The PJ (poor joke) above might no longer remain a PJ if banana peel is replaced by a typical problematic situation one encounters in daily routine. The question remains unanswered then: Why do some people find it difficult to act beyond cure? They do think 'Prevention is The Best Cure' though! I was no different from them! But now my journey is gathering speed, hopefully in the direction that the blog is supposed to drive towards. Checkout my other blogs and work at http://www.worldOFkaizen.com/
Showing posts with label Water. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Water. Show all posts

Friday, 2 September 2022

JIT for sustainability!

What do you see in the pic... 

Some may respond, "I see... 
- two paper cups \ glasses of water, 
- One of the cups \ glasses half full, the other one empty! 
- cups \ glasses waiting to get disposed!" and so on!

Can you make a story of it!

(Immediately after boarding a flight) I'd asked for half glass of HOT WATER!

The airhostess promptly fetched me a full glass of lukewarm water!

Second time after a while, while she was on a service round, I 'showed' her the old cup and indicated to fill in it half (glass of) HOT WATER again!

She (ignored the old paper cup &) served me lukewarm water (by mixing cold water in it) in a fresh paper cup!

What's the learning!?

My learning is: 
1.. Ask for what you want (here the HOT WATER) clearly specifying (in this cup "please" &) not to mix cold water in it! Merely showing the cup may not be enough. The supplier need to clearly communicate her inability, if any, to supply as per specifications.
2.. Never take the customer's specification for granted. Always confirm specifications of her need!
3.. It's good to share such stories to train your own staff back in your office as also at your home about the - importance of customer specification\s in the JIT¹ way as in point-1 above! - need for sustainability (to re-use) specially when the customer has specified so! - need to express inability, if any, to supply with justified reasons in an honest, caring & gentle manner - importance of observation power and alertness to learn from each moment & from each happening around in order to generate opportunities for improvement (OFI) in self if not in others. The latter may be out of one's control!
4.. Although the above behaviours look commonsensical, they rarely happen. So change in attitude is needed at personal level reflecting it in the desired behaviours.
5.. Rather than being a mere spectator, an observer around may take lead in appreciating such desired behaviours. Positive reinforcement thereby may help recurrence of such desired behaviours!

By the way, this is not a story! 

It's an actual customer-experience. It actually reinforces - how much waste (here the cup & the water served in excess over the demand) gets generated in each of such transactions between a customer and a supplier! - how badly there is a need to educate and train people to reduce waste and help the sustainability movement in order to reduce global warming!

¹ JIT is - Just (i.e. exactly) what's needed, - Just (i.e. exactly) when it is needed, - Just (i.e. exactly) how & how much amount is needed! JIT approach to work provides unending OFI's or Kaizens as done by many companies the world over.

Wednesday, 1 February 2017

Water Matter

Study the two videos attached!

What do they suggest?

One of the videos shows the amount of water that goes down the drain (rather gets wasted) in a single flush stroke.

The other one shows the wastage of water is reduced considerably.

The latter was a case of handling the lever consciously to release it early enough so that only needed amount of water is used.
Sometimes it's a case of wrong setting or lack of maintenance, both resulting in the lever getting stuck. See picture-1.

In any case, human is to err!
The error however results into defective output and hence it produces waste.

But then what can one do?

See picture-2. This one is a mistake-proof (called as Poka-Yoke Kaizen in Japanese industry!) design of the flush tank.

It has two levers side by side: one for economy flushing and the other for normal flushing. The user needs to choose the right one consciously of course! Another opportunity for Poka-Yoke that is!

It's good to eliminate defects and waste early enough at initial or design stage itself. That's why this pillar of TPM (total productive maintenance) is also called as 'early equipment management' or 'initial flow control' (IFC).

It's the job of everybody to think, workout and feed their ideas about probable failure modes (FMEA, failure mode and effect analysis) so that corresponding Kaizen solutions can be incorporated at design stage itself.

The objective is to make the offering easier, faster, and less costly to make it and service it as well. In fact the design should, as far as possible, be maintenance free during the life-cycle of the offering; the concept called life-cycle-cost.

Can the change advance from thoughts stage to action now?




