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This
Week’s Topic:
A Lean Holiday Tradition
Our Special Holiday Topic: As
a light-hearted diversion from our usual Operational Excellence Insights we hope
you enjoy an an example of Lean analysis carried a bit too far.
Insight: Watching a live
performance of Nutcracker Ballet combines music, dancing and story into a unique
experience. Unfortunately, for a critical Lean thinker, the entire event is
riddled with non-value added activities.
First, consider the music. A trained Lean observer
can’t help but notice the poor use of manpower in the orchestra. For example, the
first violin section has eight musicians playing exactly the same notes. This is
classic duplication of labor and could be solved by having one well-trained artist
for each instrument. Furthermore, many passages of music are repeated several
times, often with only minor variations. By simply eliminating duplicate musical
phrases the cycle time of the entire performance could be reduced by over 40%.
The dancing offers opportunities for significant
efficiency. In many cases the dancers enter from one side and, instead of
proceeding directly to their point of exit, they swirl about making a variety of
wasteful motions. Occasionally – and this is difficult for a Lean technician to
believe – one dancer will even lift and carry a second dancer! Obviously, the
dancer being carried is totally unnecessary to the process.
Also, there is a totally non-value added position
called the director. This person’s only contribution to the performance is to
swing a short wooden rod to keep time. This role could be more efficiently
performed by an inexpensive metronome or, for visual control, by a strobe light.
Finally, the stage setting shows very little evidence
of standardization. There is a huge variation in colors of all of the scenery and
stage props. It is almost as though the designers went out of their way to
utilize every color imaginable. Significant money could be saved by simply
standardizing on a pleasant, industrial gray color scheme.
In summary, some simple Lean techniques could reduce
the cycle time and labor content of a traditional Nutcracker performance making it
a much more efficient and value-added experience.
R. Michael Donovan & Co. wishes everyone Happy
Holidays – and sincerely hopes that Lean technology is never applied to such a
wonderful holiday tradition!
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Excellence? Please visit our website for access to a large library of
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