Vergence Analytics - Catalysts For Excellence - Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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Until Next Time – STAY lean!

Vergence Analytics

Related articles

• Measuring Effectiveness – Getting started with OEE (leanexecution.wordpress.com)
• Be Effective, Be lean: Stop Wasting Time (leanexecution.wordpress.com)
• Thinking Outside of the Box (leanexecution.wordpress.com)
• Is this Kaizen? (leanexecution.wordpress.com)
• Are you an Excel Hero? (leanexecution.wordpress.com)

Your Mother Doesn’t Work Here!

What my Mother taught me about Lean

Today is Mother’s day and gives me cause to reflect on what my Mother taught me about lean. From an early age, my mother managed to instill an innate ability for lean thinking. Managing a household and being able to orchestrate a host of tasks and demands, all the while keeping the place clean, is by no means an easy task. As if by instinct, I learned about 5S and the 7 types of waste, although at the time I didn’t recognize them as such.

I’m always amused when I see “Your Mother Doesn’t Work Here” signs posted in cafeterias and kitchens in the workplace. The most fundamental principles of 5S – a place for everything and everything in its place – and Kaizen were ingrained in me at home. My mother taught me to keep things organized, clean, and to ever improve on what was, is, or could be. Could it be that my mother inspired “There’s always a better way and more than one solution” or “What you see is how we think”? Perhaps so.

More importantly, my mother taught me that life and leadership is about people, relationships, and love.  All is for not without them.  My mother is the very essence of what it means to love and lead with a “servant heart” and that is why I think “people are first and business is second nature.”

Happy Mother’s Day!

Until Next Time – STAY lean

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Vergence Analytics

They’re back!

UPDATE!

Good news! Our OEE Spreadsheets / Templates have been loaded into our all new “FREE Downloads” Box.  See the SideBar.

Thank you for your continued support.

Until Next Time – STAY lean!

Vergence Analytics

Taking Care of Business

It appears that Box.NET is now Box.COM and, related or not, our free downloads have vanished. Fortunately, we have back up copies and will be uploading those to our new box accordingly. At present the box has been re-created and simply waiting for the files. We hope to have them uploaded shortly.

On a positive note, the first quarter of 2012 has been absolutely stellar and April is poised to break a new record as well. It is encouraging to see that many companies are embracing and aggressively pursuing lean.  We would like to thank all of our clients and visitors for your continued support, suggestions, and constructive feedback.

The results of some of our recent projects have already yielded remarkable gains and considerable savings. Sales increases have been absorbed by reclaimed capacity, saving even more as capital expenditures have been deferred or cancelled.

UPDATE!

Files have been loaded into our all new “FREE Downloads” Box.  See the SideBar.

Until Next Time – STAY lean

Vergence Analytics

Anticipation – Wait For It!

Anticipation

We’ve all said it, “I just can’t wait!”  We look forward to certain events, both big and small, with eager anticipation. We carefully plan for vacations, family events, a get together with friends, or major purchases like a new car or home.  Our minds race, eagerly waiting for that magic moment to arrive.

Anticipation instills excitement and expectation in the present moment with regard to a future event. Anticipation introduces an emotional quotient to an outcome that has yet to be realized. Is “anticipation” an inherent part of the culture where you work? Do you look forward to Monday mornings? Do you create opportunities to experience anticipation? What are some of the events you look forward to? In contrast, what are some of the events you dread?

Putting Metrics in Perspective

Key performance indicators (KPI’s) or metrics are used to measure our progress toward achieving goals and objectives.  Overall Equipment Effectiveness is one such key performance indicator used by many companies and provides a means to monitor and improve operational performance. Timely corrective actions and improvement measures should be accompanied by expected outcomes. In other words, we should anticipate increasing returns for our efforts.

Unfortunately when results begin to plateau, a perceived “point of no return” is reached, support on all fronts begins to wane, and apathy sets in. A vision that extends beyond the current “process as we know it” coupled with effective leadership is required to strive for even greater achievements. Some companies use the term “stretch targets” or “stretch goals” to ensure a gap between current and ideal performance exists. For lean practitioners, there is always a gap between the current and ideal state and as a result “pursuing perfection and pure value through the relentless elimination of waste” is a never ending journey.

Kaizen – Continuous Improvement

Daily Kaizen embraces the ideology that there is always a better way and more than one solution. We anticipate improved performance as we continue to understand and learn more from our experiences. We appreciate and learn from our failures and successes recognizing that each brings greater understanding of the process at hand. A missed target is a learning opportunity – whether expectations were exceeded or not.

While some would consider success as exceeding the target, doing so actually demonstrates that we did not fully understand all of the influences or elements of the process. As such, even hitting the target should be cause for review to validate our initial assumptions.  We may discover that some elements or combination of elements outside of our initial “assumptions” were actually responsible for hitting the target.

