Improve: The Next Generation of Continuous Improvement for Knowledge Work

Front matter
Copyright
Foreword
Endorsements
Preface
Acknowledgments
30% of what you think is wrong
	A good story
		Dangerous assumptions
		The dilemma of lean knowledge
	What problem are we trying to solve?
		The need
		The problem
		The root cause
		The solution
		The countermeasures
	Why is it so hard to get anything done around here?
	Six ways this book is unique
	Who is this book for?
	Structure of the book
		Section I. Fundamentals (Chapters 2-623456)
			Chapter 2: A brilliant insight
			Chapter 3: Creating value from knowledge work
			Chapter 4: The lean equation
			Chapter 5: DIMINISH: Recognizing the 8 Wastes of Knowledge Work
			Chapter 6: Simplify, engage, and experiment
		Section II. Understanding the 8 Wastes of Knowledge Work (Chapters 7-147891011121314)
			Chapter 7: Reduce Waste #1: Discord
			Chapter 8: Reduce Waste #2: Information Friction
			Chapter 9: Reduce Waste #3: More-is-Better Thinking
			Chapter 10: Reduce Waste #4: Inertia to Change
			Chapter 11: Reduce Waste #5: No-Win Contests
			Chapter 12: Reduce Waste #6: Inferior Problem Solving
			Chapter 13: Reduce Waste #7: Solution Blindness
			Chapter 14: Reduce Waste #8: Hidden Errors
		Section III: Improving 10 Key Workflows (Chapters 15-24)
			Chapter 15: Standardize workflow
			Chapter 16: Workflow improvement cycle
			Chapter 17: Workflow-Checklists and expert rule sets
			Chapter 18: Workflow-Problem Solve-Select
			Chapter 19: Workflow-Visual management for initiatives and projects
			Chapter 20: Workflow-Visual management with buffer
			Chapter 21: Workflow-Kanban and Kamishibai: Just-In-Time Rationalization
			Chapter 22: Workflow-Putting out ``fires´´
			Chapter 23: Workflow-Visualizing revenue gaps
			Chapter 24: Workflow-Leadership review of knowledge work
	References
A brilliant insight
	Introduction
	The birth of lean thinking
		The story of NUMMI
	What is knowledge work?
	Lean knowledge vs. lean manufacturing
	Lean health care
	Lean product development
	The lean startup
	Critical Chain Project Management
	Agile software development
	Personal experience
	Conclusion
	References
Creating value from knowledge work
	Introduction
	A definition of value
	Who is the customer to knowledge work?
	What is a knowledge organization?
		Examples of value
	Valueeffort
	Five facets of value
		Fit for purpose
		Profitable
		On-schedule
		Innovative
		Protected and compliant
	Conclusion
	References
The lean equation
	Introduction
	Waste is a villain
	Effort vs value
	Opaque workflows: A place for waste to hide
		How waste hides in opaque workflows
	Cut waste by trying harder?
	Three ways to expend effort in knowledge work
		A sustainable way to increase value
	Conclusion
	References
DIMINISH: Recognizing the 8 Wastes of Knowledge Work
	Introduction
	The 8 Wastes of lean manufacturing
	Waste diminishes value
	The 8 Wastes
	Discord
	Information Friction
	More-is-Better Thinking
	Inertia to Change
	No-Win Contests
	Inferior Problem Solving
	Solution Blindness
	Hidden Errors
	Conclusion
	References
Simplify, engage, and experiment
	Introduction
	Simplify workflows
		Simplify ambiguous signals
		Simplify knowledge transfer
		Simplify long task queues
		Simplify varying workflows
		Simplify complex workflows
	Engage the team
		Motivation in the workplace
		Leading transformation and transaction
		The Engagement Wheel
			Inspired: We share worthy goals
			Connected: We are better together
			Challenged: We compete to win
			Protected: We meet high standards
	Experiment to learn
		Business humility
		30% of what we think is wrong
		A falsifiable hypothesis
			Effort: What we will plan and do
			Value: What we expect
			Metric: What we measure
			Goal: What we count for success
		Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA)
		Goldratt's Theory of Constraints
			Reflection: How the bottleneck measures all issues
		The Pareto principle
		The Hawthorne effect
	Conclusion: Simplify, engage, and experiment. Repeat
	References
Reduce Waste #1: Discord
	Introduction
	The engaging power of diverse thought
		The Pioneer: Engaged by Inspiration
		The Integrator: Engaged by Connection
		The Driver: Engaged by Challenge
		The Guardian: Engaged by Protection
		Bringing diverse viewpoints together
		Engagement Wheel in different regions
		No type is better. All are essential
	Creating highly functional teams
		Step 1: Establish trust
		Step 2: Face conflict
		Step 3: Negotiate commitment
			Socialization
			Aggregating ideas from a group
			The Ideate-Aggregate process
				Silent ideation
				Structured presentation
				Aggregation
				Voting
		Step 4: Nurture accountability
			Kick off the process
			Negotiate change
			Regular review
			Define the escalation process
			React to disappointment with equanimity
		Step 5: Drive results
		Measure results from the start
		Take action!