Read a few relevant blogposts hereunder:

Change is a hearty game!
Rise-n-Fall in the Rain-Fall 
Take Habits For A Ride 
Can-changing-thoughts-change-a-nation
Do you exercise your choice meaningfully
Not-Soon, Says Monsoon
Rise-n-Fall in the Rain-Fall   

Tuesday, 31 January 2017

Change is a hearty game!

I wash my cup after tea and plate after food almost immediately. As much early (JIT) you do so, as much lesser resources you consume. Because, they are easier and faster to wash with less water when they are still wet.

The other day I'd to do it with left hand because one of the fingers was swollen after clipping off my nails.

It was difficult for me because I am a right-hander.

Usually any change is difficult but possible. Try signing with your left hand if your are used to doing it with your right hand.

I'd to get the senior management team of a company to try this out the other day. The reason was their impatience on the change management initiative in their company.

It was just about a few weeks having begun the initiative. Each visit the managers would be anxious to know when would their subordinates change their work habits for the better.

Change management is about commitment to change self first (PQI, personal quality initiative). It's about putting in concerted and continued efforts during the process because it's more to do with head (mind) and heart rather than hands (physical actions) alone.

Listening to other's 'voices' (be it your employee or customer or any stakeholder for that matter) actively plays a major role in the change management process. It's not merely hearing but it's about hearing them tactfully and tenderheartedly... Hear-T in short! Active listening creates an emotional connect or a connection with their heart.

Mind (head) always connects a little later. Mind connects only after the heart gets connected. Heart itself gets connected if they see your concerted and continued actions towards the desired change rather than empty speeches and promises.

Their actions to change their habits as desired is the corollary thereafter!

Also read a few relevant blogposts hereunder: Please do consider leaving a comment or sharing this post.

Mosquito to teach patience
Voice of Customer
No Time? Micro-Meditate 
What do you do when a dog barks at you?
How To Make A Difference 
Conscious Of Self-Esteem
Catch a Butterfly
Overworked? Tension? CPU of the mind hung-up
Do you exercise your choice meaningfully 
IQ-EQ-or-SQ: What-is-more-important
Eternally Happy
In-a-problem? No-problem! Dwell-a-while
I am afraid ! What do I do !! 
Fearful-Of-Death-of-Birth
Take Habits For A Ride 
Happy-Birthday-to-Youooo
Do You Celebrate Mean-or-Green 
Big-Be Or Bug-Be ! 
Raam or Krishna-Shyam: Tell me Hey Raam! 
Are You Good If Others Are Bad?  
Want Need-Or-Want 
Love is Care.. Care is Love !  
Deity is in the eyes of the beholder 
Success-or-failure! What-do-you-like?
Ball-Basin-Team Combine !  Maketh The Smile Divine !! 

Thursday, 5 January 2017

Digital Corporate Yoga


I was excited when I first read about Smart cities in India! 

My city Thane (with probably the highest floating population in India) was among the shortlisted ones.

With a caveat, I feel the 'local' or layman's understanding of the 'Smart' goes hardly beyond digitally automating and monitoring human and material activities. To some prosumers and politicians alike, it's about 'showing' that we also do not lag behind in IOT (internet-of-things), in digitally connecting (and networking of) everything (devices, people and resources) everywhere in real time. In Kaizen parlor, the IOT is supposed to connect each Gembutsu at each Gemba in Genjitsu time.

In reality, Smart city initiative is supposed to be much more than synthetically planting 'digital' over its current level of physical existence. It's supposed to go to the higher level of physical, social, political, economic, 'emotional', 'mental', and 'spiritual' existence as well. I call the initiative as the Digital Corporate Yoga of the cities or rather of the universe!

I think it's of no use to call such cities Smart unless the digital progress helps them, the people (all stakeholders) and the cities alike, to evolve and get holistic experience of value.

Smart cities are supposed to house smart companies as well: the ones that are lean, digital internally and digitally connected externally to their value chains upstream as well as downstream.

Yes; being digital and lean, or in short each constituent of the smart city being digitally lean, is important.

But it's like, crudely say, the Digital or Soft or electronic form of Monozukuri that can be facilitated only through Hitozukuri as in case of smart companies in Japan. Without human involvement nothing can work as desired!

