Lean & Variation - Understanding The 3 M’s
Wednesday, January 18th, 2012I have seen examples of the 3 M’s in many places. I think it is important to understand their interrelationships before starting to implement solutions!
The 3 Ms
Muda: Waste - One or more of the 7 types - (Overproduction, Waiting, Transport, Extra Motion, Extra Processing, Defects, Inventory)
Mura: Variation (unevenness or fluctuation ) in performance
Muri: Hard to do / burdensome (usually caused by Mura and/or Muda)
Examples abound of how the 3 M’s are related. Here are some:
Example >> Poor layout of a facility (indicated by Transport Waste) would lead to “difficulty in getting the job done in a timely manner” which leads to accidents and making mistakes due to always being in a rush
Example >> Unstable process (Variation or Unevenness) - think of situations where equipment is down often - this would create Waste downstream (Waiting, Defects) >> then Muri - hard to do for operators - like sorting / inspection / disposition.
Example >> Searching for tools or information (Extra Motion) would result in less time focusing on value-adding activities which could result in errors.
Example >> Documentation too wordy / confusing / not visual (Extra Processing) would result in spending too much time in finding what is needed in a timely manner.