Looking at Lean for the first time can be overwhelming. Here are some of the key terms and definitions you will encounter as you learn more. Feel free to browse and contact us if you have any general or specific questions.
4 M’s – There are four main areas most commonly pursued in breaking down a problem: Machine, Methods, Materials, and Manpower. (Note that Measurement, Mother Nature, Money and Management are sometimes used).
5S - A system for workplace organization. In English, the rough 5S translations are: Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain. Interestingly, they have a similarity to Henry Ford’s CANDO program for workplace organization (Clear, Arrange, Neat, Discipline, Ongoing).
5 Why's - The practice of asking ‘Why?’ enough times in order to get to the root cause of why a problem or failure occurred. (The exact number of times is less important than reaching the true root cause). This is one of the simplest forms of Root Cause Analysis and is suitable if the problem can be solved by logic and first-hand knowledge, without a need for additional data analysis.
5Z - A process to promote, evaluate, maintain, and improve process control. UKETORAZU (Don’t accept defects), TSUKURAZU (Don’t make defects), BARATSUKASAZU (Don’t create variation), KURIKAESAZU (Don’t repeat mistakes), NAGASAZU (Don’t supply defects).
The 7 Quality Tools - Data and information-based tools used to help define, analyse and determine the root cause of problems. They include pareto, correlation (scatter) and cause & effect diagrams (fishbone) as well as histograms, control charts, check-sheets and stratification (pie charts).
7 Wastes – All waste can be classified into one of the following 7 categories: Defects, Overproduction, Transportation, Waiting, Inventory, Motion, and Processing. (The underutilization of people is often considered an 8th waste.) Overproduction is generally considered the worst because it hides or magnifies the rest. This was the main driving force for the Toyota JIT system and is always a good place to start.
Andon - A means of stopping a production line, usually a chord or button. Any worker is authorized to stop the production line for quality or safety reasons.
Gemba - The specific cell or area where work is actually being done. A visit to the actual work area is essential to truly see and understand the problem, before accurate problem solving and improvement can begin.
Hoshin Kanri - A strategic planning process used by Toyota, based on data measurement and analysis. The process determines breakthrough strategic objectives and aligns management tasks and activities, then provides a visual map of a clear strategic direction for all levels of the organization. This map allows everyone to understand and contribute to a common goal. Hoshin Kanri is a process evolved from the North American concept of Management by Objectives (MBO).
Kaizen - An improvement from the previous condition. This improvement is usually incremental in scale, as opposed to kaikaku (a more radical breakthrough or system improvement). Required to bring about improvement are a willingness to change, quality, effort, involvement of employees and communication.
Kaizen Event - An organized work session following a standardized set of steps focused on a specific work area or problem. The purpose is not only to identify various opportunities and solutions, but also to get consensus and implement as many solutions as possible during the event. Kaizen events are usually scheduled for between 3 and 5 days, depending on the scope of the problem.
Kanban - A card or other signal used to trigger either a needed material transfer or quantity of production. This is a key tool for reducing waste of overproduction and working towards Just In Time delivery.
Muda - The Japanese word for waste.
Mura - The Japanese word for inconsistency or variation.
PDCA - Plan, Do, Check and Act. A cycle developed to carry out change in an organized manner as well as follow up and make adjustments in order to optimize use of resources and maximize results. This is another process with North American origins.
Pokayoke - A device or step that prevents the further processing of an error or defect. Also known as mistake/error proofing.
Pull System - A system used to control material movement and production by only replacing what has been sold or used. This is the opposite of traditional front end scheduling or push systems where a planner will determine what the initial operation will produce based on forecasts or economic order quantities (EOQ’s) and the downstream operations will process whatever they are given.
Quick Change Over - A tool aimed at reducing and stabilizing changeover times that can be applied to any changeover process. The goal is to identify and either remove steps from the existing internal changeover process or minimize the time of remaining steps. Reducing changeover time is a key element to reducing direct cost, inventory, and improving flexibility and flow.
Standardized Work - A detailed and documented best method for a particular task, as currently known. A common misconception is that ‘standardized’ is also permanent. This is not the case; continuous improvement is always encouraged. Best practices should be understood and practised in order to establish a stable foundation for further improvement.
Takt Time - “Takt" is the German word for the baton that a conductor uses to control the beat to which musicians play. In production, Takt Time is the ideal time to make a product, which is aligned with the actual pace of customer needs. In order to optimize resources (cost of inventory and labour), the product or service cycle time should be set as close to the Takt Time as possible.
Total Productive Maintenance – A set of activities with the goal of minimizing equipment breakdown. The core components are: widespread employee involvement, 5S, data analysis and problem solving.
Value Stream Mapping - A tool used to identify material and information flow as a product or service travels through your major processes. It differs from traditional process maps in that it looks at the overall process from a higher level and includes a broader range of information. It is especially helpful for identifying cycle time and other major opportunities.
Value-Added Activity - An activity that adds value to a product or service, which the customer is willing to pay for.
Visual Management - A system where signs and displays (often using colour coding) are used to indicate information (usually real time) about layout, material storage and movement, production, quality and safety status. A good set of visual controls will help make product flow, standards, schedules and problems instantly evident to workers and management.
Work Cell - A logical and productive group of equipment and people, which processes a family of similar products.
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