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DiscussionPaper
Leanfor
Leaders:
ToyotaManagementSystem
intheExecutiveOfficeTakashiTanaka
ToshioHorikiri
CraigFlynn
Toyota
Engineering
Co.
QVSystem,Inc.
PresentedattheNewHorizonsforLeanThinkingSummit,
2nd
&3rd
November2010,ChesfordGrangeHotel,Kenilworth,UKAn
electronic
version
of
this
paper
is
available
to
download
at
www.leanuk.org
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LeanforLeaders: ToyotaManagementSystemintheExecutiveOffice
ByTakashiTanaka,ToshioHorikiriandCraigFlynn
Executivevisitors
to
Toyota
Development
System
(TDS)
visualizations
often
remark
on
the
intense
energy and the high rate of information transfer in these very technical product development
meetings.Theyareamazedby thenumberofdecisions, largeand small,made in thecourseofa
single hour. They also remark on the spontaneous and interactive nature of problemsolving
betweenmembers.
Toyotas oobeya1 process for project management has proven very useful in the product
developmentenvironmentautomotive,ofcourse,butalsoIT,construction,electronics,aerospace
andother industrysectors. Inapreviouswhitepaper2weoutlinetheprocesswecallQuickening
Visualization (QV), incorporatingoobeya,whichcan reducecycle timebyhalf, reduceproduct life
cyclecostsignificantly,andimproveontimequality.
Whatexplainsthepowerfulactivitiesthatvisitingexecutivesobserve?
Thesearesome factors: meetings includeallrelatedmembersofproductdevelopment, including
marketing, service/maintenance and human resources. With all relatedmembers involved, its
easiertogainagreementthattheactionplanisalignedwiththetargets. Ifofftarget,itseasierto
create countermeasures with the resources and creativity of the whole team. Team culture
encouragesfindingproblemsearlyand
finding a problem is praiseworthy, not
blameworthy.
And
its
also
because
the
com
municationsmodalitiesare facetoface.
Inthecharttothe left,onecansee the
powerlaw increase of creativity and
effectiveness as transmitreceive tech
nologiesgivewayto individualandthen
groupinteraction.
Having seen an oobeyameeting,many
executivesvoicefrustrationsabouttheirownwork:
I
hate
my
meetings!
Too
much
time,
too
little
output.
Ourmetrics are confusingsometimes contradictoryand there are too many of them(sometimesahundredormore).
Igetcomplaintsandproblemsinthemiddleofthenight,becausewedontdelivertherightqualityontime.
Wearefirefighting,Iwishwecouldsolveproblemsproactively,andsooner. Mymanagementteamneedstofreeuptimeforcoachingandmentoringtheirownstaff.
Withalittlereflection,executivestendtoagreethatthechallenge,inlargepart,istostrikeabetter
balancebetweenimprovementinitiatives,routineandrepeatingdailywork,andtheinevitableneed
om in Japanese.ent, 2007, QV System. Inc..
1
Oobeya (ohbayuh) means big conference ro
2010QVSystem,Inc.3
2 Quickening the pace of new product developmhttp://www.qvsystem.com/whitepaper.html
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for troubleshooting.By visualizing theirwork and taking immediate countermeasures, executives
canincreasetheproportionofimprovementactivity.
More time comes free for improvement as the dailywork ismade smoother andmore routine.
Troubleshooting is reduced by creating newwork routines. This enablesmore than 50% of the
executivestimetobedevotedtoimprovement.
What sort of impact ormacro target
should executiveshave in theirminds
as they contemplate applying Toyota
principles?
The chart below illustrates improve
ment of quality, cost and delivery for
one product development imple
mentation. In addition to the time
savings, total expenditures have been
reducedconsiderably. Costsavingscome fromactivitiessuchas frontloadingofeffort,energetic
problemsolving,robustfeedback,andgettingmoretestresultsfromfewerprototypes.
Quality improvesby eliminating reworkand rework elimination is themost significant factor in
timesavings. Thischartindicatesthatexecutivesshouldsetveryaggressivetargetsforthemselves
andtheirteams.
Executives, managers and
contributorshaveagreatdealof
tacit knowledgeabout theworkthat they do. Quickening
Visualization isallaboutmaking
thetacitexplicit.
