Lean Six Sigma Academy

I finally finished “The 4-Hour Workweek” by Timothy Ferris.  This book was quite the emotional journey. 

Before I even read it I was both skeptical and encouraged at the same time.  I then came across an interesting concept called the Parkinson’s Law which intrigued me.  Then I entered a phase in the book that began to really annoy me.  Finally, the book ended sort of flat as Ferriss began to get all philosophical and pretty much lost me as his philosophy on life is, well, very different than mine.

So here are some parting thoughts on the book which, for the record, I recommend you pick up at your local library when it becomes available if you are interested in reading it.

What I liked

To be sure, Ferriss can write.  The book flows well and his use of quotes and relevant stories does make it an easy read.  He also makes a lot of sense when speaking about how we often spend too much time on things that matter little.  He ties this in with the Pareto Principle nicely. 

One interesting example he offers is how he “fired” a large percentage of his customers (yes, customers) since they did very little business with him.  Instead of focusing on the trivial many, he focused more on the vital few customers that did lots of business with him.  He claims this worked well for him.  I am not so sure I buy into this completely but will take him for his word.

What I didn’t like

Ah, where to start.  Ferriss is sold on things like batching and outsourcing pretty much every aspect of your life - you know pretty much opposite of everything people like Taiichi Ohno taught us.

He also wants you to “automate” things empowering others to do all the hard work for you which allows you to check your email once a week (or less).  Sounds great for the “New Rich” (NR) but what about the people in India working for next to nothing running his virtual business.  I guess they don’t get to live a 4-Hour Workweek like him.

Also, Ferriss is trying to sell this idea that having all this money and time will make you happy.  It’s as if the family that makes $35,000 per year can’t live a happy life.  I have news for Mr. Ferriss, I have seen some of the poorest people in all the world… and guess what?  They are some of the happiest people I know. 

I also know some super wealthy people.  You know the kind where the “stay at home” wife drops the kids off at daycare everyday so she can “play” with her friends.  These people, in my opinion, seem to be some of the unhappiest people I know.

My definition of rich

I am not poor nor rich.  I have been blessed with a career that I love and do well.  You see I subscribe to the old saying, “Find a job you love, and never work a day in your life.”  And since I get to teach people about lean and six sigma everyday I am like a kid in a candy store with endless aisles.

I also have a family I love more than anything money can buy.  And the smiles on my kids faces when I walk in the door each night makes me feel like the richest man on earth already.  And, no, Mr. Ferriss I am not interested in outsourcing any of it.

If you enjoyed this post please subscribe to this blog via RSS feed.

As regular readers of this blog know I am reading the 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss.  I am still not done with it but wanted to officially declare this book is beginning to annoy me.

The New Rich

Early in the book Ferriss introduces us to the New Rich (NR).  These people have both money and time to spend it.  They outsource everything and essentially check their email once a week to see how things are going.  Many people are drawn to this idea since they hate most aspects of their life, especially their jobs.

Batching

Ferriss also promotes batching everything.  He explains how you should tool up for a task and then get it all down at one go to avoid changeovers.  It seems Ferriss has read the playbook of the most traditional mass producers out there.  Hey Tim, if you are reading, here is a new topic for your next book  - Single Minute Exchange of Dies.  Read up on it and holler if you have any questions.

Outsourcing

Not to be outdone, Ferriss then goes on to explain how we should outsource everything.  I mean everything.  He shares a story from the Esquire CEO who bought into this outsourcing idea.  It’s at this point I almost puked.  Check this one out.

Wife Problems

This  Esquire dude has his Indian admin work all of this emails, contact clients, tell them to quit bothering him, etc.  OK, this may be acceptable.  But then, sorry for the un-Christian language I am about to use, this idiot has his admin send his WIFE an email since he can’t seem to keep her off his back.  So his Indian admin sends an email to the guys wife explaining how he loves her, etc.  Give me a freaking break people.

One More Post

I promise to finish this book soon (speed reading from here on out) and share some final comments.  In fairness to Mr. Ferris, there are some decent ideas in the book even if many of them are whacked (in my opinion).  Anyhow, stay tuned for that.

Subscribe

If you enjoyed this post please subscribe to this blog via RSS feed.

I am on page 75 of “The 4-Hour Workweek.”  The jury is still out on whether this book is total bull pucky or border line genius.  Here is an excerpt explaining an interesting time management concept.

