Creating a Lean R&D System

vii

Contents

List of Figures ..................................................................................... xiii

Preface ...................................................................................................xv

Acknowledgments ...............................................................................xix

Introduction .........................................................................................xxi

Author ............................................................................................... xxiii

Chapter 1 Seeing and Removing Barriers in the R&D

Environment .......................................................................1

Mental Models .............................................................................2

Removing Barriers to Innovation .............................................5

Impact on R&D Innovation .......................................................6

Physical Barriers .....................................................................8

Emotional Barriers ...............................................................10

Observational and inking Barriers ................................11

Lean and the Removal of Barriers...........................................13

Chapter 2 Lean in Research and Development ................................ 15

Purpose .......................................................................................16

Continuous Improvement in Manufacturing and R&D......18

e Purpose of Lean .................................................................19

What Lean Is ............................................................................. 20

Lean R&D ...................................................................................22

Implications ................................................................................23

Connection with People ...........................................................23

Conclusions ................................................................................25

Chapter 3 The Individual in the Lean R&D Community ............... 27

e Individual/Community Continuum in R&D ............... 28

An Example of the Lean R&D Community .................... 28

Qualities of the Individual in a Lean Environment ............ 30

Commitment ........................................................................ 30

viii • Contents

Commitment to Cra .....................................................31

Commitment to the Team ..............................................33

Awareness of the Community ........................................... 34

Skill at Learning .................................................................... 37

Pulling It Together ....................................................................41

Chapter 4 Lean Exercises for the R&D Professional ....................... 43

Seeing ......................................................................................... 43

Skill-Building Exercise 1: Seeing without Prior

Mental Context .................................................................... 46

Skill-Building Exercise 2: Seeing Beliefs ...........................49

Reframing to Innovate ..............................................................50

Deconstruction and Synthesis to Increase Value

Content ................................................................................... 51

Making Snowmobiles ...........................................................51

e Role of Language in Reframing for Innovation ........53

Skill-Building Exercise 3: Reframing by Converting

Statements into Questions .................................................. 56

Skill-Building Exercise 4: Seeing and Reframing

through Value Stream Mapping ........................................ 56

Skill-Building Exercise 5: Reframing by Making

Snowmobiles ..........................................................................57

e Value of Experience in Innovation ..................................59

Skill-Building Exercise 6: Improving Innovation

Experience through Daily Experimental Practice ...........61

Growing Yourself and Your Environment ............................. 61

Practice to Grow ...................................................................63

Pulling It Together—Seeing, Reframing, Experiencing,

and Growing: A Learning Loop for Innovation ...................63

Integrated Exercises ..................................................................65

Skill-Building Exercise 7: e A3 Format .........................65

Skill-Building Exercise 8: Good-Better-Best .................... 66

Skill-Building Exercise 9: Mapping ................................... 66

Apply Liberally ......................................................................67

Apply in Your Work, Start Small, Grow in Scale,

and Spread Outward ........................................................... 68

Contents • ix

Chapter 5 The A3 in Developing R&D Thinking ...........................71

Description of the A3 ................................................................ 71

Purpose of the A3 ......................................................................73

Section 1: Problem Statement, Business Value,

Performance Goals—Dening the Problem and the

Terms for Its Successful Resolution ........................................74

e First Step in Creating ought Clarity—

Separating Problem and Solution with a Well-

Constructed Problem Statement or Valuable

Question ..........................................................................74

Business Value—Creating a Stage for Buy-In ...................77

Goals—Dening Criteria for Successful

Completion, a.k.a. “When Do I Stop?” ..............................78

Other Types of Stop-Gap Goals ..........................................79

Section 1 Summary ............................................................. 80

Section 2: Current State ............................................................81

Section 2 Summary ..............................................................83

Section 3: Analysis/Synthesis—Finding the Root Cause

of a Problem and Developing Countermeasures to

Address Root Cause ................................................................. 84

Considerations in Analysis/Synthesis ............................... 86

Section 3 Summary ..............................................................89

Section 4: e Learning Plan ...................................................89

Learning Plan Structure ..................................................... 90

Predicting Plan Timing .......................................................92

Building Fast Learning into Our Planning Process ........92

inking and Cadence in the Learning Plan ...................93

oughts on the Learning Plan ..........................................95

Section 4 Summary ..............................................................98

Section 5: Results and Future Considerations .......................98

Pulling It Together to Get the Most from the A3 ................ 99

Chapter 6 The Lean R&D Manager ................................................ 101

Skills a Lean Manager Must Possess .....................................102

Seeing Exercises .......................................................................102

Skill-Building Exercise 1: Seeing Group and System

Dynamics in an External Setting .....................................103

x • Contents

Skill-Building Exercise 2: Letting the Environment

Tell You Its Problems .......................................................... 103

Skill-Building Exercise 3: Observing the Internal

Environment (Walking the Gemba) ................................105

Skill-Building Exercise 4: Seeing and Reframing

through Mapping ................................................................107

Reframing Exercises ................................................................108

Skill-Building Exercise 5: Disbelieving Your Own

Beliefs ...................................................................................109

Skill-Building Exercise 6: Identifying Other Possible

Beliefs ...................................................................................109

Experience ................................................................................110

Skill-Building Exercise 7: Small-Scale/High-Velocity

Experimentation .................................................................110

Growth ......................................................................................112

Skill-Building Exercise 8: Setting Targets .......................113

Skill-Building Exercise 9: Assessing Performance

and Reecting on Results ..................................................114

Pulling It Together ..................................................................114

Chapter 7 Removing Barriers within the R&D Community ........ 115

Noninnovation Work ..............................................................116

Supporting Basic Work Requirements ............................116

Supporting Interfaces .........................................................116

Supporting Management Systems .................................... 117

Seeing the Noninnovation Work ..................................... 120

Creating Purpose ............................................................... 120

Seeing without Prejudice ....................................................... 122

Group Exercise 1: Seeing without Prejudice, the

Current-State Value Stream Map .................................... 122

Issues in Value Stream Mapping in R&D .................. 124

Group Exercise 2: Seeing Team Assumptions ................125

Group Exercise 3: Bypass Assumptions Entirely—

Critical Question Mapping .............................................. 126

Reframing Exercises ................................................................127

Building Group Experience ...................................................129

Pulling It Together to Remove Barriers................................130