Specifically, executives and
managersshould lookforresults
andbehaviorslikethese:
Fasterexecutionofwork Betterdecisionmaking Moreimprovementactivity Claritythroughtheorganizationaboutorganizationgoalsandtargets Broadagreementandalignmentintheorganization Rightontime,rightfirsttime Commitmentmade=commitmentkept.
Last,executives shouldanticipatebetterqualityofwork life froman improved flowofworkwith
fewer interruptions and more time for creativity and strategic thinking. When work is fully
visualized, delegation becomes easierboth authority and responsibility become clearer. New,
spontaneouseffortsofstaffmembershelpbalancetheworkloadacrossthewholeteam.Coaching
and
mentoring
become
more
clear
and
more
effective.
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Some executives report working fewer hours, and many feel that the hours worked are,
professionallyandpersonally,morerewardingandsatisfying.
Anarchitectureforenterprisewideimprovement
ToyotaManagementSystem(TMS)isthedirectingandguidinghierarchyoverToyotasproduction,
sales/marketinganddesignsystems. Thewheelbelowshowstheserelationships,andunfoldsone
of the key aspects of each system element:
coordinated phases of concept, preparation
andexecution.
TMS has much in common with the Toyota
Development System (TDS)the oobeya
architecture is only slightly modified for
executive work. Feedback, checklist and
checksheetprocessesareverysimilar.
Both TMS and TDS rely on the principles of
frontloading of activity; gathering all related
members to create oobeya and Quickening
Visualization;ahierarchyofthreeboardsfrom
thecontributor to theexecutive level;and the
meetingbehaviorssuchasreportoutapproach,
honoringmilestones and issue processing and
problemsolving.
Of course, all aspects of TMS find their
foundation intheprinciplesarticulatedinphysicalwork,theToyotaProductionSystem.ItisoneofthereasonsthatclientsmostoftenchooseTPSexperiencedmembersforinternalconsultingrolesto
partnerwiththeexternalconsultants.
TMS: ToyotaManagementSystem
TDS: ToyotaDevelopmentSystem
TotalTPS:ModernToyotaProductionSystem
TMSS:ToyotaMarketingandSalesSystem
Aftera reviewof the howofQuickeningVisualizationandoobeya,wewill return todiscuss the
concept,designandexecutionphasesofToyotaManagementSystem.
HowdoesQuickeningVisualizationwork?3
Visual control boards in the factory, value streammaps for process improvement and Ishikawa
fishbonediagrams forproblemsolvingaremethodsofvisualizingwhatoncewascapturedonly in
thewritten
word,
often
in
long
detailed
reports.
Bringingvisualization toproductdevelopment (orotherknowledgework, for thatmatter) isnew.
Thevisual toolsused in theoobeya,alongwith thestructureanddiscipline required touse them
effectivelyhaveenableda fewcompanies todramaticallyshortenprojectcycle timeand improve
quality.
Theword quickening isadeliberate choice. Quickmight seem likeabetterword touse.Yet
quickeninghasadeepermeaning thansimplymakingsomethinghappen faster.Quickening,as to
makealiveor tocausegrowthanddevelopment,addsan importantdimension to this innovative
process.i
2010QVSystem,Inc.5
3 An excerpt from Quickening the Pace of New Product Development, ibid.
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Thevisualizedprojectlives,growsanddevelopsbecauseofthepeopleandhumanrelationshipsthat
allowittomoveforward.Thepeoplebringwidelyvaryingexperiencefromallpartsofthecompany.
Whentheylearntoworktogetherconcurrentlyinanewway,theysolveproblemsmorequicklyand
find better solutions. The visual tools brought together in the oobeya nurture teams and help
individualsinteractwithrespectandcommitment.
LinkedObjectivesthroughouttheCompany
Seniormanagementestablishesthecorporateobjectives.Theobjectivesincludetargets,thestarting
pointfortheR&Dmainboard4:
C orporate
O bjective
R & D
M id-term Ta rget
S ales
P rofit
Tim ing
Q uality
C ost
1 4 7 10 121 4 7 10 12
1 4 7 10 121 4 7 10 12
1 4 7 10 121 4 7 10 12
M etrics
D eliver
Product
P 1
P 2
P 3
P 4
P rocess
C hange
Q uality
C oaching
Kn ow ledge
E tc.
