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Book Reviews

Going Lean

Stephen A. Ruffa, Amacom, 2008, 263 pp., $27.95 (book).

Because the future can’t be predicted, drawing up a lean roadmap is a sensible strategy for most companies. In this book, Ruffa describes a lean roadmap for change that could prove to be very useful. Ruffa graphically portrays company performance using a value curve, a tool used to study lean dynamics that accounts for a firm’s capabilities based on its creation of value—a key focus of lean. It is an effective tool, because it shows how well corporations sustain positive results in response to dynamic change conditions. In this cyclical system, the value curve helps management understand the impact of process variations on the way value flows, which can lead to more favorable value curves.

Ruffa notes that operational flow interacts with three elements that make up the end-to-end flow of value: organization, information and innovation. Southwest Airlines, Wal-Mart and Toyota are used as examples of companies that have demonstrated the principles of lean dynamics and have transformed their flow to achieve superior results.

Organizations are encouraged to move beyond managing an operating system that was built to rely on consistency and limitless markets that no longer exist in the global economy. The system Ruffa presents challenges organizations to move from supply chains to value streams. In this approach, organizations in the supply chain must be value-stream partners and overcome their individualism to optimize the whole system.

Going Lean should be read by manufacturing executives and their staffs, and is recommended for corporate executives and leaders in quality or materials functions. It also has value for investors, who can learn how to apply the value curve to their portfolios. The book shows how to introduce innovation during downturns, strive for perfection and deliver excellent performance.

Reviewed by John J. Lanczycki Jr.West Springfield, MA

Reprinted with permission from Quality Progress Book Reviews, March 2009

 

"The Toyota Way", by Jeffrey Liker

Toyota’s lean production system started a global revolution in manufacturing and service business that any consider the next stage beyond Henry Ford’s mass production. The Toyota Wayexplains how the Toyota Production System evolved into a system of manufacturing excellence, and it describes companies in industries as diverse as healthcare, engineering, pharmaceuticals, and construction that are using Toyota’s methods to improve dramatically performance from the customer’s perspective But many companies that think they are lean—aren’t. The book explains how to get beyond the surface tools and techniques of lean by creating a lean culture of team-based learning and building on the foundation of business philosophy, business partners, and your own people. You’ll read about others who have improved the speed of business processes, improved product and service quality, and cut costs, no matter what type of business they have. The Toyota Way is an inspiring guide describing the steps necessary to emulate Toyota’s remarkable success. The first third of the book is a great tale of Toyota’s product development process in the creation of the Prius. Liker’s perspective provides the reader the reasons some companies stand above the rest. There were few near-term benefits to take on the billion-dollar project; however, sometimes you must persevere just because it is the right thing to do.

Review by
David M. Rucker,
president,
Rucker & Associates

Book Review

"The Wisdom of Crowds", by James Surowiecki

Kaizen methodology is fundamentally about knowing that the wisdom of many is better than the brilliance of one. This book reinforces what we all know is true … developing solutions for problems faced each day in our business life is a “team sport.” The best solutions and easier implementation comes when we do it together. The part about how scientists shared their data regarding SARS and how it operated led to solutions much faster. The learning point is that if we open the data to everyone, you’ll get a better solution than if you go it alone. Surowiecki continually emphasizes that the science of crowds suggests that you must deliver factual data, and then make sure they aren’t influenced through discussion. In order to find true cause, the team must be willing to focus on data … not conjecture and rumor. Finally: “The idea of the wisdom of the crowds is not that a group will always give you the right answer but that on average it will consistently come up with a better answer than any individual will provide.” (p235)

Review by
David M. Rucker,
president,
Rucker & Associates

Book Review

"Getting the Right Things Done", by Pascal Dennis.

Published by Lean Enterprise Institute

So many books have been written on "lean manufacturing" that laymen and practitioners tend to think of lean as a factory practice. This book recognizes and explores that lean is only fully realized as a framework for a total enterprise strategy. The author effectively outlines the power of hoshin kanri, or strategy deployment, and then gives the reader specific tools and approaches to implement. The book includes a short but relevant foreword by Jim Womack.

Reviewed by Lean Enterprise Member:
Mark P. Johnson
Vice President, Operations
Physio-Control, a Division of Medtronic

Book Review

Lean Transformation

"How to change your business into a lean enterprise”
By
Bruce A. Henderson and Jorge L. Larco
With forward by
James P. Womack

This is not a book presenting detailed steps for implementation of lean but is more of an overview with problems and solutions offered along the way. The book is a quick easy read and I found the following to be interesting:

  • Goals and Visions: The authors repeatedly stress throughout the book the need for executive management to communicate their goals and visions for the company as a result of the transformation. In fact they consider this to be a critical step in the successful implementation of Lean.
  • Engineering Change Request: The authors pointed out that Engineering design problems need to be solved in engineering and kept off the manufacturing floor.
  • Design for Manufacturability: The book argues that the designs need to be capable of being manufactured. Engineering needs to be well versed in the manufacturing processes so that their designs can be produced.
  • Total Productive Maintenance: Several methods were pointed out in the book towards a TPM implementation. One was Maintenance Machine Charting – Predictive Maintenance.
  • Concrete Heads: Viewed as the most serious obstacle to implementation. Their behavior ranges from “talking the talk but not walking the walk, to taking willful action that undermines the transformation.” The book presents termination as the solution.
  • Cross Training: The authors seem to be great believers in cross training.
  • Lighting: The book indicates that lighting is perhaps one of the first steps towards Lean.

Review submitted by Lean Enterprise Division member Jim Howe


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