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The L² Initiative © : Course Contents

This is a programme that combines…

  • Developing a range of ‘hard skills’ based on key Lean Manufacturing methodologies that the Leaders would need in their roles, with….
  • Developing the ‘soft skills’ of Leadership that the team leaders would require to most effectively implement the techniques taught in (i.).

We continually emphasise the intertwining nature of these 2 elements: Changing one of these elements will have repercussions on the other and vice versa.

In outline the subjects covered in this programme include :

1. The Manager’s role

  • The role of the Leader in any Lean Initative.
  • Emphasising Safety management as an integral part of any LEAN initiative.
  • The importance of the right management structure in Lean initiatives.

2. Quantifying the benefits

  • Using O.E.E. to focus Lean initiative cost benefits.
  • Developing SMART objectives for Safety and Workplace Standards.

3. Organising the team

  • Team-working in a Lean context.
  • Prioritising and delegating tasks identified in a Lean action plan.
  • Running effective Lean project meetings.

4. Leadership behaviours

  • The appropriate Leadership style for Lean initiatives.
  • Using the appropriate behaviour traits when encountering resistance.
  • Handling the conflicts that can arise when implementing Lean methods.

5. Methods and training

  • The importance of definitive procedures in a Lean context.
  • Developing the appropriate training to support a Lean project.
  • Effective Communication methods in a Lean environment.
  • Absence control and Disciplinary procedures in a Lean environment.

The details of each module within the Lean Leader training programme is outlined below :

These modules are generally, to be  delivered on a 1 session per month  basis, allowing the attendees to undertake some project work based around the themes taught in-between the sessions.

The various units can be removed/modified according to the specific customer’s requirements.

Additionally, all of the improvement techniques taught are based on addressing specific business issues relevant to the business (e.g. Layout optimisation, Machine throughput issues, Quality complaints, Absence management, Downtime etc.)  so that their relevance can be clearly illustrated.

A lot of the course involves specific training exercises undertaken on the shop floor.

Lean Leadership Development Programme Details 

  Module  1 :  1 day

 

  
THEME TRAINING HEADLINES OBJECTIVES/KEY OUTCOMES
Theme 1.

The Leader’s responsibilities with regard to health and safety.

 Safety management as the one non-contentious factor we can use for driving improvement initiatives: the W.I.F.M. (What’s in it for me!) factor! The key outcome of this phase of the programme will be to both highlight the link between Safety and Performance management and to encourage the team leaders to use these concepts to come up with their own prioritised improvement plan.

 

As part of this process each attendee will be asked to carry out a safety audit of their own area using a simple template which can later be shared with their team.

As such, the sessions will be a combination of training and practical exercises focusing on target areas.
Theme 2.

The leader’s responsibility regarding World Class Manufacturing methodologies: with particular emphasis on workplace organisation.

In this initial session we get the Team Leaders to take a ‘helicopter view ‘ of the Team Leader  jobs so that they adopt a more holistic appreciation of the key role that Leaders  play within the organisation.

Just as for the safety audit, the team leaders will be asked to undertake a CAN-DO audit of their own area: and develop an appropriate prioritised action plan.

 Elements we investigate include…

  • The central role played by Leaders in setting and maintaining performance standards.
  • What are the key responsibilities of Leaders?
  • Characteristics of successful and unsuccessful Leaders.
  • Basics of CAN-DO (5S) : Modern asset care methodologies
  • The central role played by Safe Operating Procedures.
  • Establishing and maintaining Audit systems that ensure the standards set above are maintained.
  • Developing and communicating an action plan.
 The key outcome of this phase is to  get the Leaders to develop a prioritised action plan  and make measurable and visible changes to the performance of the target areas.