Long T ermJan F eb M ar April..A ug.N ov..D ec.
W eekly A ction1w 2w 3w 4w/
A ction B oa rd
Issue B oa rd
P roduct
P rocess
C hange
P 1
P 4
P 2P 3
Q ua lity
C oaching
P otential R e al F inish
Know ledge
Senior M anagem ent
2 issues p er w eek
2 issues pe r w eek
Thisboard visualizes itsmidterm target,brokenout into salesand
profit targets. Metrics important to achieving the targets are
displayed. Making the metrics visual means that progress can beeasilytracked.
Timing isdetermined tobethemost importantmetric forachieving
target sales.Quality and costwillbemanaged to achieve the profit
target.Qualitymetricsmay includenotonlydurabilityandreliability
butalsoattractivenessandperformance.
Visuallymonitoringthecostmetricshelpstodisplaythecostimpactof
specificationchanges.Theimpactonthescheduleisalsoshown.
Theactionboardshowshowactualvaluesmatchupwiththetarget.Integratedproblemsshowup
rightaway,andcorrectiveactionwillbevisible.Theupper leveloftheactionboardshowsdelivery
milestonesandactionitemsforeachproject(P1,P2,etc.)beingdeployed.
Tim ing
1 4 7 10 12
Tim ing
1 4 7 10 121 4 7 10 12
M etrics
D eliver
Product
P 1
P 2
P 3
P 4
Long T ermJan Feb M ar Ap ril..A ug.No v..D ec.
D eliver
Product
P 1
P 2
P 3
P 4
Long T ermJan Feb M ar Ap ril..A ug.No v..D ec.
2010QVSystem,Inc.6
4This board structure is similar to the TMS executive board.
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The lower levelactionboard integratesprocess improvementactivity.Process improvementsare
thusfullyconnectedtotheexistingproject,andtheworkofsupportfunctions(quality,IT,training,
HR)isdisplayedandmonitoredontheschedule.
Q uality
C ost
1 4 7 10 12
1 4 7 10 12
Q uality
C ost
1 4 7 10 121 4 7 10 12
1 4 7 10 121 4 7 10 12
P rocess
C hange
Q uality
C oa ching
K now ledge
E tc.
P rocess
C hange
Q uality
C oa ching
K now ledge
E tc.
The issue board is a special tool to speed up
decisionmaking. On the issue board, the
Potential columnallowstheteamto identifyfuture problems and proactively focus the
project.
Oobeya, which simply means big room in
Japanese, is where project coordination and
decisionmakingtakesplace.Theoobeyaisteam
oriented,taking intoaccounttheneedsandstrengthsofthepeopleontheproject. Ithelpsteams
visualizetheentireprojectsituation.Thedisplayboards intheroom formahighlystructured,but
simplesystem5.
Itstartswiththeprojectobjectives,asdefinedbythecurrentR&Dstrategyandplan.Thiscreates
alignmentwithR&Dobjectives,whichinturn,werecarefullyalignedwithcorporateobjectivesusing
themain
board,
discussed
above.
Project
objectives,
expected
outputs,
metrics,
action
plans,
and
reportingmechanismsbecomealignedperfectlywiththecompanysintentandmarketassessment,
servingasaneffectivepolicydeploymentprocess.
No functional area is left out of the product development process. Marketing, sales, design,
engineering,manufacturingengineering,productionand logisticspeoplework intheprojectroom
together.Thestructuredactionintheoobeyamakestheirmeetingsshortandproductive.Meetings
dontendinpostponedissues,confusionaboutdecisions,andfrustration.
Theoobeyaanditsvisualcontrolsallowedthechiefengineersteamonthehybridvehicleprojectto
dramaticallycutproductdevelopmenttime,andthequicklyresolveproblems, latedesignchanges
practicallyunnecessary.
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TheOobeyasStructure6
The oobeya helps the design and development team visualize the entire project situation. The
illustrationaboveshowsanexampleofaprojectroom.
Atthecenter (1) isamodel,mockup,drawing,orsomeothervisualrepresentationoftheoutput
theteamisresponsiblefor.Projectobjectives(2)appearinthetopleftofthefirstwall.Theytypically
aredeterminedat the corporate
or department level before the
product development team is
formed.
