J R Sankar

Pre-requisites to make JIT work most efficiently Just In Time (JIT) is an inventory management technique designed to increase efficiency, decrease waste and cut costs by receiving goods only when they are needed for production. The concepts of JIT are simple to understand but they JIT implementation is not that simple. Organisations have to look into many factors for effective implementation of JIT. Ø A Successful implementation of JIT requires involvement of top management Ø An organisation implementing JIT should consider workers as their assets. They should be empowered to make decisions. Ø Pull Production: JIT seeks to pull production through the process according to customer demand and does not push raw materials to create inventory. Kanban helps organisations control the rate of production by making sure the materials are received only when required or when they are demanded by the customer. Taiichi Ohno, the father the JIT system, says Kanban is the means to achieve JIT. Ø Co-ordination of Suppliers: Proper relationship with Suppliers and their co-ordination helps smooth supply of raw materials on time. Ø Reliable Machines and Equipments: Ø Standardised Operations: Defining standard ways of working for all operations will help to ensure that your processes are reliable and predictable. Ø For just-in-time design, delivering in smaller batches make it much easier to see the impact of each change. Delivering in smaller increments also makes the feedback loops more forgiving. If one design doesn't achieve the desired outcome, the next design is adjusted and improved. Ø Finaly, the organization needs to have a good control system. Without a good control system things will not go in a right direction

ANDON is one of the ‘LEAN’ tools used in Manufacturing. It is a highly effective Visual Management tool which enables the operations to run smoothly without bottlenecks. Andon is a system that gives signals to the worker or maintenance or management, like the traffic lights with three colors on top of each level of production assembly line. Whenever there is a problem in the production line, the worker activates the Andon usually by a pulling a chord or button, which automatically halts the production, so that the team can find root cause of the problem and then quickly apply a solution. The warning lights are easily visible, overhead signboard, which also identifies the area where the problem has occurred. The Andon used on production floors has evolved from basic cords and lights to visual boards. These boards provide a quick glance view of production status and easily identifies the location of problems to be addressed. Andons are activated manually or automatically. It is activated manually when a production line worker engages an Andon device like a cord or button. An automatic Andon is instantly activated when a process or machine encounters an inconsistency based on set criteria. Benefits of Andon in Lean Manufacturing, Ø Visibility and transparency in production process Ø Alerts key decision makers about problems in productions line, so that immediate action can be taken Ø Reduces downtime to increase Overall Equipment Effectiveness and helps in quality improvement Ø Saves cost and time Ø Waste reduction Ø Enhanced value for customers because of quality products

PICK chart (Possible, Implement, Challenge and Kill) chart is a visual tool used to categorise process improvement ideas generated after brainstorming sessions. When a team is faced with multiple improvement ideas, PICK chart helps in deciding which ideas should be implemented easily and have a high pay-off. A 2 x 2 matrix has 4 categories. The horizontal axis shows the scale of payoff or benefits and the vertical axis shows ease of implementation. POSSIBLE - Low payoff, easy to do IMPLEMENT - High payoff, easy to do CHALLENGE - High payoff, hard to do KILL - Low payoff, hard to do We will get a better idea of what to do next, once the options are sorted out. Implement ideas are the ones that should be acted upon, Challenge ideas can be done only when an easier way is found. Possibles can be done later in spare time. Kill ideas are mostly dismissed.

The Balanced Scorecard (BSC) is a strategic performance measurement tool that is used to translate an organization’s strategic goals into a set of performance objectives. While BSC is used successfully by many organizations, some organizations have experienced failure due to, 1) Poor designing of BSC, 2) Lack of Senior management commitment 3) Strategy not linked to departmental, team and individual goals, 4) Not identifying right measures 5) No balance between leading and lagging indicators or financial and non-financial measures 6) No performance revision mechanism, i.e. measures get out of date. 7) Unrealistic targets 8) Measures conflict with reward system 9) Hiring inexperienced consultants 10)Lack of feed back on how the strategy is being implemented and whether it is working. These factors make using a BSC ineffective. For successful implementation of BSC its better to use a checklist to find problems and fix them at the early stages. For Planning 1. Clearly defined strategy 2. Regular strategic revisions and appraisals 3. Critical success factors are clearly defined 4. Long term goals are accurately translated into short term targets 5. Short and long term Financial, sales performance measures are in place 6. Key strategies & targets are clearly cascaded throughout the organization. 7. Targets are 'owned' across the organisation 8. Performance standards & KPI's are in place for all key processes 9. Plans & Targets are regularly achieved. 10. Top management’s focus on business development. For Performance 1. Updated Management Information System 2. Easily understandable reports 3. Areas of ‘over’ and ‘under’ performance clearly highlighted 4. Long and short term performance are clearly measured and reported 5. Easy to Drill down for further detail and explonation For Alignment of the organization 1. clear shared Vision is understood and 'owned' throughout the organization 2. Operational KPI's reflect the key goals of the organization 3. All areas of the orgainsation are working in unison and trying to beat the competition. 4. IT developments are fully supporting changing needs of the organization 5. Training & Development programmes reflect the changing needs of the organization. 6. Staff are rewarded on the basis of performance linked to key strategic Goals. For Change Management 1. Continuously adjusting the organisation in line with market developments 2. Strong leadership qualities, excellent decision making capabilities & initiative in key front line positions are present throughout the organization 3. Management & staff are well informed about what is happening in the organization 4. Able to react quickly to, or lead on, new developments in the sector 5. Organisation is Highly elastic and flexible to change These check points ensure successful implementation of Balanced scorecared

Dear VK In my company I'm the only employee to undergo training in SSGB & I don't have any project exposure. Can I start a GB project on my own? I've found the problem areas in Marketing & HR. As I don't have a BB, MBB , who should be considered as mentor or Champion? and how I've to start my project? With regards, Sankar