Retirement Musings: Lessons Learned from a Lifetime in CI

Alberto Yanez has worked in continuous improvement for 34 years. The last 17 of those years were at TMAC. He is retiring on January 31. He’s been an invaluable member of our LSS Team. We wouldn’t be here today without his hard work. His passion for continuous improvement and customer focus are well known by anyone who has ever met him. He loves seeing our LSS students be successful, not only on their projects but in their personal lives as well. We’ve taught over 50 classes and workshops together and I feel blessed to have worked with him so closely. In retirement he will have more time for playing tennis, riding his motorcycle, spending time with his family, traveling, and pursuing new hobbies. – Russ Aikman

I never thought one day retirement would come and knock at my door. Now I am embracing the moment. People ask me: What are you going to do in retirement? And my answer is: Whatever I wish to do.

Before discussing some Lessons Learned over my career, I would like to share a little bit of my upbringing. I grew up in Mexico and got my Mechanical Engineering BS degree from the Universidad Ibero Americana in 1978. My first job was at the Electric Research Institute (ERI) in Mexico.

I always wanted to study abroad and in 1980 was accepted to attend the PhD program at the University of Minnesota in the field of Heat Transfer and Fluid Mechanics. I had an extraordinary advisor in Professor E.M. Sparrow. I completed my doctorate in the Fall of 1985.

In Mexico, I was always a top student in my class. When I got to grad school at UM, I found out everyone was a top student in their own country. Most of the graduate students were foreigners. My student colleagues were extremely sharp.

To close the gap, I had to study very hard. Getting my PhD was one of the biggest challenges of my life. It took every ounce of energy out of me. Sometimes I wonder how I got the drive to do it. Now I know the answer: I was still in my twenties.

Got married in 1984 and we moved back to Mexico in 1985. We lived in Mexico for seven years where my two daughters were born.   Living in Cuernavaca Mexico was tough. Inflation was over 50% and salaries could not keep up. My dad was an architect and with his help, we were able to build our house in 2.5 years. I worked at the ERI to pay off my student loans. I also worked for Dupont providing support for the automotive industry.

In 1992 my wife Terry invited a friend of hers from Minneapolis to study Spanish in Cuernavaca. This friend found out there was an American looking to hire an engineer for a project in Mexico. I met him and the following week went to Dallas for an interview with the George Group (GG). They hired me right on the spot. The following week I was working on a project at Volkswagen in Puebla, Mexico.  And that is how my consulting career began, out of the blue.

Over several years I was assigned to work for multiple accounts in the USA and Mexico while at GG. Back in the early 90’s George Group mainly provided Lean consulting. Working as a consultant is rewarding and you learn a lot working for different companies. At the same time, it is a tough life. Week in and week out we would travel Monday through Friday. On weekends, I had to catch up with chores at home.

In 1996 I left George Group and got a job in the Continuous Improvement department at Bell Helicopter. During my seven years there I got my first exposure to Six Sigma and Design for Six Sigma. After completing Black Belt training, I led multiple projects and got certified. My duties also included providing Green Belt training, coaching new belts, and managing a group of engineers and union workers on CI projects.

Then in 2007 I joined TMAC. That turned out to be one of my best decisions. I was able to meet an old friend of mine from George Group, Russ Aikman, who was – and still is – leading the LSS Program. We’ve worked very closely together over the past 17 years.

The best part of working at TMAC: The people. Through the years, I have worked with very sharp and humble colleagues from whom I have learned a lot. They are always willing to share and help.  

I got my MBB training and certification at TMAC. And have delivered all types of LSS training including Yellow Belt, Green Belt, Black Belt, and Sponsor & Champion Workshop. In addition, I’ve taught various Lean workshops and facilitated multiple Kaizen events.  I was involved in deploying LSS at large corporations, hospitals, and cities. I provided over a thousand coaching hours to my students.  I also trained and mentored our new LSS staff.

It is hard to pinpoint the Lessons Learned throughout my CI journey. Here are some I feel are worth sharing.

Data:

• Avoid analysis paralysis.  Don’t over analyze data to the extent that nothing gets done. The best way to determine if something works is by doing it.

