54 ◾ A Factory of One
Daily Work Processes
Processing Your Work: The 4Ds
In a manufacturing setting, the flow of work is both visible
and tangible; workers can see the work-in-process inventory
building up behind them, and they can see their colleagues
farther down the line standing idle. Production line work-
ers don’t have the option of leaving tasks undone. They must
handle the work as it comes to them, or the line stops. (Or, it
requires significant effort in the management system to keep
the line moving, but the point is the same.)
But, you don’t have that visual cue, and that makes receiv-
ing, processing, storing, distributing, and tracking the intangible
information and tasks that comprise your work a formidable
job. That information c