	Ego vs confidence
	Conclusion
	References
Reduce Waste #2: Information Friction
	Introduction
	Single Point of Truth (SPoT)
		SPoT competes with shadow data
	Visualization vs narration
		The waste of focusing on progress over results
		The waste of presenting partially thought-out ideas
		The waste of Hidden Errors
		Comparing narration and visualization
	Visualization tools
		Formatting text
		Widgets
		Graphical data
		Diagrams
		Collections
		Graphical excellence
	The Canvas View
		Dashboards
		Scorecards
	Hierarchical visualization
	Conclusion
	References
Reduce Waste #3: More-is-Better Thinking
	Introduction
	Artifacts vs work
		Action Plan: Start with artifacts of change
		Bowler: End with artifacts of value
		Test Track: Transition by measuring artifacts of traction
		Flexibility vs aggregation
	Measure change with the Action Plan
		The Action Plan vs the To-Do list
		Managing task granularity
			Finding the right-size granularity
			Multiple levels of granularity
		Adding forecast date to the basic Action Plan
			The milestone delay problem
		Adding replan date
		Adding Next Action and Next [Action] Date to the Action Plan
		Review cadence
		Example of an Action Plan
		Summary of Action Plan
	Measure traction with the Test Track
	Measure value with the Bowler
		Key Performance Indicator (KPI) metrics
		The basic Bowler
		Adding the forecast row
		Adding replan row
		Summary of Bowlers
	The Success Map
		The ground view
	The helicopter view
	Conclusion
	References
Reduce Waste #4: Inertia to Change
	Introduction
	Change model
	Growth through challenge
	Change agents, wait-and-see people, and unwilling partners
	Conclusion
	References
Reduce Waste #5: No-Win Contests
	Introduction
	Excessive multitasking
	Oversubscription: The No-Win Contest collides with More-is-Better Thinking
		Theory of Constraints (ToC) and oversubscription
		A structure that recognizes oversubscription
	Escalation: Guarantor of a winnable contest
	Conclusion
	References
Reduce Waste #6: Inferior Problem Solving
	Introduction
	Formal problem solving
	Step 1: The organizational need
	Step 2: The problem statement
	Step 3: Observation and analysis
		Observe: See it Broken with your own eyes
		5 Whys
		Fishbone
		Ideate-Aggregate analysis
		Trystorming
		Kaizen events
			Kaizen events and manufacturing
			Kaizen events and knowledge work
			The 5S event as an example
			Places Kaizen events work especially well in knowledge work
		Putting it together
	Step 4: Root cause
	Step 5: Countermeasures
	Step 6: Success Map
	Canvas View
	Closing remarks on problem solving
		Experimentation=Iterations
		Formal problem solving on a personal level
		Keep it simple
		Solve-Select process for the biggest problems
	Conclusion
	References
Reduce Waste #7: Solution Blindness
	Introduction
	The falsifiable hypothesis and Solution Blindness
	A simple example of Solution Blindness
	Value proposition
	The Lean Startup and the Minimal Viable Product (MVP)
		MVPs: The space between mock-up and prerelease
		Leap-of-Faith Assumption (LOFA)
		MVPs across the life of a project
		A Test Track for MVPs
	Conclusion
	References
Reduce Waste #8: Hidden Errors
	Introduction
	Two mindsets
	Stop-Fix alarms
		Stop-Fix improves quality and productivity
		The playbook
		Yellow vs red
		A culture of Stop-Fix
			Complete the next increment of work
			Search for Stop-Fix errors
			Run a play
			Contain the error
		Stop-Fix: Triage
		The necessary elements of a Stop-Fix alarm
	Mistake-proofing complements Stop-Fix alarms
	Conclusion
	References
Standardize workflow
	Introduction
	Building a foundation
		Where does the standard start?
