Dear Commander:
“You have got to be prepared to take those risks or you … are never going to make that leap in life that you need to make to be a great leader” – Retired Admiral William McRaven.
Some Benefits of the Toyota Production System
Firstly, let me paint a picture of your future base organization after implementing the expertise of the Toyota Production System. The advantages of a maniacal focus on process and system improvement:
- Above all, everyone in the Military System is directed toward success and the War Fighter,
- Subsequently, the Military System attains Profound Knowledge of Military Processes, and
- A new winning culture is attained,
- Consequently, the Military System Seeks Perfection:
- At a rate of 11 ideas per military employee per year,
- Command Management defines the direction of all these ideas,
- Toyota will not expand to a new plant unless they have a critical mass of employees that know this procedure,
- This is the reason no competitor will ever catch Toyota, and
- Your culture improves to one of winning.
- Above all, organize your Military Suppliers into at least 7 categories:
- Tier 1: Strategic and deliver Just-in-Time,
- Tier 2: Strategic and meeting Sigma Performance Requirements,
- Tier 3: Strategic and desired Just-in-Time deliveries,
- Tier 4: Strategic and not meeting Sigma Performance Requirements,
- Tier 5: Not Strategic and Just-in-Time,
- Tier 6: Not strategic and not meeting Sigma Requirements, and
- Tier 7: Not Strategic and Meeting Sigma Requirements.
- Firstly, everyone on the service or product line becomes a quality inspector through the use of andon:
- andon is the stoppage of a system when a defect is detected,
- Continuously remove operational defects.
- Implement the Pull Methodology wherever possible. It increases process speed and minimizes inventory waste,
- Implement Lean Six Sigma to:
- increase Military process velocity,
- Decrease process costs, and
- Increase process quality.
- Success metrics are periodically reported to management,
- You attain Profound Knowledge of your whole Military System, and
- Your System will get stronger year after year.
In Summary
The Toyota Production System is a 6+ Sigma System and there’s no reason your Military System cannot strive for that level of performance. Focusing on Operational Excellence delivers progress toward a Malcolm Baldrige Award (indicating the realization of Operational Excellence as a strategic advantage). The Military operations will improve and War Fighters will attain a fighting advantage.
Sincerely,
Jim FitzGerald
Lean Six Sigma Master Black Belt
844-575-9210
Apply the Tools of The 6+ Sigma Toyota Production System to the Military System