Glossary of terms
[Numbers]
5S or 5C
A five-step approach to improving the workplace environment through housekeeping, and thereby reducing process waste.
5-Step Approach to Problem Solving
A structured approach to identify and measure problems, develop and implement solutions, monitor results and review.
5 Whys (Assumption Busting!)
A technique to encourage people to “drill down” below the symptoms to identify the root causes of a problem.
7 Keys
A seven-step approach to managing service to acquire and retain new customers over the long term.
8 Wastes
Eight categories of waste related to: Transportation; Inventory; Motion; Waiting; Over Processing; Over Production; Defects; Skills, to enable people to identify and remove waste
18 Words
A technique for a team to define the project they are about to work on clearly, concisely and unambiguously.
20 Keys®
A tool that drives assessment of teams, leaders and functional areas for long term improvement planning.
[A]
Action Planning
A method for agreeing who will do what, by when, with what resources and how, to ensure actions are completed.
Active Listening
A technique to help people understand what is being said by others.
Affinity Diagrams
A tool to help groups of people define and clarify problems by grouping large volumes of information into themes.
Asking Questions
The Do’s and Don’ts of asking questions. Covering Open, Behavioural, Follow-up, Closed, Hypothetical, Leading, Forked and Multiple questions.
Assertiveness
Techniques to communicate your views clearly with integrity, honesty, directness and respect for the views of others.
[B]
Bar Charts and Histograms
A simple approach to understanding data quickly by creating a pictorial representation of the data's shape and underlying patterns.
Baselining
A way for a team to understand the day-to-day capability of a process prior to any improvement.
BOOST
A structured way to provide feedback that reinforces positive behaviours and enhances people’s contributions to the team. Covers Balanced, Objective, Observed, Specific, and Timely aspects.
BOSCARD
A way of ensuring that a complex project or business improvement proposal is structured correctly and fully, using Background, Objectives, Scope, Constraints, Assumptions, Resources, Deliverables.
Brainstorming
A technique to help teams generate a large number of ideas
Brainwriting
A brainstorming technique which does not require a face-to-face environment - particularly useful for remote brainstorming using email.
[C]
Change Equation
A way of identifying where to put effort and emphasis based on three ingredients for overcoming resistance to change.
Changeover Reduction
A four-step approach used to reduce the time taken to change a piece of equipment working on one job to another job, sometimes referred to as Single Minute Exchange of Dies (SMED).
Check Sheets
A tabular data collection method for capturing the frequency (counts) at which particular types of problems occur in a process.
Communications Plan
A way for a project team to plan the frequency, tone and content of the communications they will make throughout the project thereby ensuring that all the project stakeholders are kept informed to the correct amount.
Communications Star
A structured approach to ‘good’ communication that addresses Who, What, When, Where, Why and How?
Conflict Resolution
A way to help to resolve conflict objectively, by balancing the interests of all the parties involved, with the importance of the issue.
Consensus Seeking
A way of ensuring that everyone in the team is on-board with a new idea.
COPIS Analysis
A way for a project team to scope a process and therefore the improvement project by looking at: Customer; Outputs; Process; Inputs; and Suppliers.
COPIS Process Mapping
A way for the team to draw the process graphically and see the scope of the improvement project. Performed as the second step to a COPIS Analysis.
Corridor Conversation (also, Elevator Pitch)
A way for each member of the project team to state - clearly and simply - the need for change and the vision for the future improvement.
Cost Benefit Analysis
A method to help teams compare the costs and benefits of different solutions to a problem, evaluate options and select a preferred solution.
Critical Success Factors
A way for the project team to define what must happen to determine the overall success of the project.
Customer Focus Analysis
A way to identify customers and build increased understanding of their needs and views.
Cycle Time Analysis
A tool used to analyse the difference between real (actual) time and touch time throughout the process and ultimately assess the possible impact on the external customer.
[D]
Daily Workgroup Meeting
A daily communications meeting for each work group in front of its Primary Visual Display board, to provide each person with the same picture of progress and issues.
