Sean Fields - Quantum Lean

Copyright 2020 by Sean Fields

ISBN-13: 978-1-60427-175-1

Printed and bound in the U.S.A. Printed on acid-free paper.

Credit for the illustrations in this book belongs to Meredith Fields.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Fields, Sean, 1965- author. | Sanders, Michael S., author.

Title: Quantum lean : taking lean systems to the next level / Sean Fields, Michael Sanders.

Description: Plantation, FL : J. Ross Publishing, [2020] | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2020033182 (print) | LCCN 2020033183 (ebook) | ISBN 9781604271751 (paperback ; alk. paper) | ISBN 9781604278262 (epub)

Subjects: LCSH: Lean manufacturing. | Production control. | Organizational effectiveness.

Classification: LCC TS155 .F53 2020 (print) | LCC TS155 (ebook) | DDC 658.5--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020033182

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020033183

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The copyright owners consent does not extend to copying for general distribution for promotion, for creating new works, or for resale. Specific permission must be obtained from J. Ross Publishing for such purposes.

Direct all inquiries to J. Ross Publishing, Inc., 151 N. Nob Hill Rd., Suite 476, Plantation, FL 33324.

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One of the privileges of working in a university environment is being surrounded by and working with some of the most gifted academics in the world. An additional benefit of being a dean, particularly in a school of business, is being surrounded by and working with some of the most gifted practitioners in the world. I have often observed that academics and practitioners do not always appropriately value each others contributions to education, research, and the practice of business. However, it is vital that serious scholars continually push the knowledge discovery envelope and that dedicated practitioners put that knowledge to the test in the real world. It is rare to find individuals who bring together the thought process that is typically associated with academics and the vast experiences of long-term practitioners. Sean Fields is one of those rare individuals.

While reading Quantum Lean, I was not surprised to find that the author would take a process with which he is very familiar, analyze it thoroughly, look for improvements, add his observations and experiences from years of consulting work, and ultimately turn that process on its head. I was not surprised because the author, Sean Fields, has been a lifelong improver of processes. I know this because Sean is my younger brother. From a very early age, his brilliance and inquisitiveness were evident. He was always thinking, reading, and learning. In high school, when most young people just wanted to take their classes and hang out with their friends, Sean actually took summer school classes so he could free up time for math and science courses during the regular school year. When he had taken all of the math classes that were available in our district, his math teacher (herself an engineer) created advanced math independent studies for Sean to take for no credit during summer vacation. In his undergraduate and masters programs, he was a curve-busting engineering student. Across my 30 years in the academy, I have known many astonishingly smart people. I have yet to meet anyone who has greater native intelligence or natural curiosity than Sean.

Some academically gifted individuals who become experts in a chosen field have challenging personalities. Not only is Sean an academically accomplished individual with an impressive practical background, he is also an amazingly down-to-earth man. As you read Quantum Lean, you will see this attitude reflected through his tone and concern for all parties in the companyfrom people who work on the shop floor to high-level decision makers. Make no mistake, he does hold strong opinions and convictions. But these convictions are shared in the way that an accomplished teacher shares informationby being thorough, organized, and evidence-driven.

Sean displays an appreciation and understanding of traditional lean theoretical foundations. However, the focus of Quantum Lean is on the product rather than on waste minimization, like is so often seen in business. As mentioned in , some practitioners might be tempted to say that this difference of focus is a difference without a distinction. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sean provides logical arguments associated with his expertise in traditional lean to show that by following Quantum Lean principles and being product-focused, firms may also ultimately achieve traditional lean objectives including waste reduction. Additionally, he uses his 30+ years of industrial engineering consulting experience with companies in a variety of industries to describe and assess the effectiveness of numerous lean tools. He lays out the pros and cons of popular tools such as 5S, drum-buffer-rope, kanban, and huddle boards. His assessments take into account the potential impact for tool usage as informed by both the manufacturing particulars and the human elements facing decision makers in the real world. In short, Quantum Lean provides an uncomplicated, straightforward decision-making framework for potentially realizing all of the promised results that have previously eluded the many believers in and practitioners of typical lean.

L. Paige Fields

Dean, H.D. Price Professor

University of Kansas School of Business

With all of the books about lean manufacturing, you might wonder what possible benefit one more could bring. If I were in your place, I would be asking the same question. However, since we are wondering about the same thing and great minds think alike, wouldnt it stand to reason that you would want to read this book? Further reinforcing our common ground is the fact that I, and in all probability you, have experienced the following:

• When someone says to think outside of the box, in-the-box thinking is about to follow
• The moment someone tells you that things will be different, you can be sure that things will be the same
• When someone tells you that things will be the same, you can bet that things will be different
• When you hear businesses say that people are their most valuable resource, you will find that these precious assets are the first to be unloaded when times get hard
• When your work area was changed, you were asked for input, but you will find that your advice was completely ignored

As you can see, we have a lot in common! And the fact that the aforementioned situations are so common is a key motivation for this book. Although no explanation has been found, societal discourse is replete with mixed signals. Whether its politics, religion, or business, hypocrisy rules the day. This aspect of everyday living is so time-honored that it is the basis for the fairy tale