LCiGlossaryofTermsandConcepts

Lean Construction Ireland (LCi) Page 8 of 11 Poka-Yoke – A Japanese term for mistake-proofing method or device developed by Shigeo Shingo that is used to prevent an error or defect from happening or being passed on to the next operation. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) – Integral to health and safety, this is the equipment worn to minimise exposure to serious workplace injuries and illnesses. Process Mapping – A flowchart identifying all the activities, operations, steps, and work times for a process. Promise – The action taken by a performer to commit to a customer to take some action to produce a mutually understood result, for example CoS, by a definite time in the future. Pull – A method of advancing work when the next-in-line customer is ready to use it. A request/demand from the customer signals that the work is needed and it is pulled from the performer. Pull releases work when the system is ready to use it. Push – Push an order from a central authority based on a schedule; advancing work based on central schedule. Releasing materials, information, or directives possibly according to a plan but irrespective of whether or not the downstream process is ready to process them. Quality – Quality denotes an excellence in goods and services, especially to the degree they conform to requirements and satisfy customers. Quality Assignment – Assignment that meets quality criteria for release to the customer process. The quality criteria are: (1) definition; (2) soundness; (3) sequence; (4) size; and (5) learning. Reason for Variance – Factors that prevented an assignment from being completed as promised, used by the team to promote learning concerning the failure of the planning system to produce predictable workflow. By assigning a category of variance to each uncompleted task, a team is able to identify those areas of recurring failure that require additional reflection and analysis. Reliable Promise – A promise made by a performer only after self-assuring that the promisor: (1) is competent or has access to the competence (both skill and wherewithal); (2) has estimated the amount of time the task will take; (3) has blocked all time needed to perform; (4) is freely committing and is not privately doubting ability to achieve the outcome; and (5) is prepared to accept any upset that may result from failure to deliver as promised. Request – The action taken by a customer to ask a performer to take some action to produce a mutually understood result (CoS) by a definite time in the future. Right First Time (RFT) – This concept involves ensuring that all activities/processes are carried out in the right manner the first time and every time. A quality management concept that defect prevention is more advantageous and cost effective than defect detection and associated rework. Root Cause Analysis – Integral to Lean tools and techniques, and the essence of problem solving, this is a systematic method of analysing possible causes to determine the root cause of a problem. SCAMPER – The SCAMPER technique is based very simply on the idea that what is new is actually a modification of existing old things around us. It is a creative thinking and problem solving technique developed to address targeted questions that help solve problems or ignite creativity during brainstorming meetings. The name SCAMPER is acronym for seven techniques: (S) substitute, (C) combine, (A) adapt, (M) modify, (P) put to another use, (E) eliminate, and (R) reverse. Screening – Determining the status of tasks in the look-ahead window relative to their constraints, and choosing to advance or retard tasks based on their constraint status and the probability of removing constraints. Scrum – Linked to Agile, and initially utilised in software development, Scrum is a framework for developing, delivering, and sustaining complex products, within which people can address complex adaptive problems while productively and