Waffle House does the Kanban? (#10)

In our Lean courses, Six Sigma Development Solutions, Inc. teaches “Visual Data,” which is the sort of data that is common in a Lean climate. Lean climates push the driver to “add value” to the product or service the company sells. Actions that do not “add value” to that product or service, like checking schedules or filing reports, are called “non-value added” actions.

To avoid the driver from operating NVA actions, Lean environments should allow for data to be displayed and updated in real time by using Lean Visual Signals. These signals allow for the driver to understand their surroundings and accomplishments in real time by use of defined metrics like TAKT time and Pull Systems. These signals also help the driver to understand the next steps without needing to waste time looking for a schedule or a road map.

To help them determine “What’s Next,” a lot of organizations will try to use complex and expensive technological systems. We have seen an organization who succeeded in representing Visual Data just with the condiments from their kitchen. While sipping on some coffee at Waffle House, I was amazed at how easily the Chef remembered the details of each and every order that the wait staff would yell out. At the annoyance of my wife, I was extremely focused on the steps of this process. Recalling numerous orders by memory is a unique trait.

After a while, I noticed the plates lined up on the Chef’s bar in relation to the order sequence. There were small containers of condiments placed on the edge of the plates. My initial reaction was that these condiments were just randomly placed on the plate, until I observed the pattern of the condiments. Three plates were placed in the same pattern and I proved my theory when the next set of similar plates came out. The condiment placement was the Visual Data that helped the Chef know the details of their current environment and what is yet to come.

In our Lean Six Sigma courses we teach the Hierarchy of Improvements: “Simplify, Innovate, Automate.” Simplify, the easiest and most cost effective step, is usually skipped by organizations who go directly to Automate. We have seen several organizations who add MRP or ERP systems in attempt to Automate difficult (sometimes broken) processes. It is only after the integration that they discover that this new system only increases the complication and lead time, rather than reduce or solve the problem.

Waffle House used the Hierarchy of Improvements to improve their process. By using the condiments as a visual sign to let the Chef know what is next and what the details of the order are, they could easily implement a common Lean concept.

The next time you visit Waffle House, check out their Hierarchy of Improvements and let us know what you think!

About Six Sigma Development Solutions, Inc.

We are Certified as an Accredited Training Organization with the International Association of Six Sigma Certification (IASSC)

“The IASSC Accredited Training Organization (ATO) designation validates Six Sigma Development Solutions, Inc. has demonstrated adequate management systems, courseware with a high degree of correlation to the subject matter contained in the IASSC Bodies of Knowledge, delivery schema consistent with such content and highly qualified instructors.”

We Provide Public Lean Six Sigma Green Belt and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification Training Courses in 34 Cities across the globe.

Our Training Centers are located in: Albuquerque, New Mexico | Anchorage, Alaska | Atlanta, Georgia | Austin, Texas | Boston, Massachusetts | Calgary, Canada | Charlotte, North Carolina | Chicago, Illinois | Cincinnati, Ohio | Cleveland, Ohio | Columbus, Ohio | Dallas, Texas | Denver, Colorado | Detroit, Michigan | Dubai, UAE | El Paso, Texas | Fort Smith, Arkansas | Honolulu, Hawaii | Houston, Texas | Indianapolis, Indiana | Jacksonville, Florida | Kansas City, Missouri | Las Vegas, Nevada | London, England | Los Angeles, California | Louisville, Kentucky | Memphis, Tennessee | Mexico City, Mexico | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Montreal, Canada | Nashville, Tennessee | New Orleans, Louisiana | New York City, New York | Northwest Arkansas | Orlando, Florida | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | Phoenix, Arizona | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | Portland, Oregon | Raleigh, North Carolina | Salt Lake City, Utah | San Diego, California | Seattle, Washington | St. Louis, Missouri | Tampa, Florida | Toronto, Canada | Vancouver, Canada | Washington, DC

We Provide Onsite Lean Six Sigma Certification Training. Some of the training's we provide are: Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt, Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt, Lean Six Sigma Champions Training and Lean Certifications for Healthcare, Finance, I.T, Manufacturing, Processing, Logistics, Retail Sales and Government.

SSDSI will come to your site to train for your choice of the Lean Six Sigma Certification Levels.

Onsite training is more cost effective than open enrollment training when training larger groups of team members.

Benefits of Onsite Training:

The Training is focused on Your Opportunities

SSDSI uses your opportunities in class (vs. generic examples)

You will get the experience of a seasoned Lean and Six Sigma Master Black Belt who will help mentor you while completing your Lean and Six Sigma Project

You can train up to 20 employees for one fixed cost (this cost includes course ware and the instructors travel & lodging)

Our courses are full of games, simulations, and active learning to help the adult learner

SSDSI can customize the training to meet your company’s particular training needs

Call Kevin Clay at 214-731-3176 or email at kclay@sixsigmadsi.com for more information