Quality Press books, video, audio, and software are available at quantity discounts with bulk purchases for business, educational, or instructional use. For information, please contact ASQ Quality Press at 800-248-1946, or write to ASQ Quality Press, P.O. Box 3005, Milwaukee, WI 53201-3005.
To place orders or to request ASQ membership information, call 800-248-1946. Visit our website at http://www.asq.org/quality-press .
Table of Contents
Lean Acres
Dedication
Pretest: What Do You Know?
Foreword
The Boo-chair—A Forbidden Tune
Chapter 1: The Narrator
Chapter 2: Farm-iliar Territory
Chapter 3: Losing the Farm
Chapter 4: Growing a Strate-Tree
Chapter 5: Born in a Barn
Chapter 6: A Lean Diet
Chapter 7: Skimming Six Sigma
Chapter 8: Cracking Constraints
Chapter 9: Business Process Reengineering for Ewe
Chapter 10: You Reap What You Sow
Posttest: What Have You Learned?
Afterword
Test Answer Key
References
About the Author
Dedication
To my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I am nothing without you. Thank you for saving me and teaching me how to love and live forever.
To my incredible wife Dana, for all of your love, support, and encouragement when I was convinced that the well was dry. Thank you for reinforcing and refueling my passion and imagination every second of every day. I love you.
To my children, Vivian, Evelyn, Big Jimmy, and Little Jimmy. Yes, I named both of my sons Jimmy. I’m an efficiency expert, and they are two years apart. If I call for one, I probably need both. Thank you for refusing to let me grow up. You guys are awesome, and you inspire me every day. I love you guys more than you will ever know. Thank you for sacrificing months of playtime. Now, let’s break out the Lincoln Logs!
To my Dad: Thanks for Monster Matinee Saturdays, Ray Bradbury and Stephen King books, and the nights we spent peering into the Twilight Zone . You taught me how to wonder and believe.
To my Mom: I never thought I’d say this, but thank you for being an active and diligent homework enforcer. All those nights spent rewriting reports and essays at the kitchen table made a difference, and you made me better.
With special thanks to:
Tim Leary for a second set of eyes and a sanity check, Jeff Booth, Joe Leppo, Bill Harris, Rose Sage, Bob Jamison, Doreen McMahon, Jim Henson, Paul Williams, Stephen King, Shel Silverstein, Ridley Scott, Robert Rodriguez, Terry Gilliam, Takashi Miike, James Horner, Howard Shore, and Randy Newman.
And to Poolesville, Maryland, as you used to be when there were Wesmond, Summer Hill, and Westerly alone. Selby’s and High’s at the center of it all. A simple country town that was anything but, and a small, close-knit community with depth beyond measure. When there were farms and fields, family and friends, fireflies and fantasy. I remember the smell of your crisp autumn mornings and the feel of your clear summer nights. When I was raised there, I came to know the best people this world had to offer. As much as a man can love and thank a people and a place, this is for you.
Pretest: What Do You Know?

T his is a preliminary exam that will set a baseline, or a starting score. If you score incredibly low, don’t worry about it. In fact, celebrate it. The fact that you picked up this book and want to learn more about performance improvement moves you to the head of the class. When you finish reading this book, there will be a second test titled “What Have You Learned?” Hopefully, when you compare the scores of that test with this one, you will see marked improvement in your understanding of basic performance improvement principles. So—here we go:
1. The lean methodology is focused on reducing or eliminating _________ in a process.
a. Variation
b. Waste
c. Work
d. People
2. In order, the five principles of lean are:
___ Pull
___ Flow
___ Value stream
___ Perfection
___ Value
3. When engaging in a project using the theory of constraints , one is looking to increase:
a. Inspection
b. Inventory
c. Operating expenses
d. Throughput
4. The Six Sigma methodology is focused on reducing or eliminating _________ in a process or product.
a. Variation
b. Waste
c. Work
d. Expenses
5. _________ is an improvement methodology that proposes radical transformation of current processes and a fundamental shift in operations in order to increase efficiency and efficacy.
a. Six Sigma
b. Lean
c. Business process reengineering
d. Theory of constraints
6. From a project perspective, the individuals or groups who have interest in or are impacted by the results of an improvement effort are the _________ .
7. Which of the following is not one of the 7 S’s?
a. Salvage
b. Standardize
c. Security
d. Safety
8. Which of the following is not one of the nine “wastes”:
a. Motion
b. Transportation
c. Injury
d. Reporting
9. A process running at a Six Sigma performance level produces a yield of:
a. 95%
b. 99%
c. 100%
d. 99.99966%
10. Which of the following factors does the theory of constraints not focus on?
a. Operating expenses
b. Inventory
c. Throughput
d. Efficiency
Now, turn to the Test Answer Key (page 235), evaluate your answers, and record your score. If you scored 100%—great job! Explore the pages ahead for new applications of the knowledge you possess. If you scored below 100%—great job! The following pages will present new information for you to absorb, digest, and apply in your world. Either way, have fun and press on.
Foreword
C hange can be hard. This is a profoundly true statement, and I’m not the first to say it. It is often difficult to conceive performing tasks in a different order, in a different place, at a different time, with different resources, or in a different manner altogether. Change is difficult enough for the individual. When we talk about organizational change, the difficulty increases with each individual that is added to the equation, introducing new personality traits, perspectives, and experiences. Over the last century, we have seen the birth of organizational improvement methodologies focusing on quality, process, relationships, and strategy. We have seen total quality management, lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, project management, customer relationship management, and the multiple iterations of strategic planning, to name a few. As disciplines, each of these is difficult to implement. As concepts, they are difficult to understand. There are too many books on the market today that are written as if the average reader is an expert. There are too many dissertations and not enough instructions. There are not any commonsense, practical publications that answer the “how to” or the “so what.” Until now.
The bottom line up front is this: we are engaged in a war on waste. As complicated as our world becomes, with globalization and technological advances that increase at an exponential rate, there are simple truths, basics in attitude and application that can drive us forward to victory. The