Decision Matrix
A structured tool to help teams objectively select from a range of options and come to a group decision.
[E]
Ease Benefit Matrix
A method to help teams prioritise possible solutions.
Effective Presentations
Techniques to deliver presentations that convey key messages, demonstrate empathy, involve teams in the need for change and boost the speaker’s credibility.
[F]
Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)
A way to assess risks in products and processes by systematically identifying and prioritising potential failure modes, their causes and effects, and thereby reduce them.
Fishbone Analysis
Also known as Cause and Effect analysis or Ishikawa, this is a technique that helps brainstorm and group the possible root causes of a stated effect.
Focused Problem Statement
A way of refining the project objectives and scope to ensure that teams work to an achievable, focused problem without getting bogged down trying to do too much at once.
Force Field Analysis
A method for identifying and prioritising the forces that will help drive change and obstacles that will prevent change from taking place.
Functional Job Analysis
A method to help line managers and jobholders understand both the breadth and depth of a role to identify key inputs to effective performance and any training and development needs.
[G]
Gauge R&R
A method to check whether the way you are measuring data to solve a problem is, in itself, robust or flawed.
GROW Coaching
A structure for coaches to help individuals to learn around Goals, Reality (where he/she is now), Options and the Way Forward.
[H]
Handover Checklist
A document that ensures operational teams can take control of the improved process with all the background information they need for ongoing success.
Hypothesis Testing
A method to determine whether differences among the various groups of data are real or due to chance. It can be used to find root causes and to prove benefits of improvement projects.
[I]
Identifying Team Improvement Activities
A method to help teams improve their performance by identifying what they can do on their own and where they need external help.
Infrastructure Checklist
An approach that ensures the infrastructure of an organisation is right for the new processes that are being introduced.
Intent and Impact
A model to help people achieve their intended impact when communicating to others by raising awareness of the verbal, vocal and visual messages they are sending.
Is / Is Not Analysis
A way to ensure every team member understands the scope of the project and its boundaries, so they are all pulling together and not going off in different directions.
[J]
Johari Window
An approach that raises personal performance, focusing on how people perceive themselves, are perceived by others and their unused potential.
[K]
Kaizen
A focused event where a team is tasked with developing and implementing radical solutions to a process or work area.
Kaizen Action Sheet
A method for capturing small improvement suggestions within the work group.
Kanban
A signal that indicates to a work area that the next stage in the process requires material to be produced, preventing excess inventory and maximising stock turns.
Kano Model
A way of understanding all customer requirements not just those that are stated when defining what the customer really needs from a process.
[L]
Learning Process
A process to help people recognise the need for training, apply it and absorb it into their everyday behaviours.
[M]
Measurement Plan Checklist
A checklist that ensures that enough data is collected about a process to see if it is in a stable state, coping with any abnormalities, to make its measurement a valid source of data for improvement.
Meeting Management
A method of helping to structure and run effective meetings.
Moment of Truth Analysis
An analysis of points at which a customer comes into contact with the products, services, systems, people and procedures of an organisation.
Monitoring Checklist
A series of questions that track a problem a team has tried to solve, looking at whether has been eliminated, if new issues have occurred as a result and what can be learned for future decision-making.
More of/Less of Analysis
A way for the project team to describe their vision for the future state, looking at individual and team behaviours they want to build on and which behaviours they want to reduce or eliminate.
[N]
Nagare Cells
A process for a production unit to improve labour productivity, machine utilisation and reduce inventory as well as increasing flexibility and responsiveness to customer demand.
Negative Brainstorming
An alternative brainstorming technique where ideas are generated from the perspective of what would make a situation worse.
Nominal Group Technique (N/3)
A decision-making method to help teams prioritise which ideas the team wishes to take forward, particularly after a brainstorm session.
Non-Verbal Communication
The way people communicate non-verbally in face-to-face situations through Paralanguage, Kinesic language and Standard features such as distance and physical appearance.
[O]
Overall Equipment Effectives (OEE)
A measure of performance that indicates the ability of equipment to produce quality product, and highlights where improvement effort will yield most benefit.
