Paper Lean for Leaders

8/7/2019 Paper Lean for Leaders

1/15

DiscussionPaper

Leanfor

Leaders:

ToyotaManagementSystem

intheExecutiveOfficeTakashiTanaka

ToshioHorikiri

CraigFlynn

Toyota

Engineering

Co.

QVSystem,Inc.

PresentedattheNewHorizonsforLeanThinkingSummit,

2nd

&3rd

November2010,ChesfordGrangeHotel,Kenilworth,UKAn

electronic

version

of

this

paper

is

available

to

download

at

www.leanuk.org


2/15


3/15

LeanforLeaders: ToyotaManagementSystemintheExecutiveOffice

ByTakashiTanaka,ToshioHorikiriandCraigFlynn

Executivevisitors

to

Toyota

Development

System

(TDS)

visualizations

often

remark

on

the

intense

energy and the high rate of information transfer in these very technical product development

meetings.Theyareamazedby thenumberofdecisions, largeand small,made in thecourseofa

single hour. They also remark on the spontaneous and interactive nature of problemsolving

betweenmembers.

Toyotas oobeya1 process for project management has proven very useful in the product

developmentenvironmentautomotive,ofcourse,butalsoIT,construction,electronics,aerospace

andother industrysectors. Inapreviouswhitepaper2weoutlinetheprocesswecallQuickening

Visualization (QV), incorporatingoobeya,whichcan reducecycle timebyhalf, reduceproduct life

cyclecostsignificantly,andimproveontimequality.

Whatexplainsthepowerfulactivitiesthatvisitingexecutivesobserve?

Thesearesome factors: meetings includeallrelatedmembersofproductdevelopment, including

marketing, service/maintenance and human resources. With all relatedmembers involved, its

easiertogainagreementthattheactionplanisalignedwiththetargets. Ifofftarget,itseasierto

create countermeasures with the resources and creativity of the whole team. Team culture

encouragesfindingproblemsearlyand

finding a problem is praiseworthy, not

blameworthy.

And

its

also

because

the

com

municationsmodalitiesare facetoface.

Inthecharttothe left,onecansee the

powerlaw increase of creativity and

effectiveness as transmitreceive tech

nologiesgivewayto individualandthen

groupinteraction.

Having seen an oobeyameeting,many

executivesvoicefrustrationsabouttheirownwork:

I

hate

my

meetings!

Too

much

time,

too

little

output.

Ourmetrics are confusingsometimes contradictoryand there are too many of them(sometimesahundredormore).

Igetcomplaintsandproblemsinthemiddleofthenight,becausewedontdelivertherightqualityontime.

Wearefirefighting,Iwishwecouldsolveproblemsproactively,andsooner. Mymanagementteamneedstofreeuptimeforcoachingandmentoringtheirownstaff.

Withalittlereflection,executivestendtoagreethatthechallenge,inlargepart,istostrikeabetter

balancebetweenimprovementinitiatives,routineandrepeatingdailywork,andtheinevitableneed

om in Japanese.ent, 2007, QV System. Inc..

1

Oobeya (ohbayuh) means big conference ro

2010QVSystem,Inc.3

2 Quickening the pace of new product developmhttp://www.qvsystem.com/whitepaper.html


4/15

for troubleshooting.By visualizing theirwork and taking immediate countermeasures, executives

canincreasetheproportionofimprovementactivity.

More time comes free for improvement as the dailywork ismade smoother andmore routine.

Troubleshooting is reduced by creating newwork routines. This enablesmore than 50% of the

executivestimetobedevotedtoimprovement.

What sort of impact ormacro target

should executiveshave in theirminds

as they contemplate applying Toyota

principles?

The chart below illustrates improve

ment of quality, cost and delivery for

one product development imple

mentation. In addition to the time

savings, total expenditures have been

reducedconsiderably. Costsavingscome fromactivitiessuchas frontloadingofeffort,energetic

problemsolving,robustfeedback,andgettingmoretestresultsfromfewerprototypes.

Quality improvesby eliminating reworkand rework elimination is themost significant factor in

timesavings. Thischartindicatesthatexecutivesshouldsetveryaggressivetargetsforthemselves

andtheirteams.

Executives, managers and

contributorshaveagreatdealof

tacit knowledgeabout theworkthat they do. Quickening

Visualization isallaboutmaking

thetacitexplicit.

