What do you do if you need to be an effective delegator in Lean Manufacturing?

PARTE 1 DE 2 Como especialista em Melhoria Contínua e Qualidade, a eficácia na delega??o em Lean Manufacturing é crucial para maximizar a produtividade e minimizar o desperdício. Para isso, emprego uma abordagem sistemática: 1. Identifica??o de tarefas: Analiso cuidadosamente as atividades e identifico aquelas que podem ser delegadas sem comprometer a qualidade ou a eficiência. 2. Sele??o da equipe: Escolho membros da equipe com as habilidades e competências adequadas para realizar as tarefas delegadas, garantindo que possam executá-las com sucesso. 3. Defini??o clara de objetivos: Comunico de forma clara e concisa os objetivos, expectativas e prazos associados a cada tarefa delegada para evitar mal-entendidos e garantir alinhamento.

PARTE 2 DE 2 4. Monitoramento e suporte: Estabele?o um sistema de acompanhamento regular para garantir o progresso e oferecer suporte sempre que necessário, garantindo que os membros da equipe tenham recursos adequados para concluir as tarefas com êxito. 5. Feedback e aprendizado: Fornecer feedback construtivo e incentivar a aprendizagem contínua, permitindo que a equipe aprimore suas habilidades e contribua ainda mais para os objetivos do Lean Manufacturing.

I like to introduce two aspects on this topic: 1) Delegation as Lean Leader: Knowing tools in my opinion is not enough, it is about living the culture of lean, walking the talk, be a north-star in lean culture and principles. For example: would you stop the line due to a problem at the end of the months and you are behind your deliveries? If your answer is Yes - delegation is easy. 2) Delegation as Lean Participant: in lean operation, in problem solving, in continuous improvement, you will delegate asssignments to all participants, regardless of hierachy. To effectively complete this, your lean system and governance need to support - I call it now "assignment" rather than "delegation" culture. Never delegate, what you need to decide.

Lean manufacturing emphasizes the principles of efficiency, waste reduction, and continuous improvement. Effective delegation is essential within this framework to distribute tasks efficiently, empower team members, and leverage their skills to drive improvement initiatives. By delegating tasks appropriately, lean manufacturing organizations can streamline processes, enhance productivity, and foster a culture of empowerment and accountability among employees. Delegation allows leaders to focus on strategic priorities and overall process improvement efforts, while team members take ownership of specific tasks and contribute to achieving organizational goals.

To be an effective delegator in Lean Manufacturing, start by clearly defining project objectives and tasks. Assess team members' skills and capabilities to assign responsibilities accordingly. Provide clear instructions, timelines, and expectations to ensure understanding. Foster an environment of trust and empowerment, allowing team members to make decisions within their scope. Maintain open communication channels for feedback and support. Monitor progress regularly, offering guidance and assistance when needed. Encourage accountability and recognize achievements to motivate the team. Continuously evaluate and adjust delegation strategies to optimize efficiency and effectiveness in Lean Manufacturing processes.

- Typically when there are tasks in the workplace that aren’t being met it’s because they’re not being made enough of a priority. When a person of leadership or management has one too many obligations, there are bound to be areas that aren’t being properly tended to and this can lead to major repercussions. To be a strong leader it’s important to identify those tasks and delegate them to an employee who’s fit to handle that extra responsibility. Properly delegating tasks will help to eliminate downtime, increase productivity and often times build a good foundation for others to also become strong leaders in the workplace.

In my opinion, Lean is an inclusive System - that involves every employee and every employee has a role in a working lean management system. Talking about Value Creation (I do not like Waste Reduction), this is a daily process of continuous improvement, it is defined by the targets and agreements on deliverables with the leadership team, e.g. number of KAIZEN work by department by month. The Lean Management System is a well oiled and structured process that is improving itself, if done right and that does not require me to free up time, because I know my role in the system. Talking about self-learning system: try "adherence check lists" - like any other check-list, helps you to run your meetings, processes and how you can improve.

Assigning tasks based on an individual's skills and capacity for improvement is key, then evaluate each team member's strengths, expertise, and experience relevant to the task at hand. Consider their level of familiarity with Lean tools and techniques, as well as their ability to quickly learn and adapt to new methodologies. Preferentially assign tasks to individuals who are familiar with Lean Manufacturing principles, tools, and techniques, but this ensures that team members can leverage their knowledge and expertise to implement Lean practices effectively and contribute to process improvement initiatives. Assess the individual's ability to work autonomously and take ownership of the assigned task...

Choosing the right person for delegation is crucial to ensure that tasks are completed effectively and contribute to the overall success of the organization. We need to assess the skills, knowledge and competencies of potential candidates to ensure they have the necessary capabilities to perform the delegated tasks. We should consider the experience level of potential candidates, including their past performance, relevant experience and familiarity with similar tasks or projects. We have to evaluate the motivation and interest of potential candidates in taking on the delegated tasks. We need to also consider the availability and current workload of potential candidates to ensure they have the capacity to take on additional responsibilities.

It is my strong believe, that skills, competencies, capabilitiy development is part of a strong Lean Management System. The Lean system does have a skill improvement portion included, so it is not on accident or on specific skills a person brings, but that people in my organization do have the same level - autonomous level of lean system - to operate in the lean culture. Consider few principles of lean: if do not have a problem, create a problem and use the continuous improvement capabilities of the organiaztion to solve it. I consider the same with people - give them challenging tasks and coach them to master them - delegation without support and coaching is suicide.

Create trust and empowerment with in the team and a strong mentoring network, ensure employees areup to speed with the Lean Tools that are needed in the task. Align everyones thinking towards the goal, by demonstrating the Hoshi Kanri and how their task aligns to the target, encouage everyone to give feedback and adjust all the team to adjust the project as needed to meet the goal, brainstorming and open two way communication and collaboration are so important to get the task done on time, on Budget and give the correct result

In my experience, expectations are set as part of a top-down / bottom-up target alignment process (Hoshin Kanri). Adhoc targets, out of context assignments are disturbing the process of implementation. Alternatively, if the targets changed, then an adjustment needs to be done and using the same process. If it is about problems in the process, services, or product - we use Continuous Improvement and Problem Solving processes to bring back the standard or find a new - better - standard.

First we should have faith and belief in the capabilities of team members. Next is to train and empower them to take ownership and demonstrate initiative, creativity, and commitment. Delegating tasks to skilled individuals boosts efficiency and productivity, allowing focus on strategic priorities. It also enables skill development and a positive team environment, promoting collaboration and mutual support. Trusting employees with problem-solving tasks encourages engagement and contributes to ongoing improvement efforts in Lean Manufacturing.