To the right of the objectives is
the expected output (3) of the
project.Theredsquares indicate
urgent issues.Themetricsboard(
4) shows current project
performance.Again, red squares
showhot issues thatneedquick
attention, while the green ones
show where current targets are
beingmet.
Onthenextwall,(5)theconcurrentscheduleboard,oractionboard,showstheactivityofproject
members or teams (marketing, design, engineering, production, logistics and sales, sometimes
suppliers). Wheremilestonesmaybe introuble,redsquaresareposted.Thedecompositionboard
(6)on the thirdwall shows subprojects from theexpectedoutputboard (3),and thehot issues
needing attention. Different decomposition boards will be used throughout the stages of theprojectsomedominatedbystyleissues,somebycost,qualityorperformance.
Theissueboard(7)displayscriticalproblems.Potentialrisksareidentifiedinonecolumn,andthose
thathavebecomerealinthenext.Theboardalsoshowsthetypeofissuethatneedstobereferred
toahigherlevelmanager.Inanygivenmeeting,nomorethantwohighpriorityissuesmaygotothe
companyshigherlevelmainboard. Althoughvisualtoolsintheoobeyaarethemostimportantpart
oftheprocesstomaster,companieswitha lotofexperiencewiththemmayaddcarefullychosen
onlineprojectcontroltools(8)tosupportglobalcollaboration.
This roomshouldbesimple tomanage.The layoutand flowof theboardsarevery important for
efficientand
effective
project
meetings.Teams
use
Plan
Do
Check
Act
(PDCA)
cycles
to
organize
activity,stayon schedule,andmakeadjustmentsasneeded.
FocusedMeetings
Weeklymeetings are conducted in the oobeya,which include the chief engineer and all project
leaders plus important staff function representatives, andon a monthly basissenior
management.
2010QVSystem,Inc.8
6 This board structure, second in the Quickening Visualization hierarchy, is similar tomanager or department boards in TMS implementations.
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Visualizingtheprojecthelpsmeetingparticipantspointoutcurrenthot issues.Intheprojectroom
meeting, communication becomes more focused. If A is on the agenda for the meeting, all
membersareconcentratingonlyonAtocreateasolutionanddecideonthenextsteps.
While in the room, someone may notice
something missing at point B. Without
interruptingthemeeting,heattachesasticky
noteonthevisualizationboard.Someonesees
the need for an additional action item and
assignsatasktoanothermemberoftheteam
(C).
Theprojectcontrolroomiswherecontentious
priorities are resolved and harmonized. In a
multinational auto companys
project,American, German, Swedish and
Italian teams each advocated their own design needs. Italian team members wanted higher
performance, Swedes stressed improved reliability and theAmerican teammembers insisted on
lowercost. Thevisualizationprocessenabledoptimal,balancedtradeoffs.
At themeetingwrapup, issues that can only be resolved by higherlevelmanagementmust be
prioritized.Aswith theR&Dmainboard,nomore than two issues thatcouldnotbesolvedat the
meetingmaybebroughttoR&Dmanagement.Althoughthereareoftenatremendousnumberof
issues,onlythetwowiththehighestprioritycanbechosen.
Asworkhabits change,meetingsbecome short, regular,vitalandproductive.Theyhavea rapid,
exciting cadence. Before each meeting, project members update all charts and action items.
Agendas are very detailed and pertinent,with strict control over time. Individual accountabilityincludesaweekly reportof thecurrentsituation,andas issuesare raised, themeetinggenerates
cleardecisionsandagreements. Cuttingwastefrommeetingtimeisarelieftoeveryone.
ChangesthatMakeEveryoneHappy
Mostpeoplefeeltheyreceivetoomanyemails.Somearenotreadrightaway.Thenthesendere
mails to ask,Did you get my email?An unwanted email may beforwarded to someone
else,temporarilysuspendingtheobligationtoanswer.Becausetherootcauseofemailproliferation
is a lack of clear objectives and responsibilities, the clarity achieved in the structured oobeya
meetingsreducestheproblemgreatly.