Specifically, executives and

managersshould lookforresults

andbehaviorslikethese:

Fasterexecutionofwork Betterdecisionmaking Moreimprovementactivity Claritythroughtheorganizationaboutorganizationgoalsandtargets Broadagreementandalignmentintheorganization Rightontime,rightfirsttime Commitmentmade=commitmentkept.

Last,executives shouldanticipatebetterqualityofwork life froman improved flowofworkwith

fewer interruptions and more time for creativity and strategic thinking. When work is fully

visualized, delegation becomes easierboth authority and responsibility become clearer. New,

spontaneouseffortsofstaffmembershelpbalancetheworkloadacrossthewholeteam.Coaching

and

mentoring

become

more

clear

and

more

effective.

2010QVSystem,Inc.4


5/15

Some executives report working fewer hours, and many feel that the hours worked are,

professionallyandpersonally,morerewardingandsatisfying.

Anarchitectureforenterprisewideimprovement

ToyotaManagementSystem(TMS)isthedirectingandguidinghierarchyoverToyotasproduction,

sales/marketinganddesignsystems. Thewheelbelowshowstheserelationships,andunfoldsone

of the key aspects of each system element:

coordinated phases of concept, preparation

andexecution.

TMS has much in common with the Toyota

Development System (TDS)the oobeya

architecture is only slightly modified for

executive work. Feedback, checklist and

checksheetprocessesareverysimilar.

Both TMS and TDS rely on the principles of

frontloading of activity; gathering all related

members to create oobeya and Quickening

Visualization;ahierarchyofthreeboardsfrom

thecontributor to theexecutive level;and the

meetingbehaviorssuchasreportoutapproach,

honoringmilestones and issue processing and

problemsolving.

Of course, all aspects of TMS find their

foundation intheprinciplesarticulatedinphysicalwork,theToyotaProductionSystem.ItisoneofthereasonsthatclientsmostoftenchooseTPSexperiencedmembersforinternalconsultingrolesto

partnerwiththeexternalconsultants.

TMS: ToyotaManagementSystem

TDS: ToyotaDevelopmentSystem

TotalTPS:ModernToyotaProductionSystem

TMSS:ToyotaMarketingandSalesSystem

Aftera reviewof the howofQuickeningVisualizationandoobeya,wewill return todiscuss the

concept,designandexecutionphasesofToyotaManagementSystem.

HowdoesQuickeningVisualizationwork?3

Visual control boards in the factory, value streammaps for process improvement and Ishikawa

fishbonediagrams forproblemsolvingaremethodsofvisualizingwhatoncewascapturedonly in

thewritten

word,

often

in

long

detailed

reports.

Bringingvisualization toproductdevelopment (orotherknowledgework, for thatmatter) isnew.

Thevisual toolsused in theoobeya,alongwith thestructureanddiscipline required touse them

effectivelyhaveenableda fewcompanies todramaticallyshortenprojectcycle timeand improve

quality.

Theword quickening isadeliberate choice. Quickmight seem likeabetterword touse.Yet

quickeninghasadeepermeaning thansimplymakingsomethinghappen faster.Quickening,as to

makealiveor tocausegrowthanddevelopment,addsan importantdimension to this innovative

process.i

2010QVSystem,Inc.5

3 An excerpt from Quickening the Pace of New Product Development, ibid.


6/15

Thevisualizedprojectlives,growsanddevelopsbecauseofthepeopleandhumanrelationshipsthat

allowittomoveforward.Thepeoplebringwidelyvaryingexperiencefromallpartsofthecompany.

Whentheylearntoworktogetherconcurrentlyinanewway,theysolveproblemsmorequicklyand

find better solutions. The visual tools brought together in the oobeya nurture teams and help

individualsinteractwithrespectandcommitment.

LinkedObjectivesthroughouttheCompany

Seniormanagementestablishesthecorporateobjectives.Theobjectivesincludetargets,thestarting

pointfortheR&Dmainboard4:

C orporate

O bjective

R & D

M id-term Ta rget

S ales

P rofit

Tim ing

Q uality

C ost

1 4 7 10 121 4 7 10 12

1 4 7 10 121 4 7 10 12

1 4 7 10 121 4 7 10 12

M etrics

D eliver

Product

P 1

P 2

P 3

P 4

P rocess

C hange

Q uality

C oaching

Kn ow ledge

E tc.