		Merging different ways of doing things into one
	The ground view
		Step 1: Specified workflow
		Step 2: Tools
		Step 3: Training
		Step 4: Resourcing
		Step 5: Scorecard
		Step 6: Reporting
		Step 7: Review
		Step 8: Countermeasures
		Benefits of standard work
		Batch workflow creates waste
		Standards drive normal work. Managers review exceptions
	The helicopter view
		Step 9: Aggregate review workflow
		Step 10: Aggregation review tools
		Step 11: Aggregate review information
		Step 12: Aggregate review
		Step 13: Aggregate countermeasures
	Process robustness
	Conclusion
	References
Workflow improvement cycle
	Introduction
	The 8 Wastes
	A poorly managed cycle of improvement
	Leading improvement cycles
	Conclusion
	References
Workflow-Checklists and expert rule sets
	Introduction
	The 8 Wastes
	The checklist
	The expert rule set
	A KWIC for implementing a checklist or expert rule set
	Conclusion
	References
Workflow-Problem Solve-Select
	Introduction
	The 8 Wastes
	The Solve-Select workflow
	The Solve-Select canvas
	Knowledge Work Improvement Canvas (KWIC) to adopt Solve-Select workflow
	Conclusion
	Reference
Workflow-Visual management for initiatives and projects
	Why avoid the Gantt chart?
	The Visual Action Plan
		Diligently defining ``done´´
	The regular team stand-up
	A legend for planning and regular execution
	Visual Action Plan execution
	Running plays in Visual Action Plans
		Plays that restructure the project
		Plays that increase resources
		Plays that reduce effort
		Example: Run a play
	Buffer: Smoothing daily management
	Knowledge Work Improvement Canvas (KWIC) for visual management
	References
Workflow-Visual management with buffer
	Introduction
	The 8 Wastes in unbuffered project schedules
		Buffer in project planning
		The student syndrome
		Parkinson's Law
	The fever chart
	The Project Schedule Canvas
		Building Project Schedule Canvas boards
		Regular team stand-ups for Visual Action Plans with buffer
		A legend for visualizing buffer consumption
	Following a project with the Project Schedule Canvas
		Week 2: Everything is on track
		Week 3: An issue comes into focus
			Visual agreement and canvas automation
		Week 4: Project goes red!
		A call to action
		Augmenting the Project Schedule Canvas legend
		Week 4 revisited: Project back in the green
	Common patterns in the fever chart
	The portfolio snapshot fever chart
	Creating project management standard work
	Knowledge Work Improvement Canvas (KWIC) for visual management with buffer
	Conclusion
	References
Workflow-Kanban and Kamishibai: Just-In-Time Rationalization
	Introduction
	The 8 Wastes
	Ruthless Rationalization
	Just-In-Time Rationalization
		Prioritize
	Kanban Task Management
		How Kanban works
		Eliminate the waste of estimation
		Kanban dashboard
		How to start with Kanban Project Management (KPM)
		Virtual or physical?
		Kanban: A lean thinking laboratory
	The Kamishibai board: Smooth flow for regular work
	Knowledge Work Improvement Canvas (KWIC) to adopt Just-In-Time Rationalization
	Conclusion
	References
Workflow-Putting out ``fires´´
	Introduction
	The 8 Wastes
	A wasteful workflow
	The Ford Eight Disciplines (8D) process
		Plan
		Use a team
		Define problem
		Containment
		Root cause
		Permanent correction
		Corrective action
		Verify preventative measures
		Congratulate the team
	The 8D Canvas: A modified KWIC
	The histogram: Systematically tracking recurrence with cause codes
		Cause codes: Grouping failure
		Why the root causes are ``potential´´
		Creating cause codes
		Cause code histogram
	Conclusion
	References
Workflow-Visualizing revenue gaps
	Introduction
	Problem solving for revenue gaps
	The 8 Wastes
	The waterfall chart
		Single waterfall chart
		The double waterfall chart
		Separating standard measures and countermeasures to avoid double counting
	Revenue gap Knowledge Work Improvement Canvas
	Conclusion
	References
Workflow-Leadership review of knowledge work
	Introduction
	The 8 Wastes
	A system of barriers to defects
		Avoiding asking leadership teams to inspect standard work
	Critical thinking
	Critical thinking: Finding the pillars that support value
	Bias and critical thinking
	Unambiguous requirements
	Project review Knowledge Work Improvement Canvas
	Conclusion
	References
Index