Monozukuri is about making products (rather making great offerings of products as well as services that add value) through Hitozukuri. The latter is about involving and 'making' (rather developing) people without whom Monozukuri is nearly impossible. Implementing both Hitozukuri and Monozukuri simultaneously as integral and complimentary concepts (see book 'Stay Lean, Make Planet Green') is the essence for any improvement initiatives to be sustainable at that. It's no different for digital initiatives

Why is it so, particularly in case of digital initiatives? 


Why do some people can't go beyond using an advanced IOT-capable smart phone (only) for socialising at higher speeds rather than for improved productivity?


Rather it's about their logical sequencing: 

The answer is in the roots of the questions such as follows!

Why do people keep going back to using Excel sheets in spite of expensively installed ERP systems in place? Or 

The answer is: Lack of Hitozukuri! 

Any ERP system in a company (be it expensive or otherwise) finds it difficult to succeed in it's true sense (to deliver the expected  levels of performance, as initially desired when the same was marketed by the suppliers) in absence of 'involving and preparing' people for the same. Same would-be the case of smart (digital) cities too! 

It's like taking up a high-tech flyover to speedily 'flyover' the problems left unattended below it, back once again to land into the traffic jam at the other end. (Extract  from Book "Stay Lean Make Planet Green, The Toyota Approach" by Shyam Talawadekar)

Smart cities will happen if people learn to take care of every little thing just like they would do for their hard earned penny. They must learn to prevent waste of any resource however insignificant it may appear to be like, say, to care for even a drop of water! 

In short, they must learn to put basics in place!

So to me, Digital Corporate Yoga is about both the Monozukuri and Hitozukuri coexisting. 

The horse before the cart; 
The Hitozukuri before the Monozukuri; 
The Smart people before the Smart cities!

Also read a few relevant blogposts hereunder: Please do consider leaving a comment or consider sharing this post.

Digitally Lean, Physically Fat  Kaizen, even in air!
In a Problem?: No Problem ! Dwell A While !! 
Soon... Waste-to-Eat ! Sea-to-Drink !!
About my first book World-Of-Kaizen
Can-changing-thoughts-change-a-nation
customer gets what s/he deserves: Shoddy Quality
Listen to iceberg of VOC to acquire customers
Make It Simpler, Rest Will Follow 
How To Make A Difference 
Treat Root-causes, Not Symptoms ! 
Do You Cleanup-After-Crisis 
Will It Work Here?  
Some Moron ! Some Great !!! 
That's How Morons Work 
You seem Reasonable if you appear Un-reasonable 
Smart-Moron Who Breaks Your Glass  
WOW Work-Culture: By Telling or Selling 
Can-changing-thoughts-change-a-nation
Ridiculous Poison-culture versus Maverick Kaizen-culture 
Tolerate Once, Twice, Thrice? 
That's how some business partnerships work 
Taken-For-Granted ? You Deserve It !! 
Technology in-place, security dis-placed
IQ-EQ-or-SQ: What-is-more-important?
Customer or Custo-Mer?  
Experienced A Delightful Payment ! 
An Experience of Heart-and-Soul 
Less With More And More Gets Sore 
Should one care for value?  
ABCD of India Shining
Beware Of Political-Presentations 
Do You Cleanup-After-Crisis 
Hoarders Of Filthy Hoardings

Monday, 11 January 2016

Penny-Wise Pound-Wiser

Penny-Wise Pound-Wiser
Daily saving countless Water
Being an intelligent Miser

That's the Haiku poem I wrote at the sight of my dinner plate.
Actually each day I tried to be a miser and console myself that I'm an intelligent miser. 

I reason it out of being a so-called self-appointed "intelligent" miser. 
Why? Because I ask some "foolish" questions to every human activity that I see, rather, that "I probe" I should say. 

But I don't have control over some. 
So I be "funny" with myself, with what I've control over. 

My dinner plate for instance.
I 'want' a fresh one. That's my desire.
That's my healthy habit.
But can my 'need' be served by something else?

Can I choose a soiled one that's available from the kitchen after being used for its intended purpose in the cooking process? 

For instance, one in picture is the pot of balance quantity of rice and another one is that balance quantity of curd. 