Long T ermJan F eb M ar April..A ug.N ov..D ec.

W eekly A ction1w 2w 3w 4w/

A ction B oa rd

Issue B oa rd

P roduct

P rocess

C hange

P 1

P 4

P 2P 3

Q ua lity

C oaching

P otential R e al F inish

Know ledge

Senior M anagem ent

2 issues p er w eek

2 issues pe r w eek

Thisboard visualizes itsmidterm target,brokenout into salesand

profit targets. Metrics important to achieving the targets are

displayed. Making the metrics visual means that progress can beeasilytracked.

Timing isdetermined tobethemost importantmetric forachieving

target sales.Quality and costwillbemanaged to achieve the profit

target.Qualitymetricsmay includenotonlydurabilityandreliability

butalsoattractivenessandperformance.

Visuallymonitoringthecostmetricshelpstodisplaythecostimpactof

specificationchanges.Theimpactonthescheduleisalsoshown.

Theactionboardshowshowactualvaluesmatchupwiththetarget.Integratedproblemsshowup

rightaway,andcorrectiveactionwillbevisible.Theupper leveloftheactionboardshowsdelivery

milestonesandactionitemsforeachproject(P1,P2,etc.)beingdeployed.

Tim ing

1 4 7 10 12

Tim ing

1 4 7 10 121 4 7 10 12

M etrics

D eliver

Product

P 1

P 2

P 3

P 4

Long T ermJan Feb M ar Ap ril..A ug.No v..D ec.

D eliver

Product

P 1

P 2

P 3

P 4


2010QVSystem,Inc.6

4This board structure is similar to the TMS executive board.


7/15

The lower levelactionboard integratesprocess improvementactivity.Process improvementsare

thusfullyconnectedtotheexistingproject,andtheworkofsupportfunctions(quality,IT,training,

HR)isdisplayedandmonitoredontheschedule.

Q uality

C ost

1 4 7 10 12

1 4 7 10 12

Q uality

C ost

1 4 7 10 121 4 7 10 12

1 4 7 10 121 4 7 10 12

P rocess

C hange

Q uality

C oa ching

K now ledge

E tc.

P rocess

C hange

Q uality

C oa ching

K now ledge

E tc.

The issue board is a special tool to speed up

decisionmaking. On the issue board, the

Potential columnallowstheteamto identifyfuture problems and proactively focus the

project.

Oobeya, which simply means big room in

Japanese, is where project coordination and

decisionmakingtakesplace.Theoobeyaisteam

oriented,taking intoaccounttheneedsandstrengthsofthepeopleontheproject. Ithelpsteams

visualizetheentireprojectsituation.Thedisplayboards intheroom formahighlystructured,but

simplesystem5.

Itstartswiththeprojectobjectives,asdefinedbythecurrentR&Dstrategyandplan.Thiscreates

alignmentwithR&Dobjectives,whichinturn,werecarefullyalignedwithcorporateobjectivesusing

themain

board,

discussed

above.

Project

objectives,

expected

outputs,

metrics,

action

plans,

and

reportingmechanismsbecomealignedperfectlywiththecompanysintentandmarketassessment,

servingasaneffectivepolicydeploymentprocess.

No functional area is left out of the product development process. Marketing, sales, design,

engineering,manufacturingengineering,productionand logisticspeoplework intheprojectroom

together.Thestructuredactionintheoobeyamakestheirmeetingsshortandproductive.Meetings

dontendinpostponedissues,confusionaboutdecisions,andfrustration.

Theoobeyaanditsvisualcontrolsallowedthechiefengineersteamonthehybridvehicleprojectto

dramaticallycutproductdevelopmenttime,andthequicklyresolveproblems, latedesignchanges

practicallyunnecessary.

2010QVSystem,Inc.7


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TheOobeyasStructure6

The oobeya helps the design and development team visualize the entire project situation. The

illustrationaboveshowsanexampleofaprojectroom.

Atthecenter (1) isamodel,mockup,drawing,orsomeothervisualrepresentationoftheoutput

theteamisresponsiblefor.Projectobjectives(2)appearinthetopleftofthefirstwall.Theytypically

aredeterminedat the corporate

or department level before the

product development team is

formed.