[P]
Paired Comparisons
A simple way for a team to rank a number of solutions in order to choose the ‘best’ option.
Pareto Analysis
Following the principle that 80% of problems are caused by 20% of the issues, this is an approach that helps to show the critical issues in a visual format, and therefore where effort should be directed to get the most improvement.
Pilot Preparation Checklist
A set of questions that should be considered during preparation to check the adequacy of a pilot solution to an improvement project
Pilot Review Review
A simple tool for determining that claimed improvements to the process under change have actually been achieved.
Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle
A structured approach to problem-solving used to address a broad range of day-to-day issues such as getting a process right or removing surface waste.
Poka Yoke
A tool that makes it impossible to make mistakes, both in design and production, and when the final product or process is being used.
Primary Visual Display (PVD)
The focal point for a work group’s performance and improvement efforts, containing all the key information and reviewed each day at the Daily Work Group Meeting.
Process Mapping
A quick and simple method to visually show the links between different stages of a process, the times and resources required, the interfaces between stages and the roles/responsibilities involved.
Process Review
A simple tool for reviewing a process to ensure that lessons are learned from the project and any necessary improvements are made.
Process Simplification Checklist
A set of ‘What, Where, When, Why, Who, How?’ questions to ensure that a process is not over-complex and is still economical and efficient.
Process Time Reduction
A four-step approach, used to reduce the time a process or activity takes by targeting waste and necessary, but non-value adding, activities.
Project Activity Alignment Matrix
An approach to ensure a team’s activities and tasks are aligned with the project’s Critical Success Factors, and to identify CSFs that do not have sufficient activities aligned with them.
Project Progress Checklist
A way to check whether a project is on course to deliver the improvements on schedule.
Project Selection Checklist
A way to ensure that the selected projects, within an improvement programme, are likely to success and will provide suitable benefits to the organisation.
Project Team Charter
A document for ensuring that the scope and outcome of an improvement project are agreed by all team members and by the sponsor of the project, before the project is started.
Project Team Contract
A way of reinforcing the commitment of each team member, by ensuring everyone understands their role within the team and the responsibility they have to the team.
Purpose and Activity
A model to help people recognise the importance of aligning a team’s core purpose with its activity – so that it does the right things right.
[Q]
Quad of Aims
A simple way to ensure every team member understands the project by clarifying Purpose, Customer / Impact, Deliverables and Success Criteria, and helping to complete the Project Team Charter.
Quality Related Cost Analysis
A way of measuring the size of a weakness, combining the £££ costs of detecting, preventing and rectifying problems.
[R]
Red Tagging
A visual method for teams to identify unnecessary and unfit items in their workplace for subsequent removal, such as excess stock, equipment, tools and documentation.
Relationship Pyramid
An approach that describes the ‘soft’ aspect of managing your customers and how relationships between customers and suppliers can develop, to the point where they feel part of the same team and therefore move to a supportive role.
Resistance Analysis
An approach that helps a project team to predict the resistance to change from individuals, teams and functions and to help to develop a strategy for dealing with their issues and concerns.
Responsibility Grid
A way to record decision-making ands task responsibilities during a project to ensure there is no confusion in the team and among key stakeholders.
Rewards and Measures
A way to collect the details about current rewards and measures and to determine their consequences, with respect to the improved process, so necessary corrective action can be taken.
Risk Analysis
A way to estimate the risk involved in implementing a specific solution and to ensure that those risks are managed.
Role Modelling
An approach that raises understanding of the values of an organisation, what they mean, and how they affect the way people need to work and behave.
Run Chart
A graph that shows data relating to performance over a period of time, enabling special factors that may be influencing the variability of a process to be identified and investigated.
[S]
SARAH
A model to help understand and manage people’s emotions and feelings when they are dealing with change: Shock; Anger; Rejection; Acceptance; Help.
SCAMPER
A way of reviewing or building on a basic solution based around notions of Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Magnify, Minify, Put to other uses, Eliminate and Reverse, when applied to parts of the solution.
