Happy Easter everyone! Please egg-scuse the pun – but what a great opportunity to blog about Poka Yoke. Poka Yoke is a Japanese term for error proofing. This is key whether designing a new process or improving an existing one. Poka Yoke devices are often simple and inexpensive, sometimes we don’t even notice they are…
In his (awesome) book ‘Learning to See’, Mike Rother writes, “whenever there is a product for a customer, there is a value stream. The challenge lies in seeing it”. We couldn’t agree more, and are enthusiastic advocates of the Value Stream Mapping (VSM) approach. But maybe something in the language of it, or in the…
Have you heard of, or are you taking part in RED January? RED stands for Run Every Day. Those signing up make a commitment to run (or move!) every day in the month of January to help raise awareness of the mental health charity Mind, and open up conversations about mental health. I can proudly…
The Kano Model was developed by Noriaki Kano in 1984 to outline different types of customer requirement. The model shows how the fulfilment of each type impacts on customer satisfaction, and demonstrates that more is not always better. That’s not to say a Scrooge-like approach should be adopted – just that there is a smarter…
The Project Champion (or Sponsor) plays a vital role in a Lean Six Sigma project. The individual – we always recommend that this role is undertaken by one person – is responsible for giving strategic direction to the project team, providing resources, helping overcome issues, reviewing progress and ensuring the team remains focussed. While the…
There’s a talk on TED that I came across recently that features BLACK, the Japanese YoYo World Champion. In it, he talks about finding his life’s passion (YoYos) when he was 8 years old, and devoting every spare minute to practicing, in order to show the world just how spectacular the YoYo can be. His…
You are on a train/in a meeting/drinking coffee and you hear the Breaking News alert on your phone. “What now?” you wonder. And you would be forgiven for including an expletive or two in your musing. Uncertain economic growth, unpredictable exchange rates, the future of the Eurozone … we live in ‘interesting’ times. In the…
As it’s the season for pantomime, This month’s blog is set in rhyme! It might seem whimsy or a little bit twee, But it’s still Lean Six Sigma, as you’ll see! Are you ready to start? It’s not so alarming This article’s about…Prince Charming! Have you ever thought, and did you consider, How…
It was the week before Christmas, and Santa’s workshop was very busy indeed. In Santa’s HQ, footage from SantaCams across the globe was being scrutinized to confirm who’s been Naughty or Nice, spreadsheets prepared and route-planners updated. Out in the stables the reindeer were being groomed, and the sleigh serviced and shone to perfection.…
It has been revealed this week that fake election news stories on Facebook were looked at more than true stories from major news outlets in the final three months of the US presidential campaign. Barack Obama has expressed his concern. “If we can’t discriminate between serious arguments and propaganda, then we have problems”, he…