Lean methodology has multiple goals, but in its purest sense, it aims to organise human activities to deliver more value while eliminating waste. Right now I’m curiously trying to destroy waste. Waste being; work started, but not complete. Time spent waiting for others. Time spent waiting for decisions. Rework. Task switching and processes that don’t add value.
Humans naturally design processes to create order, we like all the parts of our world to be organised. But apply too much ‘order’ and it cripples progress and ultimately limits value.
You’ve seen it. Something goes wrong, and the response is to increase the process, add an additional check. The desired result is to minimise the likelihood of the issue occurring again. This desire to fix everything by doing more is like trying to sail faster while adding more people to the ship.
If you want to do more, do less.
Lean challenges us to maximise the art of work NOT done. How do we achieve value with less effort!?
How do we lean up our lives and our business? Apply a lean mindset to everything we do and challenge the addition of more. Target better. Target quality. Target Value. (Unless of course you’re an aircraft engineer or surgeon and we need you to complete ALL the checks please!)
Here’s some ideas to explore:
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- Delay decisions until they need to be made.
- Discuss only when you have everything and everyone you need to make the decision.
- Make the decision just before you need to. That way you have the most current and up-to-date information in a relevant environment.
- Decide. Implement. Move on.
- Delay decisions until they need to be made.
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- Delay responding to group emails.
- Someone else will likely do at least an adequate job if you hold off 24hrs.
- When they do, you’re relieved of any effort. Move on.
- Delay responding to group emails.
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- Challenge extra process with a ROE(return on effort) score. Does the value outweigh the effort.
- Not all problems need a solution, and when the solution effort outweighs the problem impact its definitely a bad idea.
- Perfectionism is rarely the target.
- Challenge extra process with a ROE(return on effort) score. Does the value outweigh the effort.
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- Ask yourself ‘is there anything on your to-do list that someone else could do’?
- Off-load it
- Mental note, don’t put it on your list again.
- Ask yourself ‘is there anything on your to-do list that someone else could do’?
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- Build in quality
- Cheaper is rarely better. Buy/build quality in and reduce ongoing effort or the need to replace more frequently.
- Build in quality
Ultimately it all comes down to value. You have 24hrs in every day, no more, no less and the same as the next person. The only control you have is how you spend it.
Choose wisely. Choose value. Maximise the work NOT done.
With love, Kristie