Parkinson’s Law dictates that a task will swell in (perceived) importance and complexity in relation to the time allotted for its completion. It is the magic of the imminent deadline. If I give you 24 hours to complete a project, the time pressure forces you to focus on execution, and you have no choice but to do only the bare essentials. If I give you a week to complete the same task, it’s six days of making a mountain out of a molehill. If I give you two months, God forbid, it becomes a mental monster. The end product of the shorter deadline is almost inevitably of equal or higher quality due to greater focus.

Stay tuned for a full review in the near future.

If you enjoyed this post please subscribe to this blog via RSS feed. What’s RSS?

There is a new book out called ”The 4-Hour Workweek.” It’s author is an interesting fellow by the name of Timothy Ferriss.  They guy is like an ultimate fighter (yeah, cage style) so I need to be careful what I say… lest he kicks my teeth in.  In any event, I haven’t read the book yet but intend to.

I’ll admit to reading most of the Robert Kiyosaki books about good old Rich Dad and they were OK.  I mean assets generating cash sounds great and I do have some rental property and even some vending machines that make a nice consistent income every month.  And while the extra cash is nice, I am not replacing my salary anytime soon.  Plus having renters abandon and trash your old house is not what I would call a fun way to earn a living.  Rich Dad never told me that would happen.  Hmm.

Is there a lean or six sigma relationship?

But I am intrigued to learn more about Mr. Ferriss’ ideas as I wonder if there is something we, as lean and six sigma  practitioners, can learn.  I am hesistant to say there is as Mr. Ferris spends a lot of time talking about “outsourcing” things and we know how well that works in most cases.

Who does the work?

A question I have, and hope the book answers, is if we all work 4 hours per week who will man the restaurants and coffee shops we will all want to hang out in?  What about school teachers?  Do our kids only get to learn 4 hours per week?  Of course then there are the pilots and flight attendants.  If they get onto this 4 hour work week then traveling to all the luxurious vacation spots may be harder than it already is.  And Lord knows, the airline industry needs all the help they can get.  And while Toyota is good, real good in fact, I doubt even they can manage to meet customer demand in just 4 hours per week.  Gosh, their takt time is 55 seconds now as it is! 

I want to write a book

I have been thinking of writing a book myself.  I’m going to call it, “Get a Job and Be Thankful for What You Have.”  But somehow I doubt this would interest as many people.  Not sexy enough I suppose.

Perhaps I am missing the point of “The 4-Hour Workweek” so will stop now since I haven’t read the book.  But stay tuned as I will share my thoughts once I read this best seller.  Seriously, it’s like #1 I think.

Update: OK, I just watched this video and decided I may like this guy. Watch how he stays calm when the other dude goes nuts on him. Some of the things Ferriss says do sound a bit lean in nature. We shall see.

Want to give it a read?

The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich (Hardcover)

If you enjoyed this post please subscribe to this blog via RSS feed.  What’s RSS?

When is the best time for kaizen?  Anytime?  Perhaps.  However, in Taiichi Ohno’s Workplace Management we read that the best times to do kaizen are when things are going great. 

There is an expression “poverty dulls your wits” which means that when you are impoverished you will not be able to have good ideas and help yourself.

When I first read this I struggled with it since you often hear that the best time for kaizen is during a crisis. But then the following words set me straight.

These days the market conditions are so good for people in some industries that they are laughing all the way to the bank, but I think they may need to stop laughing and prepare for when times are not so good again and step up their kaizen efforts.

Want to read more? If so, buy Taiichi Ohno’s Workplace Management today.

If you enjoyed this post please subscribe to this blog via RSS feed.  What’s RSS?

In Taiichi Ohno’s Workplace Management we read about the difference between animal-like-motion and human work.  Simply put many people confuse moving around with working.  This is to say that we can work up a sweat and look as if we are really humping it when in fact little work is being done.  Ohno says it best in his no nonsense manner:

“For example, during the work of machining a part and changing its shape, the worker may skillfully stack up parts five high on the chute between the machines. This is the play of children in kindergarten, not the work of grown men. Companies that pay people for this type of activity will become unprofitable.”

This is a manufacturing example and you may not machine parts for a living.  But I promise if you study the way you do your job as an accountant, salesperson, fast food employee, etc. there will be many occasions where you are simply moving around with no work being done.  The challenge lies in seeing this and then doing something about it.

