Install a Master Scheduler A single, master plan drives the Maximum Flow System and the planning process is the responsibility of the master scheduler; he/she owns the process. While that may seem like an obvious statement, to many, it’s not. Those organizations do not employ a master scheduler or even have a formal planning and scheduling […]
How to Build a Reliable Delivery Process: Planning Read More »
Despite the advances in information technology and systems, most plants manage the process of prioritizing and managing the production of customer orders as if it were an art, approaching the task as a craftsman would, rather than treating order fulfillment systemically, using a robust process to manage and control production. Rarely is the order fulfillment process
How to Build a Reliable Delivery Process Read More »
Is multitasking a good thing? Most think that multitasking is a good skill to have; chewing gum and walking, reading and breathing, texting and driving (but you don’t do that, do you?). Even though we think multitasking is good, research shows just the opposite. Research shows that dividing attention across multiple activities is taxing on the
Multitasking is Evil – The Number One Killer of Project Productivity Read More »
Is your system in chaos? What do I mean by chaos? I mean resource shortages, priority battles, constant expediting, too much work in process, or too much rework. Everything just takes too long. Little’s Law is a very simple concept that will help you gain control over your system. Mastering this concept will arm you with
Little’s Law – The ONE thing you can do to improve process performance Read More »
There is constant tension among project team members when their individual or functional objectives are not in alignment with the project’s objectives (i.e., maximizing resource efficiency is not the same as increasing project velocity). Famed management guru Eli Goldratt once said, “Show me how you measure me, I’ll show how to behave.” His point: metrics shape
Visualizing Projects: Measure the Right Things to Get the Right Behaviors Read More »
Multi-tasking: the dark art of doing many things…poorly. Every time an engineer, a designer, an operator – or anybody – has to switch from one task to another, valuable time is lost. When the former task is resumed, more time is absorbed coming back to speed or reconstructing the necessary tooling. On either end, the focus
Visualizing Projects: Bring Work in Progress Under Control Read More »
Multi-tasking: the dark art of doing many things…poorly. Every time an engineer, a designer, an operator – or anybody – has to switch from one task to another, valuable time is lost. When the former task is resumed, more time is absorbed coming back to speed or reconstructing the necessary tooling. On either end, the focus
Visualizing Projects: Bring Work in Progress Under Control Read More »
By posting all the project tasks to ONE board, and attributing a status to each task, your team instantly moves its attention from a competing body of tasks to a SINGLE project, openly displayed. In this new context, what takes priority? Whatever is most likely to threaten the completion deadline. What threatens completion? Look at the
Visualizing Projects: Now You Can See the Priorities Read More »
By posting all the project tasks to ONE board, and attributing a status to each task, your team instantly moves its attention from a competing body of tasks to a SINGLE project, openly displayed. In this new context, what takes priority? Whatever is most likely to threaten the completion deadline. What threatens completion? Look at the
Visualizing Projects: Now You Can See the Priorities Read More »
The vertical columns of process steps are complemented with horizontal rows of….whatever is most relevant for you to manage in order to fulfill the process steps. These can be (but are not limited to): • Individual people, such as engineers, designers, assemblers, machinists, etc. • Teams of people, identified by function, department, location, etc. • Job
Visualizing Projects: What Do You Need to Manage? Read More »