To the right of the objectives is

the expected output (3) of the

project.Theredsquares indicate

urgent issues.Themetricsboard(

4) shows current project

performance.Again, red squares

showhot issues thatneedquick

attention, while the green ones

show where current targets are

beingmet.

Onthenextwall,(5)theconcurrentscheduleboard,oractionboard,showstheactivityofproject

members or teams (marketing, design, engineering, production, logistics and sales, sometimes

suppliers). Wheremilestonesmaybe introuble,redsquaresareposted.Thedecompositionboard

(6)on the thirdwall shows subprojects from theexpectedoutputboard (3),and thehot issues

needing attention. Different decomposition boards will be used throughout the stages of theprojectsomedominatedbystyleissues,somebycost,qualityorperformance.

Theissueboard(7)displayscriticalproblems.Potentialrisksareidentifiedinonecolumn,andthose

thathavebecomerealinthenext.Theboardalsoshowsthetypeofissuethatneedstobereferred

toahigherlevelmanager.Inanygivenmeeting,nomorethantwohighpriorityissuesmaygotothe

companyshigherlevelmainboard. Althoughvisualtoolsintheoobeyaarethemostimportantpart

oftheprocesstomaster,companieswitha lotofexperiencewiththemmayaddcarefullychosen

onlineprojectcontroltools(8)tosupportglobalcollaboration.

This roomshouldbesimple tomanage.The layoutand flowof theboardsarevery important for

efficientand

effective

project

meetings.Teams

use

Plan

Do

Check

Act

(PDCA)

cycles

to

organize

activity,stayon schedule,andmakeadjustmentsasneeded.

FocusedMeetings

Weeklymeetings are conducted in the oobeya,which include the chief engineer and all project

leaders plus important staff function representatives, andon a monthly basissenior

management.

2010QVSystem,Inc.8

6 This board structure, second in the Quickening Visualization hierarchy, is similar tomanager or department boards in TMS implementations.


9/15

Visualizingtheprojecthelpsmeetingparticipantspointoutcurrenthot issues.Intheprojectroom

meeting, communication becomes more focused. If A is on the agenda for the meeting, all

membersareconcentratingonlyonAtocreateasolutionanddecideonthenextsteps.

While in the room, someone may notice

something missing at point B. Without

interruptingthemeeting,heattachesasticky

noteonthevisualizationboard.Someonesees

the need for an additional action item and

assignsatasktoanothermemberoftheteam

(C).

Theprojectcontrolroomiswherecontentious

priorities are resolved and harmonized. In a

multinational auto companys

project,American, German, Swedish and

Italian teams each advocated their own design needs. Italian team members wanted higher

performance, Swedes stressed improved reliability and theAmerican teammembers insisted on

lowercost. Thevisualizationprocessenabledoptimal,balancedtradeoffs.

At themeetingwrapup, issues that can only be resolved by higherlevelmanagementmust be

prioritized.Aswith theR&Dmainboard,nomore than two issues thatcouldnotbesolvedat the

meetingmaybebroughttoR&Dmanagement.Althoughthereareoftenatremendousnumberof

issues,onlythetwowiththehighestprioritycanbechosen.

Asworkhabits change,meetingsbecome short, regular,vitalandproductive.Theyhavea rapid,

exciting cadence. Before each meeting, project members update all charts and action items.

Agendas are very detailed and pertinent,with strict control over time. Individual accountabilityincludesaweekly reportof thecurrentsituation,andas issuesare raised, themeetinggenerates

cleardecisionsandagreements. Cuttingwastefrommeetingtimeisarelieftoeveryone.

ChangesthatMakeEveryoneHappy

Mostpeoplefeeltheyreceivetoomanyemails.Somearenotreadrightaway.Thenthesendere

mails to ask,Did you get my email?An unwanted email may beforwarded to someone

else,temporarilysuspendingtheobligationtoanswer.Becausetherootcauseofemailproliferation

is a lack of clear objectives and responsibilities, the clarity achieved in the structured oobeya

meetingsreducestheproblemgreatly.

OobeyaandQuickeningVisualizationmakeeveryonerealisticaboutheavyworkloads. If150%ofa

persons timewill be required,managers find it difficult to say, Work harder! Tasksmust be

prioritizedorresourcesadded.Ifthereisacapacityproblem,itbecomesanissuetobepresentedto

seniormanagement. People leave projectmeetings confident they can complete theirwork,not

overwhelmedby impossibledeadlines.Managersareconfidentthatworkwillbecompletedwhen

promised.Teamleadersareconfidentthatconcurrencywillbemaintained,sotheywontlosetime

becauseanotherteamwasunabletodoitsworkwell.

