How to work smarter

Table of Contents:
00:00 - Intro
00:43 - Root Cause Analysis
01:55 - Risk Identification
02:24 - Complexity and Uncertainty Matrix
02:52 - Kaizen for Continuous Improvement
03:35 - 4M Checklist
04:11 - Andon Board
04:47 - Toyota Production System (TPS)
05:08 - Outro

Want to generate the most business values with the least amount of time and cost? Even a thriving business can always find ways to make its processes leaner, faster, and more efficient. This Process Optimization presentation includes templates for tried-and-true methods to help trim the fat.

It includes slides for root cause analysis, risk identification, complexity and uncertainty matrix, Kaizen, 4M checklist, Andon board, Toyota Product System, Deming Cycle, PDCA, and many more that can be customized for various team environments.

Let’s review how these methods can be used to improve existing operations. Before we get into individual methodologies, let’s review ways that a project team can triage and plan process improvement efforts.

To begin with, it’s important to identify the main problem and the root of it first. In many cases, there are deeper causes to a problem than what the surface suggests.

The Fishbone Diagram, also known as Ishikawa Diagram, presents the observed problem on the right hand side.

Let’s say that a manufacturing team finds that a certain percentage of product fails inspection.

With that main problem in mind, we can then break it down into individual components of the manufacturing process along the body of the diagram and list any possible issues under each component.

The example currently shown actually relates to another process optimization tool, the 4M checklist, which we will discuss later.

Another way to conduct a root cause analysis is the 5 Why’s framework. Unlike the Fishbone diagram, the 5 Why’s uses a more top-down approach.

Start with the big question by asking the first Why. Then, continue until five Why’s have been asked to get to the finer points of the problem that weren’t obvious to you at first.

To learn more about this template, watch the video in full!