LSS Academy Podcast: Lean Manufacturing | Lean Enterprise | Six Sigma | Leadership

Used properly, a Failure Mode & Effects Analysis, or FMEA, can add tremendous value to any organization seeking to understand how (and why) things go wrong with our processes, products, and services. And, most importantly, FMEAs also help us to continuously improve our processes and products as teams work to eliminate potential failure modes. Today, the FMEA is being used by thousands of organizations around the world and just may be one of the most powerful tools we lean and six sigma practitioners ever use. To play the podcast please press the play button at the top of this post.  You can also download a written transcript, in PDF format, here. In this episode you’ll discover: The history of the FMEA The 3 main types of FMEAs used today The 10 steps to creating an FMEA Podcast Resources: Right click here to download a full transcript of this podcast in PDF format Right click here to download the free FMEA template Right click here to download the MP3 Items mentioned in this podcast: Original LSS Academy article Right click here to download the free FMEA template Gemba Academy School of Lean & Six Sigma Please Subscribe to this Podcast If you enjoyed this podcast please be sure to subscribe on iTunes.  Once you’re a subscriber all new episodes will be downloaded to your iTunes account and Smart Phone. CLICK HERE to subscribe to the LSS Academy podcast. What Do You Think? Have you ever used an FMEA?  If so, how did it go?  What sorts of benefits or challenges have you see as a result of using an FMEA?

In this podcast I revisit a topic I've written about before on the blog... genchi genbutsu. To play the podcast please press the play button above. During the podcast we meet a Toyota Engineer who takes "going to gemba" to an entirely new level! We also discuss why things such as surveys and focus groups simply don't match up with going to see with our own eyes. Items Discussed in the Podcast Original Article The Toyota Way by Jeffrey Liker Jon Miller What Do You Think? What does Genchi Genbutsu mean to you? Have you ever attempted to "go to gemba" as intensely as Mr. Yokoya did? If so, how did it go? Thank You! Thank you for checking out this session of the LSS Academy podcast. Please be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you can get updated sessions delivered right to you as they come out.

To listen to this article in podcast format please click the play button above.   What You Do Doesn't Have to Define You My 8-year-old daughter has been playing soccer for more than 4 years.  And she's been playing at a competitive level for over 2 years. Put another way, she’s played the beautiful game for more than half of her young life. The picture to the right was taken during her first season playing with the mighty Little Angels! She’s in the middle. I’ve chronicled many of her successes - and challenges - before on the blog. Don’t Be One of “Those” Dads I’ve always said I wasn’t going to be one of “those Dads” who lived vicariously through their children’s athletic success. But, being truthful, I failed miserably. You see my daughter has won more trophies during her 8 years on this earth than I have in my entire life. I’ve lost count of how many tournaments her and her teammates have won… and when her team successfully defended their “3v3” Championship at Disney World against teams from all over the United States this past January… well, let’s just say I was one proud father! The Bombshell That’s why the bombshell my daughter dropped on us during this past season nearly tore my heart out. She told us she wanted to take a break from soccer. Wow. Jaw meet floor. At first her Mom and I listened but figured it was just a phase she was going through. It wasn’t. As the season progressed she continued to play hard and do her very best… but it was obvious she was ready for a break. Soccer Doesn’t Define my Daughter I’ll be honest; I really struggled with the idea of her not playing the game I know she loves at a very high level. But then my wife told me something that really resonated with me. She said, “Honey, ‘B’ is so much more than soccer. Soccer doesn’t define her.” And with those simple words I realized how right my wife was (and is). Jiu-Jitsu Here We Come! My daughter is so much more than a soccer player. In fact, she’s always wanted to try other sports, which has been difficult with her hectic soccer schedule. So, now that she's officially done with soccer, she's started a Jiu-Jitsu class with two of her siblings and is having a complete blast.  She also does recreational gymnastics which she loves. And most importantly, B has one of the kindest souls and is, without a doubt, one of the most spiritually rich people I know. She loves our Lord with all her heart and all her soul. To me and my wife this obviously transcends anything she could ever do on a field. So who knows what the future holds for B (or any of my children). All I do know is what they do will never truly define who they are. What About You and Me? The question is… what does this story say about us grown-ups? Are we defined by what we do? Or perhaps we define our children, or our co-workers, or really anyone in our lives by what they do? I was going to try to tie this topic into how we lean and six sigma practitioners often close our minds to other continuous improvement methodologies... but, in the end, this topic is so much larger than continuous improvement. In fact, one could argue this topic touches on the meaning of life.  After all, we all have a finite time on this earth.  What do we hope to accomplish with the time we're given?  And how, exactly, will we go about doing it? What do you think?

If I were to ask you what you spend most of your time doing over the course of a week my guess is responding to email would be very high the list. For many of you, it may even be number 1. Now, let me ask you… what if there was a way to save ho...