OobeyaandQuickeningVisualizationmakeeveryonerealisticaboutheavyworkloads. If150%ofa
persons timewill be required,managers find it difficult to say, Work harder! Tasksmust be
prioritizedorresourcesadded.Ifthereisacapacityproblem,itbecomesanissuetobepresentedto
seniormanagement. People leave projectmeetings confident they can complete theirwork,not
overwhelmedby impossibledeadlines.Managersareconfidentthatworkwillbecompletedwhen
promised.Teamleadersareconfidentthatconcurrencywillbemaintained,sotheywontlosetime
becauseanotherteamwasunabletodoitsworkwell.
QuickeningVisualizationDependsonPeople
Dontmake
the
mistake
of
viewing
the
oobeya
and
Quickening
Visualization
boards
as
methods
or
tools that can bring great product development results by themselves. Its the human side that
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makes the visual product development system work. The humanside approach allowed one
automobile firm to cut leadtime by 40% in a single design cycle.It has become a competitive
advantage.
Inattemptstoshortenproject leadtime,traditionalmethodbasedapproaches looktosuchthings
as new IT systems, employee training or organizational changes. Changedmethodsmay achieve
leadtime reductionsof 1020%.In theproductsbeingdesigned, the focusmaybeon technology
breakthroughsattheexpenseofprocessexcellence.
Whatmanagers insuchfirmsdontrealize isthatprojectobjectivesmaybeunclearornotbroken
down intospecific tasks.Objectivesandplansmaynotbe sharedwidelyenough.Employeesmay
workwithouteffectivecoordination.
Inatraditionallymanagedfirm,peopleworkingaprojectrunningpastitsduedatehavelearnedto
expectmanagerstoorderthemtoworklongerhourstomakeuplosttime.Peopleareblamed,even
formattersoutsidetheircontrol.Intheabsenceoftrust,fearcanmakepeoplereluctanttobringup
problems.Managementisbasedonfearand,asDr.Demingwarned,theresultsaredisappointing.
Thehumansideincludescloseattentiontocommunication,thebasisforknowledgemanagement.It
fostersanatmosphereofcooperationandintellectualstimulation.
Anopenatmosphereboth intheoobeyaandthroughoutthecompany isessential.Allpartieswill
needhonestly toshare theircurrentsituations.With teammemberscoming fromallpartsof the
organization, theyneed tounderstandeachothersconcernsandgoals if theyare tocome toan
optimalresult.
Withthehumansideapproach,anyproblemisreadilyidentified.Theteam,perhapswiththehelpof
ahigherlevelmanager,agreesonasolution,andmovesforwardtoimplementit.Fearisreplacedbythesatisfactionofsolvingadifficultproblem.
TheHierarchyofQuickening
Visualization
In no more than three hierarchical
layers,theenterprisecanvisualizeall
of its work. The detailed
implementation in highly matrixed
organizationsis
beyond
the
scope
of
this papereven so, three and only
threelayerswillwork.
The glueofoobeyaandQuickening
Visualization is a PlanDoCheckAct
cycle,andthegraphicbelowshowsseveralmacroPDCAs. Theredarrowsandrighthandtextbox
showthePDCAofdecisionreadyissues:
Planwrite and escalate a decisionready issue to the next level; Domake a rapid
managerial disposition of resources; Checkrework the issue if itsjudged unclear; and
Actimplementthe
decision
to
go
ahead,
or
find
another
countermeasure
to
solve
the
problem.
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Managementspolicycycleislikethis(greenarrowontheleft):
Plan policy initiatives; Docommunicate through the organization; Checkfor under
standingandfeasibility;Actimplementandkeepupdated.
Also: Planthreetargets(Quality,Cost,Delivery);Docommunicatethemandhelp lower
levelboardsbreakdown themetrics for theirwork;Checkensure fairnessandaccuracy;
andActmonitortargets,holdmilestones,helpwithcountermeasures,praiseandvaluethe
discoveryanddispositionofproblems.
Tackling an enterprisewide implementation requires enterprisegrade strategies. A Tstyle
approachresultsinrapidbehaviorchangeandhabitformationfrompilotprograms,andthenrapid
growth and culture change across
departments and functions. Quickening
Visualization/oobeya is the horizontal
foundation.
Verticalactivitiesarethe designportion
of TMS. The following graphic,Quality
intoProcess, shows how several deep
processesare interrelated. Theyrelyon
the horizontal implementation of
Quickening Visualization/oobeya (text
box #1, Management) to anchor,
measureandcoordinateimprovements.
