Mysmeconsultant

09/06/2022

20/05/2022

If you are looking to increase efficiency & productivity in your business, one of the key factors to success is to identify and remove waste work from your processes. By doing this and keep doing it, you will be well on the way to creating a business that has a competitive edge and delivers real value to your customers.

03/12/2021

Has anyone used a ‘Gemba walk’ in their SME business?

Gemba is the Japanese word for ‘real place’ and in terms of its meaning in Lean management, it means ‘where the real work happens’.

So, the Gemba walk is the process of Management actually going to see where the real work happens, observing & understanding what is actually happening, analysing what has been learnt and finally implementing changes to reduce waste (remember Muda?) to create lasting improvement to the process.

In a service orientated business, this could be the Customer Service Desk where agents & technicians are taking & responding to customer queries and issues.

In a manufacturing business, this could be a production line where things are made.

Sounds easy and obvious right? Well, yes and no.

Done well and regularly, the Gemba walk can: -

Help to identify the root cause of problems and bring about swift improvements.
Increase employee engagement and satisfaction.
Contribute to the mindset of continuous improvement and increasing value to the customer.

Done badly, you can easily disengage employees and create distrust.

One of the most important aspects of a Gemba walk is to respect people. A Gemba walk is not an opportunity for Managers just to be seen or to critisise staff, rather it's an opportunity to really understand what’s happening, ask questions & seek opinions in a manner which encourages staff to openly speak their mind.

Also, it is important to go into a Gemba walk prepared. This means you and the staff knowing in advance what is going to happen and why. Pick a process that you are to focus on and ensure that you do not deviate away from it.

During the Gemba walk, ask lots of questions!

Do you follow a documented process?
Do you think the process works in its current form?
Do you think there are there any problems with the process?
Why do you think the process has a problem?
What do you think the cause of the problem is?

These are just a few examples of questions that can be asked to get a real insight into how a process is actually performing in practice.

Once complete, take time to analyse and understand the observations that have been recorded. Bring in the right people, including those who shared their views, to help determine the actions to be taken that will actually bring about improvement.

Finally, go back to where you 1st started to share the observations and the actions being taken, to ensure that everyone involved can celebrate another improvement in the business.



https://mySMEconsultant.com

30/11/2021

Where is the 'Muda' in your business?

Muda is a Japanese term meaning futility, uselessness, wastefulness and is a key concept in Lean methodology. Simply put, reducing Muda increases productivity and profitability.

There are 7 type of Muda (or waste), which can easily be remembered using the acronym TIMWOOD and it doesn't just apply to manufacturing. Reducing waste in a service orientated business is equally valid, as you can see below.

Transport - Unnecessary movement of the same data or information, either through paperwork or digital processes

Inventory - Duplication or excessive storing of physical and digital information

Motion - Unnecessary movement of people in the workplace eg Meetings without clear objectives

Waiting - A person or procedure has to wait because a process is not ready to pass to the next step eg A support technician waiting for a ticket to pass through 1st line triage

Overproduction - Producing more product than can be consumed at the time eg unnecessary printing of documentation

Over processing - Doing work that does not add value to the customer eg Adding features to a software application that no-one is ever going to use

Defect - Time and materials spent doing something of inferior quality which later needs rework or discarding eg incorrect data entry

Reducing 'Muda' is just one of advantages of bringing Lean to your business and I'll be sharing more over the coming weeks.

Next up - the Gemba Walk........

23/11/2021

***Continuous Improvement isn't just for the big corporates***

When done well, adopting a continuous improvement mindset & culture within an SME can bring small but ongoing gains that are far more achievable and sustainable than going for a big bang approach.

22/11/2021

What a glorious start to the week! The perfect way to begin phase 3 of the digital transformation project I am current working on for a small business just outside Stafford.

17/11/2021

A fresh pair of eyes can often spot the problems that are right in front of you. https://mySMEconsultant.com

15/11/2021

Working with you to identify and solve your business challenges
https://mysmeconsultant.com

12/11/2021

Struggling with lack of time & resources to keep your business moving forward?

Too busy in the day-to-day detail to take a step back and think about strategy?

Can't financially justify employing someone full-time to spread the workload?

Answering 'yes' to any of the above could be jeopardising the growth and success of your business.

mySMEconsultant can help with affordable consultancy to review, plan & implement innovative ways to improve efficiency & productivity of your IT and Operations.

Contact me to arrange an informal chat to see how I can benefit your business.

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