LCiGlossaryofTermsandConcepts

Lean Construction Ireland (LCi) Page 7 of 11 Mura – This is the Japanese word for "Unevenness", namely any activity that has not been levelled out creating consequential complexity and cost. They are a target for reduction or elimination. Muri – This is the Japanese word for "Overburdening", namely any activity that causes excessive demand on a system that causes the system to produce beyond its reasonable capacity. Pushing a machine or person beyond natural limits. Overburdening people results in stress, safety, and quality problems. Overburdening equipment causes breakdowns and defects. They are a target for reduction or elimination. Necessary Non-Value-Adding (NNVA) – Those support activities/processes that are necessary under the present operating system or equipment but which do not, per se, add value. One should seek to optimise these. Network of Commitments – The web of promises necessary to deliver any project. The role of management is to articulate and activate the unique network of commitments required to deliver each project. Non-Value-Adding (NVA) – Those activities/processes that do not directly add/contribute value to customers – namely those activities the customer would not be happy to pay for. One should seek to reduce or remove these. Optimal Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) – This is a hierarchy of metrics to evaluate how effectively a manufacturing operation is utilised with results stated in a generic form which allows comparison between manufacturing units in differing industries. It is not an absolute measure and is best used to identify scope for process performance improvement. It is a composite measure of the ability of a machine or process to carry out value adding activity. OEE = % time machine available * % of maximum output achieved * % perfect output. It measures the degree to which machines are adding value by not being wastefully employed due to planned or unplanned downtime or in producing defects. Pareto Analysis – Sometimes referred to as the “80:20 rule”, this is the tendency in many business situations for a small number of factors to account for a large proportion of events. For example, 80% of total sales volume might be attributable to 20% of customers and 20% of the product range. In terms of quality, 80% of defects might be attributable to 20% of causes. The 20% is sometimes referred to as “the vital few”. PDCA – P lan, D o, C heck, A ct/ A djust. This is the cycle introduced by Walter A. Shewhart and popularised by Dr W.E. Deming as a method for continuous improvement. Percent Plan Complete/Planned Percent Complete (PPC) – A basic measure of how well the planning system is working – calculated as the number of promises/activities completed on the day stated divided by the total number of promises/activities made/planned for the week. It measures the percentage of assignments that are 100% complete as planned. Performer – The individual engaged in a conversation for action who agrees to undertake performance either requested from or offered to a customer. Phase – A period of the project where a specific group of activities is scheduled to be accomplished such as building design, completion of foundations, erection of exterior walls, building dry-in. A phase can be either a time period or a group of activities leading to the accomplishment of a defined goal/milestone. Phase Plan – A plan for executing a specific phase of a project using a pull technique to determine hand-offs. It is prepared by the team actually responsible for doing the work through conversation. Work is planned at the request/demand of a downstream customer. Plan Reliability – The extent to which a plan is an accurate forecast of future events – it is measured by PPC. Planning – The act of conversation that leads to well-coordinated action. Plus/Delta Review – A continuous improvement discussion performed at the end of a meeting, project or event used to evaluate the session or activity. Two questions are asked and discussed. Plus: What produced value during the session? Delta: What could we change to improve the process or outcome?