GO WITH THE FLOW | LBCC 1.07

"WHY SHOULD I CARE ABOUT FLOW?" | Go With the flow | 1.07

LISTEN TO LEARN | Go With The Flow | LBFF 1.07

Continuing our series on the Imai Process of Continuous Improvement, where we go into a little more detail about some of the Lean tools in our toolbox, is LINKAGE & FLOW or the Second stage of our Continuous Improvement Journey!

“Why Should I care about FLOW? And why is Linkage important?” Linkage & Flow together is what makes Continuous Improvement Possible…Listen to find out how!



WATCH TO TRY | "Go With the Flow" with Peter G. Martin | LBTT 1.07

why does LINKAGE & FLOW make Continuous Improvement possible? Does it also change the way we think? Watch our latest interview with Peter G. Martin, a retired Program Director and Author. Peter discusses with us how Linkage & Flow works; not only in his professional life, but also in his personal life. Find out how he has taken some of these concepts and applied them to his charitable work with the Teddy Bear Foundation and “Dragons on the Purple Moon”…Watch to Learn More!

CLICK TO PURCHASE A COPY OF PETER’S BOOK

READ TO APPLY | Go With the Flow | LBCC 1.07

The Imai Process of Continuous Improvement is my favorite methodology for implementing lean. There are many philosophies around implementation of lean and many opinions surrounding this concept as well. but i have found the most benefit by following Mr. Imai’s vision…

The cover picture for the next 5 months will be the stages in the imai process with a circle around the tool we will be going into a little more detail about during the month. (As we progress each month, I will highlight the stage as I did below with the current month’s topic.) The Imai process progresses in the following stages:

  1. 5S
  2. Linkage & Flow
  3. Standard Work
  4. Visual Controls (often times stages 3 & 4 are done at the same time)
  5. Real Time Problem Resolution

This month we discussed Linkage & Flow and how it is much more than simply putting things in order. Most Continuous Improvement Journeys gain momentum once focus turns toward linkage & Flow. You may be asking yourself, “why? What’s in it for me (WIIFM)? Isn’t this just about putting stuff in order?”

The WHY: Linkage & Flow, like 5S, is all about changing the way we think about our processes and procedures. The purpose is to put things in order yes, but it’s not just any order. It’s a logical order that maintains the system we want. Linkage & Flow is where the team starts to think critically about how departments interact and they way that the business wants them to interact. It establishes the “rules of engagement” for the organization and provides the boundaries of operation.

The WIIFMI believe we as humans crave order and structure. When our lives or relationships are in chaos, we do not function well. This is why people visit Therapists, to have some form of normalcy (or structure) added back to their lives. Like children need boundaries to thrive in their development, adults need it too. Linkage & Flow formalizes that structure. Hopefully resulting in a more productive and efficient process yes, but also a sense of calm and structure to the workday. If done well, the employees will start to think more about interactions of departments and organizations when they are thinking about organizational structure (Linkage) and will make decisions in structure to improve those interactions to achieve One piece Pull (Flow).

A word of caution: If the Culture of the organization is ready to implement a Continuous Improvement Journey, it will have embraced the concept of 5S First. If the Culture is not ready, they will fight it, avoid it, and sometimes badmouth it. If you find the team is badmouthing the 5S program, it would be wise to take a step back and see how the 5S program was rolled out or is evaluated. I have found that the more bureaucratized the process of evaluating the 5Ses, the more resistant the team is. We at Leanbrella would recommend that changes should be made to return to the concepts of the WHY and the WIIFM behind doing 5S before trying a more difficult concept like Linkage & Flow.

Linkage & Flow is not limited to the workplace. it can be performed in our personal lives as well. Maybe you’re building a house or renovating a house and see a different layout? Maybe you’re bagging your groceries and putting like items in the same bag…So you can unload into the freezer in the garage before taking everything else into the house. That’s Linkage & Flow! Any act of thinking about process and the interactions between people, Items, or groups within that process is thinking about Linkage & Flow. The more experience you have with thinking in this manner, the easier it is to identify the waste…And yes, even your process of identifying waste becomes more efficient the more you do it!

need help in Identifying opportunities for Linkage & Flow? Don’t hesitate to reach out to Leanbrella for support! I have been known to clean out closets and garages…If you embark on a Continuous Improvement journey…You might surprise yourself with how much better you feel about your surroundings and life in general…Embrace that feeling!

...Until next time, grab your Lean umbrella, "we've got you covered"