Improvements Need Focus; Be A Laser!

... and not a shot gun. It is written time and time again that having focus in any walk of life is important, and this is certainly the case with Continuous Improvement.

When you have too many projects on the go activity can become diffused. I see many businesses who have lots of half finished projects on the go and no results to show. If only they could reel some of the projects back in and complete a handful of them they would see a difference in their results.

I once watched a business get further and further into the mire by constantly finding new and exciting projects to get involved with, never closing out the projects they had started with. Resources got stretched, results weren't being achieved and unfortunately a decision was made to close that part of the business.

And, thankfully, I have also seen businesses that have realised that their Continuous Improvement activities are getting them nowhere. When this epiphany arrives you can see the focus that follows suit. They know what they want to do first. They know who needs to do what. They know what timescale they want it completed in. They get results.

Some businesses thrive on chaos and most don't. Some seem able to do a million projects at once and most can't. Some businesses are OK without a plan (and direction) and most aren't. If your business is one of the ones that needs direction, doesn't like chaos and needs some Continuous Improvement results then perhaps it is time to focus and undertake fewer projects at the same time.

If in doubt, remember the common phrase 'Do Less Better'.

Giles Johnston
...optimising MRP systems and re-engineering business processes

Kamishibai Boards

Available to purchase here. Some tools are incredibly simple to use, and also deliver some amazing results. Kamishibai boards are a great example and are superb when you want some visual control over routine tasks. By the way Kamishibai is pronounced "come-e-she-bye" in case you were wondering! As simple as you could want it, a Kamishibai board is a T-card system that has red cards glued to green cards (so that each T-card has a red side and a green side). The red cards are for the incomplete tasks, where as the green cards symbolise that the work has been done. See the photo below of a board in use. On the red side of the card you write the name of the task that needs to be completed, and if appropriate you can include details of how the task is to be completed. This is not expected to replace standard operating procedures, but can be a good opportunity for an aide memoire. The boards can be organised for daily, weekly and even monthly cycles. They are g

Kamishibai Boards: A Visual Management Tool to Improve Discipline and Workplace Habits

If you need to increase your effectiveness in the workplace and need a visual tool to help with day to day task management then this short guide is for you. Giles Johnston, a business improvement consultant for small to medium sized businesses, takes you through the steps needed to implement a low / no cost solution to your day to day management problems - a 'Kamishibai' board. A Kamishibai board can help to improve discipline within the workplace and ensure that the working days / weeks / months are more effective. Common within businesses that use 'lean' methods to improve efficiency and performance (and very effective to use when implementing 5S), a Kamishibai board can be used in its own right, in any kind of business, whether you are going through a lean transformation or not. Click here to view on Amazon.com. Smartspeed Consulting Limited Taking the frustration out of on time delivery.

What is 5S and how does it help to improve the performance of my business?

Many businesses have heard of 5S; it is a simple workplace organisation system that is designed to make workplaces more effective and more efficient, as well as safer. Many businesses also try and fail at implementing 5S . It might be simple, but as you will know, anything that involves changing the behaviours of your staff isn’t always straightforward. If you haven’t heard of 5S before there are five basic steps, all beginning with ‘S’. They are: Sort – clearing out the clutter and re-distributing other people’s belongings. Set in order – optimising the workplace so that everything you need frequently is close at hand. Shine – cleaning the workplace to an appropriate level. Standards – defining what good looks like and how you will keep it that way. Sustain – forming the habits to retain the benefits of an organised and disciplined workplace. So, how does 5S improve the performance of your business? From a safety perspective, fewer accidents means less downtime.

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