QuickeningVisualizationDependsonPeople

Dontmake

the

mistake

of

viewing

the

oobeya

and

Quickening

Visualization

boards

as

methods

or

tools that can bring great product development results by themselves. Its the human side that

2010QVSystem,Inc.9


10/15

makes the visual product development system work. The humanside approach allowed one

automobile firm to cut leadtime by 40% in a single design cycle.It has become a competitive

advantage.

Inattemptstoshortenproject leadtime,traditionalmethodbasedapproaches looktosuchthings

as new IT systems, employee training or organizational changes. Changedmethodsmay achieve

leadtime reductionsof 1020%.In theproductsbeingdesigned, the focusmaybeon technology

breakthroughsattheexpenseofprocessexcellence.

Whatmanagers insuchfirmsdontrealize isthatprojectobjectivesmaybeunclearornotbroken

down intospecific tasks.Objectivesandplansmaynotbe sharedwidelyenough.Employeesmay

workwithouteffectivecoordination.

Inatraditionallymanagedfirm,peopleworkingaprojectrunningpastitsduedatehavelearnedto

expectmanagerstoorderthemtoworklongerhourstomakeuplosttime.Peopleareblamed,even

formattersoutsidetheircontrol.Intheabsenceoftrust,fearcanmakepeoplereluctanttobringup

problems.Managementisbasedonfearand,asDr.Demingwarned,theresultsaredisappointing.

Thehumansideincludescloseattentiontocommunication,thebasisforknowledgemanagement.It

fostersanatmosphereofcooperationandintellectualstimulation.

Anopenatmosphereboth intheoobeyaandthroughoutthecompany isessential.Allpartieswill

needhonestly toshare theircurrentsituations.With teammemberscoming fromallpartsof the

organization, theyneed tounderstandeachothersconcernsandgoals if theyare tocome toan

optimalresult.

Withthehumansideapproach,anyproblemisreadilyidentified.Theteam,perhapswiththehelpof

ahigherlevelmanager,agreesonasolution,andmovesforwardtoimplementit.Fearisreplacedbythesatisfactionofsolvingadifficultproblem.

TheHierarchyofQuickening

Visualization

In no more than three hierarchical

layers,theenterprisecanvisualizeall

of its work. The detailed

implementation in highly matrixed

organizationsis

beyond

the

scope

of

this papereven so, three and only

threelayerswillwork.

The glueofoobeyaandQuickening

Visualization is a PlanDoCheckAct

cycle,andthegraphicbelowshowsseveralmacroPDCAs. Theredarrowsandrighthandtextbox

showthePDCAofdecisionreadyissues:

Planwrite and escalate a decisionready issue to the next level; Domake a rapid

managerial disposition of resources; Checkrework the issue if itsjudged unclear; and

Actimplementthe

decision

to

go

ahead,

or

find

another

countermeasure

to

solve

the

problem.

2010QVSystem,Inc.10


11/15

Managementspolicycycleislikethis(greenarrowontheleft):

Plan policy initiatives; Docommunicate through the organization; Checkfor under

standingandfeasibility;Actimplementandkeepupdated.

Also: Planthreetargets(Quality,Cost,Delivery);Docommunicatethemandhelp lower

levelboardsbreakdown themetrics for theirwork;Checkensure fairnessandaccuracy;

andActmonitortargets,holdmilestones,helpwithcountermeasures,praiseandvaluethe

discoveryanddispositionofproblems.

Tackling an enterprisewide implementation requires enterprisegrade strategies. A Tstyle

approachresultsinrapidbehaviorchangeandhabitformationfrompilotprograms,andthenrapid

growth and culture change across

departments and functions. Quickening

Visualization/oobeya is the horizontal

foundation.

Verticalactivitiesarethe designportion

of TMS. The following graphic,Quality

intoProcess, shows how several deep

processesare interrelated. Theyrelyon

the horizontal implementation of

Quickening Visualization/oobeya (text

box #1, Management) to anchor,

measureandcoordinateimprovements.

