Dennis's blog

Strategic Planning

Soon fall will be here and it not only signals a change in weather and the start of football season, but it is also the time to start considering plans for 2008. Doing effective strategic planning is one characteristic that separates the men from the boys. High-performing contractors do strategic planning, most other contractors feel they are helpless victims of their market’s economy and can’t plan.

Lean & 5S's in Construction

Newsletter #19 February 2007

Attack the Waste of Motion

MOTION: Employees moving around do not add value and is waste. These ‘treasure hunts’ happen when we store material away from the job or when workers must go looking for tools, material or information. Treasure hunts happen in the office, when we are looking for files, reports, reference books, current drawings, contracts or vendor catalogues. Poor planning and organization often cause this waste. It happens because we don’t have a designated place for everything. A good way to see this waste is to go to Gemba (where the work is being done) and watch.

These treasure hunts are easy to see, but hard to recognize! What I mean is that treasure hunts in construction are so common that we usually accept them as the way it is. We never question why! I was in a shop the other day and observed a man walk all the way from one end to the other, pick up a paper and walk back. A minute later he walked all the way again to pick up a pair of gloves. What waste, and he and the shop manager were oblivious to it. Watch workers in the field and you will see many treasure hunts going on all day. For each treasure hunt ask why – why do we have to go to this place or that location to get what is needed. Ask “why” five times to get at the root cause. Watching and asking why can lead to improvements by reducing motion. The 5S’s are a great tool for reducing waste.