Sharing Knowledge
An approach that disseminates knowledge gained on one improvement project across the organisation so that that all similar processes reap the same benefits.
Short Interval Leadership
Periodic, regular contact by the Team Leader with each member of the work group to understand problems, offer support and determine if prior problems have been resolved.
Similarities and Differences
A divergent thinking approach aimed at getting people away from the ‘baggage’ that inhibits creativity.
SIPOC
Standing for ‘Suppliers, Inputs, Process, Outputs and Customers’, this enables teams to produce a high level map of the new process around customer requirements, and to scope the size of the process and therefore the project to improve that process.
Six Thinking Hats
A disciplined approach to reviewing performance and problem-solving, encouraging people to separate their thoughts into six categories and discuss each area one at a time.
SMART Objectives
An effective and motivational way to set and assess performance objectives, requiring goals to be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound.
Spaghetti Chart
A tool to show the physical movement of documents, parts or people during work, which can help to minimise wasted time and effort due to unnecessary motion or transport.
Stakeholder Analysis and Mapping
A way to develop a detailed understanding of key stakeholders so that a strategy can be developed to secure their support for the change programme.
Stakeholder Engagement and Management
A tool that builds upon initial stakeholder analysis and mapping to identify and plan the future involvement and commitment of key stakeholders.
Stakeholder Identification
A way for the project team to identify all the stakeholders and their possible interest in the change, leading to Analysis and Management.
Standardised Working
A set of documents explaining how a process needs to be carried out to achieve the work task in a repeatable manner, ensuring the output is the same regardless of who carries out the work.
Statistical Process Control
A method to monitor and control a process in order to take
pro-active action to correct process problems before errors or rejects have occurred.
Stop Start Continue
A framework to encourage individuals and teams to reflect on what they do and how they do it so as to improve their performance.
Structured Interview
A planned and structured conversation designed to gather evidence of competence against a benchmark.
Structured Observation
A structured way to assess competence against established standards, help managers and trainers to identify training and development needs.
Support and Challenge
A model to remind people of the importance of balancing the level of support and degree of challenge provided to a team or individual.
[T]
Takt Time and Line Balancing
A way to identify the ideal manning level for a line, including opportunities for improvement, by comparing customer demand in terms of time and available resources with requirements at each stage of the process.
Team Progress Review
A regular opportunity for the team to work together to improve their overall effectiveness by reflecting on improvement activity progress.
Team Selection
A way for the project leader and the champion to select the best team, with the right mix of skills, to work on an improvement project.
Team Training Matrix
A visual aid to help measure and display the capability of a team to complete the tasks and activities required to meet its core purpose and objectives.
Threat v Opportunity
A way for the project team to describe the change in terms of
opportunities rather than just the response to a threat.
Time Management
A tool that helps individuals to manage available working time to achieve all their objectives within agreed timescales.
Total Productive Maintenance
An approach that can reduce the amount of lost production time, defective products and increase capacity by ensuring all items of plant and equipment are in an optimum condition
Transition Curve
A model that describe the likely stages people go through over time when confronted by change at work, during which their self-esteem, confidence and work performance will fluctuate.
[U]
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[V]
Value Adding Analysis
A tool that analyses the extent to which a process – or part of a process - adds value for the external customer, thus enabling focus on the Non-Value Added areas for improvement.
Value Stream Mapping
A visual representation of the physical, management and informational activities that are used to make a demand chain work, in order to develop, quantify and agree improvements.
Visual Control
The name given to a range of activities for communicating and controlling what needs to be done, and for instant identification of an abnormal condition.
[W]
Walking and Talking
This refers to leaders scheduling time to walk around the workplace, talking to their team members, motivating staff and listening to concerns, opinions and ideas.
Waste Radar
A tool for helping teams to identify the 8 Wastes in their activities and therefore to measure the impact of any changes on them.
Willingness and Ability
A model to help identify the differences between peoples’ willingness and ability to contribute at work, illustrating the need for different mixes of direction and support.
[X]
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[Y]
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[Z]
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