Robert Damelio published a second edition of his best selling book The Basics of Process Mapping this year, and I recently spoke with him about it. I asked him: "While you were developing the second edition of your book, which of the most important concepts in your book still often gets misunderstood?" Here is Robert's reply:
One of the most important (and often misunderstood) properties of work is "waste." Those familiar with the cost of poor quality concept often tend to equate “waste” with defects, rework, returns, inspection, appraisal, failure in test or operation, etc. In general these are forms of waste related to work outputs.
It turns out that more forms of waste, and much greater cost are associated with the resources used and applied during a work activity. This is why waste is defined as any work that does not create value as perceived by the customer.
Here is a table from the new edition of Robert's book that illustrates his points:
What do you think of Robert's table? Do you think his definitions and examples are accurate? What are your experiences with process maps? Do they help diagnose and improve work?
I recently received a brochure for the upcoming 2011 Lean and Six Sigma Conference in Phoenix at the end of February, and I am quite impressed with its program. The application of Lean techniques to nontraditional industries, such as health care, and to different areas within an organization away from the shop floor, such as administration and product development, has proliferated within the past 10 years -- It's great to see this conference reflect that. I'm glad to see more presentations focusing on creating Lean culture as opposed to strictly applying tools as well. In addition, such Productivity Press authors as John Casey, Robert Damelio, Mike Osterling, and Karen Martin lead sessions while Adil Dalal delivers a keynote address. Other than learning about successful applications and case studies, attendees also have numerous opportunities to network with the veterans who have lead or participated in transformations. These informal one-on-one, side conversations often prove invaluable to those just beginning the Lean journey.
