To develop a good strategy and deploying it is always a challenge for companies in various levels and segments. It is a fundamental process in Lean System - management philosophy originally from Toyota, currently used by diverse industries and companies around the World - this system aims to identify the activities that add value to customers (what they are actually willing to pay) and eliminate waste (which they are not willing to pay).
In this context, more than creating a good strategy, the challenge of leadership is to unfold it. This means engaging people and managing in the shortest time possible, to know if what was fulfilled was planned.
In the Lean system, everybody in the company from the lowest position to the president - should know what needs to be done at each stage, how and when, what objectives and indicators must be met to achieve the requirements of what was planned. In a company truly Lean, developing a strategy is a much more participatory and coordinated effort of a group than an isolated leader, however brilliant he may be.
To perform this, we need the "Daily Management" of strategic deployment. In Lean System, the strategic deployment is defined by the term "Hoshin Kanri," Japanese expression meaning "management by guidelines."
The Daily Management occurs when leaders and employees can follow in the shortest time possible, whether they are reaching their targets in planning using key indicators. For this "visual management" is necessary: the installation of standardized boards, easy to read and interpret, in an easily accessible place.
Another important process in Daily Management is to perform short daily routine meetings or for every shift, for example 15 to 20 minutes to check whether goals are being met and if the problems are being solved or, at least are on the right track for future resolution.
This process usually occurs at three levels: in areas (between employees and supervisors) in the departments (among supervisors related to areas) and the plant as a whole, between management and leadership. These meetings should always take place in front of the board, where the main production indicators are registered - to discuss, for example, the results of the previous day, the evolution of problem solutions and the necessary realignments of strategy.
It is important to make clear that the Daily Management cannot be done in "locked rooms" with indecipherable reports. Meetings should always occur with people standing and facing the board (indicators). All boards should be on the factory floor or near the administrative areas. To assist in this process, considering that the Daily Management aims to identify and solve problems, a "tool" fundamental, also typically lean, is the "A3". This is a pioneering practice of Toyota, in which each and every problem found in the Daily Management, as well as their analysis, corrective actions and action plans are written on a single sheet of paper (A3 size), usually using graphs and figures. At Toyota, the A3 reports evolved into a pattern of problem solving, status reporting and planning exercises method. The A3 is the international term for a sheet of paper of 297 mm of width and 420 mm of length. In Daily Management, however, the A3 should be "alive", ie really be used and not just "decorative".
In summary, the Daily Management, if used correctly, generates several benefits. With it one can, for example, engage people to the necessary changes. It is which will take messages, goals and achievements for each level of the organization. Using it, you can start a culture of continuous problem solving, as a source of learning for the organization. It will also be a way for leaders to demonstrate, with examples and attitudes, their commitments and actions for the implementation of strategy. Finally, it is the tool that will allow monitoring of results "gemba" another Japanese expression, typically lean, which means "the place where things happen."
A surprising number of strategies fail because leaders do not make a realistic assessment of the capacity that the organization has for executing the plans, besides neglecting the systematic monitoring of actions and indicators. The Daily Management and its innovative management concept Lean come to close the gap between planning, doing, engaging, developing people and getting wonderful results.
Portuguese source: Lean Institute Brasil
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