Jennifer Ayers, Author at NWHPEC

11Apr 2023 by Jennifer Ayers

LEAN 101: 6-WEEK SERIES – April 28th – June 2nd (Full)

Lean 101(a virtual learning experience) FULL - the next class will start in September Join us on a journey to discover the basic elements of lean principles and see the impact they make when you put them into practice. This course consists of six, one-hour classes focused on the foundational elements of lean. During this course, you will learn more about the history/background of lean, why these principles are important to creating a culture of excellence, standard work, 8 wastes, 5S, PDCA, and visual management. Each week will include instruction, discussion, and simulations followed by small project assignments between each class to help you practice the concepts in your own environment.Lean 101 is a beginning-level course that teaches participants the basic concepts of Lean Thinking. It is suitable for participants…

05Apr 2023 by Jennifer Ayers

Benchmarking Tour @A-dec, April 25th (Full)

Learning Tours

Focus topic: Daily Management Systems A-dec is one of the most respected names in the dental industry. They design and manufacture dental equipment at their headquarters in Newberg, Oregon. A-dec started its lean journey in 1999 and has been working to make its processes robust and efficient ever since. Recently, they have been designing and piloting the concept of a Daily Management System (DMS) in a few manufacturing areas. On this tour, they will highlight a few areas in different stages of their DMS journey. We’ll also have an opportunity to tour parts of their integrated manufacturing facility and see how they are using 6S, Kanban, 1-pc flow, Standard Work, and Andon Boards to help make flow and problems visible. Daily management systems are essential for maintaining engagement and communication…

21Mar 2023 by Jennifer Ayers

Intro to Lean – April 19th (in person) – Class is FULL

Beginner~, Classes, Foundational~

This is a one-day overview of all Lean principles with a fun and interactive simulation to demonstrate the application of the Lean tools. This class is a pre-requisite for many other classes and very beneficial for people new to Lean principles or individuals who need a broader Lean education. Date: Wednesday, April 19th Time: 8am-5pmLocation: Olympus Controls 18280 SW 108th Ave Tualatin, ORCost: $150 per person ($250 nonmembers) Registration: Email [email protected]. Include name(s), email(s), and job titles. CLASS IS FULL - you will be added to a waitlist. Key Concepts:Introduction to Lean is a beginning level course that teaches students the basic concepts of Lean Thinking. This includes topics around waste, value, 5S, single piece flow, Kanban, etc. It is suitable for students who work in office or shop…

21Mar 2023 by Jennifer Ayers

Intro to the Improvement Kata – April 13th (2 seats left)

Beginner~, Classes, Solving Problems~

This class is an experiential introduction to the improvement cycle and coaching cycle of the Toyota Kata, a structured approach to continuous improvement that helps people develop a scientific mindset. How fast can you lay out 24 cards in a precise sequence? You’ll discover that and more in this 2.5-hour program. You will be introduced to a structured improvement cycle that will let you discover how to reach a significant challenge in a series of incremental experiments. Through a series of coaching questions, you will learn how to take a step, make a prediction, observe the outcome and learn from it in a way that can inform your next step. You will leave familiar with these two cycles and a strong appreciation for how they can help you improve just…

02Mar 2023 by Jennifer Ayers

Employee Engagement Systems – March 15th

Benchmark Request

Respect for every individual is at the core of lean/continuous improvement systems. Therefore, recognizing our employees and ensuring they feel seen, heard, and valued is important to the success of our organizations. At this session of “The Bench”, we will gather to talk about how your organization recognizes and rewards your greatest asset, your people. How do you recognize employees at your organization? As we gather at The Bench we'll pose questions, share challenges, and share success stories in hopes that we can help others re-imagine how they recognize and reward their employees. This will be an open forum exchange of best practices. Hope you can join us! Date: Wednesday, March 15, 2023 Time: 2-3pm Venue: Zoom Open to all NWHPEC members, no cost Registration link

01Mar 2023 by Jennifer Ayers

Kata Practitioner Day – March 22nd (Full)

Application~, Classes, Developing People~, Intermediate~

Explore the 4-step Improvement Kata method through practitioners sharing real world examples. What is Toyota Kata? It's two intentional routines - the Improvement Kata, layered with the Coaching Kata. Together, these two routines help individuals become stronger, more confident problem solvers. The purpose of a Kata Practitioner Day is to: Provide a forum to learn from your fellow NWHPEC Kata practitioners, Introduce the Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata to those new to this improvement and skill building approach, and Hear how the Improvement Kata and Coaching Kata is being applied in all aspects of an organization Event Details: Date: Wednesday, March 22, 2023Time: 9am – noonLocation: Smith Gardens (23200 Hubbard Cutoff Rd NE, Aurora, OR)Cost: No charge (we just ask that you aren’t a no-show)Registration: Limited to NWHPEC members. Email…

01Feb 2023 by Jennifer Ayers

Book Club: The Work of Management, weekly starting Feb 24th

Book Club

This Winter's book selection is The Work of Management by Jim Lancaster. About the book: "The role of Daily Management - Gemba Walks, Leader Standard Work, and good Tiered Accountability is often undervalued when discussing business transformation. In Jim Lancaster's book, The Work of Management, the reality of applying daily management is explained in a very approachable way showing how to add value to the bottom line. This is a good book for anyone who is working on improving their daily management system or is trying to figure out why their improvements are not sustaining. Jim provides great examples from his own experiences as a CEO (both processes and visual boards) we can use as templates to try out." If you haven’t participated in one of our book clubs before, I…

Author: Jennifer Ayers