Experiments as Nemawashi

Lean folks have heard the term nemawashi.  I've heard it described as preparing the roots of a plant for transport.  It's related to consensus-building, and is especially critical when we are proposing big changes to a process.

I started thinking about nemawashi last week when I was in Six Sigma training.  We were learning about Design of Experiments (DOE), which is a methodical and data-driven approach to testing future-state processes, potential countermeasures, etc.  Immediately, I started to compare and contrast the DOE approach to the less scientific Barn-Raising Kaizen and Quick PDCA approaches that have served me well in the past.  I wondered how we were able to achieve what we did without the rigor that DOE provides.  Then it dawned on me that one of the reasons for our success with these less rigorous and more action-biased approaches was that we were performing a type of nemawashi.

We have all probably seen this formula...

R = Q x A 

...which of course stands for...

  Results = Quality of the Countermeasure x Acceptance Level.

Whenever we test a new countermeasure, we are doing more than collecting data to check the quality of the countermeasure.  We are also impacting the acceptance level for change.  If done right, an experiment can help remove the fear of the unknown, send a message that change is coming, and bring out ideas that don't arise until we see a new process live in action.  These are all symptoms of nemawashi being performed.

DMAIC, the Power Drill

In previous posts, I wrote about the virtues of "Quick PDCA" and "Barn-Raising Kaizen."  It's obvious I favor approaches that have a bias for action.  But does that mean I'm averse to more methodical approaches such as the DMAIC approach as practiced by Six Sigma Black Belts?  Absolutely not.

As I mentioned in the "Barn-Raising Kaizen" article:

"Some repairs call for a hammer, and others call for a power drill.  It depends on the problem we're trying to solve, the information that is available, the stakeholders involved, and a whole lot more.  My suggestion is that we should not lock ourselves into any one way of bringing about improvement.  Use what works for whatever situation is presented."

 I think DMAIC is an awesome approach in certain types of situations:

• Some problems are better analyzed through data analysis and statistics, something which is at the heart of DMAIC
• Some organizations require that any and all projects show a measurable and verifiable ROI...something which is embedded in the DMAIC approach
• Some managers want projects in their departments to have a formal structure and mandatory gate reviews...which also is embedded in the DMAIC approach

There are many situations that call for the power drill that is DMAIC instead of the hammer that is Quick PDCA/Barn-Raising Kaizen.  Of course, many situations can be handled just as well by either approach.  I just think we have to pick the tool that makes the most sense for the situation.

Stay open-minded.  Be flexible.  See the scientific method in both the hammer and the power drill.

Barn-Raising Kaizen

A good friend of mine has an approach to process improvement that he calls "Barn-Raising Kaizen."    If you don't know what barn-raising is, here's a quick excerpt from Wikipedia:

"A barn raising is an event during which a community comes together to assemble a barn for one or more of its households, particularly in 18th- and 19th-century rural North America."

It's all about community, teamwork, and just getting it done.  I love it.

My friend uses the barn-raising concept when facilitating improvements out on the shopfloor.  He'll gather the folks together, get some ideas flowing, and then implement changes right there on the spot.  Then they'll monitor the changes, check results, and make adjustments...again, right there on the spot.  It all happens in this informal, team-oriented atmosphere that resembles the barn-raising events of yesteryear.  No prolonged data collection, no measurement system analysis, no project charter, no gate reviews...just kaizen.

So, is "barn-raising" kaizen effective?

You certainly won't get your Six Sigma Black Belt using the barn-raising kaizen approach, but it can be incredibly effective.  Because the changes are made so quickly, we get more chances to iterate...more turns of the PDCA wheel.  With each iteration, we get a chance to learn what works and what doesn't.  We're not at our computer using Mini-Tab to produce a control chart; we're out at the gemba looking at the gembutsu.

Also, every time we do barn-raising kaizen, we get another chance to practice problem-solving and build our kaizen muscles.  Have you read Toyota Kata yet?

But, how do you know if you've improved?

The fear is that without having a data collection plan, measurement system analysis, etc., we'll be in the dark when it comes to proving whether the changes worked or not.  This probably has more to do with trying to show a good ROI than it does with actually understanding how a change impacted a process.  If we're out at the gemba, we can usually see the impact with our own eyes.  We don't always need data, except to show ROI on paper.

Are you saying a more thorough approach, like DMAIC, is a waste of time?

Not at all.  Some repairs call for a hammer, and others call for a power drill.  It depends on the problem we're trying to solve, the information that is available, the stakeholders involved, and a whole lot more.  My suggestion is that we should not lock ourselves into any one way of bringing about improvement.  Use what works for whatever situation is presented.

On a somewhat related topic, Pete Abilla at the Shmula blog compared the PDCA and DMAIC approaches (link).