Category Archives: Lean Glossary

Swim Lane Flow Chart: Lean Glossary

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Swim Lane Flow Chart: What Is It?

A Swim Lane Flow Chart is a method of mapping out a process or value stream so it can be seen at a glance.

Departments, touch points or stations are noted vertically on the left, and the process steps are noted from left to right.  In this way, we see the process move up and down as it moves between departments, and across the page as it moves toward the end customer.

It is customary to include rework percentages for any of the steps, timing of process steps underneath the chart, and queues between steps.

Some people also include Value Stream Map or other process map symbols as necessary, such as system cylinders, emails or decision steps.

By David McLachlan

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Supermarket: Lean Glossary

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Supermarket: What Is It?

A Supermarket in Lean terms is a predetermined standard inventory kept to supply a downstream process.

Keeping no more than is needed, when a supermarket is empty a Kanban is often sent to the supplier to replenish the standard inventory.

Most commonly used with “bins on wheels” in a manufacturing environment, when one bin is emptied by the downstream process it can easily be replaced by another bin full of the same standard inventory.  But it could also be used with a standard inventory of medical supplies, stacks of paper or other items where you know the exact amount needed and only need a small inventory on hand.

A Supermarket is not the same as a FIFO lane, where product is only taken as needed, in order of the oldest first.

By David McLachlan

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Kaizen and Kaizen Events: Lean Glossary

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Kaizen: What Is It?

Kaizen is the Japanese term for “Improvement” and is most often referred to as continuous improvement in English terms.  It applies to a few areas of Lean, such as:

Every Person, Every Day Kaizen

Kaizen every day means Increasing the capability of our team-mates so they are trained to discover and define problems in our process, allowing us to fix them quickly (then work towards putting a long term fix in place).

Kaizen Bursts

Noted on a Value Stream Map, these are ideas for solutions or additional challenges called out during the value stream mapping process, that we note especially.  Noting Kaizen burst ideas ensures we don’t forget these things later on.

Kaizen Events

A Kaizen event is usually a three to five day event that involves team-mates from the front line process and a handful of people unrelated to a process.

We often go through the full Lean transformation during the event, mapping out a process with queues and rework noted, calling out any wastes, performing fishbone analysis or the 5 whys to get to the root cause of problems, using a Pareto Chart to show us where to start, line balancing to balance the flow, and finally putting it all together in a “Future State” value Stream Map that shows a new process and the potential time and dollar savings.

Some companies prefer to hold mini Kaizen events, where team-mates go through the process more quickly (often within one day) or perform different analysis over multiple meetings.

By David McLachlan

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Just In Time: Lean Glossary

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Just in Time: What Is It?

Just in Time production is a system of production that only makes and delivers what is needed, when it is needed.  Simple in theory, it requires in practice a handful of lean elements to come together for successful Just in Time.

The Five main elements of Lean that can be used to create Just in time production are:

  1. Takt time, which is knowing the rate of demand of product from your customer.
  2. Continuous Flow, which is the opposite of batch processing.
  3. A pull system, often facilitated with Kanban triggers and a FIFO Lane or supermarket.
  4. Line balancing, which is combining shorter processes into longer processes to eliminate queues and other wastes.
  5. Removing any or all of the Eight Wastes to improve flow.

All of these things work together in harmony to assist in creating only product that is actually requested.

By David McLachlan

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Gemba: Lean Glossary

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Gemba: What Is It?

The Gemba is the Japanese term for “Actual Place” and is often used as a single word to describe the front lines or where the work is done.  In English it can also be spelled Genba.

“Walking the Gemba” is an important phrase in Lean, and means that we must go to the front lines – where the actual work is done – to see first hand how a process works.  Second hand information, reports or accounting numbers will not do, it must be experienced first hand.

This also means we must get front line staff involved in our change initiative, which can be cone with kaizen events or meetings, mapping a value stream and prompting them to call out wastes and opportunities.

By David McLachlan

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Spaghetti Diagram: Lean Glossary

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Spaghetti Diagram: What Is It?

A Spaghetti Diagram is a top down diagram of the flow of product as it moves through the process or value stream.

Most commonly used for a single shop, floor or warehouse, a spaghetti diagram begins by drawing in the workstations, touch-points or departments and then draws lines between them to show the process flow.  It can also be used for a “high level” view across multiple departments or warehouses.

Often a diagram created before a Lean Transformation will look like a bowl of spaghetti, hence the name.

Things we can do to improve the look of our diagram include 5s to organise our space, reduce clutter and keep things close at hand, reduce any of the eight wastes, and even analyse the stations with the most touch points so we can move them close together.

By David McLachlan

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SOP or Standard Operating Procedure: Lean Glossary

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Standard Operating Procedure: What Is It?

A Standard Operating Procedure is a documented process that ensures work is done the same way each and every time.  It can be a simple checklist to mark off as you perform a job, or a list of steps in a process with pictures to assist your team-mates understand what they are doing.

Most Lean Transformations will start with and finish with a Standard Operating Procedure.  We start with them because we need to know how a process is currently working (or not working) before we can improve it.  We finish with them because we need to ensure we have a new standard way of operating that anyone can follow once waste is removed and value is increased.

Another benefit of having a current SOP is that it assists greatly in training and on-boarding new staff, and helps to reduce existing “silos” of knowledge.

By David McLachlan

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SMED or Quick Changeover Techniques: Lean Glossary

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Single Minute Exchange of Dies: What Is It?

SMED or Single Minute Exchange of Dies refers to the aim of reducing changeover time at workstations to single digit minutes (so no more than 9).

Shigeo Shingo developed the key ideas about SMED in manufacturing, which were:

  1. Separate Internal Setup operations and External setup operations
  2. Internal setup operations can only be done when a machine is stopped
  3. External setup operations can be done while the machine is running
  4. Convert Internal Setup Operations to External to reduce setup time.

While the original ideas related to manufacturing, Quick Changeover techniques can be applied to any industry where changeovers apply.  As well as using Shingo’s insights, we could use these four simple steps:

  1. Map the current changeover process
  2. Reduce wasteful steps and movements as per the Eight Wastes
  3. Utilise 5s to ensure items are close at hand and easy to find, and;
  4. Create a new standard process to improve the time

The benefit of using these steps is that time is improved but quality is not sacrificed – in fact in many cases quality may improve as well.

By David McLachlan

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SIPOC: Lean Glossary

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SIPOC: What Is It?

SIPOC stands for Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs, and Customer.  It is a method of gathering the information needed around a new change project.  It is often one of the first steps in a Kaizen Event for a larger project.

Practitioners often add “Cr”, Customer Requirements and “M” for Measurements as well, making it SIPOCrM.

The standard order for gathering the information is:

  1. Process and process steps
  2. Customer and customer requirements
  3. Process Outputs
  4. Process Inputs
  5. Process Suppliers (upstream)
  6. Process Measurements

The information in a SIPOC can assist us in making a Value Stream Map and engaging correct stakeholders.

By David McLachlan

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