Perfection [in design]
is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but rather when there is nothing more
to take away.

Success comes in a can, not a can't.

quote

Presentations are not opportunities for people to read in a group setting.

--
Sally

Construction Executive Lessons from the Toyota Visit

The use of visual management was far more than expected. Will attempt
to over communicate project key performance indicators and goals.
Stopping to fix the problem ? jidoka ? could lead to far fewer quality problems.
Executives have a role to play in kaizen activities. Gary Convis,
President of Georgetown operations, got involved in kaizens in a
coaching capacity.
Staff project roles with people with the appropriate skills and
interests. Develop the basic skills for the work in construction.
Use five whys at the time variances (problems) are identified.
Encourage trade labor to change roles throughout the day. This avoids
repetitive motion injuries, reduces boredom, and builds an
appreciation for the conditions of completion for work.
Clean as we go throughout the day. Assign accountability for workplace
orderliness. Use indicators ? andon ? to signal that the work teams
recognize that they are keeping their workspaces in a condition for
others (and themselves) to proceed with work.
Thinking that we already know ? that we are the best ? is the enemy of
learning and becoming lean. We must overcome that.
Celebrate success as it occurs. Celebrate the work of teams.
A lean approach requires a different culture (from the usual AEC project).
Don't hesitate to display banners, mottos, and team improvement
projects across the project work site.
Keep everyone informed everyday (throughout the day) of the key
performance indicators for the project.
See that the whole project organization ? owner, architect,
contractor, sub-consultants, and sub-contractors ? are all using the
same language of improvement.
Training can begin at the earliest encounters with prospective
employees. It can help us select the best people for our projects.
Have the client involved at appropriate times throughout the project.
Pay attention to the details. It can lead to higher quality and
customer satisfaction.
Evolve a lean approach on projects and throughout the organization.
Start with a focus on quality. Follow that with improving production
throughput. Finish by reducing costs.
Use color charts, displays, and signaling to draw attention to
anomalies and to what is important.
Organize people into small teams ? five people ? with a working leader
who can fill in for everyone else. Use multi-skilling to develop a
response capability.
The person performing the next operation is your customer. Make sure
people know who will be working next in the workstream, especially
when they work for another organization or company.
We observed a simplicity in the language at Toyota. Find ways to
communicate what is requested, standards of performance, and details
so that they will be understood.
Have a 15 minute stand-up meeting every morning with all the
supervision to review progress and to pursue an improvement agenda.
Finish the day with a similar meeting to provide the opportunity for
supervision (last planners) to declare complete on the promised work
for the day.
Establish standard work ? the currently understood best way ? for key
project operations.
I didn't have the opportunity to share my impressions with the group.
Here are three key lessons:

Work to a pace that both allows the team to meet the project goals and
doesn't overburden them. Pacing reduces one source of variability
while simplifying planning.
Use improvement activities ? project kaizen ? as the principal means
of engaging project team members in meaningful work that advances
their careers.
As leaders, involve yourself to ease the work of the project team
members rather than operating in the illusion that you can control.