Quality Improvement Blog: 5 Most Read Articles of 2015

In order of popularity, the most read articles of 2015 (with links) are:

1. Ways I Use Lean Thinking at Home


2. 7 Practical Ways I Use Internet Technology at Home


3. Communication from 3 Sources Encourages Studies in STEM Subjects


4. Managing the Quality of Internet-linked Products


5. How Company Culture Relates to Quality

I look forward to writing more articles on the subject of Quality Improvement. ASQ's Influential Voices program is changing, and they will not be assigning monthly article topics. I'll draw inspiration for future articles from local chapter activities and workplace situations. Thanks for reading my articles.

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Credits: Graphics produced by the author using Adobe Illustrator
© 2016 All Rights Reserved

What is Sustainability?

Is your business sustainable?

Last month, I wrote about company culture (article is here). Potential customers and employees are interested in both company culture and sustainable practices to determine organization character.

In the early 1900s, the California sardine industry was booming. Cannery Row factories lined up along Monterey Bay, fish were brought in without limits, processed and canned, and waste dumped into the bay. You can see the problem here. Unrestricted fishing and pollution led to environmental and economic disaster. The waters that supported the sardines were too polluted and damaged to continue. That situation is the opposite of sustainability. Sustainability includes restraint on harvests to manage resources and reduction and/or repurposing of waste materials.

Sustainable practices are those that allow continued use of resources. Sustainability applies to many situations outside of the industrial context. Individuals can pursue sustainable goals as well as institutions.

Sustainability includes familiar concepts that we may practice daily. Reducing landfill waste is a sustainable practice because landfill space is limited. That practice involves other sustainable concepts like recycling, repurposing, and composting. Below is an informal list of sustainable concepts:

• energy savings
•  recycling
•  repurposing
•  conserve resources 
•  water conservation
•  solar energy
•  rainwater collection
•  decrease carbon footprint
•  purchase carbon offsets
•  growing your own food
•  reduce landfill waste
•  composting
•  support businesses and individuals with sustainable agendas
•  use green construction

3 Pillars of Sustainability

Sustainability can be described as 3 pillars: environment, economy, and social.

Environment:

• climate protection
• resources protection
• biodiversity
• organic farming
• decrease use of natural resources

Economy:

• using local produce in season to avoid resource use and pollution involved with distance transportation 

Social:

• equality between men and women 
• education and training opportunities
• fighting poverty
• prosperity for humanity

As professionals in the Quality industry, our roles are important in sustainability. We maintain and improve quality standards to sustain a customer base. By applying Lean Thinking, we reduce waste to sustain company resources. As company employees and individuals we can use our influence to improve sustainability in all aspects of our lives.

Below is a 4-minute Explainity video on the 3 Pillar Model of sustainability.

This month's guest post on A View from the Q is Does Mission Matter? by ASQ Fellow and incoming ASQ board chair, Pat LaLonde.

Advertising on this blog supports my writing. By clicking an ad, you are under no obligation to buy. If you see an advertisement of interest, please click.
Credits: Graphics produced by the author using Adobe Illustrator
             © 2015 All Rights Reserved

Ways I use Lean Thinking at Home

5S and Work Areas

5S, an aspect of Lean Thinking, is a system to arrange work areas as efficiently as possible. If every task whether a chore or hobby requires a search for necessary tools to get started, the likelihood of completing the task decreases. So throughout my home I organize work and hobby areas to make tasks easy to start and complete.

To maximize efficiency with gardening chores, I have a workstation with bug spray, sunscreen, and garden tools at 3 different locations. One is in a small greenhouse at the vegetable garden, one is in the garage, and the other is on the backyard deck. Wherever I am in my yard, a workstation stocked with tools is nearby. This saves time because I can begin gardening tasks without searching for tools. Looking 30 minutes for a favorite pair of gardening gloves is a reminder to keep my work areas organized.

Greenhouse Work Area

Indoors, each bathroom cabinet has cleaning supplies. This saves time and energy when I'm ready to clean. Otherwise wasted time and wasted movement is spent gathering cleaning supplies.

My office is arranged so things can be reached with little disruption to ongoing work. Files, notebooks, notepads, pens, and calendar are all in easy reach. Similarly, I have organized areas for photography, scrapbooking, and other hobbies.

Every 4 - 6 weeks, I reorganize work areas using the 5S system.  5S represents sort, set in order, shine, standardize, and sustain. So I replace supplies that are worn out or empty, dispose of items that I don't use, and tidy up the areas. I also make sure the more frequently used tools are convenient to reach and easy to find.

Backyard Work Area

Waste of Motion

Lean Thinking is all about reducing waste, and Shigeo Shingo classified 7 wastes. Waste of Motion is one I try to avoid at home. Many activities in the home can be standardized to reduce waste of motion. I collect a batch of bills and then pay them. Paying each bill as it arrives in the mail would involve opening the envelope, sorting the paperwork, logging into a website to make a payment or writing a check, recording the check or debit in the checkbook, and filing paperwork.  Processing a batch of bills at one time saves duplication of motion. Along the same lines, I let several cups and bowls accumulate on the counter before I open the dishwasher and load these items. Errands can be organized in a route rather than individual spontaneous trips. This saves gasoline and time, as well as reducing waste of motion.

Lean Thinking is using common sense to perform tasks in the most efficient manner. Before it was called "Lean Thinking" people were practicing it to get things done efficiently. Later, it was further defined to apply to workplaces. So go full circle with Lean: do it at work and do it at home, and you will be more productive for it!

In 2014, I wrote about the basics of Lean Thinking. You can access that post by clicking here.

Sunil Kaushik has written about using Lean Principles to minimize travel expenses to Egypt. Mr. Kaushik, an ASQ Influential Blogger, definitely has expertise in traveling cheap. The article can be found by clicking here.

Advertising on this blog supports my writing. By clicking an ad, you are under no obligation to buy. If you see an advertisement of interest, please click.

What is Lean Thinking?

Lean Thinking is just like it sounds: managing operations without expending excess resources. Like a lean piece of meat, lean operations are trimmed. Lean Thinking also includes adding value.

Shigeo Shingo, a Japanese author and engineer, identified 7 wastes. Recognizing and eliminating them creates a lean work environment.They are:

1.     Overproduction

2.     Waste of waiting

3.     Waste of transportation

4.     Waste of inventory

5.     Waste of processing

6.     Waste from product defects

7.     Waste of motion

To add value, examine the following:

•      How does your customer see your company?
•      What problems need to be exposed?
•      What can be simplified?
•       Be flexible when considering new ideas or changes. 

     Kaisen and 5S are Lean Thinking terms. Kaisen adds value with continuous improvement. 5S is the reorganization of work areas to improve efficiency and reduce waste. The 5 “S’s” are:

Sort, set in order, shine, standardize, and sustain or systemize.

I think this brief explanation of Lean Thinking illustrates its advantage to any activity. From offices to factories to households, cutting waste and adding value can yield benefits.