By Kevin Meyer
Sometimes we forget that in the lean world value, and waste, is defined from the perspective of the customer. An article in a recent HPM Consortium newsletter does a good job of reminding us how important that perspective is.
Our good friend, Bob Bloomer, at Safran Electronics in Peterborough, sent the following along. It verifies that there is NOTHING that Lean Thinking cannot be applied. This gives rise to the need to prioritize the focus. With a smile, Bob reminds us through the following case study, that generating value through lean very much depends upon the vision you hold and the priorities you select to ensure your customers’ success. Here it is:
Just watching a live performance of the Nutcracker Ballet combines music, dancing, and story into a unique experience. Unfortunately, for a critical Lean thinker, the entire event is riddled with non-value added activities.
First, consider the music. A trained Lean observer can’t help but notice the poor use of manpower in the orchestra. For example, the first violin section has eight musicians playing exactly the same notes. This is classic duplication of labor and could be solved by having one well-trained artist for each instrument. Furthermore, many passages of music are repeated several times, often with only minor variations. By simply eliminating duplicate musical phrases the cycle time of the entire performance could be reduced by over 40%.
The dancing offers opportunities for significant efficiency. In many cases the dancers enter from one side and, instead of proceeding directly to their point of exit, they swirl about making a variety of wasteful motions. Occasionally – and this is difficult for a Lean technician to believe – one dancer will even lift and carry a second dancer! Obviously, the dancer being carried is totally unnecessary to the process.
Also, there is a totally non-value added position called the director. This person’s only contribution to the performance is to swing a short wooden rod to keep time. This role could be more efficiently performed by an inexpensive metronome or, for visual control, by a strobe light.
Finally, the stage setting shows very little evidence of standardization. There is a huge variation in colors of all of the scenery and stage props. It is almost as though the designers went out of their way to utilize every color imaginable. Significant money could be saved by simply standardizing on a pleasant, industrial gray color scheme.
In summary, some simple Lean techniques could reduce the cycle time and labor content of a traditional Nutcracker performance making it a much more efficient and value-added experience.
I don't know about you, but I'll take the longer version, with the multiple violinist, and the director. It holds value, at least to me.