The Goal: a process of Ongoing Improvement

"Anything?’’
asks Sharon.
"Within reason,’’
I repeat.
So they leave and I get about ten minutes of peace and quiet.
Then I see the two faces looking around the corner. "Ready?’’ I ask.
They come in and sit down at the kitchen table with me. "Want to hear my
idea?’’ asks Sharon.
"My idea is better,’’ says Dave.
"It is not!’’ she tells him.
"Okay, enough!’’ I say. "What’s your idea, Sharon?’’ Sharon says, "A
drummer.’’

---

"Pardon me?’’
"You know...like in a parade,’’ she says.
"Oh, I know what you mean,’’ I say, realizing what she has in mind. "There
aren’t any gaps in a parade. Everybody is marching in step.’’
Sharon beams. Dave gives her a dirty look.
"So everybody’s marching in step . . . to a beat,’’ I say, thinking out loud.
"Sure. But how do you keep the people in front of Herbie from setting a
faster pace?’’
"You have Herbie beat the drum,’’ says Sharon. I think about it and say,
"Yeah, that’s not bad.’’ "But my idea is better,’’ says Dave.
I turn to him. "Okay, wise guy, what’s your idea?’’ "Tie ropes to everyone,’’
says Dave.
"Ropes?’’
"You know, like mountain climbers,’’ he says. "You tie everyone together at
the waist with one long rope. So, that way, no one could get left behind, and
nobody could speed up without everybody speeding up.’’
I say, "Hmmm... that’s very good.’’
It would mean that the line—which would translate to the total inventory in
the plant—could never be longer than the rope. And the rope, of course,
could be of a pre-determined length, which means we could control it with
precision. Everyone would have to walk at the same speed. I look at Dave, a
little in awe of his creativity.
"Come to think of it, the rope makes it sound like having physical links
between all the equipment,’’ I tell him, "which is like an assembly line.’’

---

"Yeah, an assembly line,’’ says Dave. "Didn’t you tell me once that an
assembly line is supposed to be the best way to make things?’’
"Well, yes, it’s the most efficient way to manufacture,’’ I say.
"In fact, we use that approach when we do the final assembly for most of our
products. The problem is that an assembly line won’t work throughout the
whole plant.’’
"Oh,’’ says Dave.
"But those are both good ideas you two thought up,’’ I tell them. "In fact, if
we changed each of your ideas just a little bit we’d almost have the solution
suggested to us today.’’ "Like how?’’ asks Sharon.
"See, to keep the line from spreading, it actually wouldn’t be necessary to
keep everyone marching to exactly the same step or to keep everyone tied to
the rope,’’ I tell them. "What we really have to do is just keep the kid at the
front of the line from walking faster than Herbie. If we can do that, then
everybody will stay together.’’
"So we just tie the rope from Herbie to the kid at the front,’’ says Dave.
"Or, maybe Herbie and the boy at the front of the line have signals,’’ says
Sharon. "When the boy in front goes too fast, Herbie tells him to wait or slow
down.’’
"That’s right,’’ I say. "Both of you figured it out.’’ "So what do we 
both
win?’’ asks Sharon.
"What do you want?’’ I ask. "A pizza with everything? A night at the
movies?’’
They’re quiet for a moment.
"The movies sound good,’’ says Sharon, "but what I’d really like is if you
could get Mom to come home again.’’

---

Now it gets very quiet.
Dave says finally, "But if you can’t, we’ll understand.’’ "Well, I’m doing my
best,’’ I say. "Meanwhile, how about the movies?’’
After the kids have gone to bed, I sit up wondering for the hundredth time
whether Julie will come back. Compared with my marital difficulties, the
inventory problem at the plant seems simple—or at least it seems simple
now. I guess every problem is easy once you’ve figured it out.
We are, in effect, going to do what my two kids came up with. The Herbies
(the bottlenecks) are going to tell us when to let more inventory into the
system—except we’re going to use the aid of computers instead of drums and
ropes.
After we returned to the conference room in the office building today, we
started talking, and we all agreed that we’re obviously releasing too much
material. We don’t need five or six weeks of inventory in front of the
bottleneck to keep it productive.
"If we can withhold materials for red parts, instead of pushing them out there
as soon as the first non-bottleneck has nothing to do,’’ said Stacey, "the
milling machines will then have time to work on the green parts. And the