PDCA is abbreviation for four simple steps: Plan, Do, Check and Act. Its main idea is that any change (Act) should first be analysed (Plan), tested (Do) and verified (Check). PDCA is probably the most prominent concept of Lean. In fact, many confuse PDCA—and the related practice of continuous improvement—as Lean Management’s main objective, disregarding…
Category: Lean Tools
Visual Management for Maintenance Operations
Compared to manufacturing processes the operation of maintenance areas face particular challenges: The scope per workpiece varies a lot. Levelling of workload must be flexible, due to unpredictability in urgency and required man hours. The idea of Takt is can’t be implemented easily because physical and/or technical constraints, paired with the problems mentioned above, might…
VSM, Swimlane and Flowchart: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
Imagine you are analysing a value stream and instruct your team to create a VSM (Value Stream Map) for any kind of administrative or software development process. When you return a couple of hours later, all you see is a giant flow chart. “That’s not a VSM, that’s a Flow Chart”, you might say. But usually you…