Little’s Law:
Below is a short animation that we use in training classes to show the importance of controlling ‘things in process.’ Single-piece-flow may be a term that you’ve heard, but the math behind the term helps us understand how to reduce overall lead time. Where did the law come from?
Shorter lead times are attractive in almost all processes – and can apply to:
- Projects in process
- Customers in a line
- Planes in a queue
- Email in an inbox
- Work orders in the system, or
- Widgets in a manufacturing system
As the math clearly shows – if we want to reduce lead time we have two choices. First we can reduce the WIP – or things in process, or second we can increase the overall capacity of the system.
TGG has an accompanying class simulation that we use – please contact us for more information.
5s:
The 5s steps are sort, store, shine, standardize & sustain. This methodology can be applied to the shop floor, the maintenance area, your computer desktop and even your garage at home. Key to your success is:
- Follow the entire methodology (don’t skip steps)
- Use TGG’s (3) driving principles to help you sustain:
- Clear boundaries of what does and doesn’t belong (a twelve year old should immediately see abnormalities)
- Clear ownership (use of zone control layouts, etc.)
- Daily audits that indicate a ‘win’ or a ‘loss’ … each day
Please contact us to utilize our full course materials, animations like this one, or to help you lead your next event! In addition, please use the ‘share this’ link below for others that you know. Thanks!
