Engineering
I work as an engineer in a factory. We're well into lean, we are.

For those who don't care, lean engineering is basically 'get rid of everything you don't need, and everything you do need gets labelled.' There's more to it than that, but that's the basics - it's the system Toyota uses to keep up it's great quality, and ...well, that worked out well.

Anyway, part of all these lean stuff is something called visual management. In theory, this is a great idea that anyone can see how well any part of the factory is doing by glancing at a chart. If that part of the factory is getting behind, then people can be passed on to help from areas that are getting ahead, or it shows that something has gone wrong, and it's just a quick way of keeping track of what's happening.

It involves lots of charts. Charts that the shop floor people have to keep up to date. The problem is, each manager wants his own chart. Everytime there is a minor problem, the want to keep track of it by issuing another chart.

It's now at the point where the shop is getting behind in making stuff, cos they are spending 40mins a day filling in bloody charts. They have a catchphrase, 'charts not parts' hoping someone will pick up it's getting stupid.

Managers solution?

I'll give you three guesses.
(inflateable, Sat 12 Jun 2010, 11:12, 5 replies)

Oh God
We use Lean. How I hate it. The comcells are the worst. The person giving the comcell insisted we all stand up. He didn't appreciate being told to piss off from the comfort of my chair.
( jim_bob can herd cats., Sat 12 Jun 2010, 11:36, closed)

Chairs? pfft...
Comcell? I think we call that QCDS, and we don't have chairs.
Real lean doesn't use chairs.
So we lean on stuff. The irony is missed.

My boss once asked me what the first rule of Lean was.
I shouted back that 'the first rule of lean is we don't talk about lean!'

He looked at me like I'd gone mental, while the team leader pissed himself laughing behind his back.
(inflateable, Sat 12 Jun 2010, 11:41, closed)

Sounds to me
Like your boss is a few hippies short of a festival.
( jim_bob can herd cats., Sat 12 Jun 2010, 11:55, closed)

Do you happen
..."
( Greenbat, Sat 12 Jun 2010, 17:45, closed)

Managers solution?
I'll give you three guesses.

Er, they asked you to keep a chart that showed the number of charts you'd been asked to keep? A meta-chart, if you will?
( shinyshinyscalp less a man, more a way of life, Tue 15 Jun 2010, 17:12, closed)