One plate and one bowl stays fresh!
Also you can see an old newspaper used below the plate so that the table doesn't get soiled. 

Plate reused!
Water saved, waste eliminated!!
Economy for Ecology!!!

How many such activities and avenues possible in a day? 
How much time can be saved that can be used for more value-adding work? 
How much water can be saved each day?

Countless at times!!!

Penny-Wise Pound-Foolish it is to call the self so-called intelligent!

Read a few relevant blogposts hereunder:

Rise-n-Fall in the Rain-Fall 
Take Habits For A Ride 
Can-changing-thoughts-change-a-nation
Do you exercise your choice meaningfully
Poverty-to-Power of Poetry
Not-Soon, Says Monsoon

Saturday, 23 August 2014

Judge If It's Paralysis-By-Analysis

A mother instructs her child not to run too fast, not to run outside the given track in the garden, not to run without sports shoes, etc. etc.

She'd seen the child injuring herself earlier in absence of observing the discipline of 'not-to' such as above.

Another mother sitting next to her appeared appreciative. She didn't hesitate to share her experience of how her non-observant son had damaged his hamstring muscles irreversibly. She was concerned that her son had been living with the pain since years.

The pathological and clinical tests, investigations, analysis and treatments are now companion for the lifetime, she said.

Question is, is the former approach, the 'nagging' one, correct?

Obviously, but not so obviously!

Former approach can be called as judgemental based on seed-stage deviations that probably were thought to lead to major deviations or crises if not kept under check. It's about commonsensical risk management.

Latter one, the one that involved accidents and treatments, is an analytical approach that reactively analyses major deviations already occurred.

Former one is based on real-time (genjitsu) observations of real-facts-and-conditions of things and people (gembutsu) at the real-place of happening (gemba).

Latter one usually needs extensive analysis. At times it leads to 'paralysis-by-analysis' that necessitates intervention of judgement in order to unlock the tie and move ahead.

Former approach is easy, fast and proactive although seems to appear like 'nagging'. Of course it is expected to incorporate factual learnings from past.

The latter is difficult, time-consuming and reactive one. It's usually a post-mortem that often necessitates involvement of specialist agencies. Most often it results into repentance of irreversible damage and costs.

Importance of structured analysis however can't be undermined particularly if it's for exploratory or descriptive research in order to study cause-effect relationship of an hypothesis on an observed phenomenon in real-time (genjitsu) or for future innovations.

Also read a few relevant blogposts hereunder:

Prevention: The Best Cure! ... Is it really so?
Treat Root-causes, Not Symptoms !
When Safety Becomes Sorry
Drove To Hell ... Almost ! 
WOW Work-Culture: By Telling or Selling
Take Habits For A Ride
How Many Times Do You Wash Hands
In a Problem?: No Problem ! Dwell A While !!
Part-1
In-big-problem? Wear-hats-to-solve-it! Part-2
How To Make A Difference
Big-Be Or Bug-Be !
A Ride To Hell
Make checklists your friends
Nauseous Communication Gaps
Do You Cleanup-After-Crisis
Raam or Krishna-Shyam: Tell me Hey Raam!
Will It Work Here
That's How Morons Work
You seem Reasonable if you appear Un-reasonable
Smart-Moron Who Breaks Your Glass 
Wish To Be Planet-Friendly?: Save! 
Waste-to-eat-sea-to-drink
Don't Save Water on Holi-day
Be Shame-less Or Water-less

Friday, 18 July 2014

Water-Hour: What'an-Hour

What-An-Hour it was!

On our monthly-music-meet day, suddenly power went off! 

Although the electricity company had declared timetable for load shedding, usually their poor work practices don't allow them to stick to it. In absence of power to music system our lunch had to be preponed.

I picked up my snack plate that was still around me, rinsed it a bit and reused it for lunch. I used the leftover water from my drinking glass. 

My friend exclaimed at my 'funny' behavior. I said I wash my plate regularly at home as well as wherever else possible. Whenever I wash hands, I pick up at least one utensil to wash. Two-birds-in-One: Hands and the utensil washed using same amount of water that anyway I would've used to wash hands!

