snopes.com: Aluminum Foil Locking Tabs
Here's an interesting example of “Everyday Lean” that I never knew about. Have you ever been frustrated by pulling on a roll of aluminum foil (or plastic wrap) and having the roll pop out of the container?
The boxes for these are actually designed with a little method for keeping the roll in the box – a physical method is more effective than “being careful.”
Click on the link above for some further explanation and a few photos. It's not rocket science – that's why I love this example. This is designed into the product, but we can use this to think about opportunities to error proof our processes – at work, not just in our kitchens at home.
Does saying “be careful” really work? If this were a workplace and the roll popping out of the box were a serious problem, would we post signs, cautions, and exhortations for our employees, or would we error proof it?
Subscribe via RSS | Lean Blog Main Page | Podcast | Twitter @MarkGraban
What do you think? Please scroll down (or click) to post a comment. Or please share the post with your thoughts on LinkedIn.
Don't want to miss a post or podcast? Subscribe to get notified about posts via email daily or weekly.
Mark's new book is The Mistakes That Make Us: Cultivating a Culture of Learning and Innovation.
He is also the author of Measures of Success: React Less, Lead Better, Improve More, the Shingo Award-winning books Lean Hospitals and Healthcare Kaizen, and the anthology Practicing Lean.
Mark is also a Senior Advisor to the technology company KaiNexus.