Even if you're not familiar with Kanban, chances are you've come across the distinctive cards and boards associated with Kanban in one way or another. One of the most recognizable illustrations of Kanban in practice is the classic whiteboard covered in sticky notes, which has become a symbol of "brainstorming" and "collaboration" in the workplace.
Kanban, a Japanese term meaning "visual board" or "sign," has been employed to delineate processes since the 1960s. The Kanban method was introduced by T. Ohno of Toyota. Ohno was inspired by this idea during a visit to the United States when he observed a supermarket's operations. In the supermarket, products were pulled from the shelves, and the missing items were promptly replenished. This exemplified the renowned pull system in action. This approach fostered an even stronger connection between supply and demand, leading to enhancements in quality and the flow of goods.
The Kanban system, pioneered by Mr. Taiichi Ohno, Toyota's vice president, is designed to achieve the following four objectives:
- Visualize work: The initial step in implementing a Kanban board is to visually represent your current processes. By mapping out your workflow as it stands, you can pinpoint issues that require attention and initiate improvements.
- Limit work-in-progress (WIP): By constraining the volume of unfinished tasks, it becomes possible to reduce the time products spend navigating the Kanban system. This approach also helps mitigate problems associated with task-switching and constant product adjustments.
- Focus on flow: Within the realm of Kanban, "flow" pertains to the movement of work items through the production process. It involves comprehending and optimizing the work process to expedite the progression of action items through the system.
- Continuous improvement: When a Kanban system functions effectively, it establishes the groundwork for an organizational culture centered around ongoing enhancement. Teams can gauge their effectiveness by measuring and analyzing factors such as flow, quality, and runtime.
- Applicable to components, assemblies, and information production, enabling them to align with customer demand.
- Minimizes the stock of raw materials, work in progress, and finished goods.
- Sustains equilibrium among work centers through effective communication between consumers and suppliers.
- Highlights irregular situations when processes come to a halt.
There are specific guidelines governing the KANBAN system, which include:
- The final process initiates a request to the preceding process indicating the quantity of items to be processed.
- The preceding process dispatches items only upon receiving a KANBAN signal.
- No goods are dispatched or received unless accompanied by a KANBAN.
- KANBANs are never associated with defective products.
- It is essential to always attach KANBANs when sending goods or making a request.
- As the process matures, there should be a gradual reduction in the number of KANBANs.
- Strict adherence to these rules is crucial for the successful implementation of the KANBAN system.
To sum up, embracing the Kanban system presents numerous compelling benefits for organizations in pursuit of streamlined and productive processes and workflow management. Kanban introduces a visually intuitive, adaptable, and customer-centric method for overseeing work.
For more such interesting articles on Six Sigma and its concepts, please click?here