Lean concepts to be trained in these sessions…

1.  Asset care systems.

2.  Area layout and ownership.

3. Leaking Pipe Waste Model.

4. Runners, Visitors and Strangers.

5. Optimal workplace layout

6.  Shadow-boards and tool racks.

7. Organised storage systems.

8. Organising for Improved Safety.

9. Kanban systems for material control.

10. Visual Management systems.

11. Hot-spot boards.

12. POKA YOKE mistake proofing.
  Module 2 :  1 day  
THEME TRAINING HEADLINES OBJECTIVES/KEY OUTCOMES
Theme   3.

The Leader’s responsibility to develop objectives and review performance with the team.

 

 Elements we investigate include…

  • Developing key objectives and targets for the Team. (KPI’s/SMART objectives).
  • Reviewing performance with the Team.
  • How to run effective meetings.
  • Dealing with poor performers.
  

The key outcome of this training is that the Leaders need to understand that targets and their attainment is the life-blood of operational excellence.
Theme 4  :

The Leader’s responsibility to develop their teams.

 

 Specific issues covered :

  • How do I develop and train my team?
  • Why is Team-working so important?
  • How do I delegate? : How do I avoid becoming a Monkey carrier?
  • Effective Time management.
  • Undertaking Training needs analysis for my team and developing Training matrices.
 The key outcome of this training is that the Leaders understand the human and motivational implications inherent in sharing and devolving responsibilities like this, and continually ask…’How can I  enhance my role as a  leader by using these techniques?’
  Module  3 :  1 day  
THEME TRAINING HEADLINES OBJECTIVES/KEY OUTCOMES
Theme 5 :

The Basics of Modern Maintenance practice (T.P.M.).

Maximising throughput capacity by improving machine uptime is one of the most cost-effective philosophies of Lean manufacturing.

 Subjects reviewed include :

  • T.P.M.? What can it offer?
  • Criticality analysis as a tool for identifying what parts of our equipment are vulnerable.
  • Getting everyone on board.
  • ‘In-your-face Engineering’.
  • Basic Predictive and Preventive Maintenance.
  • Developing an Asset Care programme.
 Initially we get the attendees to ask some basic questions…

  • How effective is my equipment?
  • How much of my capacity is being wasted through poor equipment care?
  • How much is this costing me?

The key outcome of this training is to provide the  Leaders  with a an understanding that there exists a range of simple but very powerful tools for getting the best out of their equipment and realising the cost savings identified above.
  Module 4 :   1 day  
THEME TRAINING HEADLINES OBJECTIVES/KEY OUTCOMES
Theme 6. :

The leader’s responsibility to Communicate effectively.

 

 Specific issues covered :

  • Identifying the different personalities we have within our teams: Is the balance right?
  • How do we motivate these different personalities: the P.E.T. factors?
  • What causes conflict at work?
  • Behavioural response to conflict: Aggression, Submission and Assertion.
  • How do I act assertively?
  • What style should I adopt as a Leader?
  • Situation management.
  •  Effective presentations.
  • Effective communication in writing.
  • Developing the message to match people’s various learning styles.
  • Following up on the initial communication.
  • What power do I have?
  • Dealing with awkward people!
  • Choosing the best method of communication.
 The objective of this module is to give the Leaders the skills to communicate the techniques they have been taught in the earlier sessions.

Without the ability to effectively communicate these techniques, the message is lost!

The key outcome of this training is to provide the Leaders with a range of Communication skills:  and that they understand the rationale why some techniques are more appropriate to deploy than others, depending on the particular situation.
  Module  5 :  1  day

 

  
THEME TRAINING HEADLINES OBJECTIVES/KEY OUTCOMES
Theme 7  :

How to Lead Pit-stopping (S.M.E.D.) initiatives: What role does the Leader have?

The key theme of this session is that Service is highly dependent on the effectiveness of Machine changeovers.

This is where   Leaders have a critical role to play in continually emphasising the importance of changeover discipline.

 Elements we investigate include…

  1. How much are our changeovers costing us?
  2. The importance of analysing changeovers in a structured way.
  3. The effective use of video analysis in analysing changeovers.
  4. Identifying the tools and techniques that aid changeover.
  5. The effective deployment of people in the changeover.
  6. Developing changeover procedures.
  7. How to manage Pitstopping initiatives.
 We emphasise the following…

  •  It is the companies who will be sharpest to respond to Customer orders who will be winning those orders in future.
  • The more time that is spent in product change-over: The less time we have for meeting those orders.
  • No money is produced by a machine which is changing over.

