HOW TO AVOID EIGHT MAIN WASTE IN LEAN PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT AND DESIGN AND PROJECT COMMISSIONING PROCESSES?
SÜREÇLERİNDE SEKİZ ANA İSRAF NASIL ÖNLENİR?
In the first part of our article series, we explained the eight main wastes you may encounter in your product development and project implementation processes. If you haven't read the first part, we recommend that you do so.
PART 2
In many companies, the "Process Flowchart" of the product development process (or project implementation process) is not often found in written form. In order to achieve an ultimate and efficient "lean product development process", it is necessary to first identify the process that is currently being experienced by conducting a "Process Mapping Workshop".
The following photo shows the current process mapping workshop for the "Project Commissioning Process" of a project-based company. In order for this workshop to be carried out quickly and accurately, it is important to have a competent employee from each department involved in the process on the team and their regular participation.
In addition, it is also important and necessary to create an environment where team members are open to new ideas, exhibit a positive attitude, and do not criticize each other.
The Process Mapping Workshop consists of 5 main steps.
- The existing process map is drawn. All team members contribute their own job steps in the existing process and freely share their ideas. The yellow notes represent each process step.
- Each department shares the difficulties-gaps they experience within and between departments. The red notes taken are problematic points. All of these notes are problems that cause the 8 wastes in some way and should be eliminated.
- Everyone generates solutions to the problems written in red. The solutions are written in green.
- Proposed solutions are implemented.
- A new process map is created for the new process and an "Workflow Diagram" is generated. The team is congratulated and celebrated by the top management.
- Yellow : 60 Process step
- Red :28 Number of problem
- Green: 26 Solution Proposals
The project launch-to-production lead time, i.e. the time between project start and production start, was 46 days in the example study of Lean Product Development activities. After creating the current state map and identifying 28 problem areas among the 60 process steps, approximately 5 months of intensive work resulted in the resolution of 26 of those problems. As a result, the project launch-to-production lead time was reduced to around 29 days.
Thus, a reduction of approximately 36% was achieved.
The most important requirement for the new process to be sustained correctly is the "STANDARDIZATION". In order to prevent the improvements from being lost, it is necessary to put the standardization wedge. Therefore, it is very important to draw a "workflow diagram" like the example below, which everyone is obliged to follow and share with all stakeholders.
The problematic points and solution suggestions written in red and green notes will be shared in detail in our next article.