Aneducationalcomponent(#2)isdesignedaroundtheinternalconsultancywhichwillsustainTMSover time. Internal consultantswill also ensure consistent quality of the fundamentalmeeting
behaviorsandhabits. Theyareaculturalcoreofthenewenterprise.
Executive education
and development is
also necessary to
provide leadership and
an orientation to the
qualityofworklife
improvements thatbe
comeavailable.
Exec
utives have a unique
modeling and men
toring role in TMSto
show people how to
work, to help them
begin thework and to
praise them for their
progressandresults.
Thestandardization
of
work
(#3)or,
making
routine
and
regular
work
truly
consistent
and
rapid
in
its accomplishmentfrees up a surprising quantity of executive resource. The freed time is
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reinvested in the improvement and shaping of the new organization. So, executives welcome
standardworkoncetheyseeitspotential.
Qualityassuranceactivity (#4)determineshowtofittheToyotaprinciplesofdesignreview,check
sheet,checklistandfeedbacksheetintotheenterprise. SomeQIPdesigneffortisrequiredbecause
of differences between businessesthere is no universal form. Adaptation is required and the
assistanceofasensei,anexperiencedexpert,isveryproductive. Inturn,theregimensarisingfrom
theQIPeffortcanbeappliedacrossdepartmentsforsignificantimprovementintheenterprise.
RevisitingtheOobeyaMeetinginanExecutiveSetting
WhatkindofevidencewillexecutivesobserveintheirownorganizationsastheTstyleconceptrolls
out? It ismeetingevidence,and the seeingandhearingof itwill reinforce theexecutives initial
impressionsoftheproductdevelopmentoobeya.
Members make this PDCA reportout in three minutes or less if they represent a group or a
department. Contributorsmakethereportintwominutesorless. Thishabitiswhatwillreassure
the executive that the enterprise is on the right track, and that improvement activities will be
anchoredtodailyworkandrobustcountermeasures.
UsingthelefthandorqualitativesideoftheVisualization,membersreportonthePLAN:
Policy D eploym entC orporate
O bjective
R & D
M id-term Target
S ales
P rofit
Policy D eploym entC orporate
O bjective
R & D
M id-term Target
S ales
P rofit
S ales
P rofit
Tim ing
Q uality
C ost
1 4 7 10 12
1 4 7 10 12
1 4 7 10 12
M etrics
S ales
P rofit
Tim ing
Q uality
C ost
1 4 7 10 121 4 7 10 12
1 4 7 10 121 4 7 10 12
1 4 7 10 121 4 7 10 12
M etrics
PLAN
Mytargetis
Iamahead,or
I am behind, and my counter
measureis
(Countermeasures are activities that
preservemilestonesorkeeptargets)
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Next,membersrefertothequantitativesideoftheboard,thelongtermschedule,forDO:
D eliver
P roduct
P1
P2
P3
P4
P rocess
C hange
Q uality
C oaching
K now ledge
E tc.
Long TermJan F eb M ar April..A ug.N ov..D ec.
W eekly Action1w 2w 3w 4w/
A ction B oard
DO Since our last meeting, I have
accomplishedtowardsthetarget.
(Theseare
results,
not
activities).
CHECKandACTrefertotheentireboard,andgivethememberandgroupanopportunitytogain
deeperinsightintotheircollectivework:
Tim ing
1 4 7 10 12
Tim ing
1 4 7 10 121 4 7 10 12
M etrics
D eliver
Product
P 1
P 2
P 3
P 4
Long T ermJan Feb M ar Ap ril..A ug.No v..D ec.
D eliver
Product
P 1
P 2
P 3
P 4
Long T ermJan Feb M ar Ap ril..A ug.No v..D ec.
Q uality
C ost
1 4 7 10 12
1 4 7 10 12
Q uality
C ost
1 4 7 10 121 4 7 10 12
1 4 7 10 121 4 7 10 12
P rocess
C hange
Q uality
C oach ing
K now ledge
E tc.
P rocess
C hange
Q uality
C oach ing
K now ledge
E tc.
Check Hereswhat Ihave learned(or, here is
myAHA!)aboutourwork.
ACT
And, because of that learning, Heres
whatIwillnowdo.
Insight and action are themost vital parts of oobeya andQuickening
Visualization, because they represent the point of the spear in
continuousimprovement.
