Time is Money - Lean Thinking - Stories of Lean Improvements

[Bev D]

I am a change agent... I get paid to dream and fritter!

There was a study done in 2005 on this, that is the numbers I mention.

More recent studies show similar, here for example, http://www.itworld.com/lost-productivity-nlsnetworking-080108

http://www.management-issues.com/2007/5/23/research/time-wasting-costs-uk-UKP7bn-a-year.asp

Except that the articles (and they are articles not peer reviewed papers) are not paraphrasing studies; they are paraphrasing POLLS. And those polls are not scientific, nor do they have analytical depth as to causation. But they do pander to senior management's belief that all (subordinate) employees are lazy no good slackers looking to take advantage of the company in any way they can.

NO. Lean isn't about that at all. (nor is it about the 4 minute time difference on the clock) Lean is after true waste, including true non value add time...

 

[bobdoering]

Except that the articles (and they are articles not peer reviewed papers) are not paraphrasing studies. They are paraphrasing POLLS. and those polls are not scientific, nor do they have analytical depth as to causation.

So true.

 

[Stijloor]

Friends,

Calculate for a few days how time is spent wasted on reactive work versus proactive work. You'll be shocked!

Stijloor.

 

[Citizen Kane]

Hi !

Short: good example with the minutes lost. In our company we have time synchronization and it works as a refference.

Long: Now, sometimes (or all of the times !) it needs a management decission to implement an improvement. Same here. Until now we had conveyer lines for our production. There were some small discussions before to take the conveyers out, but mostly was avoided. Sine a new plant manager was installed in the plant and another view on lean was introduced, everything started to change. Of course, the longest discussion: the conveyor. Sometimes, you really need to go to gemba and do things practically so that the people to be convinced. And thus we did. And worked. And people finally agreed.

It is a long way from argumentation to acceptance. On the other part, the models you want to implement must be really the ones that will fitt the situation.