In Chapter Six of Taiichi Ohno’s Workplace Management we read about the Profit formulas.  I must confess I thought I completely understood this concept when in fact I was only partly correct.  Let’s explore it tonight.  When we think about how a company can turn a profit there are three ways we can express it.

1. Price – Cost = Profit
2. Profit = Price – Cost
3. Price = Cost + Profit

For the math gurus out there you may be scratching your head as algebraically these formulas are the same.  But Mr. Ohno begs to differ.

Formula 3

Let’s start with the third formula (Price = Cost + Profit).  Mr. Ohno explains that this may be likened to the government approach to setting a price.  If, for example, a profit of $100 is wanted and the cost to produce the product is $200 the price is $300. 

Formula 2

This is the trickiest formula (Profit = Price – Cost) and is where I was a bit mistaken myself.  Ohno likens this formula to a company that produces luxury goods since they cannot reduce costs.  I am reminded of a recent article I read about Motorola who is targeting the rich with their newest Razr like cell phone. I wish they would wake up and just get their costs down by implementing some Lean with all that Six Sigma… but I digress.

Formula 1

Lastly we come to the Lean formula (Price – Cost = Profit).  This formula is arranged in such a way as to say that costs exist to be reduced, not to be calculated.  The thinking here is that the market sets the price and the only sure way we can increase profits is by reducing costs. 

The first several chapters of Taiichi Ohno’s Workplace Management spend a lot of time discussing misconceptions. Ohno said:

“Very often after we try we find that the results are completely opposite of what we expected, and this is because having misconceptions is part of what it means to be human.”

Ohno explains the power of misconception using the following diagram. Please study the diagram on the left and note which line is longer - the vertical line or the horizontal line?  Once you have your answer please study the diagram below it.  Now which line is longer?

Did your answer change? It shouldn’t have since the lines are the same size.  The only difference is the position of the lines.

In the first diagram our eyes tend to tell us that the vertical line is longer than the horizontal line. In the second diagram all I did was shift the horizontal line to the center of the vertical line. This helps us see that the lengths are actually the same.

The point is our eyes can lie to us. What seems so clear and even, dare I say, logical can turn out to be a misconception.

And unless we step out of our comfort zone from time to time and challenge the status quo these misconceptions can rule us.  Ohno talks about thinking “beyond common sense.” These are easy words to read… but much harder to practice.

If you enjoyed this article please subscribe to LSS Academy via our RSS feed.

I have now read Taiichi Ohno’s Workplace Management which was recently translated by Gemba Press. I have already started reading it a second time as I know I will gain an enormous amount reading it again (and maybe a third time).

I wanted to share my first impressions of the book. I will offer a more thorough impression of the book once I finish my second pass.

This book reads as though Mr. Ohno is speaking to you. I suppose the reason for this is because it is the documentation of a series of interviews he gave to the JMA!

With this said it is not the smoothest read you will ever lay your eyes on. I have a feeling this is largely due to translating it from Japanese to English. Also, and I could be way off here, I sense that Mr. Ohno was not the most “polished” speaker of his time. This is not to say he sounds unintelligent. It is just a feeling I got from listening to the way he carries on a conversation. He has a simple, yet very deep, way about him. It is quite mysterious when I stop and think about it.

The other thing that jumped out at me was how Mr. Ohno seemed to be a bit of a hard a##. He almost bragged about how he would yell at supervisors in front of their employees since he felt this would help them drive improvement down through their organization. I struggled with this aspect of him as it didn’t seem very respectful. Perhaps it is deeper than I realize now.

The last thing I will say is I only wish I could have met Mr. Ohno face to face. The knowledge and wisdom this man had in his head was simply beyond this world.

This book was not what I expected. It was better. If you are serious about really understanding the TPS (i.e. beyond the easy stuff like kanban, standard work, and heijunka) you need to buy it and read it at least 2 times.

As I explained a few nights ago I received my copy of “Workplace Management” by Taiichi Ohno. When I first looked at the book I was a bit surprised at how small the book looked. Normally when I see a 100 something page book I can blow through it in a hour or so. Not so with this book.

I am 2/3 of the way through the book right now. I plan to finish it in the next day or two. Let me rephrase that… I plan to finish my first pass through this book in the next day or two.

I wouldn’t say the book is hard to read. In fact it is simple to “read” in the strictest sense of the word. But the book is full of deep meaning. Deep with a capital D. I mean we are learning from the master himself so to think you are going to be able to blow through with little effort on your part is ridiculous.

Anyhow, more to come soon!