Quick n Easy Kaizen

Email improvement

Troy — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 18:31:24 +0000

Too many e-mails in inbox\\\\nI implemented a process of new work management:\\\\r\\\\n\\\\r\\\\n1) new rule: no email lives in my inbox more than 48 hours\\\\r\\\\n2) new process: email does not require immediate attention. Schedule time to respond by sorting all incoming emails into groups…task: urgent; task: low. \\\\nLess time managing emails; improved responsiveness.\\\\n

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Use an Application Launcher to Start Apps Faster

Tom Hopper — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 10:30:26 +0000

Launching programs by scrubbing through the Start menu -> Programs submenu, or navigating a folder hierarchy, is often time-consuming and error prone.
I installed the free Colibri, available from (http://colibri.leetspeak.org/), on Windows, and Quicksilver, available from (http://quicksilver.blacktree.com/), on Mac OS X.
Now launching any application is as fast as hitting control-space and typing a few characters. Colibri (and the other programs, below) finds all applications containing those characters, even if the characters are non-consecutive. At least, it feels faster (timing studies may prove otherwise).
From what I’ve been reading, Launchy may now be a better choice.
For Mac OS X, there’s Quicksilver, LaunchBar and Butler, all excellent choices.

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SmartDraw is properly named

LeanMatt — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 16:08:06 +0000

Tough to integrate softwares to create simple business graphics such as timelines, flow charts, etc.
Purchased SmartDraw and learned how to use it.
Creating graphics is a snap and the output is highly integrable to MS Office products.

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Edit Text to Save Paper

Joe Ely — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 20:42:03 +0000

My colleague Andrew (in a non-profit I’m a part of) had a major document to distribute that was just over five pages in length.
Andrew modified a couple of margins and edited some non-essential words out of the text which shortened the document to 4 pages.
He thus printed it on 2 sheets of paper, front and back. (update 8.7.07) His simple editing saved 450 sheets of paper.

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Blackle Saves Energy for Google Users

Joe Ely — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 20:40:08 +0000

I didn’t do this improvement…my son just discovered it and sent the link to me.

We have a problem of energy usage; specifically, the power utilized by millions of computer monitors every day.
Some folks put up a site blackle.com . It uses the Google search engine and puts it on an all-black background. They state that a monitor uses less energy when using black than when using white or a light colored background.
It saves a little energy on any monitor using it. Given the millions of monitors out there, a small saving on each one adds up. It also is a visual reminder to conserve energy.

It is also a wonderful example of a small change for the better.

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RSS Feeds

dwright — Tue, 07 Aug 2007 19:47:32 +0000

I forget to check in on great websites like this. When I do check in, I can’t remember what I’ve already read.
I began subscribing to this website (and others like the Lean Blog) via RSS.
Now, any time these websites are updated, the updates come in to a special folder in my Outlook (kind of like e-mail). Now, I’m always updated whenever there is a new post, I don’t have to remember to check the website, I don’t waste time reading posts I’ve already read, and I don’t waste time going to the website when there haven’t been any new posts.

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Clear Shelf Labels

Joe Ely — Thu, 02 Aug 2007 20:35:21 +0000

I observed a shelf label which had very similar looking, but different, containers on the shelf above and below it. It was not clear which containers the label was referring to.
I found the supervisor of the area and asked her which was which. She explained. We then took a marker and put an arrow up or down on each label to make it clear which container went with which label. It took 3 minutes total.
We lowered the chance of taking the wrong material.

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Table Top Access Hole

ggrissom — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 17:47:17 +0000

Setups at our test station required the worker to walk to the back side of a bench to connect wiring.
Drilled a large hole in the bench top so the wiring could be passed through the table allowing connections under the bench from the front side.
Worker now doesn’t have to walk the 12 feet to get around the table and squeeze into a tight space for wiring access.

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Preventing Excel Data Loss

mgraban — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 20:52:19 +0000

Spreadsheet used to run laboratory (where specimens were stored) was used all day, fear was file would be closed and data would be lost. Post it had been on screen saying “Please remember to save after every entry.” This wasn’t error proofed and the post its guaranteed nothing.
Changed “auto save” function to save every 1 minute instead of every 10 minutes. This reduces the risk of lost data.
Less risk of lost data, less visual clutter as result of taking post it note down.

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Portable Metric Display Board

Joe Ely — Mon, 30 Jul 2007 15:36:18 +0000

We needed to post on-going daily and weekly metrics for our team to see. But there was no wall space we could use, for practical and aesthetic reasons.
We found a white-board on wheels that was maneuverable in our hallways. We could attach the metrics with magnets or just write on the board.
We now have the metrics displayed and we can move the board to other parts of the building for meetings and discussions if we need to.

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