A practice in some meetings is to collect phones as people enter the room to prevent interruptions and keep the team focused on the meeting issues. It’s a drastic, if effective measure. Even more important than checking phones is checking the temptation to lecture about concerns rather than address them as a team. The following […]
Check the Lecture at the Door Read More »
Plus: Good agenda preparation; Review of Lean culture formation; Review of project team retreat; Discussion of how Lean fits into the enterprise’s operating philosophy; Participation of the team members; Progressing with leadership team goals. Delta: Improve time management of agenda; Share facilitation among team members; Encourage broader attendance by invited members of the team.
Leadership Team Plus-Delta Read More »
A project team we coach requests that foremen include a short report on a Lean initiative with their weekly work plan declarations. One of the foremen reported that they “can’t get any leaner than we already are.” The project superintendent did a fantastic job of asking another foreman to report on a significant improvement her
Can’t Get Any Leaner? Read More »
The Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center team uses a countdown clock to help the team keep the meetings running according to a timed agenda. They start the clock at 75 minutes (it’s a large project and by consensus the team agreed 60 minutes is not enough time for the weekly coordination meeting).
Keep Your Meetings on Time with a Countdown Clock Read More »
Plus: Collaboratively crafted solid mission statement; High quality conversations; Improved time management; Meeting facilitator was very well prepared. Delta: Encourage broader participation by others in the group; Share the meeting facilitation duties.
Leadership Team Plus-Delta Read More »
I recently received an email newsletter reminding me of the importance of discipline for achieving goals. I’ve long believed and coached that discipline is essential for successful Lean project and leadership transformations. The issue of how this discipline is generated deserves a look. Having watched some of the Olympians and reflecting on other successful people
Discipline and Passion Read More »
Plus: Team is getting unused lifts out of the building; Passionate safety discussion. Delta: Provide a terrazzo work sequence floor plan; Finish the meeting on time The week before… Plus: Finished meeting within time allotted. Delta: Turn all phones off; Stop side conversations; Have all last planners attend meeting.
Weekly Coordination Meeting Plus-Delta for Two Weeks Read More »
A gentle reminder and some examples to help see how teams can make use of visual communication to increase understanding across a project team. To the left is an important image – the purpose statement – underutilized on most project. It explains why the work the team is doing is important.
Seeing is Understanding Read More »
Plus: The discussion of project concerns was substantive and improved team understanding of the project work; The team made good decisions. Delta: Keep discussion to topics on the agenda, deferring additional topics to the appropriate meeting; Request that all core team members be represented at every weekly meeting.
Design Phase Weekly Coordination Plus-Delta Read More »
A great example of how rigid job descriptions hurt flow was on display at the airport coffee shop today. The shop was staffed by three people. One person handled order taking, prepared food / baked goods retrieval, and payments. The second and third persons handled specialty drink preparation. There was a run of customers that
Flow vs Rigid Job Descriptions Read More »