Aneducationalcomponent(#2)isdesignedaroundtheinternalconsultancywhichwillsustainTMSover time. Internal consultantswill also ensure consistent quality of the fundamentalmeeting

behaviorsandhabits. Theyareaculturalcoreofthenewenterprise.

Executive education

and development is

also necessary to

provide leadership and

an orientation to the

qualityofworklife

improvements thatbe

comeavailable.

Exec

utives have a unique

modeling and men

toring role in TMSto

show people how to

work, to help them

begin thework and to

praise them for their

progressandresults.

Thestandardization

of

work

(#3)or,

making

routine

and

regular

work

truly

consistent

and

rapid

in

its accomplishmentfrees up a surprising quantity of executive resource. The freed time is

2010QVSystem,Inc.11


12/15

reinvested in the improvement and shaping of the new organization. So, executives welcome

standardworkoncetheyseeitspotential.

Qualityassuranceactivity (#4)determineshowtofittheToyotaprinciplesofdesignreview,check

sheet,checklistandfeedbacksheetintotheenterprise. SomeQIPdesigneffortisrequiredbecause

of differences between businessesthere is no universal form. Adaptation is required and the

assistanceofasensei,anexperiencedexpert,isveryproductive. Inturn,theregimensarisingfrom

theQIPeffortcanbeappliedacrossdepartmentsforsignificantimprovementintheenterprise.

RevisitingtheOobeyaMeetinginanExecutiveSetting

WhatkindofevidencewillexecutivesobserveintheirownorganizationsastheTstyleconceptrolls

out? It ismeetingevidence,and the seeingandhearingof itwill reinforce theexecutives initial

impressionsoftheproductdevelopmentoobeya.

Members make this PDCA reportout in three minutes or less if they represent a group or a

department. Contributorsmakethereportintwominutesorless. Thishabitiswhatwillreassure

the executive that the enterprise is on the right track, and that improvement activities will be

anchoredtodailyworkandrobustcountermeasures.

UsingthelefthandorqualitativesideoftheVisualization,membersreportonthePLAN:

Policy D eploym entC orporate

O bjective

R & D

M id-term Target

S ales

P rofit

Policy D eploym entC orporate

O bjective

R & D

M id-term Target

S ales

P rofit

S ales

P rofit

Tim ing

Q uality

C ost

1 4 7 10 12

1 4 7 10 12

1 4 7 10 12

M etrics

S ales

P rofit

Tim ing

Q uality

C ost

1 4 7 10 121 4 7 10 12

1 4 7 10 121 4 7 10 12

1 4 7 10 121 4 7 10 12

M etrics

PLAN

Mytargetis

Iamahead,or

I am behind, and my counter

measureis

(Countermeasures are activities that

preservemilestonesorkeeptargets)

2010QVSystem,Inc.12


13/15

Next,membersrefertothequantitativesideoftheboard,thelongtermschedule,forDO:

D eliver

P roduct

P1

P2

P3

P4

P rocess

C hange

Q uality

C oaching

K now ledge

E tc.

Long TermJan F eb M ar April..A ug.N ov..D ec.

W eekly Action1w 2w 3w 4w/

A ction B oard

DO Since our last meeting, I have

accomplishedtowardsthetarget.

(Theseare

results,

not

activities).

CHECKandACTrefertotheentireboard,andgivethememberandgroupanopportunitytogain

deeperinsightintotheircollectivework:

Tim ing

1 4 7 10 12

Tim ing

1 4 7 10 121 4 7 10 12

M etrics

D eliver

Product

P 1

P 2

P 3

P 4


D eliver

Product

P 1

P 2

P 3

P 4


Q uality

C ost

1 4 7 10 12

1 4 7 10 12

Q uality

C ost

1 4 7 10 121 4 7 10 12

1 4 7 10 121 4 7 10 12

P rocess

C hange

Q uality

C oach ing

K now ledge

E tc.

P rocess

C hange

Q uality

C oach ing

K now ledge

E tc.

Check Hereswhat Ihave learned(or, here is

myAHA!)aboutourwork.

ACT

And, because of that learning, Heres

whatIwillnowdo.

Insight and action are themost vital parts of oobeya andQuickening

Visualization, because they represent the point of the spear in

continuousimprovement.

