Lean & 5S's in Construction

Newsletter #53 December 2009



This e-newsletter is written by Dennis Sowards to share ideas on the 5S’s and Lean practices especially as they are applied in construction. If you have ideas or lessons learned to share please contact me.

Back by popular demand:

Paradoxes in lean

Lonnie Wilson suggests there are many paradoxes in the Lean world. Here are some he identified:



The Jidoka Paradox - We shut down the process, so the process will run continuously

The Management Control Paradox - We increase our span of control by giving it away.

The Cost Paradox - We cut costs by never doing cost cutting.

The Standardization Paradox - We standardize things so they can be continuously changed.

The Variation Paradox - We reduce variation by continually changing things.

The Quick Changeover Paradox - We shut down the system more often to speed up the process.

Can you think of any?



Source: NWLEAN: Digest Number 2271, Aug. 19, 2009

How to select a team leader?

• Someone who says "we" much more than "I".
• Someone who asks "why" much more than tells "how".
• Someone who makes "fun of himself" much more than makes fun of "others".
• Someone who gets joy from "connections with people" much more than "equations".
• Someone who prefers to eat lunch with "employees in Break Room" much more than a "Boardroom with VIP's".
• Someone who gets how machines work, but finds learning how people tick much more interesting and challenging.
• Someone who isn't afraid to: Get Dirty, Turn a Screwdriver, Make a Mistake, and finally Step on toes.

Source: Lean Weekly Forum 06/04/09 #134799

Toyota’s System

Greg Howell of the Lean Construction Institute found this link about Toyota system for quality:

http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/04/toyota-quality-control-includes-greensleeves-and-popeye

Article on Communicating your Lean initiative

see http://www.snipsmag.com/Articles/Feature_Article/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000711924

The Make Ready Log - The Last Planner System *

John Draper wrote in his Blog on March 27, 2009,



“Make-ready planning is critical to creating and maintaining reliable workflow on the project. The constraint log(s) is integral in managing the make-ready planning process, which consists of two specific planning activities: (1) identifying constraints and (2) obtaining commitments from individuals to remove the constraints.



“Without a periodic assessment and adjustments based on the assessment, the log can quickly become an ineffective listing of all known ‘ho’ items. It takes discipline on the part of the team to self-police the log to continuously ensure that it remains an effective tool in the make-ready planning process. Consider the following points and questions to gauge the level of effectiveness of your log:



“Have you established a separate log for each phase plan?

“Is each entry in the log tied to an activity or activities on the phase plan?

“Has the ‘Date Need Resolved’ been established for each constraint?

“Has an individual made a commitment to remove the constraint and if so is there a ‘Date Promised’?

“If "Date Promised" is after ‘Date Need Resolved,’ what have you changed in the plan to accommodate the discrepancy?

“If a constraint hasn't been relieved by ‘Date Promised,’ what follow-up action have you taken to get a new commitment and what re-planning have you done to adjust to this new reality?



“Comparing the ‘Date Identified’ with the ‘Date Need Resolved’ will give an indication of how well the make-ready process is working. Ideally, you want to identify constraints during the first week that the activity shows up on the look-ahead plan. This means that the ‘Date Identified’ should be upwards of 5 to 6 weeks ahead of the ‘Date Need Resolved.’ If these two dates are close, it means that constraints are being identified just prior to when they need to be relieved, leaving little time to do so.”



* Last Planner System is a trademark of the Lean Construction Institute.

Learning Opportunities

You may be interested in attending one of these training seminars:



Lean Works in Construction – How it can work for you

Jan. 21,2010 – Tucson, AZ

Jan 28, 2010 – Phoenix, AZ

Sponsor: PIPE & 469 JAC, contact Cathy Mayeux at 480.966.0377 or CMayeux@pipetrust.org



Eliminating Treasure Hunts – Applying the 5S’s

Feb. 11, 2010 – Tucson, AZ

Feb. 25, 2010 – Phoenix, AZ

Sponsor: PIPE & 469 JAC, contact Cathy Mayeux at 480.966.0377 or CMayeux@pipetrust.org



Job Planning that Really Works – The Last Planner not the First Planner system March 4, 2010 – Tucson, AZ

March 25, 2010 – Phoenix, AZ

Sponsor: PIPE & 469 JAC, contact Cathy Mayeux at 480.966.0377 or CMayeux@pipetrust.org



Lean Applied to Service

April 8, 2010 – Tucson, AZ

April 22, 2010 – Phoenix, AZ

Sponsor: PIPE & 469 JAC, contact Cathy Mayeux at 480.966.0377 or CMayeux@pipetrust.org



Getting to the Root Cause by Analysis not Luck

May 6, 2010 – Tucson, AZ

May 20, 2010 - Phoenix, AZ

Sponsor: PIPE & 469 JAC, contact Cathy Mayeux at 480.966.0377 or CMayeux@pipetrust.org

To arrange for a customized Lean training session for your company – contact Dennis@YourQSS.com

Other Lean Events to Learn:

January 13, 2010: An integrated team from Turner Const – Sponsor: Nor Cal LCI - Rancho Solano Golf Resort in Fairfield, CA. Watch www.leanconstruction.org and the Nor Cal LCI eventbrite site for the full panel outline.

January 19, 2010 - LCI Arizona Chapter >> How to Start Lean in Your Company,

A panel of will share lessons learned while implementing Lean Construction in their company. The panel includes an Architect, Construction Manager and a Subcontractor's view of the company-wide changes, savings, excellence and new work they have created by implementing Lean Practices. Sign-up by December 18 to qualify for the Early Bird Special discounted rate! Registration details at: http://lci-az-01-2010.eventbrite.com

January 20, 2010 - LCI New England Chapter >> Chapter Kick-Off Meeting, (Boston, MA) Event and registration details coming soon!

January 21 – 22, 2010 - LCI/P2SL Design Forum, (Berkeley, CA) Registration details will be posted at: http://p2sl.berkeley.edu/

January 27, 2010 - LCI Ohio Valley Chapter >> Chapter Kick-Off Meeting, (Cincinnati, OH) Event and registration details coming soon!

February 4 – 5, 2010 - P2SL/LCI Conference for Healthcare Owners, (Berkeley CA)

Registration details will be posted at: http://p2sl.berkeley.edu/

A Quick Thought

"If you feel improvement is something you'll do after you've done everything else, you will fail, as have countless others.”

- Michael Ballé - author of The Lean Manager and The Gold Mine



For more information about Lean applications to construction and especially the 5S’s contact Dennis Sowards at his office at 480-835-1185 or his cell at 602-740-7271 or at his web site: www.YourQSS.com

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