Kaizen is an integral part of a learning environment where lean thinking flourishes. Anticipation brings an element of excitement to the work place that keeps us wanting to come back to do it all over again.

“Anticipation” – Carly Simon sang it right – its keeping me waiting!

Until Next Time – STAY lean!

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Unplugged – Earth Hour – 2012

The Earth – Unplugged

EARTH HOUR is now an annual event that is embraced around the globe.  For at least one hour, we will have the opportunity to “unplug” ourselves from the world to ponder and increase our awareness of how our “activities of daily living” can make a difference to the environment we live in.

Measuring Change

While the benefits of turning off the world for an hour are difficult to measure in the immediate sense, the longer term affect or impact will be determined and governed by our thinking first and actions second.

We have all learned to embrace the three (3) R’s – Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – as evidenced by the blue bins that regularly grace our streets on “recycling” day. We all make a personal effort to painstakingly separate items into various categories of “waste” to better serve the recycling process.

Companies have also taken a greater sense of responsibility for providing “green” or “earth friendly” products although, in many cases, the effort has more to do with the packaging than that of the product itself. Here in Ontario, Canada, our provincial government has imposed “environmental fees” on various products – such as electronics – to further support recycling programs. Locally, in and around the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), plastic bags are subject to a fee of $0.05 each to curb consumers from using them.

From an energy perspective, we have been introduced to fully electric and hybrid cars. Nuclear energy and new sources of electricity such as wind mills and solar panels have replaced coal fired plants. Even my Logitech K750 keyboard is solar powered!

Behavior Changes

Sporadic record breaking high temperatures have marked this past winter as anything but Canadian. For some, climate change is cause enough to be an Earth Hour participant. I, however, believe that managing our finite resources in a more efficient and effective manner is something to think about and worthy of an hour of my time.

Behaviors must change, however, to do so requires us to first change our thinking. From a lean perspective, Earth Hour serves as a reminder to pursue perfection and pure value through the relentless elimination of waste. We can do so much more and all we need to do is take at least one hour to think about it – starting now.  There is always and better way and more than one solution.

Earth Hour will commence from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm EST on Saturday, March 31, 2012.

Until Next Time – STAY lean!

Follow @Versalytics

Leap Year

February has 29 days this year. If you were wondering, leap years occur for years that are divisible by 4 except for years that are also divisible by 100. As such the year 2000 was not a leap year.   Over 4 million people share their birthday on this day.

I am still reviewing The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership and I also picked up another novel titled “The Shibumi Strategy”.  The Shibumi Strategy is a business fable – one of my favorite writing styles. I always enjoy a well written story that exemplifies the concept in such a way that we “experience” it even more so.

The Shibumi Strategy is a quick read and seems fitting to the current climate of the global economy. I’ll provide an update when I finish reading in kind.

Until Next Time – STAY lean!

Follow @Versalytics

BlackBerry or Bust?

Image via Wikipedia

Leadership

Leadership can make or break any organization whether it is business, government, or even a sports franchise. I felt compelled to cite this quote from a column titled “Iconic teams tumble from penthouse to outhouse” as published in the Toronto Star (20-Jan-2012):

And while all have found different routes to the bottom, they do have one thing in common: ineptitude at the top. Find a meddling owner or inept general manager and you’ll find a franchise in trouble.

“Pro sports franchises are first and foremost businesses,” says Richard Powers, a professor at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. “The same problems that get businesses in trouble are what get sports teams in trouble.”

Clearly, to be successful, organizations require effective leadership. For this same reason, a successful lean initiative must be driven from the top leadership of the organization. I discussed this on our Lean Road Map page suggesting that without executive leadership, the program is certain to fail.  This sentiment is also confirmed in “The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership” by Jeffrey Liker and Gary Convis:

That’s because these problems were in fact leadership problems, not lean process problems. They were a stern reminder that all the investment in lean process in the world will not yield the expected outcomes if it is not accompanied by lean leadership throughout the enterprise, including corporate support departments.”

We also discussed the necessity for lean leadership in our previous post “Lean Leadership – The Missing Link?” As we learn of Kodak filing for bankruptcy and disturbing results for RIM, we are anxious to continue our review of ”The Toyota Way to Lean Leadership” over the coming weeks. Kodak invented the digital camera and failed to pursue their own innovation. Again, another indication that leadership with a clear vision for the future is pertinent to the success of your organization.

