In my last column, I described how variation in process performance impacts throughput and cycle times in production. This is a dynamic found in most organizations because there is almost always variation in performance. Variation is “Enemy #1” to quality professionals since it is generally acknowledged that there is only one “best” way to produce excellent products and services.
As we also know, Lean is a popular method to reducing variation, along with its close cousin, Six Sigma. Unfortunately, many organizations struggle to implement these methods. In this column we will address one of the most important challenges to creating an environment where Lean methods (or any improvement method), will successfully take root and become core to the culture of the organization.