While writing this post, I remembered the so-called 'countdown to EARTH HOUR (23rd March at 20.30 hrs)'. Just before it had 'begun', the same friend had reminded me to participate in it. Why not observe such HOURS every MINUTE, I had exclaimed. That I had just returned from a around where I'd put off a couple of fans including one in the toilet. It was left ON by the previous user. 

While I do appreciate importance of such HOURS, the intention can be best evidenced by making it a habit taking it beyond the HOUR.

Hats off to those who instead of waiting until such '20.30 HOUR' head right away to 'Switch-off' an appliance left 'ON' inadvertently though. 

Power generation needs human activity, water and other resources. Salutation is because such people are able to see direct or indirect link of almost every wasted human activity to that of waste of water.

Hats off to those who commit to be conscious to a cause in present tense. Hats off because they don't allow thoughts to constipate. Because they go beyond their 'knowledge' of 'zero-wastage'. They make others learn through their demonstration of 'an-action-each-moment-a-day'.

One must experience the satisfaction one derives and the respect one earns by by committing to 'Save Even-A-Little, At-Each-Opportunity, Each-day, Each-Minute...' rather than once a year on a "Happy........ Day!" 

Read a few relevant blogposts hereunder:

Rise-n-Fall in the Rain-Fall 
Take Habits For A Ride 
Can-changing-thoughts-change-a-nation
Do you exercise your choice meaningfully
Not-Soon, Says Monsoon
Rise-n-Fall in the Rain-Fall   

Sunday, 20 April 2014

Shining On Farmer's Suicides!

Farmer's Suicides is not new to Vidarbha in India.

What's new is newer opportunities and innovations in 'claiming' compensations therefrom.

Few weeks ago a news flashed regarding 73 farmers in Marathwada killing themselves after a freak hailstorm that ruined their crops.

Whether it's a freak one or man-made is a separate topic. But there are strong evidences that this is nature's way to react to excessively unwanted human activities.

It got revived in my mind because of another news I read on twitter today. It was about 334 farmers getting compensated by over 10 million rupees in spite of not having any farm.

The news highlights cozy nexus among local goons, politicians, corrupt officials, other people in power in corresponding departments.

It's actually an open secret. At times a drunkard is worth half a million for such a nexus. Because when a drunkard dies, the nexus conspires. It 'makes' him a 'farmer' who 'committed suicide'. With the help of corrupt bank officials of a small-time cooperative credit society or a bank, it creates fake documents. It gets all other 'documents in order' so that the 'loan' can get compensated and the amount can be distributed.

A research on google will throw light on many such crooked innovations in order to dupe government. Greed drives them for more.

Innovators galore and shining but I am sure investigators are more intelligent and shining.

Will the really affected farmers forgive such conspirators ever?

A MaiKu© hereunder on the topic:

Crooked Innovators galore
Greed drives conspirators for more
Vigilante drives them to shore

MaiKu© Is My-Haiku
Freely ideate it's poetic rhymes
Any objective topic it chimes

Also read a few relevant blogposts hereunder:

Prayer for drought-ridden 10822-Villages

ABCD of India Shining

Some Moron ! Some Great !!!

That's How Morons Work

You seem Reasonable if you appear Un-reasonable

Smart-Moron Who Breaks Your Glass 

WOW Work-Culture: By Telling or Selling

Suggestions On-Sale, None-To-Buy

Can-changing-thoughts-change-a-nation

Do you know a Best-Career-Plan

Wish To Be Planet-Friendly?: Save! 

Don't Save Water on Holi-day

Be Shame-less Or Water-less

कधीतरी सापडेल का शोधता-शोधता ?

Treat Root-causes, Not Symptoms !

You Can’t Take It With You, but You Still Want More

Do You Celebrate Mean-or-Green 

Aesthetics Spills-Over Function, Want Spills-Over Need (Part-1

Aesthetics Spills-Over Function, Want Spills-Over Need (Part-2

Tuesday, 24 September 2013

Soon... Waste-to-Eat ! Sea-to-Drink !!

Do you fill glass 'full' as in picture-1 or fill 'half' as in picture-2 while drinking water?

Some fill it 'half' as in-2 in spite of their need being of 'full' glass. Is it a good practice?

