Jason continues the production control series with part three on leveling work. He opens with a clear contrast between the old way of pushing productivity (manpower, overtime, larger batches, frantic motion) and the lean way of building capacity (preparation, flow, rhythm, removing roadblocks). Then he walks through the histogram problem on construction projects and lays out the five concrete tactics for leveling work that keep crews, materials, information, and equipment all moving at a consistent pace instead of spiking and crashing.
What you'll learn in this episode:
The difference between pushing productivity and creating capacity
The histogram problem: why spikes in worker counts overburden every supporting system
The frosting bag analogy for choosing a bigger nozzle instead of squeezing harder
Tactic one: adjusting Takt zones to balance complexity and effort
Tactic two: adjusting work packages and work steps to keep worker counts consistent
Tactic three: leveling information flow with designers and approvals
Tactic four: leveling worker counts crew by crew
Tactic five: bringing materials and equipment just in time using supermarkets and staging yards
Leveled work keeps the team capable of doing the things that keep projects running. Spikes break the system. Smooth flow keeps it alive.
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Also, here are links to our YouTube Channels:
· Jason Schroeder YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4xpRYvrW5Op5Ckxs4vDGDg
· LeanTakt YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/leanTakt
· LeanSuper YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzQDevqQP19L4LePuqma3Fg/featured
· LeanSurvey YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Ztn3okFhyB_3p5nmMKnsw