tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-234465125505359244.post4745353687011002256..comments2023-09-16T07:09:07.674-07:00Comments on Lean Transformation: Explaining why Limiting WIP is so importantJeff Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17502868241692630528noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-234465125505359244.post-25640303153514395822011-11-26T19:55:05.368-08:002011-11-26T19:55:05.368-08:00Thank you for the kind comments Martin...Thank you for the kind comments Martin...Jeff Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17502868241692630528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-234465125505359244.post-49828203807454897212011-11-26T17:45:32.198-08:002011-11-26T17:45:32.198-08:00Absolutely - the very first principle of Kanban is...Absolutely - the very first principle of Kanban is strong visualisation, to let you know where the problems are. Which is normally a problem in any knowledge work as a bunch of people sat in front of computers all look the same.<br /><br />Secondly, reducing WiP further exposes problems *by design*. Mike Rother puts it beautifully:<br />"Anytime you start up a pull system, it will crash and burn within a short time. There will be glowing and charred pieces, so to speak. But it is precisely these charred and glowing pieces that tell you what you need to work on, step by step, in order to make the pull system function as intended. Your second attempt to make that pull system work may then last a bit longer than the first, but it too will soon fail. And again you will learn what you need to work on. This cycle will actually repeat, albeit with longer intervals between the problems, until someday you have a 1×1 flow and no longer need the pull system."<br /><br />However, the huge power of reducing WiP is not in stopping multitasking, or avoiding motorway jams, or reducing cycle times (useful though all of those are). It is reducing Overproduction, which Masaaki Imai describes as a crime, and I don't think he was entirely writing metaphorically. It is by *far* the worst waste, and leads to unnecessary Inventory (itself a waste), Waiting, Transport as well as Unevenness and Overburden.<br /><br />Given some quiet time over Christmas, I may write something that explains all the benefits of a Kanban system - they're a *lot* wider than many people realise.Martin Burnshttp://writing.easyweb.co.uknoreply@blogger.com