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AfterallmembersdeliverthereportoutPDCA,thefinalstageofthemeetingisissueprocessing. In
thisuniquePDCA,drivenbymanagerialleaders,membersidentifypotentialproblemsanaspectof
frontloadingthework. Also,theyproposecountermeasurestostayontargetandonmilestone
and this is the best use of the issue board because it focuses on the preventers of target
achievementormilestonetimeliness.
The issue process is also part of the glue that bindsoobeya in the Quickening Visualization
hierarchy. Its expected that groups use internal resources to solvemost problems, and this is
generally the case. When problems cross group boundaries, or are extraordinarily difficult, or
require unbudgeted resources, the group can choose up to two of them permeeting cycle to
escalatetothenexthierarchicallevel. Bypracticingdecisionreadybehaviorwhenwritinganissue,
thegroupcanexpectrapidandcrispdecisions.
Issue B oard
P roduct
P rocess
C hange
P 1
P 4
P 2P 3
Q uality
C oaching
P otential R e al F inish
K now ledge
Escalatetwoissues
permeetingcycle
In conclusion, executives can observemany of the behaviors and habits developing into a new
cultureofcontinuousimprovementbyvisitingthemeetingsofoobeyaandQuickeningVisualization.
In this white paper, we have linked the proven product development approaches to new
applications in theworkofexecutivesandmanagers. Forbackgrounddetail,wealso republished
thehowandwhyofoobeya.
Thesehumansideapproachesdependon the involvementof apassionateexecutive inahuman
side,aggressiveenterprise. It ispossible radically to improvework throughputandmakebetter,
faster decisions. Improvement initiatives can proceed simultaneously across the organization
becausetheyaregroundedintargetdriven,milestonehonoringculturewhereapromisemadeisa
promisekept.
Executivesandtheirstaffwillexperienceahigher levelofjobsatisfactionaswell,byturningawayfrom firefightingmode toan improved flowofwork.Theenterprise candeploy itspolicieswith
greatconfidence. Departments,teamsandindividualcontributorsbecomeadeptatbreakingdown
the policy and attendant targets into real daily activity. And the entire enterprise can make
significantadvancesintheagreeddirection.
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AbouttheAuthors.
Takashi Tanakahas implementedVisualManagement for
morethan
33
Western
corporations
in
Europe
and
North
America. He began his career with a major Japanese
consultancy, where he worked on oobeya
implementations at Toyota, Canon and otherwellknown
Japanese corporations. He was graduated with a BSME
fromOsaka IndustrialUniversity,andholdsanMBA from
OklahomaCityUniversity. Heisthefounderandprincipal
consultantofQVSystem,Inc.
Toshio
Horikiri,CEO
of
Toyota
Engineering
Corporation
(TEC),worked forToyotaMotorCorporation for36years.
He served as Global Production Department, Far East
Division General Manager; and prior to that, General
ManagerofToyotasMotomachiplant. Hisspecialtiesare
Total ToyotaProduction SystemandToyotaManagement
System. He founded TEC as an independent corporate
entity inNagoya, Japan. Hewas graduated from Kyushu
UniversitywithadegreeinAeronauticsEngineering
.
Craig Flynn is CEO of QV System, Inc., his seventh
entrepreneurial venture. He holds an MBA from The
UniversityofRochesterSimonSchoolofBusiness.
QVSystem,Inc.
2190E.HenriettaRd.,Rochester,NY,USA 14623
+15853303262
www.qvsystem.com
www.toyotaengineering.co.jp/english/indexeng.html
Blogwithus! http://qvsystem.wordpress.com
2010QVSystem,Inc.15
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.qv-system.com/http://www.qv-system.com/http://www.qv-system.com/http://www.toyota-engineering.co.jp/english/index-eng.htmlhttp://www.toyota-engineering.co.jp/english/index-eng.htmlhttp://www.toyota-engineering.co.jp/english/index-eng.htmlhttp://www.toyota-engineering.co.jp/english/index-eng.htmlhttp://www.toyota-engineering.co.jp/english/index-eng.htmlhttp://qvsystem.wordpress.com/http://qvsystem.wordpress.com/http://www.toyota-engineering.co.jp/english/index-eng.htmlhttp://www.qv-system.com/mailto:[email protected]