Comments on Lean Blog: Multitasking is NOT Part of Standard Work

Anonymous, David: You're right that some jobs requ...

2007-03-28T19:47:00.000-05:00

Anonymous, David:

You're right that some jobs require multitasking. That's the nature of the beast, whether you're a pilot, an operator monitoring two machines, or a home cook, boiling water for pasta while sauteeing mushrooms for the sauce.

Unfortunately, life doesn't always allow us to do one task at a time to completion. But just as we can't completely eliminate waste from a manufacturing process and instead have to settle for waste reduction, if we can just eliminate the self-inflicted multitasking scenarios, we'll be much better off -- more efficient, more productive, and less stressed.

Some jobs require multitasking. A pilot, for examp...

2007-03-28T16:46:00.000-05:00

Some jobs require multitasking. A pilot, for example, may be in the middle of adjusting the power settings when ATC calls and directs him to switch to a new frequency. The controller himself will have a great deal of multitasking to deal with.

But there is unquestionably wasted effort when switching tasks, and in general, jobs should be designed to reduce it--certainly not to maximize it!

I think about the only "two things" at once exampl...

2007-03-28T15:43:00.000-05:00

I think about the only "two things" at once example I can think of is a person monitoring multiple automatic walk-away machines. But, then again, they are still doing "one" task.... monitoring. But what if there's a siren/bell/buzzer when there is a problem, the person could be doing two things at once? Or does that still have risk for distraction?

On target Dan - thanks for the eloquent post on mu...

2007-03-28T11:16:00.000-05:00

On target Dan - thanks for the eloquent post on multi-tasking.

We sometimes look at a client's personal workflow - the flow of work in and out of individual knowledge workers. And we try to deliver the same lesson: multi-tasking leads to less throughput, more stress, and more WIP (taller inboxes), and longer lead times.

It's also a serious safety issue in our personal lives, as evidenced by drivers using phones, text messaging, and reading while driving. (An aside: The WSJ reported today that New Delhi forbade drivers from smoking for this reason.)

Great stuff Dan. This applies outside the office,...

2007-03-28T10:20:00.000-05:00

Great stuff Dan. This applies outside the office, also. We don't want manufacturing production cell workers to be interrupted with other tasks, such as material handling. In hospital labs, people say they are "multi-tasking" when they're really just being interrupted constantly, which hampers the flow of patient specimens and test results.

Using lean and standard work principles can go a long way toward fixing that. We define roles and responsibilities so people doing the core value-added testing can work without interruptions, then we define the standard work for each of those different roles.