2010QVSystem,Inc.13


14/15

AfterallmembersdeliverthereportoutPDCA,thefinalstageofthemeetingisissueprocessing. In

thisuniquePDCA,drivenbymanagerialleaders,membersidentifypotentialproblemsanaspectof

frontloadingthework. Also,theyproposecountermeasurestostayontargetandonmilestone

and this is the best use of the issue board because it focuses on the preventers of target

achievementormilestonetimeliness.

The issue process is also part of the glue that bindsoobeya in the Quickening Visualization

hierarchy. Its expected that groups use internal resources to solvemost problems, and this is

generally the case. When problems cross group boundaries, or are extraordinarily difficult, or

require unbudgeted resources, the group can choose up to two of them permeeting cycle to

escalatetothenexthierarchicallevel. Bypracticingdecisionreadybehaviorwhenwritinganissue,

thegroupcanexpectrapidandcrispdecisions.

Issue B oard

P roduct

P rocess

C hange

P 1

P 4

P 2P 3

Q uality

C oaching

P otential R e al F inish

K now ledge

Escalatetwoissues

permeetingcycle

In conclusion, executives can observemany of the behaviors and habits developing into a new

cultureofcontinuousimprovementbyvisitingthemeetingsofoobeyaandQuickeningVisualization.

In this white paper, we have linked the proven product development approaches to new

applications in theworkofexecutivesandmanagers. Forbackgrounddetail,wealso republished

thehowandwhyofoobeya.

Thesehumansideapproachesdependon the involvementof apassionateexecutive inahuman

side,aggressiveenterprise. It ispossible radically to improvework throughputandmakebetter,

faster decisions. Improvement initiatives can proceed simultaneously across the organization

becausetheyaregroundedintargetdriven,milestonehonoringculturewhereapromisemadeisa

promisekept.

Executivesandtheirstaffwillexperienceahigher levelofjobsatisfactionaswell,byturningawayfrom firefightingmode toan improved flowofwork.Theenterprise candeploy itspolicieswith

greatconfidence. Departments,teamsandindividualcontributorsbecomeadeptatbreakingdown

the policy and attendant targets into real daily activity. And the entire enterprise can make

significantadvancesintheagreeddirection.

2010QVSystem,Inc.14


15/15

AbouttheAuthors.

Takashi Tanakahas implementedVisualManagement for

morethan

33

Western

corporations

in

Europe

and

North

America. He began his career with a major Japanese

consultancy, where he worked on oobeya

implementations at Toyota, Canon and otherwellknown

Japanese corporations. He was graduated with a BSME

fromOsaka IndustrialUniversity,andholdsanMBA from

OklahomaCityUniversity. Heisthefounderandprincipal

consultantofQVSystem,Inc.

Toshio

Horikiri,CEO

of

Toyota

Engineering

Corporation

(TEC),worked forToyotaMotorCorporation for36years.

He served as Global Production Department, Far East

Division General Manager; and prior to that, General

ManagerofToyotasMotomachiplant. Hisspecialtiesare

Total ToyotaProduction SystemandToyotaManagement

System. He founded TEC as an independent corporate

entity inNagoya, Japan. Hewas graduated from Kyushu

UniversitywithadegreeinAeronauticsEngineering

.

Craig Flynn is CEO of QV System, Inc., his seventh

entrepreneurial venture. He holds an MBA from The

UniversityofRochesterSimonSchoolofBusiness.

QVSystem,Inc.

2190E.HenriettaRd.,Rochester,NY,USA 14623

+15853303262

[email protected]

www.qvsystem.com

www.toyotaengineering.co.jp/english/indexeng.html

Blogwithus! http://qvsystem.wordpress.com

2010QVSystem,Inc.15
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.qv-system.com/http://www.qv-system.com/http://www.qv-system.com/http://www.toyota-engineering.co.jp/english/index-eng.htmlhttp://www.toyota-engineering.co.jp/english/index-eng.htmlhttp://www.toyota-engineering.co.jp/english/index-eng.htmlhttp://www.toyota-engineering.co.jp/english/index-eng.htmlhttp://www.toyota-engineering.co.jp/english/index-eng.htmlhttp://qvsystem.wordpress.com/http://qvsystem.wordpress.com/http://www.toyota-engineering.co.jp/english/index-eng.htmlhttp://www.qv-system.com/mailto:[email protected]

Documents

Paper Lean for Leaders