• Let the data guide you and tell you the story.  With data you can establish a baseline or identify the root cause. After solutions are implemented, data can be used to show the improvement impact.

• Validate data.  The is no reason to establish a baseline or conduct root cause analysis if the data are flawed. Validation can be done through Measurement System Analysis.

Coaching:

• Coaching Preparation.  Before each coaching session review the previous coaching session notes. Prepare questions you would like to ask. Request data or files from the GB or BB prior to the coaching session so you can review them.

• Coaching Approach.  If you are providing coaching help, stay away from prescriptive coaching. Otherwise, students will always be knocking at your door. You are better off asking them questions for self-discovery. Usually, they know the answer.

• Addressing questions during Coaching.  If a belt asks a question about their project, even if the answer is obvious to you, stay away from a direct answer. First, make sure you have a full understanding of the project from the beginning (Goals, Scope, etc.). Then you can answer the original question.

• Coaching is Active Listening.  My recommendation is to listen and let the student do most of the talking.

• Coaching Notes.  If you conduct coaching sessions on a regular basis with a group of people, make sure to document each coaching session and email the file to the student and the sponsor. At the end of each coaching session document Next Steps. Start the next coaching session by asking: Which of the Next Steps have been completed?

Project Charter:

• Properly Scope Your Project.  The bigger the scope the longer a project will take. Which means the benefits will take longer. And the Return on Investment will be lower. Also, bigger scope projects can extend timelines which puts them at risk due to changing business priorities or losing momentum. If the scope is too large, consider narrowing down the scope by breaking it into 2-3 smaller projects.

• Creating the Project Charter.  This is the most important tool in a belt’s toolkit. It is the foundation for a successful project. A poor project charter often results in a “Pay me now or pay me later” outcome.

• Measuring Success.  When a student has an idea for a project I always ask:  How are you going to measure the success of your project? This adage is true:  If you can’t measure it, you won’t be able to improve it.

Kaizen Events:

• Know Your Team.  People have different strengths. Some are hands-on, others are more analytical. Others tend to be task oriented, strategic, creative, etc. Assign tasks depending on the strengths of each team member. Consider using Belbin analysis to identify the strength of your team members.

• Tailor the Kaizen to Company Needs.  We have learned to adjust our approach to kaizen events to accommodate our customers. The traditional kaizen event is done with 3 to 5 consecutive 8-hour days. Some companies can’t free up staff for this approach. Sometimes we do a series of half-day sessions instead of full days. Another option: 1 day a week. And another: 3-5 consecutive days for the Define, Measure, Analyze and part of Improve. Then get together a month later for 1-2 days to complete Improve and Control.

• Sponsor Involvement.  Have the project sponsor kickoff the kaizen event. Then keep him or her informed with daily updates and the plan for the next day. Finally, the sponsor MUST be there for closeout.

• Pre-Kaizen Preparation.  Most of the Define and Measure deliverables can be completed prior to the first day of the Kaizen event.

• Kaizen Support.  It is preferable to lead a Kaizen event using a 2-person team. One person facilitates while the other person does documentation of the project. 

• Leading Kaizen Events.  Make sure that you create a daily detailed timeline of the activities that need to take place, including owners and due dates. 

• Don’t Assume People Know.  To avoid rework, make sure you set people up for success. Before assigning someone a task, check to be sure they know how to do it. Often the best practice is to walk them through or show them in detail exactly what you need.

Miscellaneous:

• Follow the DMAIC.  It does not matter what type of project you are working on (Six Sigma, Lean, Kaizen Event, etc.) you need to follow the DMAIC methodology. Do not skip a phase.

• Task Management.  When managing multiple tasks assigned to different individuals, make sure to contact them for an update well before the due date.

• Practice is Not Overrated.  If you want to lower your marathon time, improve your golf score, or win more tennis matches, you need to practice. And continue to practice throughout your life. It also applies to CI projects. The more CI projects you participate in, the more confidence you will have on future projects.

• Avoid Firefighting.  Sometimes the circumstances merit it. However, you are better off stepping back and doing a risk assessment to proactively identify and prioritize risk and proactively mitigate the risk before it happens.

• Project Birthdays. If a CI project takes over a year something has gone wrong. This should be avoided. The key is to narrow the scope of the project.