What is Quality Circle? Seven Basic Quality Circle Tools

Quality Circle

A Voluntary group of employees who work on similar tasks or share a similar area of responsibility to improve products or processes

- Work on the principle that employee participation in decision-making & problem-solving improves the quality of work
- Encourage to elect the leaders towards the end of the training period
- Agree to meet on a regular basis to discuss & solve problems related to work

• All members of a Circle need to receive training

• Members need to be empowered

• Members need to have the support of Senior Management

The Japanese description of the effectiveness of a quality circle is expressed as:

‘It is better for one hundred people to take one step than for one person to take a hundred’

SMART Goals, What & Why?

SMART Goals

If goals aren’t reachable, they aren’t worth making. To set realistic goals, follow the SMART goals guidelines.

Waste Elimination, Muri, Mura, Muda and The seven deadly Muda (waste)

Waste

There are three broad types of waste

• Muri (overload or overburden) Improving the flow or smoothness of work.
• Mura (unevenness, irregularity or inequity) Unreasonable work that imposes because of poor organization.
• Muda (non-value-adding work) Eliminating non-value adding activity.

Linkup between these three wastes

Transforming to the Lean Approach, Benefits and Objections of Lean

Key Steps in Transforming a Company to the Lean Approach

Goals, Strategy, Example & Steps to Achieve Lean System

Goals of Lean

• Improved quality
• Eliminate waste
• Reduce time
• Reduce total cost

Four different notion of Lean have been identified

1. Lean as a fixed state or goal (being lean) 
2. Lean is a continuous change process (becoming lean) 
3. Lean as a set of tools or methods (doing lean/toolbox lean) 
4. Lean is a philosophy (lean thinking)

Definition of Lean, Defining Value and Waste

Lean Definition

Lean has been defined in many different ways

“A systematic approach to identifying & eliminating waste (non-value-added activities) through continuous improvement by flowing the product at the pull of the customer in pursuit of perfection.”

Lean Principles

Lean Principles

Five Lean Principles have been described in the book 'Lean Thinking'

1. Specify Value (For which the customer is willing to pay)

• The critical starting point is value as defined by the ultimate customer