Lean IT

I’ve been wondering recently if email can be classified as an Andon signal?

A lot of service processes use email as a means to signal an alert to trigger an action. Can this be classified as an Andon signal?

Andon gives the worker the ability to stop that section of the process when an action or the assistance of someone else is required. The alerts may be logged to a database so that they can be studied as part of a continuous-improvement program.

Does this depend on how visibility is classified? For example I’m thinking of software which may have a built-in escalation feature. If a target action date or time is exceeded then that persons manager gets notified. I guess it would be even more visible if the email is picked-up using say blackberries?

What do you think?

This train of thought continued after I read an article posted over at Lean.org. Called, “5S for Information”: When a Lean Thinker asked how to apply the principles of 5S to the company server, Dan Markovitz responded with advice for applying these five key concepts to electronic information files.

In summary the article recommends a three-tiered electronic structure:

1. Working – files that your company uses regularly
2. Reference – files that you’ll use on occasion, but not regularly
3. Archive – everything that you know is old and worthless and you’re 99% sure you’ll never use

The beauty of this structure is that the high-value files – i.e., the stuff you use regularly – are kept in the relatively small 1.Working folder. The Pareto Principle holds true here: 80% of your work is done with the 20% of your documents that you’re storing in the 1.Working folder. The bulk of files will be in Reference or Archive, so you don’t have to look at them or sift through them to find the high value stuff.

Create an Outlook appointment for yourself to stay on top of the housekeeping – one hour per month on a Friday afternoon should do it.

People often dismiss the importance of 5S when it comes to files, particularly electronic ones. But the benefits are real. You’ll spend significantly less time looking for critical information, which means you’ll have more time to actually add value. Less quantifiably (but no less real), you’ll feel better, too: you’ll be more focused and have an easier time concentrating on your work.

(Wondering what happened to Seiso (clean and wash)? That’s the IT department’s job. Once you get your information under control, it’s their job to keep the system running smoothly.)

 Enjoy this post? Be sure to subscribe!