Those who may argue this practice as leading to 'wasted efforts' of having to 'fill it again' may not be wrong. But having filled 'full' glass, 'what-if' suddenly their need changes to 'half' glass for whatever reason?

What do they do in case of such sudden reduction in 'demand' (as in corporate language)? In corporate world the surplus goes in inventory. In case of water above,  some consciously 'empty' it over a sapling. Others put it down the drain into waste.

How many times do such situations result into 'wasted water'?

What would you choose between the situation of 'wasted efforts' and one of 'wasted water'? Don't forget to justify¹ the 'why-you-chose-what' to your ownself.

Do you know that Flat residents (that are 40%), Chawls (10%) & Slums (50%) in Mumbai must shed water consumption down from 50-200 lit/capita/day (lcd) to 50! Else soon they won't have a single drop to drink although may have infinite sea-water around it to see!!!

Similar is the case with 'waste' in every other material including wasted food in plate, if any, that goes into garbage bin.

Do you know that Mumbai generates waste of 450 gcd (grams/capita/day)? It will grow to 600 gcd by year 2020!

What is the solution?

While establishing ²Kaizen-culture to find innovative solutions on a mission to achieve Zero-Waste, we use a Kaizen-technique called ²MISER in order to trigger creativity by asking MISER-questions: Merge, Improvise, Simplify, Eliminate and Reduce.

Can you do MISER in order to eliminate waste and eliminate NVAs so that work becomes Leaner, Easier, Better, Faster but at the same time needing Lesser efforts-n-resources?

In order to preempt use of Merge, Improvise, Simplify and Reduce, MISER technique begins with considering 'elimination' of a resource or a process or an activity.

Eliminate:

Can you eliminate need of a bowl and a bearer's activity by getting a dish self-served directly in the plate? Eliminated bowl reduces consumption of water and wastage of related resources.

Merge:

Can you merge two activities that can be performed by using a single resource? One may use same spoon to consume vegetable as well as dessert.

Improvise:

Can you rearrange placement of buffet food items in such a way that serving becomes easier thereby avoiding wastage due to extra activities to fetch it, spillage due to difficulties in fetching it, if any?

Simplify:

Can you simplify the menu? Now a days hosts boast of a wider variety of menu numbering over a couple of dozen items with funkier names that confuse guests. They forget that too much choice spoils and promotes waste.

Reduce by Reuse-Recover-Recycle (3R):

Can you reduce consumption of resources by 3R-technique

Can you reduce size of water glass for instance to half as in picture-3? This will reduce consumption of water mistake-proofingly: The Pokayoke practice as called in Kaizen. This also promotes a component of JIT (Just-In-Time) lean-practice of consuming 'just' the amount needed.

Reuse: Whereall can you 'reuse' instead of 'use-n-throw' practice that generates waste and disposal concerns? After washing clothes, water can be reused for flushing toilets or mopping floor.

Recover: Can you recover whatever possible from a thing before discarding it as garbage and put it for some other use?

Recycle: Can you recycle it? According to the Environment Defense Fund, recycling glass instead of making it from silica sand reduces mining waste by 70%, water use by 50%, and air pollution by 20%.

So What?

"What's new in this blogpost? I have been doing such things! Recycling glass however is not in my hands!!"

If this thought has passed your mind then do force yourself to answer following question:

"Couldn't I have mined at least a couple of more opportunities within self-control to reduce any-waste in any kind of resources in last 24 hours"?: Some saving in water, electricity, fuel, paper, some wasteful activity for self-&/or-others? Nothing at all in spite of these tips? 

If 'NOTHING' then let's be assured, "Nothing at all" is going to be left on this planet!

Footnote-1: No doubt in some situations 'wasted efforts' may outweigh 'wasted water' but generally I prefer the former. The reason is, I can always produce 'efforts' whereas at least as of now no one has succeeded in 'manufacturing water'. Water is a God's creation that needs to be conserved by human efforts!

Footnote-2: Concept from books by Shyam Talawadekar 1) 'World-Of-Kaizen: A Total Quality Culture For Survival and 2) TPM-in-10-days: For Reliable and Just-In-Time Value delivery to Customer.