Today we’re going to learn how to make sure you never run out of anything ever again by using Kanban, a system that comes from the Lean Manufacturing movement. Let's set the scene...
It’s not easy running a daycare center. And Grandma Cuddles, of Grandma Cuddles Daycare, should know. The lilies of the field may not toil or spin, but Grandma knows that an honest day’s labor is just the thing to instill a good work ethic in her youngsters.
And business is booming! She’s teaching her tiny charges handwriting, an extremely marketable skill. She gives them samples of famous people’s handwriting—CEOs, heads of state, and so on. They develop dexterity learning to imitate that handwriting exactly! Cuddles even gives them cute little tax forms, bank checks, contracts, and other realistic pieces of paper to practice their writing skills in real-world situations.
But with the growth comes growing pains. So Grandma has hired a new Chief Financial Officer to examine the company’s systems. Straight from the World Poker championship, he’s known simply as "Chip." He swears that he never cheated, ever, so Cuddles knew he was the right person for the job.
Things In a Business Flow
Chip’s first action (other than putting on his monocle) was to review operations. The theoretical maximum output of Granda Cuddles Signature Paperwork Division, given the speed, dexterity, and joint flexibility of spry little hands, is 15 signed defense contracts per hour. But only five were being produced. He investigated.
Cuddles recently started feeding the kiddies a full day’s complement of calories. They’re writing twice as fast as before! So why was output so low?
Because the little tykes were so productive. Take little Jordan, for example. Jordan can sign Vladimir Putin’s signature 15 times in ten minutes. That empties out the entire stack of realistic-looking defense contracts! Jordan ends up sitting idle until more realistic-looking documents came in. Chip and Cuddles agree that idle hands are the Devil’s plaything. So in addition to eliminating bathroom breaks, he’s using lean manufacturing to keep little Jordan working at peak efficiency.
What Is the Kanban Method?
Businesses used to forecast what was needed and when. They would then arrange for materials to be there when needed. Cuddles would estimate that 20 contracts should be sent to Jordan, and those would be routed. But one forecasting error would either overwhelm Jordan with too much to handle, or leave Jordan with nothing to do but idly twiddle thumbs. Then Taiichi Ohno at Toyota invented an easier way called Kanban.
Rather than using forecasting, Kanban is when actual printed cards are added to the flow of materials. Those cards let the people who are dealing with materials know what to do next, and give enough information so they can immediately do what it takes to keep things moving.
Towards the bottom of the stack of incoming papers, Chip puts a card saying "Send more documents!" When Jordan reaches the card, they give the card to the supervisor who forwards it to the curriculum design and foreign affairs department, which prepares the next set of realistic-looking documents for Jordan to practice signing. New documents are only ordered as Jordan finishes old ones, rather than relying on forecasts. This way, the learning can continue nonstop.
In recent years, the word Kanban has also been used to describe a project management tool where project phases are tracked by moving cards along a series of vertical boards. We'll deal with that in a future episode. Today, we're talking about physical Kanban.
Take Lead Times Into Account
Deciding where to put the Kanban card depends on how long it will take to refill the stack. It takes the Foreign Affairs department time to prepare realistic-looking documents. If Chip puts the Kanban card at the bottom of Jordan’s pile, Jordan will sit idle while new documents are prepared. Instead, the card is positioned a few documents from the bottom, so there’s time to prepare the next batch while Jordan is finishing the current stack.
Use Kanban for Physical Flows
You can use Kanban for lots of things. Pens, for instance. Like most people, you probably have a certain specific brand of pen that you’re passionate about. Like the Zebra Sarasa .7mm mahogany, forest green, and cobalt ink pens. (They’re great for lefties.)
Since you might buy these by the 12-pack, you put 9 in your desk pen holder and leave three in the box. Also in the box you leave a Kanban card that says “Order new pens now!” When you use up the 9 pens, and go to the box for refills, the Kanban card is waiting to prompt your reorder. That way, you never run out of pens, which would be a disaster.
You can use Kanban for paper towels. When you keep a few spare rolls in the break room, have a Kanban card positioned in front of the last couple of rolls of towels. When you use up all the rolls in front, the Kanban card tells you to order more.
Include Product and Order Instructions
As long as you have a card reminding you to order, put the reorder instructions directly on the card. If it’s a hard-to-find item, or a brand you particularly like, you can even include notes or where to order it. "Order new pens now! Zebra Sarasa .7mm forest green 12-pack from jetpens.com."
As you know from episode 464, How to Organize Your Stuff For Camping, I use a system of carabiners and ziploc bags to prepare for Burning Man. Carabiners come in many varieties. They look the same, but quality ranges from excellent to someone-is-going-to-spend-eternity-burning-in-hellfire-for-selling-this-product-to-unsuspecting-buyers. Since you keep track of items you order as described in episode 508, you know the exact item number you ordered before. Add that to the Kanban card as well.
Use Kanban Tags as Your Shopping List
When items are things you plan to buy in-person, at your locally owned mom-and-pop stationery store—just kidding! I mean, from a huge, faceless big-box store that funnels all the money in your community back to their off-shore headquarters—the Kanban cards themselves can become your shopping list.
On the card, write the name of the store where you can restock. And if you’re as over-the-top as I am, you can even write which aisle, so you can shop efficiently and spend some time bonding with the mom-and-pop store owners who are members of your community and care about you.
Armed with Kanban cards, Chip can revamp Cuddles Signature Paperwork Division lickity-split. He introduces Kanban cards for each stack of paperwork, so the kids have a never ending-supply of realistic-looking practice. He introduces Kanban cards for the pens and ink used for signature practice. He even introduces Kanban cards for the list of famous people whose signature would provide great practice for the kids. If the kids being able to duplicate Colin Powell’s signature is fun and exciting, imagine what they’ll be able to do with Colin Powell, Tom Cruise, Oprah Winfrey, and Sheryl Sandberg.
The future’s looking bright for the Cuddles empire.
I’m Stever Robbins. Follow GetItDoneGuy on Twitter and Facebook. If you have projects that are stalled or taking too long, check out my “Get-it-Done Groups” accountability groups. Learn more at http://SteverRobbins.com. Image of kanban method © Shutterstock.
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