RIM and the BlackBerry

Rumors of a buyout or take over of RIM have been circulating in the media. As an owner of the BlackBerry Bold smart phone and Playbook, I’m hopeful that RIM (or some version of them) will be with us for quite some time.  More so, their survival is just as important to our local Ontario (Canadian) economy. Although there are many players in the smart phone and tablet market, Apple appears to be the prevailing competitor to RIM with its iPhone and iPad offerings. All, however, pose a major threat to RIM’s declining presence in the market.

Market Share, Price Points, and Customer Satisfaction

RIM effectively lowered prices for their Playbook product line and that’s great news for customers looking to get a great tablet. While this may help to increase market share and make the PlayBook a real bargain, this does little to appease the many people who purchased the product at full price (myself included).  The 64GB PlayBook is now selling for prices ranging from $217 (16GB) up to $325 (64GB) versus the original release prices of $499 and $699 respectively. Whether these price points are closer to reality, a means to increase market share, or a means to simply reduce on hand inventory remains to be seen.

The Product Experience

My overall experience with the BlackBerry has been relatively positive:  it works as advertised although I did keep a bottle of rubbing alcohol close by to keep the roller ball working on my old phone. The number of applications available seems to be somewhat limited compared to the iPhone and iPad, however, what I have is more than sufficient for my purpose.

Upgrading

I’m very pleased with the new changes introduced in my new BlackBerry Bold 9900. I finally get to enjoy the benefits of Touch Screen technology while the full keyboard remains in tact and an optical sensor replaces the ever failing “roller ball”. Unfortunately, this upgrade also required parting with cash that I wasn’t planning to spend:

• The new style connector required new chargers for car and home.
• New USB cable to connect my lap top, again because the connector style changed
• New Case for the phone.
• A capacitive Stylus to minimize finger prints on the touch screen.

I also purchased a Voyager Pro Blue Tooth in keeping with our “driver distraction / hands free” driving laws here in Ontario.

• Voyageur Pro – Blue Tooth

Connecting

I also have a 64GB PlayBook and connecting with my BlackBerry Bold smart phone was relatively simple and seamless. I actually like the ability to tether my PlayBook through my smart phone and the BlackBerry Bridge software works like a charm. The 64GB PlayBook presents better value for the money than the 16GB or 32GB PlayBooks.

Smart phone software upgrades and backups are performed using the BlackBerry Desktop manager through your lap top or desk top. I found some of the applications like Twitter and WordPress did not work correctly when I first upgraded to the latest operating system, however, they seem to have resolved themselves.

Accessories

I find that accessories for the BlackBerry products are over priced and even Walmart stores carrying these products don’t provide much relief.  Here are some of the basic essentials:

• Protective Case and / or Carrying Case
  • Sleeves, Slip Case, and Easel Cases.
  • A Leather Book Binder by RIM is also available.
• Screen Protection (Anti-Scratch / Finger Print)
  • Static Applique

Not essential but highly recommended:

• BlueTooth Keyboard
  • The Playbook presents an onscreen keyboard, however, as a person with above average typing skills, I prefer using a full keyboard.
  • I’m using a Microsoft BlueTooth keyboard, however, many are available including the eWonder(TM) Wireless BlueTooth Keyboard Case for Blackberry Playbook 7-Inch Tablet (Black).
• BlackBerry Rapid Charging Station
  • You can still use your PlayBook while it’s charging and it’s much faster, more convenient,  and stable than the conventional charger.

Connecting BlueTooth devices (also known as pairing) is a simple task and one you’ll quickly grow comfortable with after you’ve done it a few times.

So what’s with the blog post?

The leadership of the company must embrace and deliver the vision of the company to the consumer in the form of product and service expectations. As much as I appreciate my BlackBerry products, I have also admired Apple from afar.  Steve Jobs had a great vision for the Apple product line that sees individual products now connecting in ways that were never thought possible.  While Apple retained its roots in computers (iMac) it also extended that vision to include the iPhone, iPod, and iPad. Quite simply, the Apple product line presents a complete and seamless “digital” solution through improved connectivity, portability, and technologies in general.

Steve Jobs’ vision enabled Apple to drive beyond the limits of our imagination. Few companies have excelled as Apple has to define products that we never knew we needed until they invented them. They simply didn’t refine existing products, they expanded their niche products into a wholly unique offering as only Apple could do. Coupled with connectivity options that exceeded anyone’s expectations, Apple products will continue to define and dominate the market for years to come.

As for RIM, the leadership has been in the headlines for all the wrong reasons: shareholder leadership / infrastructure concerns, product valuation, and the procurement of an NHL hockey franchise.  As I finished writing this post, a link to this article appeared in my twitter timeline > Bowing to Critics and Market Forces, RIM’s Co-Chiefs Step Aside.

A decision such as this can’t be easy and demonstrates how outside influences can affect the leadership of any organization – good or bad.

Until Next Time – STAY lean!

Follow @Versalytics

Vergence Analytics