Page 115 - How To Implement Lean Manufacturing

94 Cha pte r S i x

at standardization. In this book, the emphasis on standardization and the emphasis on
reduction of variation of all forms is repeated over and over. It is a hallmark of Lean
manufacturing to have standardized processes, and there is no substitute for it. So our
problem solvers are now doing double duty. First they are fixing problems—and now
you learn that the same skills are required to execute the techniques of standardization.
This concept is developed more fully in Appendix A at the end of this chapter. Right
now, though, let’s discuss the skills needed by this cadre of problem solvers.
The first and most important technique is logical problem solving. I know of no
technique superior to the Kepner-Tregoe (KT) Methodology. These skills can be acquired
by attending a training session taught by Kepner-Tregoe—this is really the very best
training investment you can make. If for some illogical reason this is not in the cards,
pick up their book, The New Rational Manager (Princeton Research Press, 1981) and teach
yourself. KT also has a less intensive program named “Analytical Trouble Shooting,”
which is also excellent. Several years ago you could have taken a class at the Ford Train-
ing Center entitled, “TOPS: An Acronym for Team-Oriented Problem Solving.” In the
class, you learned the KT Methodology as part of completing Ford’s 8D. However,
when the Automotive Industry Action Group (AIAG) was formed and methods in the
auto industry became standardized, the TOPS program disappeared. This was a large
oversight and should be corrected. In my experience, the KT Methodology has been
proven to have the broadest applications and the highest success rate of problem solu-
tion. It does have one weakness, though: a scarcity of statistical techniques to assist in
the quantification of variation and in statistical decision making.
This is where the Six Sigma statistical problem-solving techniques are so powerful.
Actually, even though we say Six Sigma is a problem-solving methodology, it lacks
many of the powerful logical tools inherent in the KT Methodology. Instead, it relies on
the simple DMAIC methodology (define, measure, analyze, improve, and control). The
Six Sigma tools are extremely powerful when making statistical decisions and in under-
standing, mathematically, the risks involved. These Six Sigma tools include statistical
and decision-making skills such as multivariate analysis, hypothesis testing for both
variation and averages, correlation and regression plus SPC (Statistical Process Con-
trol), MSA (Measurement System Analysis), DOE (Designs of Experiments), and
Response Surface Analysis. Even if you do not have any Six Sigma Blackbelts, someone
should be well-versed in DOE. It is not very time consuming to acquire the basics of
DOE, and the applications abound in most manufacturing plants. Those trained in Six
Sigma skills are much like the “Deming Statisticians” which are often talked about. For
a good description of that group, refer to Out of the Crisis (MIT, CAES, 1982), specifically
Chap. 16, by W. Edwards Deming.
A much overlooked set of skills are those required for group facilitation. These
skills are not only helpful with groups, they are helpful any time a problem solver
must interact with another person on any problem, such as getting information from
the line workers. So these skills are very powerful in making a problem solver more
efficient and effective. There are various places to acquire this training, and there is
even a touch of it in Six Sigma training. However, I recommend you send those people
who need these skills to the training as is provided by Oreil Incorporated, (formerly
Joiner Associates). Alternatively, buy The Team Handbook (Joiner Associates, 1988) by
Peter Scholtes and teach yourself.
Finally, especially if you are in the discrete parts industry, especially electronics, I
have found the so-called Shainin tools to be valuable. They have been published in a