TABLE OF CONTENTS Every management technique has its favorite tools. Project Management has its Gantt charts and CPM diagrams, and 5S has its shadow boards (that show the outline of the tool when it is missing). Lean maintenance also has charts. But Lean Maintenance has an additional advantage. Lean Maintenance encompasses any technique that reduces the inputs to produce a positive maintenance outcome. All the tools of all the techniques can also be Lean Maintenance tools.
The first tool discussed in the first chapter was the circle game. In Lean Manufacturing, a useful technique is to draw a circle on the floor and have a Lean team member sit there observing the operation for a few hours. Waste then becomes obvious, and the observer notes the waste and writes down any questions that come up. In particular the observer is trained to look for the wastes of manufacturing: over-production, wasted waiting time, wasted time moving people, tools or materials, wasted materials, waste in the inventory, and wasted motion. More will be said on these wastes in the next chapter.
The circle technique has to be somewhat re-thought because maintenance does not take place in one place as production does. With some creativity we can gain real intelligence. Maintenance can use the technique to observe specific jobs, to observe the maintenance shop or the foreman's office. Maintenance has massive waste compared to a typical production line so it could be easy for an observer to be overcome with all the opportunities in...
