My Mom — The Lean Manager
Recently I got a responsibility to study the lean and six sigma management concepts. I knew a little and basics about it. Learning through YouTube was the best way for me. Along with this, I also had connected a few Lean Consultants for a new upcoming project. While doing all these activities and learning, I found that my Mom is born a lean manager. Wish to share the same with you.
Lean management refers to a technique developed to minimize the process of waste and maximize the value of the product or service to the customer, without compromising the quality.
The lean method is about reducing waste in any form, which I could see in day to day actions of my mother. She doesn’t let a single drop of oil get wasted from the pouch. Eating rice at the end of Dal-Bati meal is a must because Butter spilled on the plate should not be wasted. Milk is always rinsed from the Bournvita bottle to use the last milligram of it. Biscuit wrappers are used as dustbin bags. People use foil-paper bags, but at my home, empty Ziploc featured Haldiram packets are stored for the same use. Using the torn out clothes in the different application is the most common example and can be seen everywhere.
The above examples were of saving material wastage. Operational savings is also observed at every moment. No oil can is placed directly on the floor, it will always be kept on some base, so that spilled oil doesn’t make a mess. Simple base covers inside the cupboard were so neatly placed, that those of 1985 can still be used. Arranging a meal of 50 people at our home was the most common thing which becomes a huge task for many other people at different locations.
Lean is also about improving processes. I have seen my mom adapted herself from Chulha to 2 burner gas to now 3 burner gas. And now planning for Microwave Oven. I also remember one incident, in Parbhani, we have experienced water scarcity. One day when all of the Galli members were allowed to take water from a nearby well, my mom was the one who did it smartly. Everyone was filling the buckets and bringing 2 buckets by hand home. And repeated the same exercise until they got sufficient water. My mom didn’t want this. She borrowed a hand cart from the neighbor (Who was also bringing the buckets by hand) and brought 3 buckets, 6 big vessels together. Energy saved was more than 1000%.
When we shifted to Pune, it was her first “Home Shifting” experience. And I will tell you that still everything is neatly arranged in the rented home where resources are very less. As you visit us, if you have an industry eye, you can perfectly see 5S implementation. And I believe the same can be seen at every home. Every mother has learned it through experience. It’s just that they did not study the science behind it, but they aimed to serve a home with the best possible quality she could provide. And if we could learn something from her, we can save a lot at our workplace as well.
For me also this is true. I have indirectly learned from her and it helps me at my work. Basic logic and implementation can be seen as a replica of my Mother’s method. J The same way I would request you all to learn from your mother and surroundings. That helps in big processes as well, because basic logic always remains the same and can be applied everywhere.