The key outcome of this training is that the Leaders feel capable and confident to run (with help) their own Pitstopping (SMED) project.
  Module  6 :  1  day

 

  
THEME TRAINING HEADLINES OBJECTIVES/KEY OUTCOMES
Theme 8 :

An Introduction to Project management

 

All Leaders are required at some time to run projects. These may vary from the very simple to the extremely complex. Nevertheless some fundamental characteristics are true of all projects.

However, how effectively these key points are managed can influence whether the outcome of the project is seen as a success or failure.

 

 

 Amongst the things we examine are….

  • What is a Project?
  • Examining the Project Process.
  • How risky is this project? Should we do it?
  • Who are the stakeholders: How should they be managed?
  • The importance of effective Planning.
  • Developing a work breakdown structure.
  • The role of the Team Leader in the project.
  • The role of the project team within the project.
  • The Politics of Project Management.
  • Techniques for Project Management.: Budgets, Gantt etc
  • The Application Phase: making it happen.
  • Project control Techniques.
  • Developing training strategies around the project.
 In this session we introduce some basic principles of Project management and get the participants to adopt a ‘helicopter view ‘of the project so that they have a better understanding of the Project Management PROCESS.

 

The key outcome of this training is that the Leaders feel capable and confident to run their own (albeit small-scale) project.
 Module 7 :  1  day
THEME TRAINING HEADLINES OBJECTIVES/KEY OUTCOMES
Theme 9 :

Waste Management

Management of Waste and its control is one of the most Boring and Frustrating aspects of Operations Management, yet it can mean the difference between success and failure of the Enterprise!!

Waste represents a significant share of lost profitability…..

We must therefore conclude that…

  • Material costs matter
  • Yield and scrap are competitive differentiators

…and therefore it HAS to be effectively managed.

 What we will cover….

  1. Identifying where the ‘Leaks’ exist in your Process pipe.
  2. Developing a Waste Cascade profile of your process.
  3. Developing systems for highlighting the cost of waste.
  4. Auditing your current Waste management systems.
  5. Developing improved Waste management systems.
  6. Becoming ‘Leaner’ in your approach to waste.
 This course therefore addresses three elements critical to Waste management

  • Quantifying the problem.
  • Publishing and communicating the results.
  • Searching for opportunities to improve.

Central to the course is the development of a Leaking Pipe Waste Model for the process under consideration.

The key outcome of this phase will be a requirement for the attendees to develop a leaking pipe model for their area of responsibility and that they will be expected to lead their team in developing a Waste Management plan.
Module  8 :  1  day
THEME TRAINING HEADLINES OBJECTIVES/KEY OUTCOMES
Theme 10 :

Value Stream Mapping

Value Stream Mapping (VSM) is a tool to visually show all the actions (both value-added and non-valued-added) currently required to bring a product or service through to the customer.

  Step 1.

We map the supply chain to identify what happens and by whom this is done.

We also try to identify the factors…

  • That cause bottlenecks.
  • That may not be the optimal way of doing things.

Step 2.

For each of these steps we ask :

  •  Can we eliminate/combine/simplify this step?
  • What is the core purpose of this step and how else could it be accomplished?
  • What could be done “upstream” that would allow us to eliminate this step?
  • What effect do errors and variance at this step have on the rest of the process?
 This course deploys two simple but sophisticated techniques to analyse the value-streams :

  • Process activity mapping
  • Value-Added/Non-value added stream mapping.

Central to the course is the development of Value stream maps for the process under consideration.

The key outcome of this phase will be a requirement for the attendees to develop Value-Stream maps for their area of responsibility and that they will be expected to lead their team in eliminating waste and reducing the non-value added ratio. 

Programme maximum    :  8 days