Have you to do the Lean Audit?
Yes!
Is it easy?
No!
No excuse!
It is a pillar!
In this page, I will explain you the concept
of a Lean Audit and howdo it in an effective way.
Ready?
Go!
Let’s start with the difference between
Conventional vs Lean Audit.
The (Bad) conventional audit.
I have a lot of experience in audit.
Both as audited and as an auditor.
And you?
I will tell you what I saw in years
and
how many waste the companies did with
the “(bad) conventional audit”.
The ingredients of a “bad” audit:
An auditor “policeman”
This kind of auditor has the approach of a “police inspector” looking for crimes.
Audit preparation “last minute”
The tendency to prepare the audit as “show” and not as a normal way of doing.
Already Known “Audited Area”
If you know the area to be audited you will work just there.
So,
How many of these ingredients do you have?
Let’s look to a “good” Lean Audit.
The (Good) Lean Audit.
After years I understood that
the fruitful audit has total different ingredients.
Here for you!
An auditor “willing to help”
This kind of auditor has the approach of interviewing people, process and area by proposing them solutions.
Daily audit by “5S Lean Audit Checklist”
Every area should have the “culture” of 5S Methodology and audit themselves everyday.
All the company to be audited
You cannot say your child has a clean room by auditing just one drawer.
I know what are you thinking.
How I can audit all the company?
It is not easy at all!
The keywords are:
- Leadership Commitment
- Method
To be clearer,
I report some real conversation I heard
in real life.
A conversation during a Bad Audit.
I found that the seal control is not carried out with the appropriate equipment.
Auditor
You are right. Could be not appropriate but we control.
Area Supervisor
Yes, but according to xyz / 2, paragraph 4, you would have had to fill the 4d5r / 3 form in triple copy and send it to the quality.
Then you should stop the line until the inspectors would not detect the anomaly and did the corrective action .
Auditor
Excuse me, but we produce 1000 refrigerator a day, I do not know this form, we have not the time ...
Area Supervisor
There are no excuses, you are required to know the rules.
I will make a report and you have to be in the rules immediately .
Auditor
Excuse me again.
But I asked via e-mail to purchase the right tool for checking months ago and I have not an answer yet.
Area Supervisor
You have to operate following the rules.
I will make a report.
Auditor
Morale of the story:
The auditor made a report.
Planned a check after 6 months and in the meantime, the seal was not controlled with the proper equipment.
After 5 1/2 months before the inspection, the appropriate equipment was bought.
- The problem was not solved.
- The root cause was not investigated.
- There was a big risk of defects for more than 5 months.
- Bad atmosphere, too.
A conversation during a Lean Audit.
I found that the seal control is not carried out with the appropriate equipment.
Auditor
You are right. Could be not appropriate but we control.
Area Supervisor
When you realized that the equipment was no longer functioning,
have you reported to the competent departments?
Auditor
More than once, by phone, by mail, in person ...
Area Supervisor
OK.
You did not use the proper way,
however, the support departments would have to give you an answer.
Now we call quality and verify that the control you are doing now is valid.
Then,
with the emergency procedure, it will be provided with the appropriate equipment.
Auditor
Finally, someone who gives me a hand.
Area Supervisor
Morale of the story:
The auditor called the quality to check if the control was OK.
Then,
He follows the activity to provide the Area Supervisor the correct tools.
- The problem was solved.
- The root cause was investigated.
- Low risk of defects for few days.
- Good atmosphere, too.
Very well LeanLab Staff!
But,
how to do it?
Continue reading and you will discover.
Leader Standard Work
The best way to do a Lean Audit
There is a great book named,
Where the author states
the 4 principal element of the Lean Management.
- Leader Standard Work
- Visual Controls
- Daily Accountability Process
- Leadership Discipline
In the Leadership Standard Work there is the Lean Auditing, too
So,
in this book is suggested to create a Leader Standard Work with
lean internal audit or lean audit checklist that has to be performed.
Now,
I will suggest you the frequency and possible content of the Lean Audit/Checklist
Before,
there is BONUS VIDEO for you to better understand.
You can see here other Lean Manufacturing Video.
[sociallocker]
Roles and Responsability in the Lean Audit
Who: Team Leader
When: Daily with team,at shopfloor.
Activities: Problems, Tasks, Traning, Improvement, Targets.
Who: Supervisor
When: Daily with team leaders
Activities: Review with team leaders. Production Tracking, Staff Reallocation, Kaizen.
Who: Value Stream Manager
When: Weekly with Supervisors, Quality and others
Activities: KPI Review, Value Stream Mapping, Kaizen Event Plans
Who: Plant Manager
When: Weekly with Value Stream Managers.
Activities: Value Stream Review, KPI's, Progress, Problems.
So,
each of the people above has to have his/her
checklist with the topic to treat with the frequency proposed.
Which are the most difficult parts?
- Insert the right questions in the checklist
- Be regular in the audit
The common excuse is:
"I have no time for this"
How to solve it?
If you are the change agent of your
company you have to lead by example,
be regular and help the others to do it.
Do you want an help to be regular
in your Lean Audit?
Subscribe our "Lean Mail Reminder" for free.
We will send you mails to remind to perform the audit!
Try now!
We value your privacy and would never spam you
Conclusions
Here we prepared for you (with Excelean) a
Lean Audit Checklist you can do
to get familiar with the concept by using the document.
If you do it you learn it!
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